How to lose/gain weight: Part 2

So, in my last article, I spoke about the science behind weight loss. Now I’ll tell you how to use this knowledge to achieve your goals. In this article, I'll be specifically talking about weight loss.

Do you want to know the secret to losing weight? The one so called ‘tip’ that dieticians and personal trainers hate?

Eat less and move more.

That’s literally it. Did you expect something else? Sadly, like the answer to most things in life, there isn’t any shortcut. However, you can optimize your habits such that it becomes significantly easier to achieve your goals.

So here are what you need to do to start shedding that fat.

1.       Eat at a caloric deficit.

Calculate your TDEE and subtract 500 from it. This is how many calories you must be eating every day. Irrespective of what diet you follow, a caloric deficit is required to lose weight. The body is a very complex machine. So just eating fewer calories isn’t necessarily the healthiest way to lose weight. But usually, I’ve seen that if people are forced to eat a certain number of calories per day, it forces them to make much healthier choices and as a result, this will help them lose weight.

2.       Eat more protein

Protein usually tends to fill you up more. Thus by eating a smaller quantity, you feel satiated. Protein also helps maintain muscle mass while losing weight. This can prevent the “skinny fat” look most people get when they lose weight. Maintaining muscle while losing weight is the key to looking good.

3.       Exercise

Exercising can help burn more calories thus allowing you to be able to eat a little more. That doesn’t mean you can eat that dessert after dinner just because you ran 30 minutes on the treadmill. A donut is 300 calories. A 30 min jog burns about 250 calories. 30 minutes of hard work undone by a few moments of gluttony.

4.       Follow a diet that you enjoy

Doing something you don’t like will only set you up for failure. Keto, Intermittent fasting, paleo, flexible dieting are some of the popular diets followed by people worldwide. Some people find great results with keto while others find that It leaves them tired and unmotivated. Try finding something that works for you.

By following the above steps, you should start seeing your weight go down. If it isn’t, then you are probably counting your calories wrong and not moving as much as you think.
It takes time to visibly see the result. I would recommend you weigh yourself every day and try to lose about 0.5kg per week. This way you can hold yourself accountable for your weight loss and it also gives you a goal for each week, thus keeping you motivated.