If you are on a weight loss journey, then it’s highly likely you’ll be tracking what you eat in order to ensure you’re consuming fewer calories than you expend. This is due to the fact that only in this calorie deficient state will your body start to use its stored fat as energy.
Being in a calorie deficit is the single, most impactful thing you can do to lose weight and the only thing, that when done consistently, will result in fat loss…. That is the basic science.
It is true that you can eat whatever you want and still lose weight, as long as you are in a deficit. You could eat 2 Big Macs and a bar of chocolate a day if you wanted to – and you would likely still lose weight, but we all know that wouldn’t be optimum for your health, your satiety, or your energy levels….
And this is why it’s important to think of calories like cash. You only have a finite amount.
If you only had £100 to last you and your family all week, you would budget and plan and ensure that your money lasted as long as possible and you had everything covered. You’d probably allocate a large proportion of it to food, transport, bills and you’d probably take a look and see what other commitments you had that week which needed to be paid for. You would probably shop around, buy cheaper food items for example, and make that cash go as far as you possibly could.
If you are serious about losing weight, I’m suggesting you do the same with calories. Maximise them! View it as a challenge if you like! You have a calorie budget, so maximise it by eating as much as you possibly can, whilst remaining in a deficit. Being hungry is miserable and unsustainable, so go for those foods which are filling, nutritious and varied – this makes the deficit easier to stick to in the long term. Make sure you are getting the biggest bang for your [calorie] buck!
One of the easiest ways to do this is by eating lots of veg – it’s cheap, it’s easy to cook, it’s super filling and it’s healthy, meaning you get the benefits of eating ‘well’ without over-eating or being hungry. Eating protein with every meal is also a great way to feel fuller for longer…
In the society we live in we’ve become conditioned to eating more than we actually need (due to multiple reasons – mainly convenience and lack of understanding) and this has become habitual, which leads to weight gain and potential ill-health over a prolonged period. Therefore, when we are on a weight loss / health journey we try to break to these habits, but because this is behaviour is engrained, we automatically feel like this is some sort of restriction or punishment when it isn’t.
Instead of feeling restricted, I’m asking you to flip it – think of calories like cash – try and consume as much as possible whilst in a calorie deficit and you will likely have more energy, you will feel satiated and your diet (and therefore health) will improve hugely! You will quickly realise that eating within a calorie deficit doesn’t automatically mean you will be hungry and miserable, it might even have the opposite effect!
Think about your weekly cash budget; there may be times when you want to splash out some cash on getting your hair or nails done, or going out to meet friends for a few drinks and that is absolutely fine – you may spend a little less on the food shop that week to allow for it and that’s exactly the same kind of attitude I’d like you to have with calories. Prepare for any meals out, make allowances for the increased calories you’re going to consume when you go out for that meal at the weekend so that when you’re out, you can really enjoy it.
It’s all about changing your mindset and flipping the negative to a positive – if you enjoy looking after yourself in this way, maximising calories and eating food which is satiating, your fat loss journey will be a whole load easier – and you may well enjoy it too!
If you need help getting started on this journey or you have any questions on this please do reach out – I’m here to help.
