So here how to lose body fat without stepping in a gym. The mainstream media would like to have people believe that they must workout to lose body fat, but that simply isn’t the case. I am guessing that this is a good way to sell gym memberships, but I’d rather tell you the truth.
What a Back Injury in 2003 Taught Me
I injured my back in 2003 and was unable to walk let alone run. This was the first time in 15 years that I was unable to workout. This was really bad timing too. I had just bought tickets for a trip to Mexico with 4 other friends and we rented a beach villa in a prime spot on the Gulf of Mexico. I had 5 months until the trip and was injured so badly it hurt to stand.
Since I Couldn’t Workout, I Dieted Hard
I had about 10 pounds of fat to lose, but couldn’t lose this body fat through any exercise whatsoever. I had to simply create 100% of my calorie deficit through diet. To be honest I was skeptical that this would work. In the past I lived on the treadmill leading up to a vacation or for summer. I am great at getting lean through cardio and have never done this with diet alone.
I Dieted Down to 8% Body Fat in 3 Months
Losing body fat is one thing, but losing body fat when you are already pretty lean is tricky. It gets even trickier from doing this with diet alone. So how did I accomplish this? I drank a protein shake for breakfast, one for lunch, and then a salad with chicken and rice vinegar dressing for dinner. It was a bland way to eat, but it worked well. I allowed myself a Fuji Apple for desert if I was still hungry, but not every single night.
You Can Create A Bigger Calorie Deficit Through Diet Than You Can Through Exercise
The biggest thing I learned by going through this experience is that you can create a really large calorie deficit through diet alone. If my daily maintenance calorie level is 2,000, I can simply eat 1,200 and create a massive 800 calorie deficit. It takes a lot of exercise to burn 800 calories per day! I am just using this figure as an example, you don’t need to put yourself through such a big deficit.
Obviously Exercise Will Help When Maintaining Muscle
The only downside of using diet alone to lose body fat is that you won’t maintain all of your muscle mass. To be honest you won’t wither away, but you will lose a little muscle if you don’t train at least a little while following a strict diet. So the above is an extreme example of how to lose body fat without exercising.