FAT LOSS WITHOUT THE CALORIE COUNTING
Counting calories got you going loco? Not sure where to start? Here is how to drop body fat WITHOUT calorie counting. Please note none of the steps involve taking fat burnerz, green tea extract or wearing a vibrating belt that ‘melts’ body fat. What it really comes down to in 4 simple steps is understanding:
1. What do you eat/drink now?
2. Where can you do better?
3. What does better look like?
4. How to do better.
First of all I want to make it very clear that science has shown us that calories count. My nutritional philosophy lies somewhere between knowing roughy how many calories you are putting in your mouth while focusing on nourishing your body with a diet made up of predominantly whole foods. Eating in this fashion will generally lower your total calories which in turn will lead to greater fat loss.
You can get great results counting calories. You can get great results not counting calories. If you’re game I do highly recommend you spend a few weeks counting calories as it will set you up for a life of a better understanding of what you’re putting in to your body but for those time poor individuals who just can’t see themselves ever doing it here is a quick guideline. (For those looking at exploring calorie counting you’ll need to purchase a food scale and download the app MyFitness Pal).
Just a disclaimer none of our body transformations have come from counting calories which is why I know the below methods work!
Step 1 – Nutritional Logging
Go grab a diary right now…. no seriously. Or you can even print one of these puppies out. Get started TODAY. Knowing your biggest roadblocks is the first step to successful fat loss and this will help you do just that. If you ‘couldn’t be bothered’ than maybe you should have a rethink about your goals and if you are actually wanting some leanness in your life. The reason people tend to struggle with fat loss is because it’s dressed up in a pair of overalls and looks like WORK. The old saying ‘if it was easy everyone would be doing it’ rings true here.
Once you’ve got your designated nutrition journal go ahead and log a one week period of everything you are eating and drinking.
Step 2 – Create Self Awareness
Now it’s time to review your nutrition log (or even better – send it to geoff@lordoftherig.com and we can do it for you). You’ll also start to notice some patterns forming. Eg – you may notice that when you’re busy at work you reach for the biscuits because they are right in front of you and you were too stressed out to get something fat loss friendly.
Most people think that they eat well but doing this is generally a pretty eye opening experience and most will tend to get a grasp of how much they are actually slipping up. Those 1 or 2 cheat meals you thought you were having looks more like 6 or 7. Now score your meals and snacks based on which you’d consider nutrient dense, high protein, high fruit and vegetable meals vs lower quality meals. Also score your drinks – did you drink mostly water or is there a lot of higher calorie beverages? What percentage were fat loss friendly and which weren’t?
Try locate the hidden calories and other foods that you thought were ‘healthy’ and minimise them. Was thinking of calling this article ‘THE SUPER SECRET FOODS MAKING YOU FAT THAT NO ONE WANTS YOU TO KNOW ABOUT’ but I held my tongue.
Common hidden calories:
Multiple milk based coffees per day
Alcohol (the old 2 glasses of wine per night really adds up and so does the 10+ beers on the weekend)
Soft drinks, sports drinks, iced coffees
Excessive carbohydrate intake (generally replacing fruits and vegetables)
Snacking on high carb, high fat low nutrient dense foods (biscuits, crackers, cheese)
Butter
Salad dressings (that creamy ranch dressing might be delicious but boy oh boy is it high calorie)
Common Not So Fat Loss Friendly Health Foods:
Sushi (sushi places actually put sugar in their sushi rice which is why it tastes so bloody good)
Sandwiches (generally high carb, lot’s of sauce and minimal vegetables
Breakfast cereal + milk
I’m not trying to hate on these foods and I preach everything in moderation but these are just some common foods I see people overeating thinking that they are ‘healthy’.
Step 3 – Understand What A Fat Loss Friendly Meal Looks Like
I’ve taken this graphic from Precision Nutrition. These guys are pros at making things super easy and clear. The aim of the game is to have high protein meals with fibrous vegetables and fruits with water to drink. Not rocket science but exceptionally affective.
Also knowing what to eat when you’re out at various restaurants can be very useful so here is a link to our ‘what to eat when you’re not sure’ guide.
Step 4 – Have Healthy Food on Standby (or make sure you know where to get it)
This minimises the chances you will be snacking on foods that are going to be detrimental to not only the rig but also your energy levels. The trick is to make sure they are convenient af requiring little to no prep. These should be staples in your weekly shop and should hold their own space in your section of the work fridge. We want you looking like this guy for your work lunches!
You can check out our snacking handbook by clicking here (many of our members have found this very handy).
Make sure you know of somewhere close by that can serve you up a healthy salad, omelette or meat and veg when you are in a pinch. We live in Sydney which is one of the most heath conscious cities in the world so if you haven’t found somewhere you just aren’t looking hard enough.
Well there you have it folks. Fat loss made simple. You can decide to take some action today and start moving closer towards your goals or you can put the fat loss on the back burner yet again. We know these methods work. You can even check out some of our amazing client results. If you have any other questions don’t hesitate to hit us up.
All the best in finding a leaner, healthier version of yourself 🙂