5 Steps to Lose Fat Fast
Follow these five steps to lose fat as fast as possible.
I’ve lost 50kg. To get from where I was to where I am now, I followed five key steps: Plan, Execute, Time, Analysis, and Optimisation.
You can use these five steps to achieve any goal, but we’ll be focusing on fat loss.
1. Plan
A lot of plans don’t work because people either overestimate their ability or underestimate the things that could go wrong. I’m not saying don’t have ambition. Your plan should challenge you. But it should be a challenge you can handle. Otherwise, you’ll get started on your plan, it won’t turn out how you expect, and you’ll quit.
Let’s say you want to lose 20kg. You plan on doing that in four months. That’s one kilo a week, which is on the upper end but still reasonable. You’re going to do that by weight training four times per week with three cardio sessions. You’ll also do intermittent fasting, cut out sugar, and increase your protein intake—all while staying under 2200 calories.
For me, that plan is easy. I already weight train five times per week, I do cardio every morning, I intermittent fast, I don’t eat sugar, and my protein intake is high. The only difficult part is the calories. But it’s a lot to take on for someone who’s new to fitness. Phrases like biting off more than you can chew or jumping into the deep end come to mind. A beginner is better off extending the deadline from four months to eight and working on one or two of those things (weight training, cardio, cutting out sugar, etc.) at a time. Plan to work at a level that is reasonable for you.
2. Execute
Planning is easy. Executing isn’t. Especially at the start. Because you’re fighting who you’ve been to become someone new. You’re building new habits and changing your behaviour. So it feels like you’re putting in work and not seeing any obvious results. It’s like you’re climbing uphill, and there’s no change in the view. But it’s only like this in the beginning.
Let’s say you decided to stick to that plan of losing 20kg in four months. You’ve started, and it’s hard. You normally finish work and head home, but now you go to the gym. You’re used to having a big breakfast, but now you’re trying to fast. You’re addicted to sugar, but now you’ve cut it out. On top of that, it’s been two weeks, your body’s sore, and the scale hasn’t moved. You’re wondering what you’re doing wrong.
The answer is nothing. You’re doing nothing wrong. That is exactly how it’s supposed to go. You’re going to be sore from exercise. You’re going to be irritated from skipping breakfast and not eating sugar. But you’ll get used to it. As for the results, it can take anywhere from two to four weeks for your body to adjust. Water retention, hormonal changes, and initial muscle gain can mask fat loss. So for the first few weeks, you could put in all this effort and see nothing. That’s just how it goes.
3. Time
The “fun” parts are over. You made your plan, and you got through that initial struggle. Now it’s just about consistency and time. This, though, is where most people quit.
You’re seven weeks into your four-month plan. You’re eating well. You’ve been going to the gym four days per week to lift weights and do cardio. You’re also seeing some results. But you’re bored. You’ve been doing the same training routine and eating the same food while everyone else around you is chilling. You think skipping one day won’t hurt. But one thing leads to another, and you’re back at square one.
It’s always exciting at first—starting something new. But eventually, it becomes boring. It’s just the same thing, over and over again. That’s what gets results, though. And in my opinion, that’s the hardest part. The start is like a sprint, which I’ve never had trouble with. This bit, though—the middle bit—is a marathon. And I’ve never liked long-distance running. But that’s just what it takes.
4. Analysis
Your initial plan will rarely be perfect. Maybe you took on too much. Or maybe you feel like you could do more. Maybe progress is faster than expected. Or maybe it’s too slow. Monitoring key metrics is the only way you’ll know.
When it comes to fat loss, the key metrics I like to measure are weight, strength, and focus. Weight to check if you’re on target at one kilo per week. Strength to make sure the weight lost is from fat. And focus to make sure you’re not overextending yourself.
If you’re losing one kilo per week, maintaining your strength, and your focus is good, your plan is working. If not, changes may need to be made.
5. Optimisation
Your plan should only stay the same if you’re getting the results you’re expecting and can still handle the workload. If not, and you’ve stuck to it for enough time, you’ll have to optimise.
Let’s say you’re losing one kilo a week, but your strength is going down as well as your focus. Maybe you need to increase your calories. Or you’ve stopped losing weight, but your strength and focus are high. Maybe you need to do more cardio. Or, in the worst case, you’re not losing weight, your strength is going down, and you can’t focus. Maybe it’s time for a break.
You have to optimise as you move forward, but never too often. If you keep changing your plan, you’ll stay stuck in step 2. The real results come in step 3.
Takeaway
Follow these five steps to lose fat fast: Plan, Execute, Time, Analysis, and Optimisation.
✅ Make a realistic plan that still challenges you.
✅ Execute that plan and get through the initial struggle.
✅ Give it time and stay consistent, even when it gets boring.
✅ Continuously analyse your progress.
✅ Optimise your approach to make it more effective.
And remember, these steps can be applied to any goal.
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