3 Simple Rules to Stay Slim Forever

DIETING DOESN'T WORK FOR MOST PEOPLE. The gross market expansion of the weight loss industry is evidence of this, as it loosens its belt from $192 billion in 2019 to a predicted $295 billion by 2027 .

Information overload

Heaping information on people is an effective way of reducing their retention. Someone's interest in a subject ends up in the little bin under the kitchen sink. When we’re talking about diet, this lack of interest means people might stop caring about their health, outwardly at least. Apathy can be the start of a downward spiral that sees an individual joining the ranks of the majority; overweight people.

As a registered nutritionist and personal trainer with two decades of experience behind me, I find simplicity is key when keeping clients compliant with their weight loss goals. So, here are three simple things to remember when selecting your foods to help you stick with it.

1. Base your meals around protein

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that protein foods are just that — a source of protein. The best sources are bursting with nutrients and, this is important, they hold the key that locks away not just snacking but overeating. That key is satiety.

You may have noticed I italicized the word ‘foods’ above. This is because I do not include pea protein, rice protein, soy protein and other highly processed plant-based products that offer protein in an inferior package . These products may fulfil a need for those on a lacking diet, but they do not compare to our most ancient and vital foods and fail to provide so many micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) that are left wanting in modern diets.

Animals of all shapes and sizes have made up the human diet since before we could scribble hunting stickmen (stickpeople?) onto cave walls. They’re not only full of the most essential and bioavailable amino acids (broken down protein), but they come with the very micronutrients many of us lack . Of particular importance, are B vitamins .

Satisfaction guaranteed

Protein is the most satiating macronutrient — there are three macronutrients proteins, carbohydrates and fats. That means the higher your meal is in protein, the more likely you will feel content and happy afterwards.

The importance of that response is impossible to overstate because satisfied people stop eating and don’t think about it again until they’re hungry; typically just in time for the next proper meal.

Making protein the centrepiece of every meal will help you stick to two or three meals per day. Snacking — when we’re being honest, is about eating highly palatable junk foods, even those disguised as healthy, whilst promising ourselves an extra twenty minutes on the elliptical — should be confined to your old self.

The beauty of eating a good source of protein and nutrients is that it’s hard to overeat because of its satisfying effect. If you don’t believe me, eat nothing but steak as much as you like for a month and watch the weight drop off you — that’s not a recommendation, I’m just making a point. But protein isn’t the only thing that makes animal foods a great choice for dieters.

2. Choose the most nutrient-dense foods

As mentioned earlier, animal foods come with a host of important micronutrients which also play a role in satiety whilst helping us choose foods more wisely — because being nourished reduces cravings and hunger pangs.

Not far off eight hundred people were asked to complete a survey about their experience of hunger. Firstly when eating a diet low in micronutrients — the standard American diet, which bubbles over with high energy, low nutrient junk foods — and secondly, when eating a nutrient-dense diet made up of whole food ingredients. Here’s a quote from the research published in the Nutrition Journal of Biomed Central:

Hunger was not an unpleasant experience while on the high nutrient density diet, was well tolerated and occurred with less frequency even when meals were skipped. Nearly 80% of respondents reported that their experience of hunger had changed since starting the high nutrient density diet, with 51% reporting a dramatic or complete change in their experience of hunger.

What are nutrient-dense foods?

When trying to lose body fat, your focus should be on those foods with the most nutrients without loading you up with excessive energy (calories). In other words, foods that have an excellent nutrient-to-energy ratio. Try building meals from the list below — feel free to add other foods as long as they fit into the same high nutrient, low energy model. Notice the complete absence of processed foods:

• Leafy greens (kale, spinach, watercress, Swiss chard, parsley, etc.)
• Oily fish (Wild salmon, trout, sardines etc.)
• Offal (Liver, kidneys, heart, etc.)
• Red meat (beef, goat, lamb, etc.)
• Bi-valves (oysters, mussels, clams, etc.)
• Berries (Blueberries, blackberries, etc.)
• Cruciferous vegetables (Brocolli, asparagus, cauliflower, etc.)
• Other stuff (Garlic, seaweed, herbs, very dark chocolate, egg yolks, etc.)

Researchers looking at the most micronutrient-dense foods to directly address today's common deficiencies, provide the chart below.

The numbers (Liver 11/7, Spleen 62/54 etc.) represent the amount in calories and grams of that particular food ‘needed to provide an average of one-third of recommended intakes of vitamin A, folate, vitamin B12, calcium, iron, and zinc for women of reproductive age.’.

Liver, atop the summit, epitomizes what I’m saying. It’s low in energy and is so nutrient-dense that it messes up the scale on comparative charts where so-called superfoods are listed against it.

