One of the most common questions I get when I tell people that I am a personal trainer is: what should I eat in order to lose weight? My most common response is: what do you want to eat? Apparently this frustrates a lot of people. They are looking for something a little bit more revolutionary. The reality is that the words 'revolutionary', 'new' and even 'scientific' and 'proven' are the biggest giveaways of a fad/ scam. The hard truth is that; if you eat less than you burn then you will lose weight. Period. End of story.
Yes, there are healthier foods than others. Yes, the macronutrients (proteins, carbs and fats) are important to body composition. Yes, you can lose weight by following some of those new trends that you see in this weeks issue of Self Magazine. But you just asked how to lose weight. To do that, you just need to know: A) How many calories does your body burn in a day B) How many calories do you need to eat to create an appropriate deficit to get you to your goal by the time you would like to reach it and C) is that deficit realistic?
Fact: There are 3500 calories in one pound of body fat. Therefore, if you would like to lose 1 lb of body fat in a week, you would need have a 500 calorie deficit every day. For example, I burn about 2500 calories a day. I should eat 2000 calories a day if I would like to lose 1 lb a week. If I would like to lose 2 lbs a week, I would have to double my deficit meaning I would only eat 1500 calories a day.
Warning: There are some who may think that if a small deficit is good, then a large deficit must be better. Think again. Your body will learn to adjust its burn very quickly. You will begin to burn more muscle than fat.
So how do you know how many calories you should eat? Go back and read my post called 'Know your Burn' to find out how much you burn in a day and then decide on a deficit (please keep it less than 1000 calories/ day). Then follow one of these suggestions to make sure you stay within your range:
A) Log it
Either find a website or app that allows you to log your food or write it in a food journal. Benefits include being able to plan your entire day with the flexibility of adding foods that you like. You can also be spontaneous and go out to eat. The downside is that it takes time and forethought. Apps with barcode scanners and a variety of restaurants make it easier. I highly recommend logging. I have had many clients reach there goal by changing virtually nothing else.
B) List it
Some of my clients have said to me, "I WILL not log! You can't make me!" Well, you are right. I can't make you. But we have to do SOMETHING. So we sit down for a few sessions and we go through the foods that they like and that they will eat and we make a list of at least five Breakfasts, Lunches, Dinners and snacks that add up to their daily caloric goal. Every meal is about the same size so all they have to do is pick one of each from the list. The upside to this is that the choice is taken out. Many people join diet programs where a list is given to them. The downside is that it is difficult to plan unforeseen obstacles. It also gets REALLY boring to eat the same thing day after day so I recommend adding to the lists often.
I highly believe that the plan you follow to reach your goal should reflect as closely as possible to the plan you expect to follow to keep your goal (most of us forget to think about the maintenance phase). When deciding whether to list or to log, ask yourself, "In the future, will I likely eat the same foods every day and just need to know how much? or will I eat a variety and simply need to be aware of what I am eating?" If the answer is the former, list it. If it is the latter, log it. Whichever method you choose make sure you MEASURE your food. I cannot stress enough how important that is. You may think you know how big a cup is but you could be off by as much as 30% (I have had clients who were off by a LOT more). I'm not saying that you have to measure forever but I would definitely recommend it at least at first. I will be completely honest with all of you: I measure my food EVERY DAY that I log it.
Now this is where a lot of you are yelling at your computer, "Kerri, you are almost done with this post and you haven't said anything about WHAT I should eat!" Hold on. We'll talk about it later. I'll make some suggestions but please keep one thing in mind-
Many of us have gotten to where we are weight-wise because of stress. Drastically changing your diet is a major lifestyle change and is therefore a stresser whether you wish to admit it or not. If stress is what makes you turn to food, I would like to ask you one question: How on earth do you expect your trigger to be your cure? I know you want to be an overall healthy person. So would I. But when you stress yourself out by making a huge lifestyle change, you run the risk of sabotaging yourself before you even get started. Just eating less of the foods you eat now will be stressful enough. Give yourself time. Then, when you have developed the habit of eating less, add in one or two healthy eating habits at a time. But tune in next time when we talk about macronutrients.
My Progress:
Weight: 181.6 lbs My deficit was 3641 calories based on my readings from my metabolic armband and my food log so I actually estimated about 1 lb fat loss (though the reading may be off due to breastfeeding).
Successes: I had a great week overall with logging food. YAY!
Confession: I set a goal to hit 500 calorie deficit every day (except my anniversary and Thanksgiving) for 90 days. If I can do that, I will be much more likely to reach my goal by New Years. Unfortunately I had that silly 'Eat, Drink and be Merry for Tomorrow we Diet!' Mentality and went a little crazy today. I will have to work extra hard this week to make up for it and may end up with another half pound loss for the week.
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