Move with Ru - Fat Loss Strategies
Move with Ru, LLC
Instagram: @move.with.ru
Ruthie Baer, NCSF Certified Personal Trainer
Call or text: 978-766-6506
* * * * *
What Works for Me & Practical Tips for You
My experience:
I have completed a series of bulks and cuts over the past 4 years in an effort to transform my body composition. Over this period, my bodyweight has fluctuated within a 25lb range. At the end of my most recent cut in August 2025, I am about 5lbs lower than my original start in January 2021, and my body fat has shifted from 28% to 12%. I have gained about 10lbs of muscle. Below are tactics I used in my most recent 12 week 20lb cut to make it my easiest and most effective yet!
Note:
For safety and effectiveness, consult a trainer for a personalized plan.
NUTRITION
The critical component of fat loss is eating in a caloric deficit.
Calories: Targeting 1lb loss per week is safe and sustainable. 1lb = 3,500 calories, a 500 calorie deficit per day. You will need to track your calories (MyFitnessPal) and weight daily for a couple weeks before starting the diet in order to determine the starting calorie goal. A smaller body requires fewer calories to power itself, so set your expectation that during the diet your caloric intake will need to reduce over time.
* Prior to my most recent cut, I was doing a dirty bulk gaining 1lb per week. Therefore, I started my cut at 1,000 calories less per day, which equated to 1,700 per day.
You could stop reading here and lose weight. The caloric deficit is the only requirement for weight-loss. The following nuances enhance the process, make it easier, and prevent muscle loss.
Macros:
* Fat is essential to hormone regulation and brain function; but it is also the most calorically dense, burns zero calories through digestion, and the least satiating macro. Set fats to the minimum requirement of .25g per pound of your bodyweight.
* Protein is used for muscle synthesis and recovery; it burns the most calories through digestion, and it is the most satiating macro (e.g. makes you feel fuller longer). Without adequate protein, you will lose muscle which will decrease your metabolic rate. The minimum requirement varies based on your activity level. The recommendation for high activity athletes is ~1g per pound of your bodyweight.
* Carbs are stored in your muscles (up to 400g) and primarily used as fuel. They are crucial to power an effective workout and avoid burning protein for energy. Because fat and protein have minimum requirements, they must be prioritized over carbs. In a deficit, the reality is you may not have many calories left to dedicate to carbs.
* * My macro goals at 1,700 calories were 150p / 200 c / 35f. At 1,500 later on, they were 150p / 150c / 33f. My weight started at 143lbs and decreased to 123lbs.
Hydration: Drink 1.5-2 gallons of water per day.
Mitigating cravings:
* Volume eating: Vegetables are low calorie and high fiber. They also take a long time to chew, making your meal last longer. You'd need to eat 2.5lbs of lettuce, celery or cucumbers to match the calories in a small bag of chips or serving of cookies. That's 40x the weight. So basically, you can eat vegetables til you're beyond stuffed without accumulating many calories.
* * I targeted 1.5-2lbs of vegetables per day and never felt hungry.
* Avoiding sugar spikes: Start every meal with vegetables, then protein and fat, then any heavy carbs. This order is scientifically proven to slow the release of sugar into the bloodstream, reducing spikes and the roller-coaster of energy dips and cravings.
* * An example meal I ate to start my day: 9oz broccoli, 4oz 93% lean ground beef, 2 eggs, and soy sauce; followed by 6oz nonfat Greek yogurt, 1 banana and 60g cereal. I'd eat half the broccoli first. This kept me full for up to 8hrs while maintaining a highly active lifestyle.
* Zero-calorie helpers: Caffeine mitigates cravings and promotes activity (calorie burn) - try pre-workout, tea, black coffee, or diet soda. Electrolytes and flavored seltzer also mitigate cravings and “entertain” the taste buds - make sure to find a zero calorie option. Apple cider vinegar (1tbsp/cup water) or minty breath strips/gargling mouthwash will make foods taste funky and stop you from eating more. Some people swear by sugar-free Jell-O (10 calories per half cup).
Eating habits:
* Frequency: I recommend 2-3 meals per day. If you make your first meal the biggest (half your calories), you won't be riddled with food noise throughout the day.
* * I used to eat 5-6 small meals per day thinking it would make me feel like I was eating “more”, but in reality I was never satisfied from the tiny portions and constantly checking the clock for the next meal time.
* Intermittent fasting: Shortening your food window won't inherently impact your weight-loss, but for some people, having fewer hours during the day to eat helps them stick to the deficit more easily. You delay any insulin spikes which set off the desire to eat more.
