The Ultimate Weight Loss Guide
The Ultimate Weight Loss Guide
I understand weight loss has been challenging so far.
I don't blame you either; the vast amount of misinformation can be overwhelming.
Although here's a promise – by the time you finish reading this, you'll have a much better idea of what to do from this day onwards to get long-term, sustainable results.
I'll break this down into two major topics: nutrition and physical activity.
So, get comfortable, hold tight and prepare yourself for an article that's about to change your life.
Let's get stuck in.
Nutrition
Calorie Deficit
It's worth starting with the most crucial part of your fat loss journey – a calorie deficit.
A calorie deficit is when you eat fewer calories relative to the number of calories required for maintaining your current body weight. A deficit can be created by reducing the number of calories eaten and/or increasing expenditure.
Article done; I hope you liked it.
Joke joke…
You previously gained weight, put simply, because you ate too many calories compared to how many you burn, e.g., if your maintenance calories are 2,100 per day and you're consistently consuming more than 2,100 - it'll result in weight gain. On the other hand, if you consistently consume less than 2,100 calories, it'll result in weight loss.
When the term 'burn' is used, it doesn't mean how many calories you burn during your workout. It's your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE).
As explained in the images attached:
Worrying about how many calories you burn in workouts is an inappropriate use of time, as it only burns about 10% of your daily calories.
The focus of your workouts should be on getting stronger, faster, fitter and/or better than before. However, let's save the training stuff for later.
"But Leo, I don't know how many calories I should eat for a calorie deficit."
I have a calorie calculator; click here to access it.
Overall, you're gaining weight NOT because of sugar, carbs, fats, gluten, dairy, soy or any food in isolation… it's too many calories.
This brings me to my next point, where all "fat loss diets" go back to the same thing - a calorie deficit. Here's what I mean:
Low carb, keto/Atkins, low fat, paleo, clean eating, raw food, carnivore, vegetarian, and vegan all help limit food choices.
Intermittent fasting helps limit the time available to eat.
Intuitive eating helps limit the desire to overeat.
Weight Watchers, flexible dieting/IIFYM, and meal plans help limit total food amount.
& although some of these approaches are better than others, none are magical. They all lead back to an increased likelihood of being in a calorie deficit.
Calories and Low-Calorie Density Foods
Now you know what a calorie deficit is – here's more about what calories are without all the boring science.
A calorie is a unit of energy, e.g. 100 calories from chocolate or watermelon are still 100 calories. The calories are the same, but the rest isn't - although the rest can and will impact total daily intake.
How? For example, watermelons have better nutritional value as there's way more vitamins and minerals.
It's also worth noting how little chocolate it takes to hit 100 calories (2 squares of Toblerone) compared to how much watermelon you could have for 100 calories (about 335g), with the latter option leaving you feeling fuller for longer.
When weight loss is your goal, you should prioritise foods low in calorie density, e.g. watermelon. But, had a great day with your nutrition, prioritised your protein, fibre, fruits and vegetables already, and still have 100 calories left? Then have those two squares of Toblerone, and don't even feel bad for it. You'll be fine!
Other low-calorie dense foods are strawberries, grapefruit, mandarin, papaya, vegetables, low-fat milk, diet drinks, e.g. Pepsi Max, and lean protein sources, e.g. chicken breast and tuna. You'd also do well to reduce calories from liquids, e.g. coconut water, full-fat milk, soda, meal replacements etc., as liquid calories are less filling.
Put it this way – would you rather get 350 calories from your favourite protein-packed go-too-tasty breakfast or a not-so-great-tasting Huel meal replacement shake?
I thought so.
Protein
Protein is essential, as it's what your body uses to build and repair muscle and help other bodily functions such as the health of your hair, skin and nails.
You'll need to eat a certain amount of protein for optimal progression. A target of 0.7-1g per lb of body weight (BW) is excellent. However, if you're more overweight, you can aim for 0.4/0.6g per lb of BW - otherwise, your goal may be unrealistically high.
Although I must admit that there's no science to back the 0.4/0.6g figure up, but:
Starting at 0.7-1g per lb of BW takes a lot of work.
0.4/0.6g per lb of BW will still be much better than before.
Example for someone that's 100kg/220.5lbs in body weight:
Situation A:
0.7-1g x 220.5 = a daily protein goal of anywhere between 154g to 221g
Situation B:
0.4-0.6 x 220.5 = a daily protein goal of anywhere between 88g and 132g
Situation B being easier to achieve within your earlier days = more motivating. Plus, if your protein goal is 132g, it should be 'minimum 132g' - meaning if you go over, that's fine too!
Take Kairos Online member Iuri; he's a Portugeezer who lives in Lisbon and reached out for help. A chef by trade, so food temptation was always there. Who can blame him? The pastries he makes look amazing.
