There are different approaches to losing weight, the short-term ‘lose 10 pounds in a week’ approach or the sustainable long-term lifestyle change approach that will create better habits regarding your nutrition and exercise regimen forever!
For the quick short-term approach, simply cut carbohydrates out of your diet, keep sodium intake at a minimum, eat like a bird, and drink 5-10L of water per day. On the day which you will weigh yourself, cut water before weighing in, and BOOM, you lost a bunch of weight and feel horrible!
Jokes aside, this is not sustainable for most people, which is why you should take a long-term sustainable approach to lose weight.
Ask yourself these three questions:
What is my minimum calorie requirement to maintain the vital functions of my body?
How many calories am I burning?
How many calories am I eating?
First, figure out your basal metabolic rate through the Harris-Benedict Equation and multiply it by your activity level. The resulting number will indicate how many calories you would need to maintain your current weight.
Now, your goal is to lose weight, therefore, you must be at a calorie deficit. To do so, you must create a negative energy balance, as less energy is consumed than spent.
Remember, this is an estimation, therefore, to truly understand how many calories your body requires to lose weight, you would need to do some trial and error.
For example, follow your nutrition and exercise protocol for a week and see how your body reacts. Did you lose weight? Do you look slightly slimmer? If yes, then you are on the right track. If not, then eat less and/or exercise more!
Other factors like hydration will affect your weight, especially in a diet restricting carbs and/or sodium, therefore, try and stay hydrated throughout and manage accordingly.
CALORIC EXPENDITURE:
BASAL METABOLIC RATE HARRIS-BENEDICT EQUATION) X ALF(ACTIVITY LEVEL FACTOR)
MALE FORMULA: DCE (DAILY CALORIC EXPENDITURE)=
Metric: ALF X ((13.75 X WKG)+(5 X HC)-(6.76 X AGE) + 66) Imperial: ALF X ((6.25 X WLBS)+(12.7 X HI)-(6.76 X AGE) + 66)
FEMALE FORMULA: DCE (DAILY CALORIC EXPENDITURE)=
Metric: ALF X ((9.56 X WKG)+(1.85 X HC)-(4.68 X AGE) + 655) Imperial: ALF X ((4.35 X WLBS)+(4.7 X HI)-(4.68 X AGE) + 655)
ACTIVITY LEVEL FACTOR
SEDENTARY = 1.2
LIGHTLY ACTIVE = 1.375
MODERATELY ACTIVE = 1.55
VERY ACTIVE = 1.725
EXTREMELY ACTIVE = 1.9
With more exercise comes a requirement for more potential energy. Where do you get this potential energy? From food!
Humans love food, so if you live a sedentary lifestyle, your body is creating more energy than it needs, and in turn, you gain weight. Thus, manage your exercise regimen to burn the calories necessary to be in a negative energy balance!
If your goal is to lose weight, we do not recommend focusing solely on weight training, for example, a rigorous hour leg workout would still fall short in energy expenditure in comparison to an hour of cardiovascular training. Thus, you should focus on weight training or bodybuilding and incorporate cardiovascular exercises to assist you in reaching a negative energy balance.
Cardiovascular Exercise
Depending on your fitness level, to achieve a training effect, you need to exercise at 55 – 85% of your predicted maximum heart rate. (HRmax = 220 – Age)
Nonetheless, the goal is to lose weight, due to this, even a casual 30-minute walk can burn up to 100 calories! Here are some examples of a variety of exercises with approximate calories burned for a 150lbs male. If you do not have a weightlifting/bodybuilding regimen, then we would recommend High-Intensity Interval Training/circuit training
EXERCISE | CALORIES BURNED (150LBS MALE) | DURATION |
Jogging (12min/mile) | 100 | 10 minutes |
Cycling (Moderate) | 100 | 10 minutes |
Rowing (Moderate) | 80 | 10 minutes |
Swimming (Freestyle, Moderate) | 100 | 10 minutes |
Stair Climber (Moderate) | 110 | 10 minutes |
Jumping Rope (Moderate) | 120 | 10 minutes |
HIIT | 100 | 10 minutes |
Diet and Nutrition
To figure out how many calories you are eating, read the nutrition facts and use measuring cups, spoons, and a food scale when cooking.
We would recommend measuring accurately until you have a proper understanding of how much food you are eating. Once you can estimate this, you can portion your food accordingly. You may also use MyPlate or measurement guidelines with your hands to understand a broader viewpoint on portion sizing.
MyPlate illustrates the portion size of fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy on a plate whereas the hand measurements use a palm for protein, a fist for vegetables, a cupped hand for carbohydrates, and a thumb for fats.
Calorie Deficit
Creating a calorie deficit is easy, sustaining it is the difficult part. You do not want to feel depleted, hungry all the time, or crave the high-calorie snacks you love.
Make more sustainable food choices!
We recommend picking foods that are nutrient-dense like vegetables, fruits, protein sources, and healthier grains that contain an abundance of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Due to this abundance, you will be satiated, and feel energized!
Choose foods that have no added sugar. Avoid your high-calorie snacks!
For example, if you love candy, eat fruits instead, as this will alleviate your cravings.
Eat out less!
When eating at restaurants, you are unaware of what they put in your food. Eating food that focuses on losing weight starts in the kitchen!
Stay hydrated!
Approximately 50-60% of lean body mass is water which includes your bones, brain, organs, skin, nails, muscles, and tissues. Thus, we recommend a general recommendation of 3L of water per day, as this number should increase with more physical activity. Note that about 1L comes from your food.
Now, why would drinking water aid in weight loss?
Through the thermic effect of feeding, we can recognize that the digestion, absorption, and assimilation of food require energy. The extent of the energy we use depends on the macronutrients ingested.
With this said, research has also depicted this for processing the water that we drink due to our resting energy expenditure. Again, the extent of the energy we use depends on the temperature of the water. If the water is cold, the body will warm the water to body temperature. Ultimately, drinking cold water will assist you in reaching a negative energy balance!
To summarize your weight loss journey:
1. Figure out your maintenance caloric requirement 2. Be in a calorie deficit by creating a negative energy balance (less energy/food is consumed than spent in metabolism) 3. Exercise so you use more energy to create a negative energy balance. 4. Create sustainable food choices that will keep you feeling satiated and energized 5. Cook at home and stay hydrated!
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Also, all content contained within this article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to substitute the advice, diagnosis, or treatment from a qualified medical professional.
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