* * Drinking electrolytes in the morning was a nice trick for me to stave off hunger. I had no hard rule, but tended to eat within an 8-12hr window.
* The act of eating: Avoid distracted eating - this means no reading, no working, no scrolling, no TV. Instead, be present and mindful - actively recognize the color, taste, scent, texture, nourishment and gratitude for your meal. Eat slowly and chew thoroughly. This will make you feel like you're eating a longer and larger meal, and you will truly remember that you did so.
* * If I sit on Instagram while eating, my meal seemingly disappears and I don't even remember eating it…
* Social strategies: Remember, no foods are off limits, but consider if you really want to “spend” your calories on it before grabbing it. And if you do - make space for it, and enjoy the treat! Doing so occasionally will make dieting more sustainable. Also remember, there are plenty of ways to spend time with friends and family that aren't centered around eating - such as taking a walk or hike, playing a game, crafting, or seeing live music.
* * Restaurants and parties: For restaurants, check the menu in advance. Do your best to guesstimate the ingredients and portions to track, and plan it into your day. Eat normally throughout the day, “saving up” could lead to binging. Keep in mind you don't need to finish your plate or try everything. At parties, bring and gravitate to the high protein foods and veggies. If this is too hard, choose a different restaurant or be more selective about when to say yes. Dieting is temporary, missing a social function won't ruin your life.
* * * If I am going out to eat, I select a restaurant with simple meals, like sushi/poke and rice, or chicken/fish on salad. Complicated recipes and dressings/sauces come with a lot of empty calories - like oil - it's basically invisible and won't make you feel full but racks up a ton of calories.
* * Alcohol: Minimize intake or avoid it altogether. When you drink, your body must burn off all the alcohol before anything else in your system, or fat storage. Drinking also often leads to cravings and lower inhibitions, which will decrease willpower and increase eating, or even the number of drinks you have. Cocktails can pack a lot of calories with mixers as well.
WALKING FOR FAT BURN
The most effective fat-burning cardio is walking at a steady pace.
Step count: Set a daily step goal that is realistic and attainable. Track your daily steps. When your weight-loss stalls, you can now choose between adding steps or decreasing calories. If you start with too lofty of a step goal you will lose that lever to pull and be stuck with only lowering calories.
* My daily average steps were at 16k when I started the diet. I knew I could not commit to finding any more time in the day to walk, so my only lever to pull was calories. On the final couple weeks though, I did just go all out and hit over 20k most days. This would not have been a sustainable practice.
* Many people use their phone to track steps. I prefer a simple pedometer, there are plenty on Amazon under $20. It is not practical for me to hold my phone all day, nor do I want it on me at all times.
Fasted cardio: If you want a guarantee that you are burning fat while walking, walk after you wake up before consuming any calories for the day. This way, you are not having to burn off what's circulating in the bloodstream before hitting fat. Stop after an hour max to avoid burning muscle. Set a goal of how much time and how many days per week, so you have another lever to pull later on (increasing time or days).
* Again here I was already hitting my max realistic amount of 45-60min 5-7 days per week on the fasted cardio, so I kept it as is and did not have that lever to pull.
Walking after meals: Walking for 10-20min directly after each meal is another great way to prevent sugar spikes, and it's an easy way to rack up 1-2k steps here and there to chip away at your daily goal.
DIET TIMING
Diet for a set timeframe, not indefinitely.
When to diet: It does not matter! Diet whenever is practical, motivating and realistic for you. For example, don't plan it over a vacation or holiday when you know you'll want to pig out.
* This was the first time I dieted during summer, and I found that to be much easier and more motivating than my typical winter/spring, for 2 reasons: 1) the extra daylight hours gave me more activity opportunities with boogie boarding, swimming and walking in the evenings, 2) seeing myself (and going out in public) in a bikini near daily kept me accountable and not wanting to cheat or give up.
How long to diet: The standard recommendation is 12-14 weeks to make noticeable change without burning out. If you have more than 10-20lbs to lose, you may want to take a 2 week break every 14 weeks. This break should not destroy your progress. Increase your calories by 200 per day maximum. This is to prevent burnout which can lead to yo-yo dieting and wasting time.
* I stuck to 12 weeks this time in preparation for a specific event. I lost more weight than I did on each of my prior cuts that were around 20 weeks. My morale was higher, motivation was higher, and I had far fewer cheat days because the end was in sight and the deadline was not extendable. On the longer diets, I saw my lowest weight 4-6 weeks before calling it quits. This bummed me out and made the diet ending feel like failure.
WORKOUT REGIMEN
Lifting with intensity is required to maintain muscle mass and metabolic rate.
Frequency: I recommend 3-5 times per week, hitting each muscle group 1-2 times if not sore.
