Happy New Year, TYM!!! Like a lot of people around this time of year, I'm looking to get back into shape. I have a number of medical issues that prevent me from adequately exercising, so my weight tends to fluctuate pretty wildly depending on my eating habits. My issues include asthma, an extra vertebrae in my spine, deformed bone structures in both of my feet, and just an unearthly level of general laziness.
So, I had to start learning a lot about nutrition, and one thing I learned is it's not nearly as difficult as it's made out to be; there is just a lot of noise out there causing confusion. Once you learn the basics, it's pretty easy to lose weight without any exercise. My most recent record was losing 30lbs over 4 months without exercising (I work from home, so literally sitting on my ass day-in and day-out). If you can squeeze in some exercise then your results should skyrocket.
I want to preface this post with a warning that I am NOT a nutritionist. I am just some random guy on the internet who has found some info and methods that work for me. As with anything you read on the internet, please think critically about the information you read here and use your best judgement if you decide to apply any of it to your own life. If you disagree with anything I post, please respond, because the last thing I want to do here is post any incorrect or harmful information.
So, with that introduction and warning out of the way, let's go!
Step 1: Calories in, Calories Out
You can make nutrition as complicated as you like, and I'm sure there will be comments below about "macros" and "carbs" and all kinds of other stuff. In reality, losing weight just comes down to your calorie deficit. You still need to ensure you're getting proper nutrition from your foods, and we'll look into that in a bit, but as far as weight loss is concerned, nothing really matters except calories in and calories out. Your body doesn't care if those calories come from a piece of chocolate cake or a piece of baked salmon, except that you'll be able to eat a lot more of the salmon for a lot fewer calories while also getting better overall nutrition. So, at least when starting out, don't overcomplicate things by getting too deep into the different types of nutrients and fitness buzzwords, just focus on calories in and calories out.
Step 2: Tracking and measuring
There's no way around it, you need to be tracking your calories in and calories out and you need to be weighing yourself daily. Just mentally, this can help provide the motivation to keep you on track. You can use whatever apps or services you like, but my favorite is this free site/app called Cronometer. Whenever you eat something, you just log it in the app and it keeps track of everything you need. You tell it your current weight and your goal and it will help you meet those needs. Thanks to Cronometer, I've managed to find a lot of foods that get me my necessary nutrients without adding too many calories. I'll talk more about these later. It can be fun to look up foods and see how healthy or unhealthy they actually are.
One big roadblock for me was how to measure some foods. For example, 4oz of baked salmon is approximately 206 calories, but wtf does 4oz of salmon look like? Well, apparently, 4oz is about the size of a deck of playing cards. So, when you're logging your steak, salmon, tofu, or other foods, you can make a pretty good estimate based on that.
Step 3: Finding foods you like
I fucking hate kale. I hate it. Any diet that involves kale will not work for me. If you try to force yourself to eat a lot of foods you don't like, I believe you're setting yourself up for failure. The key is to find foods you like that can keep you under your calories maximums and also provide substantial nutrition. That's one reason I love that Cronometer app, because it's helped me discover foods that I like that are not only low-calorie but also high in other nutrients.
Step 4: Your environment
If you love potato chips and have them in your house, you're probably going to eat them. If you're feeling snacky and you go to the fridge and there's something unhealthy but delicious and easy to make in there, you're probably going to eat it. So, take willpower out of the equation and just don't have those things in your house. We'll talk about "cheat days" in a bit, but overall try to avoid having easy, constant access to foods that will set you back.
Step 5: Portion Control
I was raised with the idea that you should "finish your plate". Even when I'm full, if there is food left on my plate I will try to finish it. I hate the idea of throwing away food. My wife calls me the garbage disposal because I'll finish her plate too if there's anything left. Food does not go into the garbage in our house. Whether or not you're of a similar mindset, portion control is exceptionally important. It's better to make too small of a portion, still be hungry, and have to make another meal than it is to make too large of a portion and eat it too quickly. Your body actually takes a bit of time to feel fulfilled from the food that you eat, so you'd be surprised at how small of a portion you need to not be hungry anymore.
