How To Stay Full on Your Weight Loss Journey
What’s the number one reason people steer off their weight loss journey? HUNGER! It’s an inevitable part of the journey but I’ve seen so many people make it so much harder than it needs to be. Let me show you that you don’t need to torture yourself to lose weight. If you can follow these 5 major keys that I’m going to outline for you, I promise you will see progress on your weight loss journey without all that stomach growling.
Key 1: Be in a Moderate Calorie Deficit
Before we get started, let’s get one thing straight: to lose weight you must be in a calorie deficit.
Ah yes, the calorie deficit. Maybe you’ve heard the term, maybe you haven’t – either way, I’m here to explain. If weight loss is the main goal, you must, absolutely must, be in a calorie deficit, which means you are eating less than your maintenance calories (aka – the calories you consume to maintain your current weight). If you’re new to calorie calculating or tracking – welcome! Let me start you out with the basics!
This calculation we are about to go over provides you with an estimate. There may be some trial and error when you try this out for yourself and that’s ok. This is our best guess for now.
How to Calculate Maintenance Calories:
Start By Calculating Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
Formula For Women
BMR (kcal /day) = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) – 5 × age (y) – 161 (kcal / day)
Formula for Men:
BMR (kcal / day) = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (y) + 5 (kcal / day)
Multiply Your BMR By an Activity Level Factor to Get Your Maintenance Calories
1.2 is for little or no exercise
1.4 is for light exercise 1-2 times a week
1.6 is for moderate exercise 2-3 times/week
1.75 is for hard exercise 3-5 times/week
2.0 if you have a physical job or perform hard exercise 6-7 times/week
Find Your Deficit
Choose a calorie deficit that is less than your maintenance calories. Depending on how much weight you need to lose, a good rule of thumb is to select 200 - 500 calories below your maintenance.
Let’s try an example. Meet Fake Client X. Fake Client X is a 150 pound, 5’5 female, age 30, who works out 1-2 times a week at her local gym with a weight goal of 130 pounds.
So how many calories should Fake Client X be eating to get to her goal weight?
Her Current Maintenance Calories:
10 × 68 (150 pounds) + 6.25 × 165.10 (5’5) – 5 × 30 – 161 (kcal/day)= ~1400
1400 X 1.4 (activity level factor) = ~ 1950
Using the guidance from above, we should choose a deficit between 200 – 500 calories. For this example, let’s say 350 calories. Thus, Fake Client X should be eating in a range between 1600 to slightly under 1950 calories each day. Key word here is range. It would make sense, based on the calculation above, to assume that Fake Client X should be eating exactly 1600 calories each day to reach her goal weight. However, Fake Client X has a very real life – she’s social – she likes to go out to eat, enjoy family gatherings, and you can always find her dancing at parties (oh Fake Client X, she’s a hoot!). Therefore, eating in that range will be way more adherable. And even if Fake Client X decides to eat 2500 calories at her best friend’s birthday brunch – that’s not going to ruin her progress. As long as she is consistent most days (let’s say 80% consistent), she does not need to be perfect or precise.
Key #2 – Pack on Protein:
Protein is probably the most popular macronutrient in the fitness industry. And for good reason – protein makes up the structure of the human body – which includes, you guessed it, your muscle mass. But seriously – it’s found everywhere – from your organs and bones to your skin and hair. What most don’t know is that protein is not just important for building muscle, it’s equally as important (if not more) for weight loss. And in terms of weight loss, protein helps you to feel fuller longer for two reasons: 1) protein reduces the level of the hunger hormone ghrelin 2) protein has a higher thermic effect than fat or carbs (meaning your body uses more calories to digest the food after eating it).
What is Protein Quality?
After seeing its importance, you may be wondering, how can you get more protein in your diet? Before we jump into that, it’s important to distinguish what protein quality is. Protein quality refers to the number of essential amino acids contained within, and the digestibility of, a protein-containing food. 1 Essential amino acids are the amino acids that we need to make sure stay in our diet due to the necessity of them in bodily functions and their inability to be synthesized in the body. 1 A complete protein is a food source that contains all the essential amino acids in the appropriate quantities that we need. 1 In general, animal proteins are complete proteins (e.g., chicken, fish, eggs) and plant proteins are incomplete proteins (with the exception of soy). But before I worry any vegetarians / vegans, you may be able to get a similar effect from two incomplete proteins. 1 Two incomplete proteins that, when consumed together, mimic a complete protein by providing all essential amino acids (e.g., rice and beans and wheat bread and peanut butter).
How Much Protein Do I Need Each Day?
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body weight.2 I think this is a good place to start but would encourage those that are new to a calorie deficit to try to get a higher amount of protein, around .8 - 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. Before you think this may be too much protein, let’s break this down.
Here comes Fake Client X again ready to calculate her protein intake and see how many calories she should get from protein vs. fat or carbs.
Protein Calculation
150 pounds x .8 = 120 grams
150 pounds x 1 = 150 grams
Based on the calculation above, she should eat in a range of 120 - 150 grams of protein every day. Because protein is 4 calories per gram, this is approximately 480 – 600 calories of protein, which using the high end of the protein calculation and the lower end of the deficit (1600), this is still only 38% of her daily calories, leaving the rest to carbs and fats.
