The only way to lose weight (or body fat) is to eat fewer calories than you use each day. Counting your calories and tracking your macronutrients (protein, carbohydrate and fat) is an extremely helpful tool for weight loss, but it’s one that a lot of people don’t get on with it. While there are no quick fixes for dropping weight, there are lots of simple changes you can make every day to limit your calories and avoid using any apps. Here are six of our favourite tips.
- Reduce your carbohydrate intake
Carbohydrates are our body’s preferred energy source, but with so many of us spending the majority of their time either sitting at a desk or doing low-intensity forms of exercise e.g walking to work, we don’t really require a whole lot of energy from carbohydrates. Reducing our carbohydrates to 1-2 meals a day and increasing the quantity of protein at each meal will usually reduce our daily calorie intake. Not only that, but it will also increase feelings of fullness and reduce cravings (1).
We recommend 25-30% of your calories should come from protein. A good measure is 1-2 palm-size portions of protein three times a day for women, and four for men. When measuring carbohydrates, we recommend 1 cupped hand of carbohydrate 1-2 times a day for women and 2-3 times a day for men.
- Swap out your morning latte
Lots of us reach for a milky coffee mid-morning and mid-afternoon to help us through the working day. Swapping a regular whole milk latte for a regular almond milk late could save you 107 calories (2). That’s a whole meal of calories saved! Better yet, if you swap your latte for an americano you could save 170 calories. Now I know this could be a big ask for many people, so we suggest cutting that daily latte down to just 3-4 days a week. This simple swap could save you over 1,000 calories a week, which would put you well on your way to any weight loss goal.
- Reduce your eating window
Fasting to lose weight can be structured in many different ways, with the aim being the same every time - reduce overall calorie consumption. A favourite tactic of mine is to reduce your eating window to only 8 hours a day, allowing 16 hours of fasting - the majority of this will be completed overnight. An example day would be to eat your first meal or snack of the day at 11am, then make sure the last meal or snack you eat is before 7pm. You will then fast (not eat) until 11am the next day. Simply allowing yourself less time to eat often equates to fewer calories consumed. You can adjust the start and finish times to suit you and the times you prefer to eat.
- Get rid of that breakfast bar
Breakfast bars have become quite a bugbear of mine. They are super tasty and moreish and they have “health” written all over them. Manufacturers have even brought out “high protein” breakfast bars, making them even more tempting to those looking for a healthy nutritious snack. Sadly, since there are no guidelines on the amount of protein required for a brand to advertise their product as high protein, most of these bars fall short of what we would actually consider high protein. Aiming for protein-based snacks usually helps to keep hunger at bay and often keeps calories low. My favourite mid-afternoon snacks are the following; 2-3 baby bell lights, beef jerky, grenade protein bar, protein whey shake, a boiled egg, tuna on a rice cake or a Greek yogurt snack pot. Aim for 1-2 of these snacks a day and ditch the high-carb alternative.
- Don’t multi-task while you’re eating
It can be so tempting to flop in front of the television with a nice hot meal after work. However, for a lot of people this is the time when we’re at a higher risk of overeating. One study showed that students eating either pizza or macaroni cheese in front of the television (compared to those eating without stimulus) ate 36% more and at a faster rate (3). There will always be times when you want to treat yourself to a sofa dinner and a Netflix binge but aiming to eat the majority of your meals without an extra stimulus may be of huge benefit to you, allowing you to enjoy the meal you’re eating and concentrate on whether you’re feeling full.
- Prioritise your sleep
I feel the eye roll of every reader with this one - I know it’s been said a thousand times over. Getting an adequate amount of sleep has many benefits beyond weight loss, but it’s been shown that a rough night’s sleep of 4 hours or less can increase food consumption by 22% (4). For the average person consuming between 1,500-2,000 calories a day that is an increase of between 330-440 a day - equivalent to a whole meal. You may not be able to get the golden 8 hours every night but being strict and sending yourself to bed an hour earlier could have a huge impact on your food choices the following day. If you know you have had a rough night, we suggest writing down everything you eat that day to make yourself more accountable. One study found that keeping a simple food diary could double a person’s weight loss (5).
References:
1. PMID 20847729 ,https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20847729
2. Starbucks nutritional information https://globalassets.starbucks.com/assets/E3DA4F2E01A148DD88D61BC756C5A223.pdf
3. PMID 16822530 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16822530
4. PMID 20357041 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20357041
5. Science Daily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080708080738.htm