Home/Blog/How to Lose Fat: 17 Ways

How to Lose Fat: 17 Ways

By Dr. Dana Lis

November 21, 2025

I’m not going to sugarcoat it. Weight loss or fat loss is hard. Even when you do everything right, you rarely experience linear progress, as in steady weight loss week after week. The body, no matter what we say, is not a machine.

So, first, I just want to ask that you be kind to yourself when you go on your next (or first, if you’re very unusual) weight loss journey. If you’ve “failed” before, do yourself a favor and instead call it a “learning.”

There isn’t a perfect way to lose body fat or achieve the body recomposition we desire. We’re all unique. Instead, simply take the tools available and find which ones work for you.

This article covers many of the fat loss tools I’ve seen work with my clients. Ideally, you will try out some of these tools, maybe come in combination with each other, and find out which works best for you.

You may be surprised to learn that nearly 50 percent of my clients (from NBA players to pro cyclists to Olympic athletes) require some form of fat loss. We often call it “performance body comp,” as it’s often less about weight loss per say and more about losing some fat and gaining some lean muscle. Plus they tend to respond better to ‘performance body comp’ better than “you need to lose fat”! (Do yourself another favor and call it the same thing.)

Why do even “pros” need to lose fat? No. 1, in this modern world full of convenience foods, it’s too easy to put on weight. No. 2, in order to be in near peak condition, you often need to change your body composition to get there.

Pregame steps for success

Just like with any sport, you don’t just rush onto the court without a plan. Make sure you cross off these boxes before you start to put the below fat loss tools into practice

1. Build your capacity

Before we delve into the various ways to lose fat, it’s valuable to get into the right frame of mind. Just wanting to lose fat isn’t enough. It requires commitment exhibited over a long duration. While you will fall down occasionally and skip that workout, eat too much that day, etc. — the less times you fall down, the quicker you will achieve your fat loss goals.

I’m often thinking of ways to help people build capacity, as with more capacity comes more achievement naturally. I use COM-B, a widely used behavior change model that explains what needs to be in place for any behavior (B) to occur.

Three things come together:

• C (Capability): Having the knowledge and skills to do it.

• O (Opportunity): Having the time, environment or social support that makes it possible.

• M (Motivation): Possessing both the desire and the habits that drive the action.

If even one of these elements is missing, the behavior is much harder to achieve or sustain.

Learning more about nutrition, exercise and your body while leveraging your skills — from being a good cyclist to being a good chef — and learning new ones helps immensely in maxing out your capacity for losing fat.

For example, you can lose fat by simply doing more cardio. But if you add strength training and do a specific type of cardio (see below), you will have far greater success. Same deal if you aim to eat fewer calories, but if you also up your protein intake while doing more cooking at home, you will likely see greater results.

Part of the opportunity portion of COM-B is dedicating part of your week to exercise, to shopping for the right foods, to cooking in your kitchen, etc. Having the support of your loved ones is critical and maybe some will join you. Joining a gym or taking a new fitness class can be a literal game-changer.

Lastly, so much of this is about motivation. It’s not fun to lose weight, especially in the beginning. We like food, we like to eat, but once you “taste” some success, your little sacrifices and helpful substitutions will become second nature.

2. Consider body type

It’s important to be realistic in your fat loss pursuit, as setting an unrealistic goal can be truly demoralizing. The biggest mistake I see is when people don’t take their body type into account.

In general, there are three body types: ectomorphs (naturally thin and lanky), endomorphs (wider hips, naturally carry more fat, can still be quite muscular) and mesomorphs (naturally muscular, more compact and with thicker bones).

Many people seeking to lose weight are endomorphs. If that’s you, that doesn’t mean you can’t lose fat and get much more fit. But you will need to be more patient, as you may in the “hard loser” category. The tools below, especially combined, will help.

3. Combine some of the below strategies for greater fat loss success

While your body naturally burns both glucose and fat for energy, you can shift the balance toward more fat-burning by adjusting what, when and how you eat and move.