Anyway, we started together at exactly 110kg/242.5 lbs. 170g of protein for someone on 2,200 calories would be tough, so the initial aim was around 130g minimum per day. Which he consistently managed to hit whilst not having protein feel like it was taking over his entire life.
Now, look, 12 weeks later and 10kg down! Plus, as time passed, his protein intake also started to increase.
Now, our next goal is to start resistance training and build muscle.
Overall, here are some protein guidelines you'd do well implementing;
Ensure you have a protein source with each meal - about 30g minimum is a great target. It's the macronutrient that'll keep you fullest for the longest. This is especially important if you're not going to track food.
Front-load most of your protein intake at breakfast, so you're not playing catch up throughout the day.
Unable to stomach some food sources of protein? Opt for a powdered protein or a protein bar.
Vary sources, so you don't get bored.
Carbs and Fats
Are you tracking calories? Then don't worry about tracking carbs or fats.
Why? Remember, a calorie deficit is the most important thing for weight loss – meaning there's no extra benefit from hitting an X amount of carbs or fats.
Tracking them is extra work for no additional gain.
Eat as Much as Possible
One common issue? No, not the diarrhoea 'detox' teas disguised with fancy branding and colouring – it's the fact that you're always aiming for crazy low-calorie goals, e.g. 900-1,200 calories.
Something like 1,200 may be acceptable only if you're a female under 5ft and not overweight/obese. Otherwise, you're eating too little, ironically causing you to overeat.
You're putting yourself in this cycle of too little or too much.
What should you do from here on? Eat as much as possible whilst still being in a calorie deficit. Remember, you're not a child – you need to start eating for your age.
Tracking vs Not Tracking
Does tracking calories give you more certainty that you're in a deficit? Yep.
Do you have to track calories? Nope.
People have been losing weight before MyFitnessPal was a thing.
But if you've never done it, I recommend tracking calories for at least 30 days. The lessons you'll learn from that period will last a lifetime.
Otherwise, it's essential to use some guidelines, such as the ones suggested in the image. Or use the 3-2-1 method, where you have three bottles of water, two pieces of fruit and a salad bowl daily.
The "Budgeting" Analogy
One great analogy regarding calories is to think of it as a budget, with your daily calorie goal being how much 'money' you have to 'spend'.
You want to spend your calories smartly on foods that'll fill you up for longer whilst simultaneously including foods you enjoy.
A great rule of thumb is to spend about 20% of your daily budget (calories) on treats, e.g. a daily goal of 2,000 calories would leave 400 calories for whatever you want after you've prioritised veg, fruit and protein. This helps make the process more sustainable.
On to the next section.
Physical Activity
Resistance Training
Whilst emphasising a progressive overload, strength training should be your biggest priority.
Repeat this 2-5x weekly with anywhere between 30-75 minute sessions.
Why? Because the more muscle you have, the more calories you'll burn at rest - a pound of muscle burns three times more calories than a pound of fat.
If you want the fat loss process to occur as efficiently as possible, it's time to start building muscle.
Note 1: No, you won't accidentally build 'too much, although I wish it was that easy.
Note 2: Want to put together your own training plan but need help figuring out where to start? Then click here to download your own 'Full Body Workout Plan'.
Cardio
Good for you? Of course.
Necessary for fat loss? Not at all.
You'll be relieved to know that all the HIIT you've been doing isn't necessary.
I can quickly think of 10 other things I'd prioritise more than cardio when it comes to fat loss, e.g. calorie deficit, resistance training, progressive overload, adequate sleep, sleep quality, walking more, active recovery days, more vegetables, more fruit and more protein.
Believe that was written in about 25 seconds.
Most people, potentially you included, are often surprised that cardio isn't that great for fat loss and will often respond with, "But surely running will help even more?"
Maybe, but think of it like this, let's say you're butt naked (bear with me), and you go outside in the cold - you're going to be freezing.
Think of running for weight loss as the equivalent of you only wearing a t-shirt in the cold - it'll make a tiny difference, but it'll feel like borderline nothing at all.
This is why you should instead focus on the calorie deficit, high protein, step goal and strength training - because these are your thick winter jacket, sweatpants and boots.
Bringing me nicely to the next point.
Walking
One of the most underrated forms of exercise out there.
How so? Because you're probably guilty of always looking for the next shiny object and deem walking to be 'too simplistic'.
Walking is movement. Movement is exercise. It can be done almost anywhere at almost any moment.
Convenience is a game changer on this journey of yours.
It's also much less intense than cardio, meaning it's easier to do more consistently long-term. It also allows you to recover from resistance training sessions more efficiently and have less impact on your joints.