* My routine is 5 times per week: 1) glutes & abs, 2) chest/shoulders/arms, 3) back & stomach vacuums, 4) legs & glutes, 5) anything not sore & shins/calves/forearms
Volume: Target 6-8 movements per workout, each with 2 warmup sets (15-20 reps) and 2 working sets (8-12 reps).
Intensity: Hitting failure or near-failure on your working sets is absolutely critical to maintaining or gaining muscle mass. Choose a weight that puts you in the 8-12 rep range. Plan on increasing weight or reps weekly. Anytime you don't PR, do a dropset - remember, you want to hold onto every last bit of muscle mass to maintain metabolic rate and achieve a toned look.
Rest and recovery: Do not work out a sore muscle group, or at most, do a deload (half max intensity). Take a rest day every week where you only do cardio activities. Aim for 8hrs sleep per night. Hydrate!
ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS
Food storage: Store food out of sight (e.g. in cabinets/fridge not countertop). Out of sight, out of mind. Reduce cravings.
Weighing yourself: Weigh yourself first thing in the morning before water and food on a daily basis. Weight fluctuates due to a number of factors, so base all decisions (decreasing calories or increasing cardio) off of weekly averages, not day-to-day measurements.
Trust the process: Altering body composition is a long journey, not an 8-week magical before and after. As far as I'm concerned, there is no after, this is about continuous improvement. The process works, any quick fixes you see glamorized are too good to be true and a waste of your time (typically money too). Just because you can't get it done quickly doesn't mean you shouldn't start. Any progress is better than no progress.
Muscle mass increases metabolic rate: Your metabolism is faster the more muscle you have, meaning you can eat more while losing weight. On my first cut I went all the way down to 900 calories. On my most recent cut, having built muscle, I only had to go down to 1,300. If you want to lose weight, this may sound counter intuitive, but consider bulking first.
Accountability: Hold yourself accountable by recording everything (food, weight, workout sets, steps, sleep, hydration). This way you can look back and know if you are making progress and what levers to pull. Be honest with yourself, don't waste your time. Having a buddy diet with you or be aware of your diet to check in on you helps.
Mistakes happen: You will slip up, we are only human. Don't panic, just get right back on track. Remember it takes 3,500 excess calories to gain a true pound of fat. If you are concerned after a binge, walk more the next day.
© 2025 Move with Ru, LLC
Instagram: @move.with.ru
Ruthie Baer, NCSF Certified Personal Trainer
Call or text: 978-766-6506
* * * * *
What Works for Me & Practical Tips for You
My experience:
I have completed a series of bulks and cuts over the past 4 years in an effort to transform my body composition. Over this period, my bodyweight has fluctuated within a 25lb range. At the end of my most recent cut in August 2025, I am about 5lbs lower than my original start in January 2021, and my body fat has shifted from 28% to 12%. I have gained about 10lbs of muscle. Below are tactics I used in my most recent 12 week 20lb cut to make it my easiest and most effective yet!
Note:
For safety and effectiveness, consult a trainer for a personalized plan.
NUTRITION
The critical component of fat loss is eating in a caloric deficit.
Calories: Targeting 1lb loss per week is safe and sustainable. 1lb = 3,500 calories, a 500 calorie deficit per day. You will need to track your calories (MyFitnessPal) and weight daily for a couple weeks before starting the diet in order to determine the starting calorie goal. A smaller body requires fewer calories to power itself, so set your expectation that during the diet your caloric intake will need to reduce over time.
* Prior to my most recent cut, I was doing a dirty bulk gaining 1lb per week. Therefore, I started my cut at 1,000 calories less per day, which equated to 1,700 per day.
You could stop reading here and lose weight. The caloric deficit is the only requirement for weight-loss. The following nuances enhance the process, make it easier, and prevent muscle loss.
Macros:
* Fat is essential to hormone regulation and brain function; but it is also the most calorically dense, burns zero calories through digestion, and the least satiating macro. Set fats to the minimum requirement of .25g per pound of your bodyweight.
* Protein is used for muscle synthesis and recovery; it burns the most calories through digestion, and it is the most satiating macro (e.g. makes you feel fuller longer). Without adequate protein, you will lose muscle which will decrease your metabolic rate. The minimum requirement varies based on your activity level. The recommendation for high activity athletes is ~1g per pound of your bodyweight.
* Carbs are stored in your muscles (up to 400g) and primarily used as fuel. They are crucial to power an effective workout and avoid burning protein for energy. Because fat and protein have minimum requirements, they must be prioritized over carbs. In a deficit, the reality is you may not have many calories left to dedicate to carbs.
