5 Fat Loss Behaviour Hacks
Here are five hacks that will help you lose fat.
I’ve lost 50kg. At first, like most people, I only cared about nutrition and training. But what’s the point of knowing how to lose fat if you can’t bring yourself to do it?
That’s where these behaviour hacks come in. Start using these in your day-to-day life and lose fat for good.
1. Delay Gratification
Instant gratification is a big reason why we struggle to lose fat. It simply means satisfying a desire immediately—like eating chocolate as soon as you crave it. The issue is that, over time, you forget how to be patient.
By satisfying your desires instantly, you train yourself to expect rewards fast with little to no effort. But as we know, when it comes to bigger goals like fat loss, you have to put in effort now to get the reward later. That’s where delayed gratification comes in.
By delaying gratification, you rewire your brain to expect rewards later. Let’s say you feel like eating chocolate. Instead of eating it right away, eat it after completing some form of work, like going for a run. It sounds simple, but it’s not easy at first. The more you practise it, the easier it becomes—and losing fat will feel easier too.
2. Feel Without Reacting
Emotions play a major role in fat gain and fat loss. If you’re anything like how I was, you eat food to pass the time when bored. Or to relax when stressed. Or to calm down when angry.
But it doesn’t stop there—you might skip the gym when you’re tired. Or avoid it just because you don’t “feel” like going. In these moments, your emotions are leading your decisions. But to achieve goals like fat loss, you have to break that pattern.
Here’s the truth: you don’t have to react to how you feel. You can sit back and observe your emotions. You can feel hunger without immediately eating. You can feel angry without lashing out. It’s about detaching yourself from your feelings, and all it takes is a little practise.
One of the best ways to practise this is meditation. Sit down for five minutes a day and remain extremely still. You’ll feel the impulse to move—but don’t.
3. Impulse vs. Instinct
Losing fat becomes easier once you understand the difference between impulse and instinct.
Impulse is a sudden urge that feels like it must be acted upon immediately—like the craving to eat chocolate. You usually feel impulses in your head. Instinct, on the other hand, is that gut feeling—the quiet voice inside that tells you no.
The issue is that impulses are louder than instincts. The voice pushing you towards quick satisfaction drowns out the one guiding you in the right direction. But you can flip the balance.
All you have to do is listen to your instincts. Follow your gut feeling. The more you do, the louder your instincts will become, and the more you’ll trust yourself to make the right decisions.
4. Be Forward-Thinking
Before taking any action, think about its consequences. Look past the present moment and into the future.
See how a cheat meal every two weeks can turn into a cheat meal every week, then every other day. See how skipping the gym once can turn into twice, then three times the following week.
Small actions lead to big consequences. If you recognise how one thing leads to another, you can stop yourself from spiralling down. Luckily, the same principle works in reverse. One small step in the right direction can set off an upward spiral.
5. Be Present
We always want to feel a certain way—happy, comfortable, fulfilled. And when we don’t, we look for ways to fix it, whether through food, music, TV shows, or gaming. These are quick solutions, but they lead to comfort-seeking and an inability to handle “negative” emotions. We end up chasing highs.
What I’m suggesting is simple: stop chasing highs. Don’t seek comfort, happiness, or fulfilment through temporary fixes like food. Instead, be present with whatever you’re feeling. Being unhappy now and then is fine—it’s part of the human experience and doesn’t need to be “fixed.” Ironically, once you stop chasing happiness, you’ll feel more fulfilled.
Conclusion
Fat loss isn’t just about eating less and moving more—it’s about mastering your behaviour. The more control you have over your impulses, emotions, and actions, the easier it becomes. These habits don’t just help you lose fat; they build resilience, discipline, and self-trust that carry over into every area of your life. Start applying these hacks today, and you won’t just transform your body—you’ll transform your mindset for good.
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I lost 50 kg and took back control over my life.
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