The Weight Loss Checklist > 6 Simple Tips to Help with Your Weight Loss Goal
The Weight Loss Checklist. 6 simple tips to help with your weight loss goal
1. Reduce added sugar
Although sugar is not inherently bad, too much is. Added sugar increases palatability of foods that reduces satiation and increases the likelihood of over-eating. Make a conscious effort to consume less than 10 percent of kcals per day from added sugars, unless performing endurance-based activities that last longer than 90 mins.
2. Try not to drink your kcals
Liquid kcals quickly add up and often go under the radar. This means you often won’t be aware of how many kcals you have consumed in this way. Have you ever checked how many kcals are in your vanilla latte or your ‘healthy’ fruit smoothie? It’s worth knowing! Choose water, low fat milk and low kcal options where possible.
Unsure about how much you should be eating? Then download our free macro guide here.
3. Reduce high sugar/high fat condiments
As with drinking your kcals, the consumption of too many condiments like ketchup, mayonnaise and salad dressings can have a negative influence on body composition and potentially performance goals. That’s not to say you can’t have them, just be aware of how much you’re consuming.
4. Watch your portion sizes
There are a few different ways to help track your food intake:
Using your hands
Using nutrition labels
Using scales and measuring cups.
Track your food into a tracking app like MyFitnessPal.
A combination of the above
Tracking your food into MyFitnessPal by using kitchen scales and measuring cups is the most accurate way to monitor how much you are eating. It also gives you awareness of the different macronutrients and where to find them.
It is best start tracking everything to begin with so you become accustomed to the process, however by tracking for a while, you will begin to understand how much you’re eating and will no longer have to keep recording your food. You may then just use it occasionally to spot-check certain foods and meals.
For each meal you will typically have 1 portion of protein and 1 portion of fat, where only your carbohydrate portions will change. Your training will dictate your carbohydrate portion sizes. Our top rated sports nutrition book, Fuelling the Functional Athlete goes through portion control and building your diet in detail. Find out more about it here.
5. Practice mindful eating
Remove distractions such as the TV and scrolling through your phone whilst eating, as this type of behaviour can lead to consuming more. Instead, listen to your body and stop when you’re almost full, chew your food, eat slowly and enjoy it.
6. Consider NEAT
None exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT - subconscious movement kcal expenditure) and none exercise physical activity levels (NEPA - intentional movement that doesn’t include formal exercise) can play a large part in whether you lose or gain weight. In fact, these can make up to 2000 kcals difference between people of a similar size. Therefore, although not terribly accurate, the use of a fitness wearable can be beneficial when trying to calculate your energy expenditure for the day.
Or, you can ‘guestimate’ by multiplying your Basal Metabolic Rate by an activity factor. You can also measure your metabolism and calorie burn during activity with metabolic testing. Find out about more about metabolism and RMR testing here.
We recommend you aim for 7,500-10,000 steps per day and potentially more if you are struggling to lose weight.
Simple swaps for weight loss
Black coffee instead of a latte
Lemon juice and balsamic dressing instead of mayonnaise or salad cream
Water instead of fizzy drinks
Greek yoghurt and flavour drops instead of ice cream
1⁄2 your peanut/almond butter portion
For more help with your weight loss goals, check out our signature weight loss programme Ignite.
Ignite is a targeted weight loss programme that uses metabolism testing to build customised plan based on your individual needs, so that you can reach your goals faster than ever before.
Our metabolic testing service uses a combination of a Resting Metabolic Rate (metabolism) and VO2Max tests to give us an understanding of not only how many calories your body needs each day, but also exactly what foods are going to be best for helping you achieve your goals. We can then provide you with a diet and exercise plan from a sports nutritionist tailored to your individual needs.
Find out more at www.boxnutrition.co.uk/ignite