To help with portion control, use the smallest dishes you have available. 4oz of food looks much smaller on a giant dinner plate than it does on a small plate. Your eyes will deceive you, so using measuring cups can also be helpful. Get used to making portions that look too small. You may still be hungry when you finish eating, but give it 20 or 30 minutes and you may be surprised how full you are. If you're still hungry, you can always have another helping. Try to eat before you get too hungry, because the hungrier you are when you make your meal, the larger the portion you're going to make.
Step 6: Cheat Days
If you keep yourself at a calorie deficit for too long, your body can actually adapt to the changes and you will start to see reduced results. This is why "cheat days" are so important and you definitely shouldn't skip them! The Cronometer site has some good information about the different ways you can handle your cheat days. For me, I like to exceed my calories limits twice per week, usually Wednesday and Saturday, though I keep it flexible. If I go out with friends, maybe I'll make that my cheat day and then not cheat on one of my standard days.
Cheat day is the day to handle all of your cravings. Throughout the week, if you get a craving for something you really shouldn't have, just write it down. This can actually trick your brain into reducing the craving. Then, on cheat day, if you're still craving any of those items, go for it! You still need to watch your nutrition and try to hit those targets, but you no longer need to worry about staying under your calorie limit.
Cheat days are also fun because they're guilt-free. You can eat all your favorite treats without worrying about hurting your weight-loss plan. When it comes to Step 4: Your Environment, I try not to have "bad" foods in my home on normal days. If I'm craving something, I'll wait until Cheat Day to go buy it from the store. You can also have the ingredients to make good foods so you can make them on Cheat Day. I love spinache and artichoke dip, and my wife has the world's best recipe, so I spend a lot of Cheat Days just gorging on it.
Just remember, you still want to try to hit your nutrition requirements. "Cheat Day" doesn't mean "just eat whatever you want, day", it just means you want to exceed your normal calorie limit. If you love donuts, great, have some donuts, but also be sure to get enough protein, fiber, and other nutrients.
Step 7: Water, water, and more water
Don't drink your calories! Repeat: DO NOT DRINK YOUR CALORIES!!! Soda is just liquid candy. Even most "healthy" juices, like apple juice and orange juice, are loaded up with so much sugar that it's just as bad as eating candy. Zero-calorie drinks like Diet Coke are even worse, as the artificial sweeteners they use can cause your body to become less efficient at burning calories, leading to increased weight gain. Find a brand of water you enjoy and stick with it. Believe it or not, the different brands do taste different. I hate Deer Park and I don't support Nestle, but I can drink generic Target brand or Aquafina all day long.
Staying hydrated is insanely important for weight loss. Dehydration can feel very similar to hunger, so many times when you think you're hungry and go for a snack, you actually just need to drink some water.
If bottled water isn't your thing, try some of the brands of sparkling water. I'm totally addicted to Bubly sparkling water. I don't know why, because it tastes like drinking a blueberry-flavored battery, but for some reason I can't get enough of the stuff.
The only other drink I can recommend is unsweetened almond milk. It's surprisingly good-tasting (it just tastes like almonds) and is insanely nutritious for how few calories it contains. It's a great way to meet your calcium requirements without all the calories you get from standard dairy products.
If you really just hate water, you can try making tea with either no sugar or a tiny bit of sugar. You can also add nonsweet lemon or lime juice to your bottled water to give it some flavor.
One thing I want to point out is to avoid alcohol. Alcohol is not only high-calorie, but will negatively affect almost every aspect of your weight-loss plan. It will make you snacky, it will make you feel like shit. So avoid it as much as possible.
Step 8: Read nutrition labels
Most "health foods" are just candy in disguise. A snickers bar has 29g of sugar. Next time you're at the store, look at the different breakfast bars and protein bars and compare their sugar content. It's candy. A "breakfast muffin" is just cake. Try to avoid processed foods as much as possible. Processed foods that are low in sugar content and still taste good are usually crazy high in sodium, which is how they maintain their good taste. Sodium is one of the most difficult nutrients to control, so you want to avoid high-sodium foods when possible. This means you also need to avoid eating out, especially at fast food restaurants. Sure, a Double Stack at Wendy's may only be 410 calories, but all the other shit they put in it will have a negative affect on your overall health.
