Summer has finally arrived and suddenly you find yourself scrambling for the quickest way to lose them extra Kgs. Whether it is signing up to the latest fitness craze, or meal replacement shakes you saw on Instagram, or suddenly cutting out carbs completely, which makes you crankier and that would probably last for a few weeks and back you go on the binge… And next summer the same cycle continues.
I know you have heard it all before, but when it comes to losing weight there is no magic pill or short cuts if you strongly desire a healthy and long-lasting result.
So let’s first talk about calories and meal planning…
The biggest factor when it comes to losing weight is purely based on your meal plans and that doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to cut out all of the goods like dairy and carbs. Meal planning can still be enjoyable but moderated according to your fitness goals.
If you want to lose weight, you generally need to be in a calorie deficit, which means you need to eat fewer calories then you burn daily. Here is a free calorie calculator to help you work out your calorie count https://www.hungry2evolve.com/calorie-calculator.
This will give you a rough estimate and starting point to how many calories you should intake daily and use this as a basis to gradually increase or reduce the calories according to your bodily progression.
To keep track of your calories, you can use apps like myfitnesspal. NOTE: Don’t try to cheat the system! Be as honest as you can with your eating habits so that you can get the best results for yourself.
Ok, so now that we have worked out your calories... let's move onto how to divide macronutrients for weight loss and muscle maintanance.
Each macronutrient has a certain number of calories to it
1g of protein = 4 kcal
1g of fat = 9 kcal
1g of carbohydrate = 4 kcal
Protein maintain muscle mass and keeps us full after a meal
Nutritional guidelines suggest eating between 1.6 – 2.2g of protein per kg of body weight (0.73 – 1g per pound of bodyweight). However, this varies for everyone as for e.g athletes would need to have higher protein intake since they would burn alot more.
Fats (healthy) are very important for the body and hold incredible health benefits. Though fats intake should not be lower than 20% of the total daily energy intake. Healthy sources of fats include nuts, avocado, fish, eggs and lean meat etc...
Carbohydrates provide the main source of energy for our bodies. And we should roughly consume around 40-50% of it, but this depends on one‘s preference. Healthier carb options involve wholewheat foods, legumes, vegetables and fruits etc...
By choosing quality sources of carbohydrates it provides the body with a sufficient amount of fibre, which caters to a better digestive system and keeps you fuller for longer.
Let’s work with an example:
Joe is currently weighing at 93kg and he wants to work on losing some weight.
To do that he needs to be eating 2620 kcal per day.
However, Joe wants to challenge himself and get faster results so he lowers his calorie intake to 2210 kcal per day.
To not lose muscle mass, his protein intake has to be higher and he needs to eat 2g per kg of his body weight which is 186g = 744 kcal.
His fat intake will be around 25% of total energy intake. 2210 x 0.75 = 552kcal / 61g of fat
The rest of the diet will involve carbs. 2210 – 744 – 552 = 914kcal / 228g of carbs
Breakdown:
Total intake : 2210 kcal / day
Protein: 744 kcal / 186g
Fat: 552 kcal / 61g
Carbohydrates: 914 kcal / 228g
So his daily meal plan could look something like this:
Breakfast:
3 eggs, 1 avocado, 2 slices of whole wheat bread, tomato
615kcal / protein - 28g / fat - 36g / carbs - 49g
Lunch:
250g Turkey Breast, 250g potatoes, 200g frozen vegetables, seasoning
676 kcal / protein - 73g / fat - 5g / carbs - 89g
Dinner:
250g Turkey Breast, 250g potatoes, 200g frozen vegetables, seasoning
676 kcal / protein - 73g / fat - 5g / carbs - 89g
Snacks:
Protein Bar (varies) 200kcal / p-20g / f-6g / c-16g
Peach 70kcal / p-1.5g / f-0,4g / c-14g
Building towards healthy habits...
If your nutrition and eating habits begin to improve, you can always accelerate your weight loss by working out or being active – walking, cycling, jogging, playing sports.
By logging in your foods regularly you will learn a lot about it. And if some calories are remaining you can definitely treat yourself to some unhealthy treats and still maintain a healthy weight loss.
Remember to keep your water intake up, the trick is to drink big glasses of water before a meal so that it makes you feel fuller.
There is an old saying where they say “sleep is for the weak” but don’t listen to that! By getting between 6-9 hours of sleep is crucial to your body’s recovery during this process.
Take progress pictures to compare your progression. In this way, you can make adjustments to your exercises or diet accordingly. The key is to not feel discouraged if you feel that there hasn’t been a change. Results take time and so be patient.
The starting point is always hard, but once you have a routine going sometimes it is more difficult to maintain it and then you resort back to quick fixes. As much as that seems satisfying in the moment, you want to work towards long-lasting results and still be able to enjoy the finer foods in life without feeling guilty once in a while.
Comments