After you read through the various ways to lose fat, some will appeal to you more than others. You don’t need to do all of them for fat loss success, but you’d be advised to combine a few in order to improve your chances. Plus, some complement each other very well, as you’ll see.

17 ways to lose fat

1. Know your numbers: REE, TDEE, activity calories, then deficit goal

Don’t skip this section. Doing a little homework here will make all the difference in your fat loss journey, likely making it more efficient. After all, to lose fat, you need to consume fewer calories than your TDEE, creating a calorie deficit.

First, get your REE (Resting Energy Expenditure). Your REE represents the minimum energy required for basic functions (breathing, circulation, brain function). Never eat below your REE.

You can calculate Resting Energy Expenditure (REE) using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which is considered a highly accurate predictive method. To use it, plug in your weight in kilograms (kg), height in centimeters (cm), age in years, and sex into the formula:

• For females: 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (y) – 161

• For males: 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (y) + 5

For a 45-year-old woman named Dee who weighs 160 pounds (72 kg) and is 5’7” (170 cm), it looks like this:

• (10 x 72) + (6.25 x 170) – (5 x 45) + 5

• 720 + 1062 – 225 – 161

• So her REE is 1396 calories

Second, figure out your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure). It’s the total number of calories you burn in a day to maintain bodily functions, work out, digest food, and do all your movement outside your exercise.

To get your TDEE, simply multiply your REE by your activity factor:

• 1.2 = Sedentary (little to no exercise)

• 1.35 = Light activity (1–2 workouts/week + light movement)

• 1.45 = Moderate (3–4 workouts/week)

• 1.55 = Moderately active (training + 8k–10k steps)

• 1.7 = Very active (hard training, high steps, manual job)

• 1.9+ = Extremely active (athletes, heavy labor)

Let’s say Dee is a moderate exerciser, so that’d be 1396 (her REE) x 1.45. That equals 2024 calories.

Third, create a deficit of 10 to 25 percent below your daily needs (your TDEE), not your REE. A typical, sustainable deficit is 250–500 calories a day for most people. This protects muscle and metabolism while still supporting fat loss.

For Dee, a 10 percent deficit would be equal to 202 calories, for a daily calorie count of 1824.

2. Use a tracker to not exceed that daily calorie count

Whether we admit it or not, we often exceed our calorie counts if we don’t track. And when we track, we often don’t always input all the food and drink we’re consuming … or lowball it.

So it’s important to calorie track as accurately as possible if you want to lose fat. I know, it can be a drag, but it’s worth it.

We so often underestimate how much we’re eating, don’t often understand how many carbs we’re eating vs. protein, and so on. A good calorie counter (so many free apps) can help inform how to approach that dinner or next day of food. It can be particularly helpful when you’re trying to hit a number, such as number of protein grams, or not exceed a number, such as daily calories and/or carbs.

Note that you need to create a deficit on most days of the week, though the deficit shouldn’t be the same each day. For example, you have a monster workout and create a large deficit that day, while another day that week you don’t have time to work out and barely eke out a deficit.

Then there should be one day per week when you’re not in any deficit at all so your metabolism doesn’t begin to slow down. If your body does the same thing every day, it will eventually adapt.

3. Front load the day

It’s a fat loss idea that doesn’t get discussed enough: Front load your day calorie-wise, with sizable breakfasts and lunches but smaller dinners, with half being protein and the rest veggies in that final meal of the day. Save most of the carbs for the first two meals. Execute on this idea, and you’re going to see results.

The average person tends to eat their biggest meals at night, often late. It’s a recipe for disaster, as our body doesn’t have the opportunity to burn it off and instead we go to bed with a stuffed tummy. Your metabolism naturally slows at night, so your body is less efficient at handling carbs and sugar. This can lead to higher blood sugar, more fat storage and a harder time in achieving fat loss.

In addition, our hunger hormone (ghrelin) increases at night, especially if we’re tired or stressed. This makes it more likely to overeat and crave high-calorie, high-sugar foods.