How Do I Ensure I’m Eating Enough Protein in My Diet?
The easiest way to get more protein is to center your meal around it. Think – if your meal was a movie, protein would be the main star (or at least a very important, academy award winning co-star). When thinking of breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snacks – pick your protein first and then add carbs and fats to accompany that protein in your meal. To help you out, here is a listing of high protein foods:
Lean meats (beef, lamb, pork)
Poultry (chicken turkey, duck)
Fish and seafood (tuna, salmon, seabass, shrimp, lobster, crab, scallops)
Eggs and egg whites
Dairy products (Greek yogurt, milk, and cheese)
Nuts and seeds
Legumes and beans
Tofu
When planning out your day, a good rule of thumb is to get approximately 20-30 grams of protein per meal. Even when snacking – you can add whey protein powder to a shake, grab a protein bar, or enjoy nuts and/or Greek yogurt.
Key #3- Eat 2 More Servings of Vegetables
I know that you know vegetables are important – it’s been hammered into our brains since we were kids. So not only do I need you to finish your vegetables, but I also actually need you to take another 2 servings – seriously – go on – eat 2 more servings of vegetables throughout your day than your normally do.
Besides being beneficial from a healthy perspective given its high vitamin and mineral content, vegetables are terrific for weight loss because you can eat a high volume of vegetables for less calories than most foods at that same volume.
Example:
85 grams of Broccoli (about 1 cup) = 20 Calories
85 grams of Uncooked Rice (about ½ cup) = 306 calories
That difference is crazy, is it not?
To use vegetables to your advantage, it’s best to keep these best practices in mind:
Prepare vegetables using fat free or low-fat cooking techniques.
Try steaming your vegetables, using low-calorie or low-fat dressings, and/or using spices, in replace of oils, to add flavor.
Canned and frozen vegetables are great (not just ok) options!
Frozen or canned vegetables can be just as nutritious as the fresh ones. However, make sure to select those without added sugar, sauces, or other ingredients that will add major calories.
Key #3 – Adding Fiber is Fantastic
Whenever I think of fiber, I think of those FiberOne snacks my mom used to buy. I remember thinking: “what’s so great about fiber that it’s literally in the company name?” Well in terms of weight loss, because high fiber foods take longer to digest, it helps you feel fuller longer (kind of like our buddy protein). What’s more is that fiber has many health benefits beyond helping with weight management, such as reducing the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
The USDAs recommended daily amount for adults up to age 50 is 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men. 3 Women and men older than 50 should have 21 and 30 daily grams. 3
To help you get started, here are a list of high fiber foods:
Black Beans – 15 grams for 1 cup
Raspberries – 8 grams for 1 cup
Chia Seeds – 8 grams per 2 tablespoons
Split Peas – 8 grams per ¼ cup
Almonds – 7 grams for 2 ounces
Pears – 6 grams for 1 medium pear
Quiona – 5 grams for 1 cup
Pistachios – 5 grams for 2 ounces
Broccoli – 5 grams for 1 cup
Oatmeal – 4 grams per ½ cup dry
Pairing high fiber foods, like black beans, with your quality protein, like chicken, will have your hunger running away. Add vegetables to that mix and hunger is completely gone.
Key #4 – Choose Low Calorie Drinks
I could say that if you’re on your weight loss journey, you should only be drinking water. We all know that water is great for us – it’s great for hydration, it cushions your joints, it regulates your body temperature, and in terms of your weight loss journey, it’s 0 calories. What’s maybe not so great about water for some people (especially me) – the taste. Now, should most of your fluids throughout the day come from water? Yes. But if you are craving something sweeter, I would suggest looking for low calorie drinks that can add to your diet in moderation. Drinks like seltzer (even alcoholic seltzers on a night out), diet sodas, and low-calorie juices can be a life saver when water just isn’t going to cut it.
Key #5 – Catch Some Zzzzs
When it comes to health, sleep is often slept on. Besides allowing our bodies and brains to refresh and recover, adequate amounts of sleep (which according to the National Sleep Foundation is at least 7 to 9 hours for most adults) can lower the risk of health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. What’s even more surprising is that sleep deprivation can lead to weight gain.3 Lack of sleep affects the body’s release of ghrelin (i.e. makes us feel hungry) and leptin (i.e. makes us feel full). 3 When we don’t get enough sleep, our bodies produce more ghrelin and less leptin, thus increasing our appetite.4 Additionally, when we’re tired, it is easier for us to rationalize skipping a workout and harder for us to make healthy choices and resist cravings.
There you have it. Your 5 keys to keeping you full on your weight loss journey. And because I’m nice, I’ll throw in an extra key for free. When going out to dinner, you do not need to eat the smallest, lowest calorie item on the menu. This is a trap many fall into because they don’t want to ruin their weight loss progress. Understandable but here’s what happens – that salad appetizer you ordered that comes with 3 pieces of lettuce and 1 tomato isn’t going to keep you full or satisfied, which will most likely cause you to binge at home. So instead, do the following:
Have a protein shake, or something with at least 10-15 grams of protein, before you go out to dinner.
Order the meal you want but ensure that it has a protein and a vegetable.
And if you ever need help along the way, let’s work together!