Step 9: Don't be too hard on yourself
Don't think of this as a "diet", some temporary thing you're doing to lose weight quickly. Think of it as lifestyle choices that you'll need to maintain for the rest of your life. You can vary the severity of your calorie restrictions, but you'll always need to keep these steps in mind to avoid regaining the weight you lose. That's why it's so important to find foods you like and not just foods you can tolerate. Healthy weight loss is a long process, and anyone who tells you otherwise is trying to sell you something.
If you screw up or go over your calorie limit, that's totally fine. Don't let it derail your whole week. Think of it like quarters in a sports game. Even if you mess up in the first quarter, you can still come back later in the game and score a victory. So, don't beat yourself up and don't make it too difficult on yourself. Take your time, ease into your new dietary restrictions, and don't worry if you have to backtrack a bit.
***
And really, that's about all there is to it. I'll post below more info about specific foods and products that are amazing. With the foods that I eat, I am able to set my Cronometer goal to the maximum 2lbs-per-week weight loss plan and still come up about 400-800 calories short every day. I am never hungry and always meet all of my nutrition requirements. That's a pretty extreme calorie defecit, and if I wasn't hitting my nutrition goals I would force myself to take in more calories, so please don't expect to reduce your calorie intake by the same amount, as it can be extremely unhealthy. Use your best judgement and talk to a doctor or nutritionist if you have any questions.
Here is a snapshot of one of my days where I came closest to hitting my calorie threshhold. I went a little nuts on the black bean burgers because I had an odd amount left, which also led to me exceeding my sodium levels for the day (click the image for a better view). I was even able to enjoy 150 calries of my favorite candybar.
I stopped following my weight-loss regimen in early November, due to the impending holiday season, and ended up gaining back almost all of the weight I had previously lost. I had managed to drop from 240lbs down to 200lbs, and am currently back up to 230lbs. This is my first week back on this weight-loss plan.
So, I had to start learning a lot about nutrition, and one thing I learned is it's not nearly as difficult as it's made out to be; there is just a lot of noise out there causing confusion. Once you learn the basics, it's pretty easy to lose weight without any exercise. My most recent record was losing 30lbs over 4 months without exercising (I work from home, so literally sitting on my ass day-in and day-out). If you can squeeze in some exercise then your results should skyrocket.
I want to preface this post with a warning that I am NOT a nutritionist. I am just some random guy on the internet who has found some info and methods that work for me. As with anything you read on the internet, please think critically about the information you read here and use your best judgement if you decide to apply any of it to your own life. If you disagree with anything I post, please respond, because the last thing I want to do here is post any incorrect or harmful information.
So, with that introduction and warning out of the way, let's go!
Step 1: Calories in, Calories Out
You can make nutrition as complicated as you like, and I'm sure there will be comments below about "macros" and "carbs" and all kinds of other stuff. In reality, losing weight just comes down to your calorie deficit. You still need to ensure you're getting proper nutrition from your foods, and we'll look into that in a bit, but as far as weight loss is concerned, nothing really matters except calories in and calories out. Your body doesn't care if those calories come from a piece of chocolate cake or a piece of baked salmon, except that you'll be able to eat a lot more of the salmon for a lot fewer calories while also getting better overall nutrition. So, at least when starting out, don't overcomplicate things by getting too deep into the different types of nutrients and fitness buzzwords, just focus on calories in and calories out.
Step 2: Tracking and measuring
There's no way around it, you need to be tracking your calories in and calories out and you need to be weighing yourself daily. Just mentally, this can help provide the motivation to keep you on track. You can use whatever apps or services you like, but my favorite is this free site/app called Cronometer. Whenever you eat something, you just log it in the app and it keeps track of everything you need. You tell it your current weight and your goal and it will help you meet those needs. Thanks to Cronometer, I've managed to find a lot of foods that get me my necessary nutrients without adding too many calories. I'll talk more about these later. It can be fun to look up foods and see how healthy or unhealthy they actually are.