4. Strategize and think before “mindlessly” eating

“Clean that plate.” “Eat what you’re served.” Many of us were raised that way, and it’s hard to shake off. So instead make a few small changes so you don’t overeat:

• Eat from smaller plates and bowls.

• Slow your pace of eating, as that can help improve fullness signals, reduce overeating and even aid digestion.

• Pump up the volume of water-based, low-calorie foods: Load up with fresh veggies, gorgeous colorful salads and roasted veggies rather than something resembling a 1980s diet meal (if it looks like a diet and tastes like a diet, it is a diet and you’re still really hungry).

• Are you truly hungry or just bored or stressed? Ask yourself if you’d eat a plain salad and if the answer is no, then you’re not really hungry.

• Plan ahead if you’re eating out: Read about the menu ahead of time and don’t be afraid to ask to put cheese, guacamole, dressing, dips and sauces on the side.

5. Fasted cardio

While some of us hate exercising on an empty stomach, some cannot just handle an early morning workout without food but even prefer it. Bonus is that you may be accessing more fat stores this way.

With some of my athletes, we go on early morning fasted fat-burning rides. We aim for over an hour, when the body has gone through all the other energy stores — glycogen in your muscles, any dietary fuel left from last night’s dinner — before going to your fat. Research shows that it takes roughly 20 minutes during a fasted cardio workout to start burning fat.

At the 20 to 30-plus minutes during your fasted cardio, fat becomes the primary fuel source, particularly if you stay in Zone 2 (the fat-burning zone; see below). This is where fasted cardio yields its biggest fat-burning effect.

Just make sure you chase that fasted workout, even HIIT, with a balanced macronutrient meal so you optimize your recovery and don’t get hit with overwhelming hunger later.

6. Time-restricted feeding

Intermittent fasting is one of the proven tools for fat loss, in part because we often underestimate how much we eat during the day. Having only 8 or 10 hours during the day when you eat your food means less room for error. It also forces you to carefully map out your three meals, rather than grazing all day (avoid this).

Here are six ways of doing time-restricted feedings:

• 12:12 method (beginner-friendly): Eat within a 12-hour window (ex: 7am–7pm or 8am–8pm).

• 14:10 method (most researched): Eat within 10 hours (ex: 9am–7pm).

• 16:8 method (most popular): Eat within an 8-hour window (ex: 10am–6pm or 12pm–8pm); it provides a longer fasting window but still allows two full meals and a snack.

• Early time-restricted feeding (highly effective for metabolism): Eat earlier in the day when insulin sensitivity is highest; eating window: 7am–3pm or 8am–4pm.

• Early dinner method: Keep lunch normal but eat dinner early (5–6pm) and don’t snack afterward.

• Flexible or “social” TRF: Stay consistent on weekdays and loosen slightly on weekends; weekdays would be 10am–6pm and weekends 10am–8pm

Note: The end of the “feeding window,” such as 7pm, is when the dinner is over, not just begun!

7. Go higher in protein

If you’re someone who is a ‘hard loser’ and may have yo-yoed much of your life, your metabolism could be messed up. Going higher in protein (and adding more strength training, see below) can make a big difference in your pursuit of losing fat.

Namely, eating more protein supports appetite control, boosts metabolism through its high thermic effect, helps preserve and build lean muscle, stabilizes blood sugar, supports healthy aging and recovery, and improves overall body composition — all of which make it easier to maintain energy, strength, and a healthy weight. Meanwhile, having this level of protein despite going lower in calories will allow you retain your lean mass.

When people hear “high protein,” they often think 30 percent of their dietary intake. I’m advocating you go to 50 or even 60 percent if you want to see quicker results.

Here’s what that looks like:

• 2.2 to 2.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight

• Macro ratio of 50 percent protein, 30 percent carbohydrate and 20 percent fat.

The best protein foods include lean meats, fish, eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, legumes, tofu, and high-quality protein powders because they offer high protein density, essential amino acids and strong satiety benefits.

