I’ve had a few people ask me what kind of diet I’ve been doing. I usually reply by saying that I’m doing a calorie deficit diet. They usually reply by saying that the type of diet that I’m doing is hard. But it isn’t that difficult to execute in all honesty.
There are different dieting methods and fads. Some work for some people and others don’t. I can say that a calorie deficit diet has reduced my overall body fat. My target has been more aggressive than what is usually recommended. I aimed to do a 1000 calorie deficit per day. But my mission was to enjoy the nutrition that I was consuming.
Over the course of 16 weeks, I’ve been able to reduce my body weight and fat by 14kg.
I just want to dive into the approach that I used, which has allowed me to achieve my weight-loss goals.
Always feel full after every meal.
Nobody wants to feel like they are hungry all of the time. If you feel hungry, you will snack. And it’s common for us to snack on the items that are closest to us.
When you are eating cleanly, you will generally need to consume more. In my case, I increase the lean protein that I consume (this is usually meat like chicken or beef). So I usually measure my meal portions in grams. I find that lean meat portions of 150-200g will fill me up.
Additionally, I consume fibrous carbs such as lettuce and cucumber, as well as other vegetables in a salad. I’ve found that a portion size of 200g will allow me to feel full.
So considering the combined size, a meal size of 400g is allowing me to feel full. The macros in the meal also allow me to improve my body’s conditioning.
Focus on consuming lean protein and fibrous carbs, with minimal starchy carbs.
Firstly, you don’t have to eliminate carbs from your diet as it is used to fuel the body. But you should prioritise the macro split of your food so that you consume more protein and fibrous carbs.
The keto diet promotes fats. However, based on my own personal experience, healthy fats will be consumed naturally in a diet and it doesn’t need to be made a priority or even the bulk of your macro split.
Ideally, I’d prefer to see a protein dense macro split such as 60% protein, 30% carbs and 10% fats.
I use my meal tracker to see how my macro splits are and that I’m consuming the macros in the right way.
Timing is important for energy release.
I’m finding this to be more of the case as I optimise what I’m consuming. The energy from what’s being consumed gets released a few hours after consumption. So I’ve been bringing my meals forward so I can minimise my hunger throughout the day.
I’m currently experimenting with consuming my first meal between 5-6am, followed by another around 7am and then my main meal between 10:30-12pm.
This should allow me to only need a snack or water for the rest of the afternoon. I can then consume my dinner between 5-7pm.
Salads have been a game-changer.
I find that I’m getting much better fat loss results by eating salads compared to consuming brown rice or even cabbage. So I’m focusing on increasing my salad intake. This might see me eat 200-300g of lettuce. However, the carbs are really low.
All meals are delicious.
I have a policy where every meal should taste amazing. Otherwise I won’t be interested in consuming it. So I figured out what I loved to eat and then created a meal plan around it. These are things like:
- Roasted chicken drumsticks
- Curried chicken breast
- Salads
- Curried cabbage
- Roast beef
- Fried lean mince mix
- Coconut milk protein smoothie
- Chobani yogurt
Track what you consume (In an easy way)
You can’t manage what you don’t track. Track what you eat and pay attention to the macros. See how it affects your weight. Then tweak and optimise as required.
I’ll continue to share more insights as I learn.
Thanks for reading.
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