Flexible Dieting 101: Calories are King
"If you wanna feel better, blame others. If you wanna get better, blame yourself." - Alex Hormozi
This is email 1 of 5 of my Flexible Dieting 101 email course.
Flexible dieting is an approach to nutrition that prioritizes consuming primarily whole foods that are high in protein and fiber, while also allowing the flexibility to continue eating your favorite foods. While certain foods should be moderated, no food is completely off limits. Live and die by the 80/20 rule. Consume whole foods 80% of the time. Fill out the remaining 20% however you please. If you are trying to lose weight, push this ratio closer to 85/15 or 90/10. Yes, you can still eat pizza and drink beer (within reason).
Evidence-based research has proven time and time again that flexible dieting is the most sustainable approach to nutrition.
The first thing to understand: calories are the primary driver of weight change. No, you do not have to eliminate carbs to lose weight. No, you do not have to commit to crazy fasting techniques either. If those things work for you, great. But the reason they work is because they provide a framework to consume less calories. Think about it - if you eliminate carbs from your diet, you are simply consuming less food. And if you only eat in an 8 hour window every day, you have likely eliminated an entire meal and snacking windows, which results in consuming less food.
Weight management comes down to energy balance - it is a calorie game. You will gain body fat if you consistently consume more energy (calories) than you burn. If you consume less calories than you burn, you are in a calorie deficit. And if you are in a calorie deficit, you will lose weight. If you are not losing weight, it is because you are not in a calorie deficit. Full stop. Sorry, but you are not the exception to science.
So Hal, are you telling me I do not have to eliminate the foods I love and eat in a condensed window every day to improve my body composition? Yes, that is exactly what I am saying. This is the beauty of flexible dieting.
Straightforward advice: If you want to lose weight, start by consuming less food. Reduce your portion sizes by 25% on all meals for the next 2 weeks, and watch what happens.
However, if you want to preserve muscle and optimize your body composition while losing weight, there is a bit more to it than that. Macros do matter. And there is one that matters the most. I bet you can guess which one it is (hint: it starts with a P). More on that tomorrow.
Until then, stay well, Hal the Health Coach
