Welcome back! As you can tell from the title, this is part two of our ten tips to help YOU lose weight! If you missed the first part, go back and read that one and give it some time to marinate before you read this one! Part one was more of the “macro” game, dealing primarily with mindset and strategies. This article is the micro game: five specific actions you can do and steps you can take to be more successful in your weight loss goals!
6: Drink More Water
Seriously. You’ve probably heard this before elsewhere, but I cannot overstate how important it is that you drink 3/4 to 1 gallon (3-4 liters) of water a day. Every. Day. It helps stave off hunger cravings, the thermogenic value of your body processing that water burns more calories, it helps your body metabolize fat faster, keeps your muscles hydrated for your workouts… Everything about you is better when you’re well hydrated.
7: Eat More Protein
Protein is fantastic. It helps you feel full, it rebuilds your muscles, and the thermogenic process of digesting it (how much energy your body takes to process it into fuel/amino acids) boosts your base metabolic rate. If you’re looking to lose weight, you want your general target for grams of protein per day to equal the pounds you want to weigh at your “goal weight.” So, when I was cutting down to 175, I tried to consume 175 grams of protein per day. I didn’t always succeed, but I basically always got above 140 grams (and usually north of 150 or 160.)
Additionally, consuming large amounts of protein helps keep your body from breaking down your existing muscle mass when it’s looking for fuel to help with the caloric deficit. If you keep your protein intake high and do regular strength training, your body will try to metabolize your fat, first.
8: Do Strength Training AND Cardio
A lot of trainers advocate just strength training for weight loss these days. Screw that. Strength training is important, as we mentioned above, because it helps preserve muscle mass and keep your base metabolic rate up. BUT, half an hour of elevated heart rate cardio can burn anywhere from 200-400 calories a day (depending on what you’re doing.) That’s an extra half a pound of weight loss a week.
Just keep in mind that the additional energy expenditure will probably up your hunger cravings, so I would recommend holding off until the cardio until your nutrition plan has been rock solid for your first week or two.
9: Eat Hot Foods, Wear Hot Clothes
Spicy foods have a thermogenic effect on your body, so if you enjoy eat them, go for it. I throw hot sauce on everything as it is, so this is an easy thing for me on a weight cut. Additionally, keeping your body temperature elevated burns more calories when you’re working out, so throw on the thermal compression gear or sweat suit! Within reason, of course, our goal is not to dehydrate you (see tip #6) or give you heat stroke, but keeping yourself warm and sweating will absolutely increase the calories you burn while working out. As a bonus, warm joints and muscles are also generally less prone to injury!
10: Eat Real Food
The less processed food you eat, the better. By processed, I mean anything that’s not coming to you in its raw component form before you prepare and eat it. Try to avoid nutrition bars, meal replacement shakes, breakfast cereals, etc. This isn’t some GMO or “muh chemicals” fearmongering, mind you. Scientific studies have just verified multiple times that the less processed your food is before you consume it (cooking in your house doesn’t count as processing,) the more full it will leave you feeling, and the longer that satiety will last. When we’re losing weight, finding strategies to beat the occasional hunger demon is goal number ONE, so aim for the grocer store aisles that feature the fruits, veggies, meats, and whole grains, and avoid the overprocessed stuff!
11: Triple Your Vegetable Intake
Surprise! You’re getting a bonus tip, because I like you! (and also because it leads so well off the last one.) We’re finishing with this one because it’s my favorite and also, in my opinion, the most effective. Look, and I mean SERIOUSLY LOOK at how many servings of veggies you consume in a day.
Now triple that. Boom, now that’s your new vegetable intake goal. Do your best to find some way to make them palatable without any extra salad dressing or sauces (though some low calorie balsamic or Italian dressings have been known to find their way onto my plate pretty frequently.)
Seriously, the vast majority of people, if they REALLY sat down and looked at the number for it, would IMMEDIATELY drop a few pounds just by tripling their veggie intake.
Fall In Love With The Process
This is less a tip and more just a final point: Fall in love with the process of building a healthy relationship with food. Don’t punish yourself for what you eat, instead learn how to fit the foods you love into your new lifestyle while continuing to build healthy habits. This is a lifelong journey. You are building a better you. It’s one step at a time, and you need to learn to enjoy those steps if you want to be successful. <3
Live boldly, change the world, and continue to be awesome!
Dan Wallace
