Why 40 pounds?
It’s not exactly arbitrary. The average American woman is about 5’4 and weighs a little over 170 pounds. Losing about 40 pounds, give or take a bit to accommodate one’s height, muscle mass, and bone structure, should put one at a healthy weight. Adjust according to your needs, of course.
The other reason is that I have lost that amount of weight in the past and so I know how to do it. I’m also a certified health coach and have spent much time learning about nutrition and overall health. Not that this matters as much. The reasoning/argument/science is what will help you lose weight, but I just want to let you know that I have made this journey. It’s worth it.
“Abs Are Made in the Kitchen”
First, it’s important to know that your body weight is primarily managed by your diet. Exercise is an essential component for good health and will give you a nice physique via muscle mass, graceful movement, and help keep your metabolism healthy. However, to reveal that physique and achieve optimal metabolic health, the extra fat must come off via the way you eat. Unless you’re a pro athlete or are training for a marathon, exercise is not going to be your path to weight-loss.
Knowing what to eat is incredibly difficult if one takes into consideration the wide range of information available on the topic. Here’s how I recommend going about figuring out your diet:
Know (and Respect) Thyself
Let’s start with the obvious which is often not acted upon. Do not consume anything that makes you feel bad. For example, if you get bloated every time you eat dairy, do not eat dairy anymore. You don’t want to eat something that causes negative symptoms and thus probably inflammation. If you feel anxious or sluggish after a high-sugar food, avoid high-sugar foods. If caffeine makes you snap at others, cut it back as much as possible. And if you have any food allergies or sensitivities, avoid those foods.
If healthy, high protein foods like chicken or steak give you heartburn, indigestion, or slow digestion, take a Betaine HCL with Pepsin capsule with those meals until you develop enough stomach acid to handle larger quantities of protein on your own. Usually one bottle is enough.
Acknowledge any food issues you have. You’ll need to keep these in mind. So if you tend to binge eat or can’t go by the ice cream isle without buying Ben and Jerry’s, recognize this reality, and guard against these tendencies.
Increase Protein and Crowd Out Energy Sources
You know which foods have protein. Did you know that humans will be hungry until they fulfill their protein requirements each day? Have you ever ate a large amount of something high in fat and carb calories and wondered why you were still hungry afterwards? This is why. Your body keeps asking for food until you give it its protein requirements. So leverage this by eating plenty of lean protein.
Protein is not only filling and nearly impossible to overeat but it is extremely nutrient rich–particularly animal sources. When you get your required protein and nutrients, your body can stop asking for food and also has a better chance at running all of its functions at optimal levels.
Energy in food is simply fat and carbohydrates. Your body absolutely requires some fat. There’s no carbohydrate requirement in the human body. However, you choose your blend of fat and carbs so that it works for you. If you want to maintain your weight, you eat sufficient protein plus an amount of fat and carbs that sustains your weight. If you want to lose weight, you need to cut back on your energy intake by reducing either fat or carbs or both. To control hunger, increase your lean protein intake. Lean protein sources include egg whites, lean ground beef or steak, chicken breasts, and tuna. Sounds like what body builders eat to lower their body fat before a competition, right? That’s because it works to do exactly that.
This diet will make you lean while sparing your muscle mass and fueling your body for more muscle growth which then helps you burn more calories and helps you stay lean. Your goal is to crowd out excess energy foods via sufficient protein. However, fat and carbs add flavor and enjoyment to meals so while you’re in the losing weight stages, liberally use herbs and spices you like in order to give your food more flavor.
Once you’ve lost the weight you want to lose, increase your fat and carbohydrates to a maintenance level. How to maintain without gaining again? Eat real foods, get sufficient protein, and the additional fat and carbs that you can fit into your appetite will be the approximate amount you need without going over.
Repeat Meals
It’s hard to overeat the same meals over and over so attempt the same breakfast and the same lunch and the same dinner each day. The monotony will help stop you from overeating (there’s research on this, it’s called “habituation”). It will also save you time and encourage you to prepare your own meals from bulk prices, which will be undoubtedly better for you health-wise and financially.
Eat Real Food
Most people know what real food is–meat, grains, dairy, vegetables, nuts/seeds, and fruits in their whole form, with little adulteration. So for example, a steak, steel cut oats, no sugar added yogurt, and vegetables and fruits that you buy fresh from the produce section.
Many try to use honey in place of sugar. There are also sweeteners like erythritol (Swerve), erythritol blended with monkfruit extract (Lakanto), allulose, and stevia, if you’re looking to avoid sweeteners that may negatively impact blood glucose levels.
I advise cooking your food with animal fats like lard and tallow. Butter, avocado oil, and perhaps even coconut oil are fine, too, in my opinion. Whatever you do, avoid inflammatory vegetable/seed oils. This means that many boxed and jarred foods are a no-no.
The most efficient way to shop for real food is to go through the produce section, meat and seafood, deli and cheese, and stop over at nuts and seeds. If you can use a service where you make your grocery order online and then pick it up (Walmart is free), I suggest using it as it helps you not impulsively shop with your eyes. And each week you can order the same thing and stay consistent with what you’re spending on and preparing.
If you don’t eat animals you can focus on eggs, whey protein, tofu, and/or legumes to meet your high-protein needs.
When You Feel like Snacking
When you just want to eat something but aren’t hungry, determine if you’re thirsty, or bored, or anxious, etc, and then try to tackle the root cause in some way. Sometimes a walk or a bubble bath or a pot of tea is what you actually need. And if you must put something stimulating in your mouth, try mints, sugar-free jello, or flavored sparkling water.
If You’re Too Sweet
If you have been told your blood sugar is a bit elevated, reduce or eliminate carbohydrate energy sources, especially from sweets and grains. I have type 1 diabetes and have eaten low carb for many years and maintain a normal BMI with a good amount of muscle mass, low triglycerides, and high insulin sensitivity (and a non-diabetic A1c of 4.9). I know of many type 2 diabetics who use a low carb diet to stay off of diabetic medications and who also maintain a healthy weight and good overall health.
A Great Resource
Dr. Ted Naiman’s book called the PE Diet explains this protein to energy ratio concept better than I do and gives great guidance on how to lose weight. Check out his website here for excellent explanations and food inspiration pictures.
If you have diabetes please, please check out Dr. Bernstein’s Diabetes Solution book. It is a lifesaver and I say that in no uncertain terms.
