I’m a fitness trainer – here’s how to drop a pant size by Halloween

If you’ve lost your shot at a summer body, don’t despair, one fitness influencer promises you can still be fit by fall.

Jenna Rizzo, a Georgia-based weight loss coach for women, is sharing her top three tips for dropping a pant size by Halloween.

“I know how frustrating and confusing it is with all the different weight loss information on the internet,” she said in a TikTok last week. “Let me simplify it for you – here are the three things you need to focus on. You can forget everything else.”

She promises: “Do those things for the next three months and sorry, not bad, you’ll have to buy new clothes for the fall.”

1. Start strength training

Rizzo’s no. 1 recommendation for weight loss is to start strength training.

She explains: “You don’t need to waste your precious time doing hours of cardio at the gym. When you strength train, you can focus on specific muscles that you can tone and shape.”

Rizzo revealed photos of her body when she followed a cardio-only regimen versus her toned physique now. “The only cardio I do is just walking my dogs all day,” she said.

Rizzo’s argument is backed up by science. Researchers at Stanford University recently found that participants who did strength training lost more fat and had better blood sugar maintenance than those who did cardio or a combination of strength and cardio.

While strength training may not immediately burn as many calories as a cardio workout, it does build muscle tissue—which requires more energy and calories over time to maintain.

2. Monitor your calorie and protein intake

Experts agree that weight loss occurs when the body is in a calorie deficit, meaning you’re burning more calories than you’re consuming.

Rizzo emphasizes the importance of staying in that deficit and supporting healthy weight loss with adequate protein: “You have to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight, and you have to eat enough protein to make sure that the weight you’re losing is fat .and not the muscles.”

She argues that adequate protein intake is the best defense against “skinny fat”—that is, a person who appears to be in great shape but whose overall health tells a different story.

Rizzo swears by the calorie tracking app MyFitnessPal.

3. Create a bedtime routine and stick to it

When it comes to getting lean, Rizzo points out that counting zzz’s is just as important as counting calories. “Sleep is very important for weight loss and most people don’t get enough,” she said.

She urges adoption of a strict shut-eye schedule: “You’re going to go to bed on time every night. We’re stopping this TikTok mess every night until 2 a.m. You’re going to create a beautiful ritual before sleep, you will follow it and get at least seven hours of sleep every night.”

Rizzo’s sleep suggestion aligns with research showing that sleep is just as critical to weight loss as diet.

According to one such sleep study, people who napped less than seven hours a night were found to have the most chaotic eating patterns, were more prone to diet mistakes and were more likely to exceed their weekly consumption limits of alcohol than those who hit hay. for at least seven hours.