Unfortunately, society and industry marketing and fad diets have created a muddy perspective on what healthy weight loss is all about as well as how to achieve it and more importantly, maintain it.
When I create meal plans they are based on science and formulas I use to ensure my clients are in a caloric deficit while determining specific macros of food intake (macros are your proteins, carbs and fats—all of
which are necessary for healthy fat loss). Each plan for each client is unique for them and their specific goals.
As for weight loss, an average of 1 lb a week is a healthy and sustainable weight loss/fat loss. Some clients who have a large amount of weight to lose may experience faster weight loss up to 2 lbs but that would be in specific scenarios. I do not condone or create chop and slash diets that make for damaging or traumatic weight loss on the body or the metabolism. I create plans for clients who are looking for a lifestyle change that will include weight/fat loss. My clients learn to sustain these positive changes and be able to take what they learn and experience moving forward rather than gain the weight all back plus some which is typical of plunging weight loss.
Another point to keep in mind is that if clients have been yo-yo dieting for long periods of time with extreme caloric deficits they have done metabolic damage and weight loss will not happen when your body is in this state of stress. A “reverse diet” will first be necessary to bring the body back into balance which typically includes more calories.
I often provide recipes (both via email and post to my online blog) that are optional for you to try and prepare for yourself or your family but not necessarily specific recipes per day of your plan as I have no way of knowing
what families/clients like to eat, how they prefer to prepare food, etc. I provide a specific plan with specific amounts of food per meal. I also educate how to sub out foods from the plan in order to create variety plus give clients the flexibility to eat out, go out with friends, etc while being able to stay on plan.
This is something I hear from my clients all the time. The most effective and sustainable weight loss/fat loss occurs by giving your body the most amount of food while still seeing results. This will keep your metabolism running at an all-time high to continue burning the fat while fueling your body to keep an effective and healthy metabolism. Think of your metabolism as a fire…the more you fuel/stock the fire the hotter it burns
When eating out (ie. Restaurant, friends, etc) if you are choosing to stay on plan, I recommend choosing foods as close to your plan…”as best is possible”. Will it be perfect?…perhaps not, but that’s ok. Life does not always allow us to eat all meals weighed out and at home and that is also ok. A few points to keep in mind:
• Restaurants typically serve more food than is really necessary of the “extra” carb items and not always enough of the proteins and veggies.
• Restaurants typically cook with and add more fat to cooking than we would at home so there is typically no need to worry about adding fats to your meal as you will be getting plenty
• At a sit down restaurant, scan the menu for 2 things:
1. A delicious salad that you can add protein to if it’s not already included (in fact, you may need to ask for double the meat (depending on your plan) as a serving is not always enough unless the protein is steak in which case it will indicate how many ounces are included) Also, always ask for dressings on the side so that you are in charge of how much is added and your salad will not be dripping with dressing.
2. A protein main/entree that has vegetables and rice/potato. Unless you carry a travel scale, eat a portion of the rice/potato or an estimated amount as per your plan
• Most restaurants have their menus online these days so if you want to plan ahead just check them out online and you’ll be all set when you arrive
If you are at a friends place you can keep the same ideas in mind…scope out enough protein for your plate as per your plan, load up on veggies and then add an estimated best guess of carbs (rice/pasta/potato/bread) as per your plan. The same applies at sit down dinners and galas where your meal is plated and served to you. Skip the bread basket, enjoy the salad and then do the same idea of ensuring you eat estimated protein, vegetables and carbs as per your plan. If the dessert looks amazing it is your option to try it or leave it. If you take a bite and it’s frankly not that great then leave the rest after a bite or two.
When you keep the above principals in mind you can feel freedom to eat out with friends and not feel anxious about sticking to your plan and your goals. It’s all about making best choices.
If you choose to stay on plan while travelling here are some tips:
• I always recommend packing protein powder, which will not require refrigeration and is easy to shake up with water at anytime.
