Weight Loss Tips That Don’t Require Selling Your Soul to the Treadmill
By Tessa — Lifting heavy and lifting you up. Strength is the whole personality. ·
Look, I get it. It’s June 2026. The sun is out in Denver, the trails are calling, and suddenly everyone is asking me for ‘weight loss tips.’
I’m going to be real with you: I don’t love the term ‘weight loss.’ It sounds like you’re trying to lose your keys or that one sock that always goes missing in the dryer. Our bodies are complex machines, not luggage you’re trying to shed at the airport. That said, I know many of you are looking to lean out, feel more energized, or just fit into those shorts you bought three years ago.
I’m a powerlifter. My goal is usually to move more weight, not less of myself. But the principles of changing your body composition are universal. If you’re looking to drop body fat without losing your mind—or your muscle—here is how we actually get it done.
Stop Treating Calories Like Your Enemy
I see so many people try to ‘out-run’ a bad diet by starving themselves or cutting calories to a level that would make a toddler hangry. Here’s the truth: your metabolism isn’t a calculator; it’s a furnace. If you stop throwing fuel on the fire, the fire goes out.
When we talk about weight loss, we’re talking about a slight, sustainable caloric deficit. Not a starvation diet. Calculate your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure), subtract about 200-300 calories, and leave it there. If you’re constantly dizzy or dreaming about sourdough bread, you’ve gone too low. Fuel your workouts so you can actually lift heavy, which brings me to my next point.
Lift Heavy Things (Yes, even when you’re cutting)
There is a massive misconception that when you want to lose fat, you should switch to light weights and high reps, or just spend three hours a day on the elliptical. Please, for the love of my golden retriever Barbell, don’t do that.
Muscle is metabolically expensive. The more muscle mass you have, the more energy your body burns just existing. If you drop your intensity in the gym, your body is going to say, ‘Oh, we don’t need this muscle anymore? Cool, let’s get rid of it.’ You want to lose fat, not muscle. Keep your lifts heavy. Keep hitting those compound movements—squats, deadlifts, overhead presses. Keep the intensity high so your body knows that muscle is a non-negotiable asset.
The ‘Whole Food’ Reality Check
I’m not a ‘clean eating’ extremist. I ate a slice of pizza for lunch yesterday, and I’ll probably have a burger on Sunday. But my base diet? It’s boring. It’s high-protein, fiber-rich, and repetitive.
Focus on the 80/20 rule. If 80% of your food comes from a ‘single ingredient’ source—chicken, rice, broccoli, berries, greek yogurt—you’re going to be full. Protein is the king of satiety. If you’re struggling with cravings, you’re likely just not eating enough protein. Aim for a gram of protein per pound of your goal body weight, and I promise you, the late-night snack attacks will drop off significantly.
NEAT is Your Secret Weapon
If you want to move the needle, look at your NEAT—Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. That’s just a fancy trainer-speak way of saying ‘everything you do that isn’t a structured workout.’
I live in Denver, so I’m lucky, but you don’t need mountains to get your steps in. Take the stairs. Pace while you’re on a phone call. Walk the dog—Barbell is currently staring at me like he’s ready to do a 5K, so I know this works. If you can bump your daily step count by 2,000 to 3,000 steps, you’ll burn more calories over the course of a week than you would from one extra hour of cardio at the gym. And it’s way less soul-crushing.
Patience is a Skill, Not a Feeling
I placed second in my weight class last year, and let me tell you, that didn’t happen in a month. It happened in six months of boring, repetitive, unsexy hard work.
Weight loss is exactly the same. You didn’t gain the weight in two weeks, and you’re not going to lose it in two weeks. If the scale doesn’t move for three days, don’t panic. If you have a weekend where you eat way too much cake at a wedding, don’t go on a ‘punishment run’ on Monday. Just get back to your baseline. Consistency is the only thing that actually moves the needle.
Final Thoughts
Remember, you are more than a number on a scale. That number doesn’t measure your integrity, your strength, or how good you are at training your dog (though Barbell is a very good boy). Focus on how your clothes fit, how your energy levels feel at 3:00 PM, and how much weight you’re putting on the bar. Those are the metrics that matter.
How are you feeling about your current routine? Are you hitting a wall, or are you feeling strong? Drop a comment below or shoot me a DM—I love hearing what you’re working on. Let’s keep getting after it.