One big roadblock for me was how to measure some foods. For example, 4oz of baked salmon is approximately 206 calories, but wtf does 4oz of salmon look like? Well, apparently, 4oz is about the size of a deck of playing cards. So, when you're logging your steak, salmon, tofu, or other foods, you can make a pretty good estimate based on that.
Step 3: Finding foods you like
I fucking hate kale. I hate it. Any diet that involves kale will not work for me. If you try to force yourself to eat a lot of foods you don't like, I believe you're setting yourself up for failure. The key is to find foods you like that can keep you under your calories maximums and also provide substantial nutrition. That's one reason I love that Cronometer app, because it's helped me discover foods that I like that are not only low-calorie but also high in other nutrients.
Step 4: Your environment
If you love potato chips and have them in your house, you're probably going to eat them. If you're feeling snacky and you go to the fridge and there's something unhealthy but delicious and easy to make in there, you're probably going to eat it. So, take willpower out of the equation and just don't have those things in your house. We'll talk about "cheat days" in a bit, but overall try to avoid having easy, constant access to foods that will set you back.
Step 5: Portion Control
I was raised with the idea that you should "finish your plate". Even when I'm full, if there is food left on my plate I will try to finish it. I hate the idea of throwing away food. My wife calls me the garbage disposal because I'll finish her plate too if there's anything left. Food does not go into the garbage in our house. Whether or not you're of a similar mindset, portion control is exceptionally important. It's better to make too small of a portion, still be hungry, and have to make another meal than it is to make too large of a portion and eat it too quickly. Your body actually takes a bit of time to feel fulfilled from the food that you eat, so you'd be surprised at how small of a portion you need to not be hungry anymore.
To help with portion control, use the smallest dishes you have available. 4oz of food looks much smaller on a giant dinner plate than it does on a small plate. Your eyes will deceive you, so using measuring cups can also be helpful. Get used to making portions that look too small. You may still be hungry when you finish eating, but give it 20 or 30 minutes and you may be surprised how full you are. If you're still hungry, you can always have another helping. Try to eat before you get too hungry, because the hungrier you are when you make your meal, the larger the portion you're going to make.
Step 6: Cheat Days
If you keep yourself at a calorie deficit for too long, your body can actually adapt to the changes and you will start to see reduced results. This is why "cheat days" are so important and you definitely shouldn't skip them! The Cronometer site has some good information about the different ways you can handle your cheat days. For me, I like to exceed my calories limits twice per week, usually Wednesday and Saturday, though I keep it flexible. If I go out with friends, maybe I'll make that my cheat day and then not cheat on one of my standard days.
Cheat day is the day to handle all of your cravings. Throughout the week, if you get a craving for something you really shouldn't have, just write it down. This can actually trick your brain into reducing the craving. Then, on cheat day, if you're still craving any of those items, go for it! You still need to watch your nutrition and try to hit those targets, but you no longer need to worry about staying under your calorie limit.
Cheat days are also fun because they're guilt-free. You can eat all your favorite treats without worrying about hurting your weight-loss plan. When it comes to Step 4: Your Environment, I try not to have "bad" foods in my home on normal days. If I'm craving something, I'll wait until Cheat Day to go buy it from the store. You can also have the ingredients to make good foods so you can make them on Cheat Day. I love spinache and artichoke dip, and my wife has the world's best recipe, so I spend a lot of Cheat Days just gorging on it.
Just remember, you still want to try to hit your nutrition requirements. "Cheat Day" doesn't mean "just eat whatever you want, day", it just means you want to exceed your normal calorie limit. If you love donuts, great, have some donuts, but also be sure to get enough protein, fiber, and other nutrients.
