Optimizing your Diet for Weight Loss

Pt. 3: Building a Sustainable Diet Model

---

Intro to Weight Loss

Weight loss is fundamentally dependent on two variables. Calories being consumed and calories being expended. To lose weight, the number of calories being consumed must be less than the number of calories being expended. This is what we call being in a calorie deficit. Because the equation relies on two variables, we can manipulate each of them separately or together to create the calorie deficit. Namely, we can decrease calorie consumption by decreasing food intake, increase calorie expenditure by exercising, or decrease food intake and perform regular exercise.

Recent studies have concluded that combining a solid cardiovascular and resistance training program with a healthy diet improves metabolic parameters, longevity, and led to successful weight loss. For clients with limited to no experience dieting or losing weight, I recommend they spend 1-6 months optimizing their diet before starting a regular exercise program. This is because it can be tricky to change only your diet, so it can be extremely overwhelming to change both diet and add a new habit into your life. The 1-6 month window gives the client time to make dieting a habit, thus when they are ready to go to the gym, they are less stressed and able to make more out of the experience.

In order to compound diet and training atop each other, you must build a strong foundation in either. It is like building a house on sand. You may be able to live in it for a few months, but upon arrival of the first storm, your house will be swept away. Building a strong foundation when dieting is dependent on sustainability, nutrient intake, and tracking your progress.

---

Sustainability

As discussed in The Weight Loss Journey, we know that steady weight loss decreases the likelihood of binging episodes. The sustainability aspect of losing weight allows for prolonged weight loss, better maintenance after the weight loss phase, and improved skills in building better habits. However, this is easier said than done. Building a diet that contains important macro/micronutrients goes against the typical western diet,

often rich in saturated fats, processed foods, and simple sugars. Not only is the switch in diet socially difficult, it is also psychologically difficult. Going against the mainstream media and having to isolate your environment can be detrimental to your psychology, which can lead to a buildup of emotions and eventually a binging episode. Going with this, modern western culture is flooded with fast food on every corner and processed calorie-dense foods all over the grocery store. Fortunately, there are practical changes that can help make your diet more sustainable.

The first approach is to maximize food volume. A common mistake is confusing food volume with food calories. For example, eating one pint of ice cream can be over 1000 calories, whereas the same volume of a vegetable may be a maximum of 200 calories. In this scenario, you are physically eating the same food volume (mass/amount) but by eating the vegetable; you are drastically reducing your caloric intake.

Now that you know food volume does not equate to caloric value, you can structure your diet to include at least one high-volume food item per meal. For example, if you aim to eat 350 calories for meal one, it may look something like this:

Food Item	Calories	Volume Rating
3 Large Eggs	210	Low
200g Egg Whites	104	Very High
4oz Spinach	30	Very High

In this example, there are 2 high volume foods, namely egg whites and spinach. This meal also has a good distribution of fats (eggs), protein (egg whites), and vitamin K (spinach). For those who enjoy eating carbohydrates in the morning, an example may look like this:

Food Item	Calories	Volume Rating
2 Large Eggs	140	Low
200g Egg Whites	104	High
4oz Spinach	30	Very High
1/2 Cup Oatmeal	150	Medium

Including the oatmeal adds valuable carbohydrates and other nutrients while still being a low calorie meal by excluding 1 egg. Both meals are great options, however, mixing and matching food preferences are a necessity for sustainability. If you don’t enjoy eating eggs, find a food similar in terms of nutrients or calories that you enjoy eating.

Building a sustainable diet for weight loss can be tricky, and it can often take months to find a subset of healthy foods you enjoy. After learning about how to manipulate food volume, the next step is tracking your daily food intake so we can clearly see patterns.

---

Tracking Your Food

Tracking your food intake is important for several reasons. First, it acts as an accountability agent, making it more likely for you to adhere to your diet. Second, it allows for long-term pattern analysis of your diet. You can see how your diet has developed. Lastly, it can provide valuable insight into micro/macronutrient intake, both of which are important for health. For example, if you are eating lots of dairy products one week and are having gastrointestinal issues, then you can clearly correlate the problem. If you were not tracking your food, it can be easily forgotten hence leading to a longer time dealing with the issue, resulting in mental stress and increasing your likelihood of failure.

