Find my top 5 ways to lose weight without counting calories

Calorie Deficit = Fat Loss

How many calories are you eating? You have to count your macros to receive the best results! Make sure to track this meal, that condiment, this drink! Track track track track.

Constantly tracking?

What if I told you, you can lose fat without counting calories? Would you believe me? Culture preaches that you must count calories to make sure you are in a calorie deficit. Culture says counting macros is the best way to lose fat. I’m not going to lie, I preach it myself. I, personally, have had fantastic results counting calories and keeping track of my protein intake. This does not mean everyone else enjoys tracking.

So, lucky you! There is another fantastic way to lose fat without counting calories. Keep reading to find my top 5 ways to lose weight without counting calories.

TIP 1: Add 25g protein to every meal

In my opinion, protein plays the highest role in fat loss. Protein is a macronutrient that helps aid muscle growth and preservation. Eating protein before or after your training session helps your damaged muscle tissue rebuild and repair which makes those muscle fibers grow.

Did you know, the more muscle you have the higher your metabolism is because muscle burns more calories than fat!

NOTE: this is not a dramatic difference between the calories burned, but muscle still burns more. This is why strength training plays such an important role in fat loss, but that is another blog for another day.

So, how much protein should you be consuming? I have found that aiming to eat at least 25g of protein with every meal is ideal!

The more protein you consume, the less hungry you will feel which is huge when losing weight. Protein also has a satiating effect which means you feel fuller, longer. Protein also has a higher amount of a thing called a thermogenic effect. This means your body actually burns more calories digesting protein in your body! So basically you are burning extra calories for free!

TIP 2: Include a carb, fat, and vegetable source to every meal

Add a carb source to every meal?!?!? *gasps*

Hello, yes you read that right! Add a carb source, a fat source, and a vegetable source (or two) to every. single.meal. Hitting your macros can still be accomplished without even counting macros!

Here’s the thing. Why would you get rid of a food source when there is absolutely no reason to? Why not enjoy the foods you love and lose weight? That is also a whole other topic, that we ain’t got the time for right now. Anywho, let’s get down to how much of each of these to add to every meal:

CARB SOURCE:

For your carb source, try to aim around a fist size portion for your carb source. Some fantastic carb sources include oats, rice (white, brown, yellow, whatever you want), whole wheat grains, and one of my personal favorites, potatoes.

NOTE: this list is not exhaustive, just some of my favorite options

FAT SOURCE:

For your fat source try to aim around a thumb tip portion. For one gram of fat, it equals 9 calories. It is the most calorie dense (more calories) macronutrient. While it contains more calories, it is still essential to consume and should be included in your diet!

For the thumb tip portion, this goes for any oils you may use to cook with. Some of my favorites include olive oil and avocado oil. (You can also purchase spray oils that have zero calories AYEE).

Some of my favorite fats to include in my diet are avocados (in moderation, 1 avocado = 250 calories), nuts fall into this category, butter, (I use countryside because I like it), some meat and dairy products! Fats are not only essential for your overall diet, but they also make your food taste 100x better.

VEGETABLE SOURCE:

No, vegetables are not a macronutrient. They contain them, but they are not a macronutrient.

Vegetables are a nutrient dense food group which means they contain a large amount of nutrients, but don’t hurt the calorie intake. You can eat vegetables in large quantities and not consume many calories.

NOTE: You can still gain weight if you eat extremely – and I mean extremely– amounts of vegetables, because you still have to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight.

Vegetables are life savers when eating in a calorie deficit. Eating more vegetables fills your stomach more which sends signals to your brain that you are full!

Imagine it like this, you have two large bowls. One bowl is full of popped popcorn and the other is full of unpopped popcorn kernels. Which one do you think will weigh less, but take up more space? The popped popcorn. This is how vegetables work. They take up more room in your stomach, but “weigh” (have less calories) so you can eat vegetables in larger quantities and be consuming less calories. Cool, right? Yep. I thought so too.

TIP 3: Eat fruit for snacks

Not only are fruit nature’s candy, but they are also low in calories! There is so much misinformation about the sugar and carbs in fruit being bad.

Let me ask you this, how many people do you know have gained weight by eating too much fruit? If I had to guess your answer I would say none. Fruits, like vegetables, are a high nutrient food option which means they contain a lot of nutrients and are low in calories.

One of my top recommendations is to consume your fruit as snacks. When you go grocery shopping, gather 3-4 different fruits. When you get home, immediately cut and clean the fruit and prepare them for the week so that you just have to open the refrigerator and go! Throughout the week combine the fruit into one large bowl to make your own fruit bowl. Here’s a motto for ya: “A large fruit bowl a day keeps the fat gain AWAY”.

TIP 4: Drink, drink, drink that water

I’m not about to tell you how much water to drink to the exact number. Why? Because everyone does not require the same amount of water.

One tip I give my clients is to check the color of the water after you go to the bathroom (#1 haha). Is it clear? You’re good! Is it dark yellow? Drink that water!

Something else I recommend is to always have water sitting in reach. When you begin to feel hungry, drink a large glass of water. Sometimes, our bodies send signals that we are hungry when we are actually just dehydrated and need water. A classic tip for losing weight is to drink a large glass of water before your meals. This, like vegetables/fruits, fills your stomach and tells your brain that you are full.

TIP 5: Go for a walk every day

Last, but not least, something I have recently started programming for my clients is a walk a day.

Walking is one of the most underrated forms of physical activity. Not only is walking amazing for helping you lose weight, but it is also excellent in helping you receive vitamin D (if you are walking outside). And helps boost your mental health. Annnd it is much easier on your joints!

If you are new to walking, make it fun. Set a target amount of walking. You could choose something like walking for 5 minutes every day or walking around your house 5 times a day! Make it fun and realistic! If you are an experienced walker, increase your speed or begin walking on inclines/declines.

Time for you to take action!

If you are tired of counting calories then implement these tips! I guarantee you, if you start incorporating these into your everyday habits you will see results without the headache of wondering how many calories every bite you are taking is.

What is keeping you from reaching your goals? If you want to see progress, you must be consistent and make lifestyle changes!

So, main points of this article:

25g Protein Every Meal
Carb Source Every Meal (fist size portion)
Vegetable Source Every Meal (two fist size portion)
Eat Fruits For Snacks
Drink Enough Water
Go On a Daily Walk

If you have any questions do not be afraid to reach out to me via email ([email protected]) or on my facebook page (Lauren Feagin Online Personal Training) or my instagram (laurenfeagin.cpt)