By Bruce Burke and Ryan Burke
Last Updated 5/11/25
Weight Loss, Nutrition, and Mindset: A Smarter Way to Burn Fat
Training for weight loss is one of the most common training goals. When it comes to weight loss, nutrition and mindset are just as important as the training itself. Focusing only on workouts without addressing these key drivers can limit your fat loss results. While there are endless formats and training styles in the fitness industry, Alwyn Cosgrove's hierarchy of fat loss outlines the most effective ways to reduce fat.
1. Nutrition
There's no way around it: you must create a caloric deficit to lose weight. The highest leverage change you can make to create that deficit is reducing your daily caloric intake. For many, the idea of creating a caloric deficit seems daunting. The reality is that it doesn't need to be! When you realize you're not giving up anything by reducing your calories, you cultivate a gratitude mindset and your mealtime decisions become easy. Developing that mindset shift, one day at a time, is the key to long-term success.
2. Exercise or activities that burn calories, elevate metabolism, and promote muscle mass
Your RMR (resting metabolic rate) is where you burn most of your calories. Increasing muscle mass and engaging in activities that increase metabolism will maximize RMR and therefore burn more calories throughout the day. Essentially, you have to work your muscles hard in order to get the highest calorie burn.
At One on One, we use metabolic resistance training to get the muscles working the hardest, elevate EPOC, and burn the most calories. This type of training can be seen in many different variations, including High Intensity Anaerobic Interval Training (HIIT) which allows you to train in a short period of time with limited rest between sets while burning the most calories.
3. Exercise or activities that burn calories and elevate metabolism
This training still involves creating EPOC and burning a significant number of calories during your workout. Depending on your fitness level, this training might still challenge you to the edge of your abilities.
At One on One, we generally use interval training on endurance equipment (High Intensity Aerobic Interval Training). Outdoor running or biking (Steady State High Intensity Aerobic Training) can also accomplish this level of training.
4. Exercise or activities that burn calories, but might not elevate metabolism
Going for a long easy run or bike (Steady State Low Intensity Training), recreational activities, and NEAT are all great ways to add to your burned calories in a day. Adding any of these into your day will make that caloric deficit much more attainable!
If weight loss is your goal, use this hierarchy as a guide. From an exercise perspective, metabolic resistance training is most effective. But remember, regardless of how you exercise, you can't out-train a poor diet!
Interested in losing weight? Reach out to our team to learn more about our new "Take Charge" program.
Sources
Cosgrove, A. (2007, April 11). The Hierarchy of Fat Loss.