• Pack foods with you including beef jerky, nuts, rice crackers, vegetable sticks, cut up fruit. If you are driving and can bring a cooler to store your food you can bring cooked foods including your on plan proteins and carbs
• Depending on where you are traveling and the amenities of your accommodations (ie. hotel with fridge or kitchenette, condo with full kitchen, staying at a friend/family home, etc) you can grocery shop when you arrive
• See tips for eating out at restaurants if you will be eating out a lot during your trip
The scale is information. It tells you what you weigh in the moment you step on it. That number may change based on a number of variables including the time of the day (optimally, the best time of the day to weigh yourself is first thing in the morning, after using the bathroom, and without any clothes on. Once you eat/drink/get active/get dressed your weight no longer reflects your bodyweight after it has fasted all night, and different clothes will indeed affect the weight), changes in sodium intake, carbs consumed or level of depletion, water retention (low water intake promotes water retention), hormonal changes associated with menstrual cycle, bowel movements, glycogen status, etc. The scale will not tell you anything about the composition of your weight. It won’t tell you if you’ve lost fat, gained muscle, or if your body’s water balance has fluctuated.
You may also find that your weight can fluctuate day to day by as much as a pound or more! If you step on the scale each day of the week and don’t change your eating you will still find the scale fluctuates. When you are sending in your weekly scales I encourage you to monitor your scale progress through the week as your check-in day may be a “heavier” day than the day before which can lead to frustration and disappointment.
Though completely optional and my personal opinion, I recommend magnesium supplements to protect against magnesium deficiency which is linked to a number of chronic issues and stress which can also affect sleep patterns (a key link to successful fat loss is a solid 7-8 hours of sleep per night). The following is a great article on magnesium, its importance and information about magnesium deficiencies.
So, why am I asking you to drink so much water daily?? Here is a great quick read on how hydration affects the body’s ability to release fat and maintain muscle according to a 2003 study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition:
In the study, researchers had healthy men put through three trials. The first trial had the men put in a modest state of dehydration by restricting fluid intake and giving them a salt solution, which drew water from their cells. In the second trial, the men consumed 2.4L of water (over 12 hours) and given a hormone that made them retain a modest amount of body water. In the third trial, the men were instructed to just drink water ad libitum (that’s just a fancy way of saying they could take as much as they wished).
What the researchers found was that when the men were well hydrated, their body’s had an easier time releasing fat and holding onto, and subsequently building, muscle when compared to the other two trials. Additionally, they found that the men burned less carbohydrates and utilize more fat when they were well hydrated.
While this was a short-term study and there are a lot of variables that can affect fat loss and muscle building the take-home message is clear: it’s a very good idea to stay well hydrated especially if you’re serious about fat loss and muscle gains. As a general guideline, we recommend consuming about about 4 litres a day.
(Keller et al. Effects of changes in hydration on protein, glucose and lipid metabolism in man: impact on health. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2003 Dec;57 Suppl 2:S69-74.)
BLTs refer to bites, licks and tastes. It’s important to be mindful of what we eat…a munch or a nibble can all too quickly turn into a full on binge (as we all know from experience). Be mindful of your BLTs…all those count as caloric intake and can quickly add up against you and your goals that you’re striving for. Here is a great write-up I read about the BLTs from Sohee Fit:
Just so we’re clear:
If you lick the batter, the calories still count.
If you swig some half&half into your coffee, the calories still count.
If you eat that last chicken nugget off your kid’s plate as you’re clearing the table, the calories still count.
If you think your nutrition has been “perfect” but you’re frustrated as to why you’re still not making the progress, I’d take a good, hard look at what you’re *really* eating on a day-to-day basis. There may be a chance that you’re taking little bites, licks, and tastes (BLTs) throughout the day that you’re not tracking. A nibble here and there may not seem like much, but if you do it frequently throughout the day, you’re looking up upwards of several hundreds calories’ worth of food you’ve ingested that you haven’t accounted for. Just because you didn’t track it doesn’t mean that the body doesn’t know.
It is important over time to learn moderation with free meals or planned off-plan eating. This is a key aspect in moving from the DIET mentality into the LIFESTYLE mentality. Off-plan meals are not green lights to binge and eat yourself sick. They are simply an opportunity to enjoy a normally-sized off-plan meal – key point there is ‘normally sized’; that is, portions still need to be responsible. Off-plan meals are quite often optional at the onset of any meal plan as it may hinder your results, but sometimes it is the mental break we need. Perhaps your off-plan meal is Sunday brunch, Saturday date night, dinner out with friends, etc. A great thing to keep in mind with an off-plan meal and its success is to gauge it based on your ability to eat the next scheduled on plan meal (assuming your free meal isn’t the final meal of the day); if you can’t eat it, etc., because you’re still too full, chances are your off-plan meal may have been too big.