* * My macro goals at 1,700 calories were 150p / 200 c / 35f. At 1,500 later on, they were 150p / 150c / 33f. My weight started at 143lbs and decreased to 123lbs.
Hydration: Drink 1.5-2 gallons of water per day.
Mitigating cravings:
* Volume eating: Vegetables are low calorie and high fiber. They also take a long time to chew, making your meal last longer. You'd need to eat 2.5lbs of lettuce, celery or cucumbers to match the calories in a small bag of chips or serving of cookies. That's 40x the weight. So basically, you can eat vegetables til you're beyond stuffed without accumulating many calories.
* * I targeted 1.5-2lbs of vegetables per day and never felt hungry.
* Avoiding sugar spikes: Start every meal with vegetables, then protein and fat, then any heavy carbs. This order is scientifically proven to slow the release of sugar into the bloodstream, reducing spikes and the roller-coaster of energy dips and cravings.
* * An example meal I ate to start my day: 9oz broccoli, 4oz 93% lean ground beef, 2 eggs, and soy sauce; followed by 6oz nonfat Greek yogurt, 1 banana and 60g cereal. I'd eat half the broccoli first. This kept me full for up to 8hrs while maintaining a highly active lifestyle.
* Zero-calorie helpers: Caffeine mitigates cravings and promotes activity (calorie burn) - try pre-workout, tea, black coffee, or diet soda. Electrolytes and flavored seltzer also mitigate cravings and “entertain” the taste buds - make sure to find a zero calorie option. Apple cider vinegar (1tbsp/cup water) or minty breath strips/gargling mouthwash will make foods taste funky and stop you from eating more. Some people swear by sugar-free Jell-O (10 calories per half cup).
Eating habits:
* Frequency: I recommend 2-3 meals per day. If you make your first meal the biggest (half your calories), you won't be riddled with food noise throughout the day.
* * I used to eat 5-6 small meals per day thinking it would make me feel like I was eating “more”, but in reality I was never satisfied from the tiny portions and constantly checking the clock for the next meal time.
* Intermittent fasting: Shortening your food window won't inherently impact your weight-loss, but for some people, having fewer hours during the day to eat helps them stick to the deficit more easily. You delay any insulin spikes which set off the desire to eat more.
* * Drinking electrolytes in the morning was a nice trick for me to stave off hunger. I had no hard rule, but tended to eat within an 8-12hr window.
* The act of eating: Avoid distracted eating - this means no reading, no working, no scrolling, no TV. Instead, be present and mindful - actively recognize the color, taste, scent, texture, nourishment and gratitude for your meal. Eat slowly and chew thoroughly. This will make you feel like you're eating a longer and larger meal, and you will truly remember that you did so.
* * If I sit on Instagram while eating, my meal seemingly disappears and I don't even remember eating it…
* Social strategies: Remember, no foods are off limits, but consider if you really want to “spend” your calories on it before grabbing it. And if you do - make space for it, and enjoy the treat! Doing so occasionally will make dieting more sustainable. Also remember, there are plenty of ways to spend time with friends and family that aren't centered around eating - such as taking a walk or hike, playing a game, crafting, or seeing live music.
* * Restaurants and parties: For restaurants, check the menu in advance. Do your best to guesstimate the ingredients and portions to track, and plan it into your day. Eat normally throughout the day, “saving up” could lead to binging. Keep in mind you don't need to finish your plate or try everything. At parties, bring and gravitate to the high protein foods and veggies. If this is too hard, choose a different restaurant or be more selective about when to say yes. Dieting is temporary, missing a social function won't ruin your life.
* * * If I am going out to eat, I select a restaurant with simple meals, like sushi/poke and rice, or chicken/fish on salad. Complicated recipes and dressings/sauces come with a lot of empty calories - like oil - it's basically invisible and won't make you feel full but racks up a ton of calories.
* * Alcohol: Minimize intake or avoid it altogether. When you drink, your body must burn off all the alcohol before anything else in your system, or fat storage. Drinking also often leads to cravings and lower inhibitions, which will decrease willpower and increase eating, or even the number of drinks you have. Cocktails can pack a lot of calories with mixers as well.
WALKING FOR FAT BURN
The most effective fat-burning cardio is walking at a steady pace.
Step count: Set a daily step goal that is realistic and attainable. Track your daily steps. When your weight-loss stalls, you can now choose between adding steps or decreasing calories. If you start with too lofty of a step goal you will lose that lever to pull and be stuck with only lowering calories.
* My daily average steps were at 16k when I started the diet. I knew I could not commit to finding any more time in the day to walk, so my only lever to pull was calories. On the final couple weeks though, I did just go all out and hit over 20k most days. This would not have been a sustainable practice.
