I bet you’ve asked yourself this question at least once. You’re scrolling through Instagram, and you see your friend from high school who has a six-pack and wonder how the hell they got there.

Did they have a personal trainer? Were they born with great genes? Are they on a weird diet that you could never stick to?

Maybe all of the above – but, more than likely, it took a whole lot of hard work, dedication, and consistency. But the thing is, there are so many opinions about how to lose weight – it can be hard to know what’s best.

Some people say you should cut out all carbs, and others advocate for hours of cardio every day. So what’s the truth? What’s the best way to lose weight and keep it off? Keep reading to find out!

The Fad Diet Era

Fad diets have emerged as seemingly easy solutions for fat loss. One thing they all have in common is the promise of quick and easy results with little effort on the dieter’s part.

However, these diets are often unbalanced and can lead to weight gain in the long run. They can also be dangerous, as they may not provide all of the nutrients needed for optimal health and performance.

The most common fad diets are keto, carnivore, detox, vegan and raw food diets.

There is a lot to say about all of these approaches to nutrition, so keep reading if you’d like to learn more!

Excluding Certain Foods

Besides fad diets, another ‘theory’ about successful weight loss is that it involves completely excluding certain foods from one’s diet plan.

Many people believe that excluding foods like bread, fizzy drinks, and sugar from their diet is the key to weight loss.

However, this is not always the case. In fact, some of these “unhealthy” foods can actually be detrimental to your weight-loss goals. Why? Because they are your stepping stone of pleasure and enjoyment of food, leading you to stick to your plan! So, if certain diets and excluding foods from your nutrition plan are not the ‘key’ to weight-loss… What is?

Let’s start by understanding how the body works!

The Fundamental Principle

Losing weight is hard. It takes a lot of time and effort and can be frustrating when you don’t see results. But more often than not, it is so because most people focus on the wrong things when they’re trying to lose weight, which makes the process even harder than it has to be.

There is a concept that you can follow and get results for certain. That concept is referred to as “eating in a caloric deficit.” When you eat in a caloric deficit, you consume fewer calories than your body is burning. This creates a “deficit” of sorts and forces your body to start burning fat for energy to compensate for the deficit of energy. It’s really that simple.

You can use a macro calculator like the one on traininginthebay.com, which provides information on your maintenance calories and a suggested caloric deficit (around 500 calories per day less than maintenance).

However, you should know that this is just an approximate calculation.

To determine the exact calories you need to be in a deficit of 500 calories, experiment with food amounts until you reach the point where you lose about 1 lb per week.

And Some Details…

When it comes to weight loss, calories are not the only important thing. Macronutrients matter, too. Protein, carbohydrates, and fat are all important for losing weight and keeping it off. It’s essential to have a balanced diet that includes all of these macronutrients. Think of it this way – protein means recovery, fat means hormonal balance, and carbohydrates mean energy.

Generally speaking, you should aim for 0.8-1g of protein per lb of body weight and about 0.45g of fat per lb. After calculating protein and fat, the remaining calories can be used for carbohydrates.

However, don’t over-fixate on calculating every bite that goes into your mouth. Focus on being active, eating good foods in reasonable amounts, and getting good sleep.

Include Diet Breaks!

When trying to lose weight, regular diet breaks can be a good option. This allows your metabolism to rest and avoid any potential plateaus. However, a diet break doesn’t mean completely neglecting your diet and ditching everything you’ve done so far. It only means doing everything you’ve done thus far with a caloric deficit but eating slightly more so that you are at maintenance calories.

That is, during a diet break, no significant and drastic changes in weight must be observed. A diet break can be taken every 3-4 weeks for 10-14 days, after which the normal deficit should be continued.

Conclusion

So, if you’re looking to slim down and want to do it the healthy way, forget about all those gimmicky diets out there that promise quick results. The only true path to weight loss is through a caloric deficit, consuming enough protein, fats, and carbs, and exercising well.

We hope this post has helped clear up some of the confusion around weight loss. Now, go put what you’ve learned into action!