The Ins and Outs of Fat Loss
From Director of Health Alex Maples
Fat loss may be the most sought-after health pursuit of all, and for good reason. As we’ve been talking about in the body composition section, excess body fat is strongly associated with worse health outcomes. But scratch beneath the surface and what most people are actually chasing isn't just a number on the scale. It's more energy, fewer aches, a body that keeps showing up for the life they want to live. Fat loss is the lever they've been told to pull. Knowing that, how do you pull it well?
Losing fat without losing weight is rare. It typically only happens in the first year or two of quality resistance training (a great idea for general health and longevity). Outside of that early window, reducing body fat almost always requires losing body weight.
And, the only way to lose body weight is to create a calorie deficit.
You’ll see a nauseating amount of fitness content naming a specific villain – some ingredient, food group, or macronutrient that’s “secretly making you fat.” That’s noise. Fundamentally, weight gain (including fat gain) happens when we consistently consume more calories than we burn, regardless of where those calories come from.
That said, what you eat plays a massive role in how many calories you end up consuming. It’s really hard to overeat broccoli. It’s incredibly easy to overeat hyper-palatable, ultra-processed foods.
Because we’re taking a holistic approach to health and fitness, it’s worth stating clearly: The goal isn’t just weight loss. Muscle tissue is critical for health, performance, and aging well. Sure, we want the weight we lose to be mostly fat, while preserving as much muscle as possible. But if the only goal was weight loss, the advice could stop at “eat less and move more.” To optimize body composition, though, we need a bit more precision.
The Recipe for Fat Loss and Muscle Preservation
A calorie deficit
Adequate protein intake (rule of thumb: .6-1g/per pound of goal weight)
A muscle-preserving signal (resistance training)
Calorie Deficit: The Non-Negotiable
There are two primary ways to create a calorie deficit:
Reduce intake (Fewer calories consumed)
Increase expenditure (more movement)
Using exercise alone to create a meaningful deficit is possible, but inefficient. Take the popular 12-3-30 incline treadmill workout. It’s effective and challenging, and it typically burns ~250-400 calories depending on body size. That’s roughly the same as a slice of pepperoni pizza or a grande pumpkin spice latte.
The most effective strategy is a top-down + bottom-up approach: modestly reduce intake and modestly increase activity.
Approaches to Reduce Intake
Lean Heavily on Real Food
My personal favorite approach to fat loss is simple: eat mostly whole foods. This was one of the primary changes I made when I lost 150 pounds.
A diet centered around minimally processed meats, vegetables, fruits, eggs, beans, dairy, nuts, and grains tends to naturally reduce calorie intake while providing abundant micronutrients, fiber, and protein. When people consistently meet their nutritional needs, body weight and body composition often improve as a side effect.
Processed foods are not inherently “bad.” However, foods designed to be maximally delicious tend to drive higher calorie intake. Kevin Hall’s well-known study on ultra-processed foods found that people consumed roughly 500 more calories per day on ultra-processed diets than unprocessed ones, even when the macros matched. The pattern is consistent: Ultra-processed foods make it easier to overeat. Chronic overeating drives weight gain.
Bliss point: The sugar-salt-fat combo engineered to maximize pleasure and encourage another bite.
The inverse is also true: “Healthy” foods don’t make you immune to overeating. Nuts are nutrient-dense but also calorie-dense. A palm-sized handful might be 140-180 calories, while a generous handful can approach 400. Repeated throughout the day, even “healthy” foods can put you over.
Minimize Restaurant Meals
A restaurant’s job is to make food taste amazing. This usually means generous amounts of butter, oil, sugar, and salt. Read: calorie-dense and hard to stop eating.
I’m not proposing a never-eat-out rule. But it is an argument for awareness. If fat loss is a goal, limit exposure to highly palatable, calorie-dense settings.
If you do eat out, ask to box half the meal upfront. Pre-portioning reduces reliance on willpower once the plate hits the table.
Track Calories (At Least Temporarily)
No one wants to hear this, but it works.
What gets measured gets managed. A clear calorie target beats a vague “eat less.” Even short-term tracking (think a 1-2 week sprint) dramatically improves awareness of portions and sneaky calories (coffee creamer, salad dressings, “healthy” bars…). Food scales and apps like MyFitnessPal, Carbon, or MacroFactor make it simple.
Awareness alone frequently changes behavior, even if you stop tracking.
GLP-1 Medications (Wegovy and Zepbound)
From Oprah to Serena Williams to the World Health Organization, GLP-1 medications are everywhere.
If you have significant weight to lose, talk with your clinician about whether they’re appropriate given your health history, goals, and side-effect profile. They are tools, not magic – and best used alongside strength training, protein, sleep, and movement.
Approaches to Increase Energy Expenditure
The other half of the equation is much more straightforward. Every kind of movement burns calories (yes, even that one…). The options are nearly endless, which is good news – you’re more likely to find something you enjoy (and stick to).
Get to Steppin’
Step goals are one of the most accessible ways to increase daily energy expenditure. Walking is low-impact, convenient, and loaded with health benefits.
10,000 steps isn’t magical. It’s simply a reasonable target. A better approach is to aim for more steps than you’re getting now. If you average 2,000 steps per day, moving toward 5,000 is a huge win.
And, everything counts: parking farther away, household chores, playing with kids. This makes movement feel like part of life rather than a scheduled punishment.
Join a Class
Spin, rowing, yoga, Pilates, dance, OrangeTheory, barre… Classes add structure and a social boost, which can supercharge consistency.
Run, Cycle, or Hike Outdoors
Outdoor activity has been shown to improve mental health outcomes both preventatively and therapeutically. From a personal perspective I never feel better than when I spend time moving outdoors. Moving through open space, fresh air, and nature are hard to beat. Bring a friend and it becomes something you look forward to, not something you dread.
Pair Cardio with a Show
Living in the Midwest means there’s a good chunk of the year when exercising outdoors ranges from unappealing to downright miserable. When Missouri weather shuts the door on outdoor movement, my go-to is incline walking on a treadmill while watching a show.
A show you’re genuinely engaged in turns “endless minutes” into “that episode flew by.” The goal isn’t to suffer; it’s to make exercise pleasant enough that you’ll keep doing it.
Join a League or Play a Sport
Pickleball, disc golf, softball, soccer, kickball…. Once you step away from the idea that exercise has to look like 30 minutes of doing something you hate, an entire world opens up. Movement can be about play, competition, and connection with other people. When exercise is fun, consistency tends to take care of itself.
The Big Picture
Fat loss is often the entry point, but it’s rarely the real goal. What most of us are chasing is better health, more energy, and a body that supports the life we want to live.
Approach fat loss through sustainable habits and it becomes a side effect of living well rather than a constant battle. Strength, movement, nourishment, and consistency form the foundation not just for a leaner body, but for long-term health and independence.
The goal isn’t to win a short-term fight with your body. It’s to build a lifelong partnership with it.
