Losing Weight vs Fat
They key to losing weight is a simple calculation. Calories in vs calories out. I know you all have heard it.
But how do you lose fat?
When we lose weight – we lose muscle, water weight, and fat. This is a bit oversimplified, but we aren’t teaching a course on physiology.
The point here is that you will lose both muscle AND fat unless you are meaningful about how you drop your calories.
If you are meaningful, you can maintain a lot of your muscle, and target losing your fat only.
So, when my clients ask me what they should do to drop weight, I tell them to watch these two simple variables.
Please note, although it is simple, that doesn’t necessarily mean it is easy. This concept will obviously also be hindered if you have health conditions or drink a lot of sugary drinks or alcoholic drinks I’m unaware of. It’s also just difficult to stick to a healthy diet.
Generally speaking, the game is all ratios and portion sizes.
Let’s talk portions first.
We don’t want to count calories or become obsessed with weighing your food. I have found to be counterproductive since it causes you to think about food all the time - when your next meal is, what will be in it, and don’t get me started on the panis of eating out.
Instead of obsessing over the process, I tell my clients to try to eat small portions over 3-5 meals throughout their day (mostly dependent on preference). Look at the amount of food you typically eat at a meal, and slowly reduce the size.
Don’t drastically cut your portions, slowly reduce them over time so your body doesn’t freak out.
Intense calorie drops can trigger a negative psychological response, and create sabotaging habits such as binge-eating. It can also negatively impact your hormones.
Simple ways to reduce your portion size are to use smaller plates or bowls. This can trick out minds into thinking we are eating more.
An important aspect of this rule - don’t reach for seconds! This is why making gradual change is so important - because you need to stick with it. Load you plate up responsibly, and don’t cheat.
Now, let’s hone in on the ratios.
No, we aren’t going to track our macros.
Once again – too obsessive for my taste. It’s okay to start out tracking macros if you have no idea what is in your food – ie. what has more carbs, more fats, or protein. But once you have a solid understanding of what foods consist of what macros, it’s just a game of pie charts.
Yes, the same pie charts you see in fancy business slides.
We want a healthy balance of carbs, healthy fats*, and protein. See below for a breakdown of what your plate should include.
Make about half of your meal centered around protein.
Keep healthy fats low, since these are calorie dense (they have a lot of calories in relation to the space they take up). Since they are so calorie dense, fats will take up 1/8th of my plate.
And the rest will be a blend of carbs – leafy greens, rice, etc.
Notice how you don’t have to cut carbs or fats out altogether, in fact when you do this it alters how your body works. Our bodies don’t need to be altered; they work perfectly!
Try to balance your diet so that your body gets just enough of what it needs (which unfortunately is not usually nachos and ice cream).
I’ve included some examples of healthy foods that represent each macro category below. Note, these lists aren’t extensive.
Examples of high protein foods
Low fat meat: chicken, beef, pork, etc
Eggs
Non-fat yogurt
Tofu
Tuna
Lentils
Examples of healthy fats
Avocado
Cheese
Eggs
Fatty Fish
Chia Seeds
Nuts
Flaxseed
Examples of healthy carbs & starches
Potatoes, Squash, Zucchini
Rice (Jasmine or Brown)
Leafy Greens, Broccoli, Brussels
Bell peppers