Whole grains, often touted as a healthy cornerstone for any and all diets, provide 1768 calories which is a whopping fraction of your daily needs— women depending on their age and level of exercise typically need between 1600 and 2400 per day . Men between about 2000 and 3000 — whilst providing only a third of your recommended intakes of those essential nutrients mentioned above the chart.

Whole grains are not a source of complete protein either. And, when we’re being realistic about bread, how easy is it to overeat? Slamming two slices of buttery toast down your Gregory Peck (neck) whilst your pasta cooks is deliciously easy and so forgettable.

But, of course, you can’t eat liver all the time and may not want to at all. So choose another nutritious centrepiece like your favourite oily fish and surround it with nutrient-dense choices like leafy greens. Add a little fat to taste allowing yourself more if you’ve chosen something lean. And remember, you must leave the table satisfied or you’re in a fight that you will eventually lose.

If you choose a good lean source of protein that is less nutrient-dense, like chicken breast, then try combining it with a large salad bursting with nutritious and tasty things like avocado, beetroot, spring onions, garlic, and maybe a little feta cheese.

Obviously adding fat to things is an easy way of increasing the total energy of a meal, so make sure that fat, including most dairy, is contributing to the overall taste and nutrient content of the meal — healthy fats contain fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E & K) and other essential nutrients like omega 3s.

3. Be in an energy deficit

Calories are like grid lines on a map. They’re not there in reality (see the bannered article below), but they do help you find your way. Unless someone feels really lost, I don’t encourage calorie counting for my clients because when they select foods based on these three rules they generally don’t have to.

There are variables — like particular gut floras and insulin resistance — which add complexity to the overly simplistic calories in calories out model, but this means you’ll just have to use trial and error to dial in your level of energy deficit. Everyone does.

Dialling in your personal energy requirements is easiest when repeating the same few meals and completely avoiding ‘cheat meals’ which just mess up the whole process. Once you’ve found a few meals that work for you, i.e. that you enjoy, are satisfying and nutritious, and that you can realistically prepare often you’ve nailed it.

This process takes about two weeks, during that time you’ll need to be prepared and stick to your guns. After that, it gets a lot easier.

Be realistic

When thinking about the energy food contains, you must be realistic about the portion you’re actually going to eat. We’re told by cereal manufacturers that a portion is between twenty-five and thirty grams. They do this to make their junk seem like a low-calorie option, but in reality people eat closer to three times that — which happens to be nearer the portion depicted on the front of the box .

This portion is closer to 90 grams, three times the size of the recommended portion on the back of the cereal box. Photo by Sten Ritterfeld on Unsplash

It’s all very well pouring out the pathetic thirty-gram portion when five minutes later you repeat, and then repeat again and still leave the breakfast table wanting more. This lack of satisfaction has you diverting via Starbucks before work for some coffee-based drink with more calories than a Macdonald's Happy meal .

If you want to know why cereal is about as satisfying as watching your favourite TV show on fast forward, read #1 again.

Let's talk about carbs

By default, when you decide to go low-carb (lower than the guidelines) you’re cutting out junk foods because the vast majority are based on carb-rich processed grains and sugars. This means a low-carb approach fits nicely into our high nutrient: low energy ratio.

Potatoes are a pretty nutritious choice but typically have fats added (often the most horribly reactive ) and in their most delicious guises — you know the ones —are hellishly moreish. In my opinion, this makes avoiding them, at least until you’ve achieved your ideal body composition, sensible.

This can be said for all starchy carbohydrates, which include grains of all kinds and their products (bread, pasta, cereals, biscuits, cakes, rice etc.) No one eats these things on their own, fats are either already included or added by us during preparation. This combination of fats and starches is delicious but lacks the satiating effect of complete proteins so they’re easy to binge on.

Foods made from these ingredients are highly profitable and may be disguised as health foods — keeps your eyes peeled for ‘sporty’ bars, and outdoorsy illustrations on cereal boxes. These products are an excellent way of consuming too many calories whilst getting almost no protein and few nutrients. In other words, the antithesis of what I’m recommending.

Wrap up

I didn’t want to add too much technical detail to avoid information overload and because dieting shouldn’t require a spreadsheet. Obesity is a modern phenomenon, you do not need to count calories to succeed if you eat unprocessed, highly nutritious and satisfying foods. Be realistic about those foods that are easy to overeat and exclude them based on your own experiences of bingeing.

Make a whole food, nutrient-dense protein source central to each meal and surround it with your favourite nourishing vegetables and some fruits. Add enough fat to justify its addition considering the nutrients and flavour it supplies. Always feel satisfied after a meal so you’re not overeating energy, battling hunger pangs and snacking.

Expect a few weeks of trial and error to dial in the right level of energy deficit required to improve your body composition. Wait until you've reached your personal goal before adding in healthy carbs like potatoes.