"Booty-Building Specialist" Says to Avoid These 3 Fat-Loss Mistakes, and Do These 3 Things Instead

Devon says, "it's very common for people to prioritize intense workout sessions and workouts that *feel* hard, followed by some light weight training and then maybe focus a little bit on eating 'healthier'." Just because you're sweating buckets, with a beet-red face, running for an hour on the treadmill doesn't automatically mean you're burning fat. Meghan Nagel, the manager of fitness programming at Virtual Health Partners, agrees and says, "Sweating isn't the best measure of workout effectiveness."

Instead of focusing on "eating clean," Devon suggests controlling your calorie intake and being mindful about creating a sustainable calorie deficit. Aim to eat lots of lean protein, as she says it's "the easiest way to lose body fat," because the protein fills you up on fewer calories, keeps you satiated, and also helps preserve lean muscle mass. For protein, you need about 0.8 to 1.8 gram per pound of body weight, depending on how active you are.

Devon adds, "Cardio can be thrown in here and there but shouldn't be relied upon. Proper nutrition and weight lifting following a smart plan are FAR superior to cardio for fat loss/body composition goals." HIIT workouts are quick and intense, so choose those over hours of cardio.