Step 7: Water, water, and more water
Don't drink your calories! Repeat: DO NOT DRINK YOUR CALORIES!!! Soda is just liquid candy. Even most "healthy" juices, like apple juice and orange juice, are loaded up with so much sugar that it's just as bad as eating candy. Zero-calorie drinks like Diet Coke are even worse, as the artificial sweeteners they use can cause your body to become less efficient at burning calories, leading to increased weight gain. Find a brand of water you enjoy and stick with it. Believe it or not, the different brands do taste different. I hate Deer Park and I don't support Nestle, but I can drink generic Target brand or Aquafina all day long.
Staying hydrated is insanely important for weight loss. Dehydration can feel very similar to hunger, so many times when you think you're hungry and go for a snack, you actually just need to drink some water.
If bottled water isn't your thing, try some of the brands of sparkling water. I'm totally addicted to Bubly sparkling water. I don't know why, because it tastes like drinking a blueberry-flavored battery, but for some reason I can't get enough of the stuff.
The only other drink I can recommend is unsweetened almond milk. It's surprisingly good-tasting (it just tastes like almonds) and is insanely nutritious for how few calories it contains. It's a great way to meet your calcium requirements without all the calories you get from standard dairy products.
If you really just hate water, you can try making tea with either no sugar or a tiny bit of sugar. You can also add nonsweet lemon or lime juice to your bottled water to give it some flavor.
One thing I want to point out is to avoid alcohol. Alcohol is not only high-calorie, but will negatively affect almost every aspect of your weight-loss plan. It will make you snacky, it will make you feel like shit. So avoid it as much as possible.
Step 8: Read nutrition labels
Most "health foods" are just candy in disguise. A snickers bar has 29g of sugar. Next time you're at the store, look at the different breakfast bars and protein bars and compare their sugar content. It's candy. A "breakfast muffin" is just cake. Try to avoid processed foods as much as possible. Processed foods that are low in sugar content and still taste good are usually crazy high in sodium, which is how they maintain their good taste. Sodium is one of the most difficult nutrients to control, so you want to avoid high-sodium foods when possible. This means you also need to avoid eating out, especially at fast food restaurants. Sure, a Double Stack at Wendy's may only be 410 calories, but all the other shit they put in it will have a negative affect on your overall health.
Step 9: Don't be too hard on yourself
Don't think of this as a "diet", some temporary thing you're doing to lose weight quickly. Think of it as lifestyle choices that you'll need to maintain for the rest of your life. You can vary the severity of your calorie restrictions, but you'll always need to keep these steps in mind to avoid regaining the weight you lose. That's why it's so important to find foods you like and not just foods you can tolerate. Healthy weight loss is a long process, and anyone who tells you otherwise is trying to sell you something.
If you screw up or go over your calorie limit, that's totally fine. Don't let it derail your whole week. Think of it like quarters in a sports game. Even if you mess up in the first quarter, you can still come back later in the game and score a victory. So, don't beat yourself up and don't make it too difficult on yourself. Take your time, ease into your new dietary restrictions, and don't worry if you have to backtrack a bit.
***
And really, that's about all there is to it. I'll post below more info about specific foods and products that are amazing. With the foods that I eat, I am able to set my Cronometer goal to the maximum 2lbs-per-week weight loss plan and still come up about 400-800 calories short every day. I am never hungry and always meet all of my nutrition requirements. That's a pretty extreme calorie defecit, and if I wasn't hitting my nutrition goals I would force myself to take in more calories, so please don't expect to reduce your calorie intake by the same amount, as it can be extremely unhealthy. Use your best judgement and talk to a doctor or nutritionist if you have any questions.
Here is a snapshot of one of my days where I came closest to hitting my calorie threshhold. I went a little nuts on the black bean burgers because I had an odd amount left, which also led to me exceeding my sodium levels for the day (click the image for a better view). I was even able to enjoy 150 calries of my favorite candybar.
I stopped following my weight-loss regimen in early November, due to the impending holiday season, and ended up gaining back almost all of the weight I had previously lost. I had managed to drop from 240lbs down to 200lbs, and am currently back up to 230lbs. This is my first week back on this weight-loss plan.