Consider Ancient Nutrition’s new Multi Protein Animal-Based and Multi Protein Animal-Based with Creatine to help boost your protein intake. These all-in-one formulas deliver 26g of complete protein from grass-fed whey, bone broth, A2/A2 milk protein and collagen peptides, as well as colostrum, probiotics and digestive enzymes. For a plant-based protein, consider Ancient Nutrition’s Plant Protein+.

What foods should accompany this protein-rich diet? Vegetables, particularly those full of fiber, like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, leafy greens, carrots, zucchini, artichokes, sweet potatoes and green beans. Limited grains like quinoa, oats, brown rice, farro, bulgur, barley and millet. Relatively low-sugar fruits like berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries), watermelon, cantaloupe, peaches, plums, kiwi and lemons/limes.

To make a higher protein diet feasible, consider doing more meal prep. It takes the stress out of eating well by ensuring ready-to-go, nutritious meals for days. Pre-packed, pre-portioned meals also support your fat loss goals without constant measuring or calorie counting.

8. Strength train

To further stimulate your metabolism and muscle growth, it’s a great idea to strength train as well. If you already do weights, then kick it up to the next level, like HIIT training.

While your body is busy losing fat, strength training can aid in retaining your muscles and assist with your overall body recomposition that you’re aiming for: namely more muscle, less fat. (Of course, if you really want to put on muscle, then you need to eat about 5–15% more calories than your TDEE and put the fat loss goal on the back burner.)

Here’s a great strength training protocol:

• 2 separate workouts: workout A (chest, back, shoulders) and workout B (legs, arms, abs)

• 3 training sessions per week, so workout A twice in week one and once in week two, etc.

• Day 1, day 3, day 5 (rest or light movement in between) — like Mon., Wed., Fri.

• Exercises can be done at gym or at home; 2nd option is often for home

• Reps: 6–12 reps for muscle growth; 12–15 reps for accessory/core work

• Progressive overload: Add weight, reps or sets each week if form stays solid.

Workout A:

• Chest press or push-up

• Lat pulldown or assisted pull-up

• Chest DB flye

• DB row

• DB shoulder press

• Lateral DB flye

• Lying hyperextension

Workout B:

• Leg press or DB lunge

• Leg curl or DB stiff-legged deadlift

• Calf raise

• DB biceps curl

• Cable machine triceps pushdown or DB lying triceps press

• Dead bug

• Plank

Note that it’s absolutely fundamental to go to fatigue with each set, even if it’s just one or two per exercise or even muscle group. After your warm-up, the first set is actually the most important, as the adaptation with the sets afterwards are two and three-fold lower. So do 10 to 12 sets and go close to failure. You’ll see and feel the difference very soon.

9. Have more liquids, starting with calorie-free water

A surprisingly common reason for many people snacking too often is not having enough fluids. It’s not a myth that some of us confuse our thirst for hunger.

In fact, water consumption can lower appetite (help you feel full), hydrate without calories (water replacing sodas and juices, for instance), boost the metabolism (especially cold water) and even burn fat (water is needed for breaking down fat).

Here are some recommendations for how to use water and other fluids in your day:

• Carry water with you all the time.

• Formerly the “water rule” was drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day. Today, on average, the Mayo Clinic recommends that women drink roughly 11.5 cups (92 ounces) of water per day, and men drink roughly 15.5 cups (124 ounces).

• Note that if living at a high elevation or in a hot, humid or dry area, you will need to up your water intake.

• Those who are more physically active require more water than those who don’t move as often; this is particularly the case for those who exercise for long periods or in warm environments.

• Have a glass of water first thing in the morning. It helps you replenish water lost during sleep and may help increase your metabolism for a few hours after getting up.

• To stay hydrated and also not confuse thirst for hunger, it’s a good idea to drink between meals and snacks.

• Drinking plain water is the simplest and best way to help maintain hydration. Use a large glass or drinking vessel to make it easy to hit your water intake goals. You can also choose sparkling or mineral water on occasion. Other calorie-free liquids include herbal tea, black coffee and unsweetened iced tea.

