Many people associate winter with holiday weight gain from party food and Christmas treats. For me, it's actually peak gym season. When cold weather hits Colorado, hitting the gym becomes my primary antidote to boredom.
Summer is a different story. Between cool drinks, live events, kids' sports, and lazy days by the pool, distractions are everywhere. As a result, I usually pick up 3 to 5 pounds over the warmer months. While I don't love gaining the weight, it gives me all the motivation I need come fall to trim back down fast.
If you're looking to shed extra body fat this fall, the core principle is straightforward: consume fewer calories than you burn.
The hard part isn't understanding a calorie deficit. It's creating one without feeling hungry, exhausted, and miserable.
Here are seven practical ways to make cutting weight easier.
1. Start With a Moderate Calorie Deficit
Don't crash diet. Start by eating roughly 10–20% fewer calories than your maintenance needs and adjust based on your progress.
The goal isn't to eat as little as possible. It's to create a deficit you can actually maintain.
2. Try Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting can make a calorie deficit easier by reducing the number of hours you eat each day.
For example, instead of eating from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m., try an eating window from noon to 8 p.m.
Fasting isn't magic. It works when it helps you eat fewer total calories.
3. Stop Eating After 6 P.M.
Late-night eating can quietly destroy a calorie deficit.
Chips, alcohol, ice cream, and other evening snacks can add hundreds of calories. Try eating a high-protein dinner and closing the kitchen at 6 p.m.
There's nothing magical about 6 p.m. The benefit comes from eliminating unnecessary nighttime calories.
4. Eat More Protein
Protein helps you feel full and supports muscle while you're cutting.
Build your meals around eggs, chicken, lean beef, fish, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and protein shakes.
If you want to look lean and muscular when the weight comes off, don't neglect protein or strength training.
5. Stop Drinking Your Calories
Soda, juice, sweetened coffee, and alcohol can add hundreds of calories without filling you up.
Make water, sparkling water, unsweetened coffee, tea, and low-calorie drinks your defaults.
My personal favorite during cooler nights is to swap out evening beers for hot tea with pine pollen and lemon. Helps me sleep and helps eliminate all those evening calories.
6. Walk More
You don't necessarily need another brutal cardio workout.
Increasing your daily steps can raise calorie expenditure without beating up your body. If you're averaging 5,000 steps per day, try moving toward 8,000–10,000.
Lift to maintain muscle. Walk to help burn more calories.
7. Eat Mostly Whole Foods
Cutting becomes easier when your diet is built around lean protein, vegetables, fruit, potatoes, rice, and other minimally processed foods.
These foods can provide more volume and satiety for your calories, making it easier to stick to your diet.
What's the Easiest Way to Get Into a Calorie Deficit?
Don't overcomplicate it.
Eat more protein, eliminate liquid calories, stop late-night snacking, experiment with fasting, walk more, and control your portions.
Combine several small changes and you may find yourself in a calorie deficit without feeling like you're starving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does intermittent fasting help with weight loss?
Yes, if it helps you consume fewer total calories. Fasting itself isn't magic—the calorie deficit is what drives weight loss.
Does not eating after 6 p.m. help you lose weight?
It can. Eating after 6 doesn't automatically cause weight gain, but eliminating late-night snacking can significantly reduce your daily calorie intake.
Should I lift weights while cutting?
Yes. Resistance training and adequate protein can help maintain muscle while you're losing weight.
Bottom Line
Cutting weight doesn't have to be complicated.
Create a moderate calorie deficit, prioritize protein, lift weights, walk more, and eliminate the calories you don't really need.
Do that consistently and give it time.
