It’s that time of the year, when people are working on their new year’s resolutions (unless they completely gave up on them by now).
Whether you’re looking to lose the few pounds gained over the holidays or have more aggressive goals, the tips I outline below shouldhelp you. Keep in mind though, that everyone has different diets, habits, preferencesand other factors that will make some of these tips useless.
And that’s fine. There’s no one “perfect” diet, regardless of what you may read from Facebook or Instagram “experts”. Even if they’re shredded,or were at some point when they took that photo. (news flash: they don’t look like that most of the time)
Let’s get one other thing out of the way first: losing some weight is a matter of eating fewer calories than the amount needed to maintain weight. There’s no way around it, so if you hear anyone disputing that, smile, nod and move away slowly.
How much weight do we want to lose within a week? A rate of 0.5%to 1% of your body weight per week is safe, achievable and sustainable for most people.
So If you’re around 180 lbs. like me, losing between 0.9 and 1.8lbs. per week is not bad!
Let’s go with a happy medium of 1 lb/week. Even if Dr. Oz tells you that you can lose 10 lbs. in 2 weeks. He might have stopped spewing that stuff, but just in case he does it again, don’t listen.
In order to lose 1 lb. of fat over the course of a week weneed to create a calorie deficit of 3,500 calories.
That’s a daily deficit of 500 calories.
If you eat 5 meals a day, including snacks, 500 calories isn’tall that much. It’s about 100 calories per meal. That’s a slice of bread!
Or, half a slice of bread and just over a teaspoon of fat.
So how do we achieve that deficit without starving ourselves?
Here’s a simple strategy that might help you achieve it while eating more.
Yes, I know I said “eating more”.
It’s more volume.
Fewer calories, though. Let me explain.
Instead of removing stuff from your diet, we’ll add a bunchof colorful veggies to it.
How much?
That’s totally up to you. Most veggies are low calorie and high volume, so they’ll fill you up pretty quickly.
Here’s a salad you can put together in a heartbeat:
Ingredients:
- 1 medium head Broccoli, cut in small pieces
- 1 red pepper and 1 orange pepper, diced
- 2 diced medium or 3 small tomatoes, diced
- 1 cucumber, cut in half (or quarters) lengthwise and sliced
- 1 medium sized carrot, diced (optional if you hate carrots)
Dressing:
- 2 Tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 – 2 Tsp olive oil(optional)
- 3 cloves finely chopped garlic
- Salt to taste (about half a tsp)
Salads don’t need instructions.
A pretty big serving of this salad will add up to less thanthe calories in a slice of bread, but it’ll be more filling.
I’m not saying to remove the bread. Just control quantities.If you’re used to having 2 slices per meal, try cutting down to 1 and a halfslices. Then move on to 1 slice.
I strongly suggest finding ways to add more colorful veggiesto your meals. If you’re not used to eating them raw (like, in a salad), then steam them.
Broccoli and cauliflower are perfect for that.
If you’re used to adding oil to your cooked veggies, tryreducing the amount of oil you add.
Do it gradually. It’s better to make small, incrementalchanges than to attempt to completely overhaul everything at once and thenabandon everything because the change isn’t sustainable.
I’ll talk about making gradual, sustainable changes in abit.
Let’s go back to veggies for a second. Right now, my go toveggies source is the salad I just mentioned. I sometimes make changes to it(usually when I hear that my salads are boring).
Here are a few ideas:
- Try different flavours of balsamic vinegar.
- Add herbs like parsley, cilantro, etc.
- Mix in some kale. If you hate the texture, stir-fry it in a non-stick pan for a few minutes or steam it.
- Same with Swiss chard or collard greens
- Add some finely chopped apple.
- Swap red peppers for green peppers.
- Chop up 5 – 6 olives and add them to the salad.
- Add other spices to your dressing. Experiment.
There you have it. Instead of me giving you a bunch of salad recipes, you can now create your own.
By now you’re probably bored of me going on about thissalad.
So I’ll go on for a bit longer.
I wanted to give you an idea of the nutritional value you can get from a salad like the one I just described above.
Calories – 38Fat – 0.3g – 3g (depending on how much oil you added)
Sodium – 24mg
Potassium – 240mg
Carbs – 7.6g
Fiber – 2.4g
Sugar – 3.7g
Protein – 2.1g
Here’s where it gets interesting:
Vitamin A – 36.7%
Vitamin C – 162.4%
Calcium – 3.3%
Iron – 4.4%
A simple salad like this is enough to give you all the vitamin C for a day! And a good chunk of your Vitamin A daily dose. Isn’t that exciting?
Ok maybe it’s not exciting, but go with me here, it’s at least a little bit awesome.
This is part of a bigger picture though: by eating a bunch of colorful veggies, you are more likely to reduce or avoid any nutritional deficiencies, because you’ll get a bunch of vitamins and minerals.
What’s even better, is that you’re getting them in the form that is more likely to be better absorbed by your body, which is their natural form.
I know, I’m excited too.
If you’re asking yourself whether you should eat your veggeis raw vs. cooked, here’s a simple answer: do both. Many veggies release healthy goodness when cooked.
Tomatoes for instance, when cooked for longer than 10 minutes,release lycopene, a cancer fighting compound.
And if you’re worried that microwaving food will killnutrients, don’t. There are studies showing that no value is lost when doingthat. I’ll link to them later if you’re interested.
Let’s move from veggies to protein.
In a nutshell (I know, I’m already jumping to fats! LOL) –you will get most of your protein from lean cuts of meat.