• While most people can get adequate amounts of electrolytes through foods, you may occasionally need additional electrolytes. Replenishing electrolytes can be critical, particularly when you want to hydrate fast because you're sweating a lot or dealing with fluid loss during exercise.

• Ancient Nutrition's Rapid Hydration powder — available in stick packs — delivers essential electrolytes for fast-acting hydration, all powered by real food ingredients. In addition, Ancient Nutrition’s Multi Collagen Advanced Hydrate helps you achieve rapid hydration for your skin and body.

10. Strive for satiety, not stuffed (and it’s okay to be hungry)

Many people eat too quickly and end up overeating, while others simply feel like they need to eat until feeling very full. That also means you just overeat.

If you’re serious about slimming down a bit and losing fat, then you need to get comfortable with being just satiated (like a 6 to 7 on a 10-point scale) rather than being uncomfortably full.

This also means getting comfortable with being hungry occasionally. We’ve forgotten what that’s like. But if your body is actively losing body fat, you’re going to be hungry sometimes.

This is when having more calorie-free liquids, water-based vegetables (including raw), fiber, healthy fats and protein in your day will help.

11. Improve your mitochondrial health

Again, not often talked about in connection with fat burning, but your mitochondria is where fatty acids are actually oxidized (“burned”). Mitochondria take nutrients from the foods you eat — especially fat, carbohydrates and amino acids — and convert them into ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the molecule your body uses for energy.

The mitochondria are the energy factories of your cells and one of the central drivers of metabolism, overall vitality and, yes, fat-burning. When you start burning fat in earnest, you’re literally converting it into energy.

The most effective, science-backed ways to support your mitochondria so they produce more energy, burn more fat and keep your cells healthy include the following:

• Strength train: Muscles are packed with mitochondria, and lifting weights tells your body to build more of them and make them stronger.

• Do Zone 2 cardio (see below): Steady, low-to-moderate intensity cardio is one of the strongest ways to enhance mitochondrial function.

• Prioritize protein: Amino acids support mitochondrial structure and repair.

• Eat omega-3 fatty acids: Omega-3s strengthen mitochondrial membranes and improve energy production.

• Consider these mitochondrial-support supplements: Creatine (to improve muscle energy production), CoQ10 (important for ATP production) and l-carnitine (to help transport fatty acids into mitochondria)

12. Do long cardio in zone 2

“If you want to burn fat, you’ve got to do cardio.” How many times have you heard that? Well, it’s true but it leaves out the important part — namely, you’ve got to do cardio for over 30 minutes, at least.

I’m here to be honest with you. The truth is that many of us eat a regular high-carb diet, which means we’re never going to get through our carb stores and are simply sugar burners. So you burn through the glycogen in your muscle for those sprints in the workout but then otherwise mostly burning carbs and maybe a little fat.

But to truly use fat for fuel, you have to do what they used to call “LSD” (long steady distance) rides, runs or walks. Zone 2 is the popular term now, but it’s the same concept.

Zone 2 cardio is a low-to-moderate intensity form of aerobic exercise where you can talk comfortably but not sing, typically falling around 60–70 percent of your max heart rate. At this pace, your body relies primarily on fat — not carbohydrates — for fuel, making it one of the most effective ways to strengthen your mitochondria, improve metabolic health and boost endurance.

Activities like brisk walking, steady cycling, light jogging or easy rowing all qualify as long as you can maintain the effort for 30–60 minutes. If you can occasionally go over an hour, great. Aim for 2–3 sessions per week.

Note that if you’ve essentially carbo loaded before your cardio workout, you’ll need around an hour to see a change in the up regulation of the mitochondria and using more fat for fuel. Meanwhile, if you go into your workout with low carbohydrate stores, you’ll need less time to start burning fat for energy.

13. Look to certain supplements

Whey protein is one of the best protein powders for the muscles, as it’s typically bioavailable. It’s also very high in the amino acid leucine, which stimulates the mTOR pathway and signals your body to build and repair muscle tissue. You can also add some branched chain amino acids to hit your leucine threshold.

