What is the best diet for weight loss? Being someone who’s tried many different diets and failed many times, I can shed some light in what I think the best diet for weight loss is.
While many different diets require certain foods for you to adhere to, it truly comes down to your calorie intake that determines whether you lose or gain weight. Enjoy paleo foods? Love clean eating? Or do you like to cram all your meals into a short window (intermittent fasting)? All these approaches work, providing you’re eating the right number of calories you require daily to either lose or gain weight.
The problem comes when people follow a diet to then only go off track because it is not sustainable. Can you see yourself following the diet you’re on for the rest of your life? Because if the answer is no, then it’s an undeniable fact you’ll eventually quit and go back to your bad eating habits.
Should you cut out the crap for weight loss?
A common misconception people often think is that in order to lose weight, you need to avoid all bad foods altogether. They think it’s not how much you eat, but what you eat which is simply not true. Let’s use the example below to make my point.
We have two males who are about the same age, weight, and burn roughly the same number of calories on a daily basis base. They both require 2,200 calories in order to lose weight. Both consume on a daily basis two well balanced meals of 800 calories each which consists of chicken breast, brown rice and vegetables. On top of this, one male has 2 chocolate bars of roughly 200 calories each which still keeps him within his calorie requirements. The other male has another 800 calorie meal of chicken breast, brown rice and vegetables which pushes him over his calorie requirement for weight loss.
After 4 weeks, who do you think is going to lose weight? It must be the guy who stuck to healthy “clean” foods right? Wrong!
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What determines weight loss?
Many studies have shown that being in a calorie deficit ultimately determines whether someone loses weight or not. What this means is flexibility in your diet implementing foods you enjoy while still being in a calorie deficit is the best diet for weight loss.
This doesn’t mean though that you can just eat purely junk and processed foods and still get results. Everything should be in moderation. Eating a snickers bar for breakfast, a greasy burger for lunch and pizza with ice cream for dinner isn’t going to help. The body still needs a sufficient number of micronutrients and ideal sources of protein, carbs and fats in order to function in a healthy manner.
If you’re eating pure junk, there’s a good chance you’ll feel like crap, and of course train like crap during workouts. Not only this, but these high calorie options can easily push you over your required intake as they’re not as filling as options such as vegetables, salads and whole unprocessed foods.
The best diet for weight loss is the one you can stick to
So, to conclude, when you prep your own meals make sure to include the foods you enjoy. Add some flavour and variety, and don’t be afraid to include some of your favourite snacks and treats. Be flexible with your food choices providing you’re getting enough micronutrients, a good balance of macronutrients and eating the right number of calories according to your requirements.
Moderation and flexibility are key to living a healthy lifestyle and staying on track with your goals.
Remember that you don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen to prep meals. Have no time to prepare your meals and stay on track? Our range of delicious premade fresh meals are designed to help you reach your fitness goals, by providing you with the dietary requirements required for any regular gym goer or bodybuilder.