- Chicken breast (or other poultry)
- Pork tenderloin
- Lean cuts of beef
- Fish
I’ll link to some of my favourite recipes later, since this thingis already getting quite long. I might have promised you a short blurb, andhere I am, having typed over 1,000 words.
Fats!
You need some fat in your diet, that’s for sure. Fats are great because they help absorb certain vitamins and minerals. So although I suggested reducing them in the beginning of this article, by no means should you remove them from your diet.
You will want to get your fats from several sources:
- Fish meat or fish oils (rich in Omega 3s)
- Avocado
- Nuts (even peanuts)
- Seeds (like sunflower seeds)
- Oils (olive, canola, avocado, etc.) The least processed, the better.
How much fat?
You don’t need a lot. Be careful here: NEVER snack on nuts or seeds. Unless you’re in need of a huge amount of calories because you’re doing Crossfit or teaching aerobics 4 times a week, you don’t need a bunch of calories.
If you’re eating lean meats as your main source of protein, then you can safely add 15 – 30g of nuts or seeds to each meal. Or, you can just add 1 more tsp of oil to your salad serving.
Personally, I prefer nuts and seeds. Toasted, with a little bit of salt, they’re yummy.
Last but not least, carbs.
I like to look at them separately from veggies because althoughveggies are a source of carbs, they’re not as carb-heavy as potatoes or beans,
Here’s what I suggest doing here:
Eat unprocessed carbs, like whole wheat whole grain bread. Small amounts, like a slice of toast per meal is more than enough.
Rice is fine too. One small handful per meal or two, depending on how active you are.
Other sources:
- Beans and legumes
- Potatoes
- Large flake or steel cut oats
- Most fruit
Carbs are your body’s preferred source of energy. If you eat them and don’t use that energy, any excess calories will be stored as fat. Our bodies are very good at making that happen. So try to limit carb intake on a non-active day.
But if you’re running around a lot, going to the gym andwalking to the grocery store and back with 20 lbs. of food in each hand, thenadjust your intake accordingly. This doesn’t mean to go all out on an activeday. Just add an extra apple or cup of oatmeal after a workout.
Snacks and processed foods!
We all love them. But hate them too.
Try to eliminate snacking. If you are hungry between 2schedule meals, just eat a little more at the next meal and adjust your intakea little. Keep an eye on hunger pangs. Many of them are actually thirstdisguised as hunger. Drink water or green tea.
If you can, throw out all processed snacks.
This isn’t for everyone. If you are in absolute love with them, then reduce the amount you eat each time a little. Use smaller plates. Smaller cups. Whatever it takes to make that small, sustainable change.
And if you crave something, especially if the feeling is overwhelming, do NOT deny yourself a small treat.
But instead of opening a bag of Cheetos or nachos and grabbing handfuls of orange goodness and shoving them down your throat, try something else.
Slooooowwwww Doooowwwwnnnnn!
Slow down when you eat anything. Especially snacks. Think of this guy as you eat.
Sit down with a small serving of those Cheetos, and enjoy each bite mindfully. Seriously, you will enjoy them more while eating less.
Bite. Taste. Chew. Swallow. Breathe. Bite some more. Chew. Savor. Swallow. Repeat.
This simple process will help you avoid over-indulging in snacks, or any other food for that matter. It’s just one more technique that will help you create small but sustainable changes.
Apropos…
I promised I’d talk abit about change.
When you’re thinking of making a change, always assess how likely you are to be able to implement it.
If you’re only 80% sure, then think of how you can scale down that change in order to make it more likely to stick.
So if you’re used to adding ¼ cup of oil when you steam or boil your veggies, don’t go skip the whole oil. You’re going to hate the outcome.
Instead, try reducing that ¼ cup (4 Tsp) to 3 Tsp.
If you manage to make it stick for a couple weeks, then consider moving down to 2 Tsp.
Repeat until you are down to an amount that is consistent with your goals AND is sustainable.
Closing thoughts and questions:
- Make one change at a time.
- If any of the above sounds like it’ll turn your life upside down, skip it. Don’t think twice about it.
- Look for the thing(s) you can implement easily.
- For instance, implement the veggies thing for a few weeks and see how that goes. Can you maintain it? Cool. Now move on the lean proteins.
FAQ:
- Q: My scale didn’t budge after making these changes for a week or two. This stuff doesn’t work. I hate you.
A: I used to hate myself too, so I know how you feel. That being said, the scale isn’t the most reliable indicator of progress. I suggest you take a second look at your food intake to make sure there’s indeed a change in calorie intake. Also, in addition to getting on the scale, it’s good to keep track of how you look in the mirror and how your clothes fit, or waist/chest. Thighs/hips measurements. It’s not unusual to lose fat AND build a bit of muscle at the same time, especially when eating a bit more protein. - Q: Should I count calories?
A: I think that’s overkill. Calorie counting is ok, but it’s not likely to be helpful and sustainable if you’re just getting started losing weight. When you’ve achieved a lower level of body fat (18 – 24% for women, and 10 – 17% for men), you are fairly lean, and are looking to get more aggressive, then we can look at calorie counting. - Q: Someone told me that I need to detox before I lose some weight. Should I?
A: Sorry to break this to you, but you’ve been detoxing your entire life. For free. That’s what your liver and kidneys have been doing for the entire time you’ve been alive. There’s no need to buy any detox, unless you hate money and want to get rid of it. If that’s the case, let me know and at least you’ll get some awesome nutrition coaching in exchange.