I’ve also had success with my clients who want to lose fat with omega-3s and probiotics. While Omega-3s don’t “burn fat” the way stimulants do, they do create metabolic conditions that make fat loss easier and more efficient.

Meanwhile, your gut microbiome plays a huge role in how your metabolism runs. Similarly, probiotics don’t directly “burn fat,” but they can influence metabolism, appetite, digestion and inflammation in ways that assist fat loss efforts.

14. Get enough sleep for real recovery

Sleep is sneakily important to fat loss, for if you don’t get enough sleep and a good, quality sleep, your cortisol levels get elevated continually. This tells your body that it’s in a stress state and disturbs both the metabolism and muscles.

Chronic elevation of cortisol means higher insulin and more fat storage, plus makes your body rely more on glucose and less on fat for fuel. It even boosts hunger and cravings for quick-energy foods like refined carbs.

Cortisol is also catabolic, meaning it breaks down proteins (muscle) for energy during stress. High levels of cortisol even interferes with muscle repair after workouts and reduces anabolic hormones like testosterone and growth hormone.

Aim to get at least 7 hours of sleep per night and go up to 9 hours. Improve your sleep hygiene to help make this a reality.

15. Plan your high-protein snack

You know that a high-protein breakfast, lunch and dinner is what this nutritionist ordered, but I also want you to get in a solid high-protein snack. Too often this is the part of the day when it all starts to fall apart.

The story often goes that you’ve had a healthy but light lunch and are ravenous by 3pm, perhaps helped by the stress at work or school or home. Then you cave and indulge in a sugar-laden snack. This becomes a nasty habit and can wipe your progress.

Instead, plan your snacks. Have a protein and a fruit or vegetable. Examples include:

• Greek yogurt and fruit

• Cottage cheese and peaches

• Protein shake with fruit

• Beef jerky and an apple

• Almond butter and an apple

• Hummus and carrots

• Hard-boiled eggs (2) and some cherry tomatoes

• Grilled chicken breast and bell pepper strips

• Edamame and snap peas

• Smoked salmon and cucumber

16. Cook and eat in more

Another truism: It’s very hard to lose fat when you eat out frequently. So many restaurants produce high-calorie meals, making it nearly impossible to stay within your calorie budget.

Instead, find time to cook more and as said above, consider meal prepping to save time. You can even use some new-fangled meal delivery services, some of which are higher in protein and don’t use bad ingredients.

We are constantly inundated with food and alcohol, so sometimes you need to pull the lame friend card and stay in with a movie and cup of tea rather than dinner and drinks.

By the way, alcohol is a fat loss wrecker extraordinaire. It’s preferentially metabolized, spikes blood glucose high fast and actually can inhibit muscle protein synthesis under certain conditions. Keep it once a week or not at all.

17. Adjust intake and exercise as you lose weight to avoid plateaus

Lastly, once you enjoy success with some of the above fat loss tools and have lost some fat, know that you will hit a plateau sooner or later. That’s when you need to readjust your intake and exercise. Consider these adjustments:

• Adjust your calorie intake to match your lowered RMR (resting metabolic rate) or REE.

• Focus on lean mass maintenance or gain to help keep your metabolic needs higher. Stay more consistent with your strength training or go a little harder.

• Overall, for every 5 percent body weight loss, reassess total energy needs and deficit to continue losing.

• If you plateau for 2–4 weeks, reassess and try to figure out what's not working.

Dr. Dana Lis is a globally recognized leader in the field of performance nutrition and a member of the Ancient Nutrition Wellness Roundtable (and a paid partner). As one of the few Registered Dietitians decorated with the renowned IOC Diploma in Sport Nutrition and a PhD. Currently, Dana heads into her seventh season as the Performance Nutrition Consultant for the Golden State Warriors. With nearly 20 years of experience, Dana has worked with Olympic and professional sports across various continents and a spectrum of disciplines. Dana continues to drive the nutrition field forward through mentorship, shaping best practices and challenging the status quo. This includes Performance Nutrition Professionals, which she launched with Jennifer Gibson, MS, RD, and which trains sport dietitians in the U.S.