Eating For Weight Loss

I get a lot of questions about what to eat and when to eat it and which supplements to take and when and so on and so forth.  Let's face it: there is a ton of information out there about nutrition and reading article after article can lead to more questions than answers.  It seems that a lot of the nutrition information is contradictory.  I'll give you that.  But what you, the reader, needs to pay attention to is WHO the article is geared toward.

Nutrition for losing weight is different than nutrition for sports performance, different from nutrition for healthy-weight individuals looking to maintain their weight, and even different for those looking to put on muscle.  What I hope to do here is make nutrition for weight loss simple.  (Disclaimer: Please note that anything here is extremely simplified, applies to most "generally healthy" individuals, and does not replace a discussion with your own doctor or nutritionist.)

The crux of losing weight is to consume fewer calories than you expend, creating a deficit in your body's caloric balance.  If you have been the same weight for a number of years (or months), then your body has reached a caloric balance.  You are consuming enough calories to maintain your current physique: not too few (or else you would lose weight) and not too many (or else you would gain weight).

Rule of Thumb: Multiply your current weight by 10.  That is how many calories you should consume daily to MAINTAIN your current weight. 

If you want to LOSE weight, you will need to eat fewer calories.  That is our focus today. 

A pound of body weight is equal to 3,500 calories.  In order to lose 1#, you must create a deficit of 3,500 calories, over time.  Don't try to do that in one day, people!  Let's say you are a 150# woman, who hopes to one day be a 130# woman.  Your maintenance calories are 1500 (150x10).  You should drop your calories to a safe level to create a caloric deficit.  One should not drop his/her calories below about 1200 daily.  To do so would constitute "starvation mode."  Let's not lose weight that quickly!  If you weigh 120 pounds or less, then you probably don't need to lose weight.  (If you think you do, please contact your physician or a Registered Dietician.) 

So let's look:

1500 - maintenance calories

1200 - weight loss calorie target

  300 - caloric deficit (daily)

300 x 7 days/week = 2100 caloric deficit/week

Remember, one pound is 3500 calories, so the deficit above does not result in a one-pound weight loss.  This is why you are eating so cleanly, but don't feel like you are making any progress!  It is a slow process.  The diet change above would lead to just more than a half a pound each week (that is why exercise & nutrition go hand-in-hand for real results)!

So then WHAT do I eat for those measely 1200 calories (in this hypothetical example)?

Certainly you will need to plan ahead!  I will be honest, that is not a lot of food.  However, if you make your choices wisely, you can feel reasonably satisfied. 

Rules of Thumb:

• Foods that grow from the ground
• Foods that used to swim or fly
• Foods that used to have hooves

If your food fits easily into one of the above categories, then chances are the food is pretty good for you: assuming the chef did not add anything to it that does not fit into one of the above categories. 

Worried that your food will be bland?  Guess what, herbs and spices grow from the ground!  And they add amazing flavor to other foods! 

Of course, exceptions always abound.... olive oil can be argued to have come from the ground, same with peanut butter, to name a couple.  While for the healthy-weight individual these are healthy foods (used in moderation), these are not good foods for weight loss.  Why?  They add a lot of calories without adding much to the feeling of satiety, or, feeling "full."  

Weight Loss Tip:

Greens can fill your belly without adding a significant amount of calories to your diet. 

You can estimate that an ounce of greens (broccoli, green beans, fresh spinach, asparagus) is approximately 10 calories.  Eight ounces of steamed broccoli (even with a squirt of lemon juice) is a large volume of food for only 80 calories.    Pair it with four ounces of lean chicken breast (boneless, skinless, of course), and you have a filling meal for only 200 calories!

Weight Loss Tip:

Eat 5 - 6 small meals spaced 2 to 3 hours apart.

Eating small, healthy meals frequently not only helps you avoid feelings of hunger, it also helps maintain your blood sugar levels.  Keeping blood sugar levels stable will prevent spikes in insulin, which tells your body to store the excess.  The most practical application of this, for me, is that if I start getting hungry 2.5 hours after one meal, I can look at the clock and tell myself that I can make it 30 more minutes!  Stay disciplined!

Weight Loss Tip:

Always Eat Breakfast

Your body has just awakened from a long overnight fast ("break" "fast", hello, people!).  You need to get things moving again.  Overnight, you have depleted your easily-accessed storage to keep "the lights on," so to speak.  Your body & brain need more fuel to function during the morning and the rest of the day.  Some folks who want to lose weight prefer to exercise BEFORE their breakfast, and that is a good idea!  It causes your body to "dig deep" for the fuel that is in deep storage (fat cells) to get through the workout.  But be sure to eat a good recovery meal right after working out! (egg whites and oats are a good combo)

Some folks choosing to forego breakfast before workout may find it difficult to make it through an intense, calorie-burning session.  If you find that to be the case, then I recommend having a piece of fruit or a single slice of wheat toast prior to workout. 

Physique-Saving Tip:

Always have protein with your meals.

Protein is what our bodies use to rebuild tissue.  If you are exercising, you will need it for recovery, for building muscle and other lean body tissues.  If you lose weight without eating much protein, then you will find your new self to be pretty squishy, even though you might be smaller.  Ladies, this doesn't mean you will bulk up.  I hate to hear ladies say "I am afraid I will bulk up."  If you had any idea how difficult it is to "bulk up," you would not say such things.  For ladies, about 4 oz per meal is sufficient, probably 6 to 8 oz for men.  Nicely toned bodies require lean protein.  End of story. 

Healthy Life Tip

Log your foods.

I can't say this one enough.  Log your foods, log your foods, log your foods, log your foods.  You can use one of the many SmartPhone apps, online apps, or kick-it Old-School and write in a cool, cute & smart all-encompassing book like Fitbook (http://www.getfitbook.com/).  If you aren't logging, then you really don't know how many calories you are eating, now do you?

What tips did I leave out?  What do you disagree with & why?  Do you track the foods you eat?  Do you exercise & watch what you eat, or do only one or the other but not both?  I want to hear from you!