3. April 2026

Most people trying to lose fat make this mistake

A lot of people focus purely on eating as few calories as possible. Whilst yes, it is true that you need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight. It is also true you can increase the amount of food you eat and still lose weight!

The size of the deficit dictates the sustainability of the diet.

Therefore, providing you are still in a calorie deficit, having a little extra food will not stop you losing weight.

Eating too little can cause us to not eat enough protein and massive deficits can cause you to lose lean mass (muscle) as well as fat. Leaving you with a 'skinny fat' frame, no energy and actually subconsciously or consciously eating more. How many times have you weighed out your peanut butter to the exact amount and then dipped the spoon in for a bit more?

You may also start may also start moving less. Your workouts may lose intensity, you may rest more or take less steps. The shop you would normally walk to is starting to feel a lot further. That 800 kcal deficit is starting to look a bit less impressive and it may not even be that much of a deficit anymore.

Why don't you add a few extra calories say 300 kcal per day. You'll still be in a deficit of 500 kcal. That's 3500 kcal deficit per week. Equating to 1lb of fat loss per week.

Drastic deficits and diets are often not a sustainable approach. If it sounds too good to be true it often is. Slow and steady wins the weight loss race and you can build habits that last longer. No quick fixes just habits that last.

The best fat loss approaches in my opinion should focus on:

3-4 solid weight sessions.

Adequate protein intake. Which translates to 0.3g/kg of protein per meal so for a 65 kg person (60kg x 0.3= 19.5g protein) About 20-25g of protein each meal.

Small caloire deficit around 500 kcal.

A sprinkle of cardio ontop

If you want help structuring your training and nutrition get in touch. Follow and DM @thefuellocker on instagram.

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