There is actually great science as to why off-plan meals (also called refeeds) are an effective tool with fat loss. Here is a link for more information: http://www.bodyrock.tv/weight-loss/refeed-days-one-day-overeating-can-benefit-weightloss/
The answer to this is quite simply, YES! Hormones have a lot to do with what is going on with the scale, our ability/inability to lose fat, sleep patterns and so much more! Anytime bodily hormones are affected we can see a jump in the scale for what seems like “no reason”. Water retention typically plays the biggest role during a woman’s cycle and can happen a few days before her cycle begins and a few days into the cycle. This can impact the scale anywhere from 1-10 pounds! Drinking water will certainly help with the water retention, but just know that as long as the scale is moving in the right direction for the rest of the month don’t worry about the number on the scale around your cycle. Simply ensure you are getting plenty of rest and drinking your water.
I like to categorize subbing foods into a few different methods:
a. Straight swapping one meal for another.
For example, if meal 1 would work better logistically one day to be meal 2 then just swap the foods and eat meal 2 first then meal 1 later. This is a no-brainer way to sub foods.
b. Swapping a type of food for another (ensuring the macros and calories do not exceed with the given swap).
What I mean by this is if your plan calls for chicken for meal 3 and you would either prefer beef or you happen to be somewhere that chicken is not available then you can have beef (or pork/shrimp/turkey/etc). This is where I highly recommend an app that I use all the time. I installed it on my iPad and iPhone so it’s handy at home and with travel. It’s called the GoFigure app by Lean Bodies Consulting. The one difference between my plans and the app are any weight to sub out potatoes/sweet potatoes. The app always refers to potatoes in the raw state where my plans refer to them as cooked. The app is super easy.
Here is an example of how to use the app:
As an example, lets use “100g rice” to illustrate how to make a substitution.
– You would type in the food you have on your plan in the first box (called “Food Item”) – “rice” (and then scroll down to find the type of rice you eat, for example “rice, brown”)
– In the “Units” box is where you type in the amount of food you are planning to sub out. For example, if your plan calls for 100g of rice then you would enter 100 in the Units box.
– In the third box there will be a drop down box for all the options to choose from. Since rice is a carb, the drop down menu will show all of the carbs available. Pick the one you wish to select in place of rice, for example, quinoa.
– Press “Substitute” to find out the amount.
The app will ensure you are not going over the macro allotment of the subbed food (proteins/carbs/fats) but further ensuring you are not taking in extra calories. This saves a lot of work of having to figure this out manually.
Alternatively to the app, if there is a food you want to eat that is not an option for the sub food you will need to do some “macro math” and based on the macros in your plan you will further need know the nutritional information of the food you want to eat and match up the macro while not going over with calories.
c. Swap foods to create something new (ie. recipes)
This one works great particularly when you have a recipe in mind you want to try.
For example, most of my clients have a protein for meal 1 (ie. Egg whites, eggs, plain Greek yogurt), a carb (ie. oats or quinoa) and a serving of fruit.
Here is an easy pancake recipe that will ensure all 3 foods while keeping you on plan:
To a blender or magic bullet add:
-your plan allotment of egg whites and eggs if your plan includes whole eggs (if your plan includes Greek plain yogurt you can use the app to determine how many egg whiles that equals)
-your plan allotment of carbs (whether this be oats, quinoa, or convert the amount to oat flour)
-1 serving of fruit (I like to use banana for the sweetness)
Blend up and pour into a preheated and oiled pan. Allow the mixture to cook until it begins to pull away from the pan. Flip half the batter over the other (think of an omelette) and allow to cook longer. Flip. Continue cooking until the middle is fully cooked. Remove from pan and cut into 4 strips for fluffy filling pancakes! Depending on your plan you could top with peanut butter or a bit of pure maple syrup.
Another options is cereal and protein shake! Sub out your morning protein (ie. egg whites) for whatever protein powder you have. Add in your water and shake it up. Then, add in a cereal that fits your morning carb allotment. There is your bowl of cereal to go!