First, keep in mind that there’s no such thing as the “perfect” diet.
But if you want to lose weight, you need to change how you’re eating habits.
How much of a change you need to make depends on the quality (and quantity) of your diet.
Some people have to make significant changes to their diet to see results, like drastically reducing how much junk food they eat, learning how to cook or consider using a meal prep company if your finances permit it.
Others may only need to make a few small tweaks, like cutting out beverages with calories, to lose a significant amount of weight.
Regardless, the first step to fat loss is to create a “calorie deficit.”
By consuming fewer calories than your body burns, you will lose weight.
The best way to create a calorie deficit is with a diet that can be sustained for a long period of time.
And let’s not forget about exercise. It’s important too, but it’s rare that you could lose weight with your diet is not on point.
To sustain a calorie deficit over a long period of time, you’ll need to find foods that you enjoy and makes it easy to keep your calories low without getting too hungry.
The simplest, most effective way to do this is by following these strategies:
1. Get most of your calories from high-quality unprocessed foods. Eat less processed food, junk foods and high-fat, high-sugar fast food.
2. Control your portions by focusing on the food you’re eating and checking in with your body to determine whether you’re hungry or full. Make eating a mindful activity in your life. Don’t sit down daze off and look down at your plate 2 minutes later and it’s all gone. This will leave you less satisfied and potentially cause you to over eat.
3. Drink calorie-free or very low calorie beverages like water, coffee, Gatorade zero, diet soda, and any other new drinks that consist of few to no calories. (And just so you know…Diet sodas and artificially sweetened drinks are better than regular sugary drinks.) If you must have alcohol, limit consumption to one or two drinks per day at most. Choose lower-calorie drinks like vodka, rum, gin, whiskey, or light beer; avoid alcoholic beverages with lots of added sugar.
4. Track your food intake. A great way to track your daily meals is the myfitnesspal app. It easy to use and can keep you on track with your calories. But beyond just calories, your diet should also help you eat enough protein.
One of the most biggest mistakes people make when trying to lose weight is that they fail to eat enough protein.
I can’t stress this enough…Protein is extremely important for losing weight.
Here are 3 primary reasons:
•Protein has a higher thermic effect than any other macronutrient which keeps you feeling full and decreases your urge to eat more so than fat or carbs do.
•Protein prevents muscle tissue breakdown as you lose weight, which will help you preserve muscle, keep your metabolism in check and improve your body composition.
•And lastly, protein requires slightly more calories to digest than fat or carbs do.
A good way to get enough protein for the day is to make sure you consume a lean protein at with each meal.
A good rule of thumb is to aim for thirty grams of protein at each meal, assuming you’re eating at least three meals per day along with one high-protein snack or shake (studies continue to show that the body can only handle around 30 grams of protein per meal, any additional protein over this number could be used for energy or stored as fat).