If you want to make any serious changes to your body you need to approach it scientifically, because really that’s all it is.  If you eat more than you need you will gain weight. If you exercise intelligently this weight will be muscle, if not maybe it will be fat. If you eat less than you need, you will lose weight. You want to lose fat, not muscle. So, you must exercise enough to keep muscle, and eat enough to sustain that muscle.

 There isn't much more to it than that. So to go about it scientifically what do you need?  Well, like any good scientist, you need variables, and measurable results.


What are measurable result? A measurable result is an outcome of some change in the variables, that can be accurately measured.  So in the science of weight loss, you have.
1.      The scale. Everybody's favorite tool. It is the worst of the three sources of information. It tells you that you have gained or lost weight, but it cannot tell you if this weight is fat, water, or muscle.

2.      The tape measure. The tape measure is better than the scale, because it shows directly where change is happening, and what kind of change it is.  If your goal is to lose fat you want to see your waist measurements dropping, but may not want to see your arms shrivel up into licorice sticks.

3.      Strength levels. Strength is the best indicator of muscle loss or gain. If you are losing strength you are likely losing muscle. So keep track of how much you are lifting to know if you are gaining or losing muscle.

No strength losses going on here.

There is one more source that does not provide measurable feedback, but is still useful. It is the mirror. The mirror is generally pretty reliable. An even better approach would be to take pictures every week or two. By comparing past and present pictures you will have a clear indication of your progress. Pictures do not lie.
What variables does a fat loss scientist have?
1.      Food intake. You absolutely must keep track of what you eat every day. This is the most basic requirement. Only when you have an established baseline can you begin to adjust your diet. I highly recommend getting the app myfitnesspal. It makes keeping track of your food super easy. If your measurements show that you are gaining weight when you want to lose weight, you need to eat less.  If you want to gain weight, but are not gaining, you need to eat more.

2.      Energy out. Adding morning walks has a huge effect on fat loss because of the extra calories being burned. Keep a record of the exercise you are doing, and adjust it as you need to.  The key to losing weight is to exercise only as much as you can recover from.  This is why walking is so great.  No one gets sore from walking, but it is a great way to burn calories.  If you tried to run, or do bodyweight circuits every morning you would burn more calories. The problem is that you would never recover properly due the low food intake during dieting.  You would not be able to move heavy weights in the gym, and would end up losing muscle. Walking is the best option for burning some extra calories.
Don't get crazy, but keep track of what you eat!
Closely watch all measurable results, and adjust the variables as needed. This is the first step to achieving your goals. Intermittent fasting helps you become more efficient at burning fat, and putting energy into muscle growth. It also makes keeping track of what you eat easier, by putting all your eating into an 8 hour window.  Try it out, and keep me posted!