* Many people use their phone to track steps. I prefer a simple pedometer, there are plenty on Amazon under $20. It is not practical for me to hold my phone all day, nor do I want it on me at all times.
Fasted cardio: If you want a guarantee that you are burning fat while walking, walk after you wake up before consuming any calories for the day. This way, you are not having to burn off what's circulating in the bloodstream before hitting fat. Stop after an hour max to avoid burning muscle. Set a goal of how much time and how many days per week, so you have another lever to pull later on (increasing time or days).
* Again here I was already hitting my max realistic amount of 45-60min 5-7 days per week on the fasted cardio, so I kept it as is and did not have that lever to pull.
Walking after meals: Walking for 10-20min directly after each meal is another great way to prevent sugar spikes, and it's an easy way to rack up 1-2k steps here and there to chip away at your daily goal.
DIET TIMING
Diet for a set timeframe, not indefinitely.
When to diet: It does not matter! Diet whenever is practical, motivating and realistic for you. For example, don't plan it over a vacation or holiday when you know you'll want to pig out.
* This was the first time I dieted during summer, and I found that to be much easier and more motivating than my typical winter/spring, for 2 reasons: 1) the extra daylight hours gave me more activity opportunities with boogie boarding, swimming and walking in the evenings, 2) seeing myself (and going out in public) in a bikini near daily kept me accountable and not wanting to cheat or give up.
How long to diet: The standard recommendation is 12-14 weeks to make noticeable change without burning out. If you have more than 10-20lbs to lose, you may want to take a 2 week break every 14 weeks. This break should not destroy your progress. Increase your calories by 200 per day maximum. This is to prevent burnout which can lead to yo-yo dieting and wasting time.
* I stuck to 12 weeks this time in preparation for a specific event. I lost more weight than I did on each of my prior cuts that were around 20 weeks. My morale was higher, motivation was higher, and I had far fewer cheat days because the end was in sight and the deadline was not extendable. On the longer diets, I saw my lowest weight 4-6 weeks before calling it quits. This bummed me out and made the diet ending feel like failure.
WORKOUT REGIMEN
Lifting with intensity is required to maintain muscle mass and metabolic rate.
Frequency: I recommend 3-5 times per week, hitting each muscle group 1-2 times if not sore.
* My routine is 5 times per week: 1) glutes & abs, 2) chest/shoulders/arms, 3) back & stomach vacuums, 4) legs & glutes, 5) anything not sore & shins/calves/forearms
Volume: Target 6-8 movements per workout, each with 2 warmup sets (15-20 reps) and 2 working sets (8-12 reps).
Intensity: Hitting failure or near-failure on your working sets is absolutely critical to maintaining or gaining muscle mass. Choose a weight that puts you in the 8-12 rep range. Plan on increasing weight or reps weekly. Anytime you don't PR, do a dropset - remember, you want to hold onto every last bit of muscle mass to maintain metabolic rate and achieve a toned look.
Rest and recovery: Do not work out a sore muscle group, or at most, do a deload (half max intensity). Take a rest day every week where you only do cardio activities. Aim for 8hrs sleep per night. Hydrate!
ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS
Food storage: Store food out of sight (e.g. in cabinets/fridge not countertop). Out of sight, out of mind. Reduce cravings.
Weighing yourself: Weigh yourself first thing in the morning before water and food on a daily basis. Weight fluctuates due to a number of factors, so base all decisions (decreasing calories or increasing cardio) off of weekly averages, not day-to-day measurements.
Trust the process: Altering body composition is a long journey, not an 8-week magical before and after. As far as I'm concerned, there is no after, this is about continuous improvement. The process works, any quick fixes you see glamorized are too good to be true and a waste of your time (typically money too). Just because you can't get it done quickly doesn't mean you shouldn't start. Any progress is better than no progress.
Muscle mass increases metabolic rate: Your metabolism is faster the more muscle you have, meaning you can eat more while losing weight. On my first cut I went all the way down to 900 calories. On my most recent cut, having built muscle, I only had to go down to 1,300. If you want to lose weight, this may sound counter intuitive, but consider bulking first.
Accountability: Hold yourself accountable by recording everything (food, weight, workout sets, steps, sleep, hydration). This way you can look back and know if you are making progress and what levers to pull. Be honest with yourself, don't waste your time. Having a buddy diet with you or be aware of your diet to check in on you helps.
Mistakes happen: You will slip up, we are only human. Don't panic, just get right back on track. Remember it takes 3,500 excess calories to gain a true pound of fat. If you are concerned after a binge, walk more the next day.
© 2025 Move with Ru, LLC