It has been widely acknowledged that controlling energy balance is the key to weight loss. The easiest way to manipulate energy balance is to reduce intake.
What is energy balance? Simply the difference between energy consumed and energy expended over a certain period time. Energy here is measured in Calories (Kcals).
Therefore when I work with clients I aim to find the best way to control energy intake. THERE IS NO ONE BEST WAY TO DO THIS. This is where you distinguish a 'Coach' from a 'Personal Trainer'.
A coach should have multiple 'tools' to use with clients, rather than just 'their way'. When the only tool you have at your disposal is a hammer, you only see nails!
There are LOTS of ways to control intake, including: -
Counting calories: This could be through the use of fitness apps such as 'MyFitnessPal". Here a client is given a calorie target they aim to achieve on a consistent basis. Counting calories can be laborious, but I also find it an extremely useful tool for clients to understand the calorie content of foods they like to eat. It is educational in this sense.
Substituting foods: For example, aiming to cut out calorie dense foods, especially calorie dense foods that provide little in the way of nutrients (such as junk food) and replacing with foods with a far lower calorie content. For example, replacing your mid-afternoon biscuit with a piece of fruit. Replacing your soft drink with water. This method involves no counting of calories, but you are lowering intake by opting for foods that are naturally lower in calories and far more nutrient dense (such as vegetables, fruit, meat, fish etc).
Using a dietary approach that eliminates certain foods (such as Paleo, Ketogenic etc): For some people adopting a rigid dietary approach can work really well. Some people need the mindset of being 'on' a diet to adhere to the plan. Often the reasons diets such as the Paleo diet work well is that force better dietary choices because of their restrictive nature. For example, on the Paleo diet, you cannot eat dairy or gluten or processed sugar. As a result you cannot eat a whole swathe of foods such as sweets, chocolate, biscuits, cakes, pastries, pies etc. The focus is on whole foods that are unprocessed, so as a result people will tend to consume far fewer calories.
Changing your food environment to assist with healthier eating: Here I borrow heavily from the great work of Brian Wansink who has written extensively about people's 'food radius' in his book 'Mindless Eating'. Wansink's argument is that you cannot solely rely on will-power all the time to lose weight. By constantly saying 'no' to tempting food and feeling like you are constantly depriving yourself, you erode away at your will power, and at some point, it will give. His argument is that we must adjust our environments (home, work, supermarket) so that we don't have to keep making choices. Here are just a few examples from his book: -
-Make your kitchen less loungeable: The more you hang-out in your kitchen, the more you’ll eat. take out comfy chairs, televisions, iPads etc.
-Make Tempting food Invisible and Inconvenient: When food is out of sight, it is out of mind. Studies have shown over and over that the most visible foods are the one’s you eat first and eat most.
-You’re three times more likely to eat the first food you see in the cupboard than the fifth one. So re-arrange your cupboards and fridge so that the first foods you see are the one’s that are best for you. A radical recommendation is to move your pantry to a different room in the house, ideally somewhere that is inconvenient to get to. This makes it less browsable for a snack. It makes you think twice before grabbing food off the shelf. It also makes you walk a few more steps to reach the food.
-Make your kitchen easier to cook in - clutter free, well lit etc.
““It is easier to change your eating environment than to change your mind”
”
-People who multitask whilst eating - surfing the net, watching TV etc - usually means one-armed eating. This means we gravitate towards finger foods we can eat easily and mindlessly with one hand.
-Try wrapping appetising food in aluminium foil - this makes the food non-visible and therefore you will be much less likely to snack from it. The healthier the food is, the clearer the packaging you should use to store it.
-If we shop when we are hungry, we don’t buy more, but we buy worse. When we’re hungry, we buy foods that are convenient enough to eat right away and will stop our cravings. We want packages we can open and eat with our left hand while we drive home.
-Half plate rule: You can put whatever you want on one half of the plate, provided the other half of the plate consists of fruits, vegetables and salads.
Use dietary approaches that place time constraints on eating (such as Intermittent Fasting): Fasting can have many health benefits, but when it comes to weight loss there is nothing magical about it. Approaches like the 'Lean Gains' Intermittent Fasting and the '5:2' diet merely reduce the amount of time each day/week that we spend eating. As a result we will naturally consume fewer calories.
Preparing food rather than buying food out: I'm a huge proponent of trying to have my clients prepare at least some of their food each week, to avoid having to buy every meal out & risk making poor choices, particularly if having a busy, stressful day. Preparing food in advance removes the decision-making component & gives you full control over what you are eating and how much you consume.
If buying food out making more conscious choices of where you buy food: That being said, it is unrealistic to expect everybody to be carrying tupperware around with them at all times. Often people have to eat out as part of their job, entertaining clients etc. In these scenarios it is good to know places that serve healthier food options. We are lucky to live in parts of the world where we have great, healthy and nutritious food readily available.
The solution to being overweight isn't simple 'eat less'. In my opinion this is pointless advice, akin to telling a smoker to just 'stop'. Instead my role is to assist my clients to consume fewer calories using any of the options above (sometimes several at once). At the same time it is important to educate people on WHY you are using the approach you decide on.
“The solution to being overweight isn’t simply ‘eat less’. In my opinion this is pointless advice, akin to telling a smoker to just ‘stop’””
The best solution will be different for everyone depending on individual circumstances, goals, motivations, dieting history, available resources etc. It's the job of a coach to find the best solution for their clients, no matter the limitations imposed.