How to eat and lose weight.
After all the research I have done regarding weight loss, I’m beginning to think losing weight is an art. The answer is simple and easy to implement. The question we are going to answer today is how to eat and lose weight. This topic needs to be addressed in a way that leaves everyone following this article, with something to eat and that’s where most people go wrong!
How to eat and lose weight.
Lets start with the basics, we all need to eat and somewhere in our lives we all try to lose weight. In my many years of representing the Great Britain squad, my weight as always been a topic of focus. I have always been taught that to not maintain a correct fighting weight was very unprofessional, so I have never let it slip.
Occasionally I have come very close to not maintaining my correct fighting weight and losing weight quickly is necessary. We all need to know what to eat and when but this article is focused on how to eat and lose weight. So let’s take a look at how to achieve our weight loss goals.
The do’s and don’ts of weight loss.
Always try to maintain a sensible intake of food. Keep in mind your basic calorie intake, men should consume 2500 calories and women should consume 2000 calories. This is the basic rule that I try to work with but when it comes down to losing weight quickly I tend to eat on how I feel. This means that a basic meal should consist of protein (Meat, fish, eggs or beans, lentils, Seitan if you’re a vegetarian)
Never pass on your vitamins and minerals unless there’s some kind of allergy, if this is the case always find a substitute. Now back to your meal, you should also make sure you take on board some carbohydrates. This is another area where most people go wrong when it comes to losing weight.
Our bodies are very sophisticated and unique. Hence, maintaining a sensible intake of food is required to allow it to work efficiently on a day to day basis.
Your weight loss blueprint.
Never miss breakfast!
Make your breakfast a must have. Never miss out on this part of the day but try to keep it healthy. Choose a breakfast cereal that is natural and keep you portions small. I would advise some porridge, my favourite is rolled Quaker oats but you can choose your own brand.
How to eat and lose weight fast.
Your portion should be approximately three quarters of a mug. Now most people would also use skimmed milk here, I would go no lower than semi – skimmed milk. My reason for this is that our bodies requires good quality food and using skimmed milk reduces your vitamin intake but your weight loss will not improve by much! So, I would stick with semi – skimmed milk.
Lunch like a king!
Now I’m sure you have heard of this before but I thought It’s worth covering again. Treat your lunch like a dinner, eat sensible portions of all the basics, Protein, Carbohydrates, Vitamins and Minerals and if you have the space, have desert. As you can see you must eat but eat well.
Dealing with your cravings!
In between meals drink, now I bet you’re thinking alcohol NO! I would like you to drink cordial with water or just neat water and eat fruit, this is very important to losing weight. Your body will be going through a new training program and It’ll constantly be asking for food, give in but keep it sensible.
Water is great for thirst and re hydration which is essential for good health. Unfortunately water on its own doesn’t deliver a sugar fix and believe me your body will be demanding this fix!
So take regular sips!
Avoid all fizzy drinks, crisps and cut chocolate to a minimum!
Now don’t get me wrong, have some chocolate but try to make it your afternoon treat. Your body will thank you for it! Nuts can also be a very good snack in between meals, although they do contain a high level of fat. So keep your intake small, if you don’t have an allergy to nuts, that is, try adding some to your diet. Chocolate is going to be you guilty pleasure, please do remember you’re here to learn how to eat and lose weight, you’re not in prison – on rations!
Make food a pleasurable experience!
Dinner time – eat like a pauper!
Now don’t take this the wrong way you must eat and I will keep saying this. This is very important to any weight loss program and when it comes down to how to eat and lose weight, this is a must. The only difference here is that your portions needs to be small but still well-balanced.
I have come across so many people who believe that the secret to losing weight is to NOT EAT! I couldn’t catch my breath. Our bodies are fine-tuned machines that require fuel and good fuel, regularly. When we don’t give it food at regular intervals, it holds on to everything it has been given, weight cannot be lost this way!
Our bodies work better with regular exercise. To make our bodies perform to its optimum best we must give it food. A car will not run for long without petrol and water, the likeness between our bodies and a car is very uncanny!
My conclusion on how to eat and lose weight.
Learning about your body and its needs will help you to understand how to lose weight fast but safely. I know losing weight isn’t easy but it can be made easier.
You should now have a very firm grasp on how to eat and lose weight but remember to also seek medical advice before trying any diet or applying an exercise program.
Please leave your questions and comments below. I will answer them as soon as possible.
Good luck and be positive.
UTG.
I’m glad to see you recommend a higher daily caloric intake, which is something almost everyone looking to lose weight falls short of, thinking lesser is better; not always the case. In my experience, I always liked cooking enough dinner to have the leftovers the next day for lunch. This always kept me eating not only enough calories throughout the day, but also gave me the appropriate number of macronutrients as well.
