Losing weight can be hard.
Sticking with it over the long haul can be next to impossible. Permanent weight loss is something that everyone wants, but few ever achieve. The reason is that most diet plans offer quick weight loss, but the plans are not sustainable over the long haul.
Technology has provided some amazing tools, but in my experience with counseling people, the technology just gets in the way and eventually becomes a barrier.
Let me explain – Although things like MyFitnessPal and FitBit are awesome for helping people get started, they tend to over-complicate what should be a relatively simple process.
Think about it – How many days are you going to log your food in the MFP app before you give-up. How many times are you going to wear your FitBit before you no longer get a thrill from looking at how many steps you had for the day and stop wearing it? My guess is not that long.
Do you see what I am driving at here?
These tools help you get started, but actually can get in the way of helping you maintain a healthy eating plan for the long term. What you need to do is go super LOW-TECH. You heard me. Go totally unplugged when it comes to overhauling your diet and losing weight. This means no smart phone, fitness tracker, or computer generated meal plan. Go back to the basics and really start losing weight.
Follow these 5 Daily Eating Habits and you will lose weight without counting calories, worrying about macronutrient pie charts, or weighing your food like some kind of mad scientist. See if this approach doesn’t make good sense to you.
Eat slowly and STOP when you are 80% full:
It takes approximately 20 minutes for your gut to tell your brain that it is FULL. You can pack in a lot of food during those 20 minutes. To prevent over-eating, eat slowly. Take a bite and put your fork down and talk, drink, take a break. Try to spread your meal over a 20-minute period. When you start to feel full (80% full), stop eating. Take whatever is left on your plate and put it in Tupperware to eat at another time.
Eat protein dense foods with each meal:
This would visually be about the size of your palm. This is 30 to 40 grams, or 4 to 6 ounces. By eating this much protein at every meal, you will stimulate your metabolism, improve muscle mass and recovery, and reduce body fat. Examples of protein dense foods are:
- Lean meats such as beef, chicken, turkey, bison, venison
- Fish such as salmon, tuna, and cod
- Eggs
- Dairy including cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, and cheese
- Beans, peas, legumes, tofu, tempeh
- Whey protein
- Plant based protein – pea, hemp, rice, soy
Eat non-starch vegetables at each meal:
Shoot for 2 fist-sized servings at every meal. That includes breakfast.
Eat some carbohydrate dense foods with most meals:
Especially AFTER exercise. This would consist of a cupped handful. Carbohydrate sources include:
- Breads and cereal grain – Whole grain or sprouted grain
- Pasta – Whole grain or sprouted grain
- Rice – Whole grain
- Oats – Steel cut
- Quinoa
- Sweet potatoes
- Corn
- Legumes, beans, and lentils
This does not include refined carbohydrates. As we discussed, if you have to open up a package to eat it, then don’t. Got it?
Eat healthy fat dense foods with most meals:
This would include 1 thumb of fat dense food with most meals. This would include the following:
* Saturated Fats – Animal fats (found in eggs, meat, dairy, butter, cheeses, coconut oil, palm oil)
* Monounsaturated fats: Nuts, Olives, Olive oil, Peanuts, Peanut butter, Avocado, Canola oil
* Polyunsaturated fats: Fish oil, Algae oils, Sunflower seeds, Pumpkin seeds, Soy nuts, Walnuts, Flax oil, Chia seeds, Brasil nuts
Also, try to drink 70 ounces of water per day. Start as soon as you wake up. Drink 8-10 ounces during EVERY meal. If you are working out, drink extra. Dehydration kills your body’s ability to shed pounds.
Give this a try. I think you will find the approach a refreshing change and one that you will be able to sustain over time.