Perhaps the easiest method for tracking your food intake is by utilizing an app like cronometer. Cronometer is a free app that tracks your food and analyzes your nutrient intake.

---

Nutrient Intake

The last step in building a sturdy foundation upon which you can start building a better diet is in regards to nutrient intake. A nutrient is a substance that is needed to promote growth and maintenance. Simply put, you need nutrients to live. However, just receiving the bare minimum is not optimal for health. A lack of nutrients can lead to several different diseases but more commonly slight deficiencies may promote unhealthy mechanisms in the body. For example, a lack of vitamin K can promote an osteopathic state. It is crucial to receive nutrients at proper doses, especially while dieting since our bodies will be running on fewer calories. Therefore, those calories must be nutrient-dense to promote fat loss and health.

There are several classes of nutrients. Perhaps the more popular are macronutrients. These are simply nutrients needed in abundance (grams). The most commonly known macronutrients are protein, carbohydrates, fats, and fiber.

---

Protein

Protein intake should be around 1.6-1.8g/kg body weight, for example, a 165lb male (74.8kg) should be eating 120-135 grams of protein per day. Protein is important for the maintenance of skeletal muscle, cell integrity, growth, and repair. Good sources of protein are lean cuts of animal meat, namely, chicken breast, ground beef, and steak. Other sources include peas, egg whites, and milk.

---

Fats

Fats are crucial for many physiological and anatomical reasons. Some of the most important molecules in our bodies, hormones, are made from cholesterol. Without cholesterol, testosterone and estradiol levels would be crushed. Fats are also important for energy storage and insulation. A great place to start is 35% of your total calories coming from fats. Great sources of fat include eggs, sunflower seeds, animal meats, and extra virgin olive oil.

---

Carbohydrates and Fiber

Carbohydrates are extremely important for the body. They act primarily as fuel sources. Complex carbohydrates can be broken down by digestive enzymes into glucose, a direct fuel source. Carbohydrates are also used in cell signaling and recognition. Good carbohydrate sources include oatmeal, sweet potatoes, fruits, and beans. It may be important to eat carbs in a timely manner, shuttling carbohydrates closer to the evening. The purpose of doing this is based solely on cognitive performance. Meals higher in carbs may negatively affect productivity.

Fiber is an important micronutrient. It provides fuel for your macrobiota and promotes gut health. Good sources of fiber include oats, sweet potato, beans, and some fruit. One of the most beneficial supplements, psyllium husk, is a perfect source of fiber.

---

Micronutrients

As opposed to macronutrients, micronutrients are substances needed in small amounts, think milligrams, not grams. Some popular examples are magnesium, B vitamins, vitamin D, potassium, and sodium. Maintaining micronutrient intake is especially important during weight loss because food intake is low. This decrease in food intake leads to fewer micronutrients being consumed. This is why choosing the right foods is crucial.

Micronutrient	Food Source	Amount from Food	Recommended Daily Intake (RDI)
Vitamin K	4oz Spinach	547 ug	120 ug
Magnesium	30g Chia Seeds	117 mg	400 mg
Potassium	100g banana	358 mg	3400 mg
Selenium	15g Brazil Nuts	479 ug	55 ug
Zinc	4oz Ground Beef	5.6 mg	11 mg
Vitamins B3 & B6	4oz Chicken Breast	14.1 mg B3 0.7 mg B6	16.0 mg B3 1.3 mg B6

---

Key Takeaways

When building your diet for weight loss, it is important to account for several factors. Some of these factors include sustainability and adequate nutrient intake. Sustainability in your diet is important. Being able to lose weight over time is crucial for your short- and long-term health. Your diet should also be rich in micronutrients like zinc, iron, and the b vitamins to maintain optimal metabolism and performance. Along with eating micronutrient rich foods, properly balancing macronutrients like protein, carbohydrates, and fats is equally important. Eating enough protein allows for muscle maintenance, carbohydrates for fuel, and fats for proper hormone production. Of course, different ratios exist between these macronutrients and finding which works the best for you will take time.

For personalized nutrition or training programs, feel free to email me at [email protected].

---