For example, it's not recommended obese individuals go running (just yet) as the impact of the repeated strides whilst simultaneously holding up a lot of body weight can be tough on the knee joints if done consistently over the long term – but worry not, this is where your new walking hack comes in 😉
Plus, the best thing about walking is you can grab a close mate or family member or even plug The Leo Alves Podcast in (on both Spotify and Apple Podcasts – yes, some shameless plugging here) and go for a stroll whenever you feel like it.
The Rest
How to Weigh Yourself/Don't Obsess Over Scale Weight
Weighing yourself should be done first thing in the morning in a fasted state (after using the toilet). This will be the most consistent and reliable way to ensure you eliminate any external factors affecting your weight - such as hydration and food intake.
The more you weigh yourself, the better.
Why? Because it's more data, and more data = more accuracy. It would help if you ideally weighed yourself more often than not, e.g. 4-7 times a week.
Your average from throughout the week would then be your current weight.
Although please do not compare daily readings. One-off readings mean nothing.
If you weigh yourself on Monday and expect it to go down on Tuesday, you will set yourself up for failure.
Compare your average weekly weight monthly, e.g., the average of August week 1 to the average of September week 1, week 2 of August to week 2 of September and so on.
But is scale weight something that should be obsessed over? The answer is no - never. It's one possible way of measuring weight loss/gain, but ultimately, it goes way beyond that.
Such as how confident you're feeling and moving, how clothes are fitting, if you're getting stronger, if progress pictures are improving, if you've improved your habits, if measurements are going down etc.
These are all other indicators of progress that you should use.
Weight Gain vs Fat Gain
Weight v fat - there's a difference.
Weight gain is a normal part of the process, e.g. temporary increases in body weight, e.g. due to water, time of the month, stress, sodium, needing to poop etc.
Whereas fat gain is different, e.g. an increase in body fat due to being in a chronic calorie surplus. Because, as you know, body weight does fluctuate enormously. But unlike body weight, fat does not always fluctuate up and down – remember this the next time you freak out over a jump on the scale.
Remember, fat loss takes time - fat gain ALSO takes time.
Here's another example and a Londoner who fits this section extremely well, Kairos Online member - Kat.
She's a busy university student, works, has a niece she regularly looks after, and still crushed the process - check out the image here. Don't misunderstand; it wasn't as smooth as it sounds – she'd sometimes get discouraged due to "weight not going down" like she'd wanted it to.
But this is where the magic of resistance training happens, resulting in plenty of muscle being built on the back of consistency. She weighs about the same in both images but with substantial visual differences.
Was she happy when she saw her pictures? You bet.
Time difference? 12 weeks.
What did she do in the process? Got stronger at the gym, went consistently, ate around 1,900 calories per day, went out drinking with mates once in a while, banned 0 foods, and enjoyed Uber eats from time to time.
All whilst getting the results she worked for.
Sleep
Sleep is super important for the fat loss process. Studies show correlations between lack of sleep and weight gain. The more sleep-deprived you are, the more likely you will overeat/drink.
It's linked to the hormones leptin (which helps regulate body weight) and ghrelin (the hunger hormone). When you chronically lack sleep, your body increases its levels of ghrelin whilst simultaneously reducing its levels of leptin - meaning that you end up feeling hungrier than you are, resulting in consuming more calories.
How much should you sleep? 7-9 hours a night is ideal for the majority of people.
Not possible? Do your best - if you aim to stop mindlessly scrolling through your phone an hour before bed and procrastinating your sleep, that's progress.
Alcohol
Alcohol may easily be one of the most significant contributors to weight gain.
It's interesting because you likely pay attention to things such as sugar, carbs, gluten etc. In contrast, one of the major causes could be alcohol.
How so? It's easy to get carried away with it, and one drink can quickly turn into three, then six, and so on. Do this a few times a month - then you'll know what one of the biggest culprits for your weight gain is.
Plus, when you're tipsy/drunk, something I call your 'f*ck it factor' goes up - where you start to give less of a damn about what and how much you eat and drink.
A beverage occasionally is fine and will make 0 difference - just like anything in moderation. But it's something to consider if you struggle with your weight and drink often.
Refrain from Striving for Perfection
Never strive for perfection – ever. Being 100% consistent isn't better; it's prison.
Make this process something you can sustain. Fitness should complement your life, not take away from it.
This journey doesn't need to take over every waking moment - you have other duties, ambitions, and memories to make.
Aim for anywhere between 85 to 95% consistency throughout the month, and you'll get fantastic results.
Anyone who ever lost fat for good wasn't ever 100% consistent – they just got back on track every time they slipped up. Successful people are more consistent over the long run, not perfect.
You don't have to be great consistently; be great at being consistent. You got this.
If you enjoyed this article, you can sign up for my 1-2-1 online fitness coaching. Click here to inquire.
I look forward to working with you!
Speak soon,
Leo
P.S. If you enjoyed reading this article, then share it on your social media pages :) it could change someone's life.