Hey Todd. First let me say thank you for your comment.
It sounds like you’ve got it nailed and having good food at hand will keep you away from the unhealthy snacks. good job!
Dealing with my craving is one of the toughest things for me and anyone who is trying to lose weight. It was one of the things that made the whole process harder. I am still in that process and I think that meals taken are also in a way helpful to lose weight. I will be sure to keep these tips in mind. Our calorie intake is really vital too. I learnt that our bodies already produces calories, so taking more calories on board is really harmful to our health. Overall, great post you have posted here. Really educational!
Thank you taking the time to comment and leave some sound advice and wise words.
Thank you for clarifying and justifying my claim concerning eating and losing weight. I got into an argument with a colleague who claims that the best way to lose weight is not to eat. I was baffled and we decided to check it out online and we arrived at your site
It is an integral factor to anything that we do with our body so it is germane to eat good food. The only thing to take note as you stated is to eat healthily and balanced. Watching the portion being taken and maintain the nutrients in each meal. Great post. Thumbs up.
When it comes to weight loss, the quality and source of your food plays a huge role. You should eat complex, unprocessed carbohydrates like buckwheat, wild rice, wholegrain products and avoid processed, refined carbs like white bread, pasta, white rice, pizza, pastries, etc.
The same goes for fat. We need fat and just because our diets are balanced well enough in fat intake doesn’t mean you should avoid it – get your fat from nuts, seeds and avoid cooking oils, butters and shortenings.
Also, another way that works for so many people is Keto diet. However, keto diet is not a long-term solution and you should eat in keto way only until you’re happy with you weight loss results. And then go to a wholegrain, plant food to maintain your weight.
Katya
Hi Katya. Thank you for taking the time to comment. Our bodies are complexed machines, we should do our best to keep our meals simple and nutritious.
Hello Derek,
Very interesting information.
What kind of food would you consume in an average day? I guess it would be high calories mostly carbs, as you mentioned you are a fighter. In training you would be burning lots of carbs?
On another note I know the Inuit and people in the north consume a lot of fish and meat, proteins and fat. Any kind of carbs would have to be brought in as supplies. Vegetables and fruits would be treats.
I am not one for eating sugar or processed foods and I believe that this kind of diet will keep you healthy and trim.
Cheers.
Jimmy.
Hi Jimmy, Thank you for the feed back. My daily consumption vary but it’s actually higher in Protein, than Carbs (Carbohydrates) this is because as we age our bodies loses muscle mass. So having a higher Protein input helps to combat this. I would also like to add that a lot of food we consume contains Carbs but not much Protein. I love fish and where possible features high on my list!
Hi Derek, and thank you for this valuable post on how to lose weight fast while still being able to eat! I have to admit that I am a vegetarian, but I’d never heard of ‘seitan’ before reading your article. I Googled it and I think I’ll try it because it has lots of protein. But then I looked at the carbohydrates in a 100 gram serving and the carb count looks kind of high.
From reading your article, I can tell that you are an athlete, and athletes probably need more carbs than the average person. Do you have a recommendation for how many carbs a person who only gets moderate exercise per day should ingest per day and still lose weight? Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and expertise!
Sue
Hi Sue, I enjoy passing on my knowledge and helping others to achieve their goals. Being a vegetarian can sometimes make it tricky to get the food balance right. As I mentioned in my post Carbs is our fuel and someone who doesn’t workout much shouldn’t be afraid of it. Your recommended food in take is 2,000 calories per day – try and think percentages. Eat 60% Protein and 40% Carbs!
Well, there isn’t much , if anything, I would disagree with here.
Everything you have mentioned here is pretty much what my wife and I do except, our big meal of the day Is the last one. Mostly, I guess, Because That’s the way it has been done in North America well, for to many years, I guess.
That said, I have heard, with more frequency lately, that having the big meal at lunch is actually a better way to go because you have more chance of burning off those calories during the rest of your day. To be honest, that makes total sense. For most of us, the daytime hours are our busiest time. Time to rethink some of this.
I don’t struggle with weight lose myself but It’s been an ongoing issue for my wife. Perhaps this switch might be good for her, (and me too).
We also share a DARK chocolate bar daily (5 pieces each) and a small 3 inch bowl of chips (which we could probably do without and would help with weight loss as well).
So much to think about but necessary if one is to make a difference on the scale, Ugh!
Wayne
Hi Wayne, thank you for taking the time tread my post and leave a comment. You do sound like you are eating reasonably well and I would encourage you to continue. The little bowl of chips you share with your wife isn’t a bad thing, maybe make them a little smaller and ENJOY!