There comes a thought in life when we feel the need to shred the fat and get ripped with six pack abs and a chiseled jawline. But, there is no quick fix to this. There is no shortcut and there is definitely no way to fast-forward this process. Here are three elements of weight loss that you need to understand before kick-starting the transformation series.

A Healthy and a Balanced Diet

Abs are made in the kitchen and not the gym, ever heard of this phrase? Well it is as true as it can get. Your diet will dictate how well you can achieve your goals.

• First step: Understand calorie deficit. It’s basically eating less than you burn and the recommended deficit for beginners is a balanced 500 calorie deficit.
• Second Step: Understand macros . Protein, fat, and carbohydrates are your three macros. Your goals will define how much of each macro you require.
• Third Step: Use online calculators to know your target macros are and then use apps like MyFitnessPal to track your daily diet.
• Fourth Step: Ensure you hit your target macros. Stick to the diet because your progress will depend on your diet.

Weight Training:

Lifting weights when you are shredding is a must. When you start lifting, your muscles will be under stress resulting in the burning of calories. You require an extra dose of energy to lift the weights and the body burns calories to generate that energy.

Additionally,

• While shredding fat the body needs significant toning to reach the ripped state you seek. Therefore, get into the habit of picking up the dumbbells and adding plates to the barbells.
• You do not want to lose all your strength when you are cutting because the less you eat, the less strength you have. Lifting heavy weights and indulging in progressive overload is the factor that will help you retain your strength to a significant level.

Cardio:

Cardio is the element of fat loss that helps the cause but is not the reason for it.

• When you pair cardio with weight lifting, then you will burn more calories than if you do just cardio.
• Cardio momentarily burns more calories but weight lifting elevates your metabolism which aids in burning calories even after you exit the gym.

There are two types of cardio: LISS and HIIT.

• Both are effective but then, HIIT burns more and requires a longer recovery period.
• If you depend only on cardio for your weight loss, you will not attain the ripped body that you want.

Keeping the above in mind you need to understand that your hard work will show results only when you are consistent and you are patient. This process takes more time than you can imagine. The saying goes: it takes four weeks for you to see changes, eight weeks for the people around you to see the changes, and twelve weeks for everyone else to notice it. Get into the mind-set that you will have days of demotivation and you will have days when your body will give up and that is okay. Listen to your body and your body will show results of your hard-work.