I started the year at 171lbs, and 7 months later I’m now at 144lbs. I’ve lost 27lbs in 29 weeks, which means I’ve lost around 1lb/week. I’ve learned a lot about diet and exercise, and I wanted to document all the diet strategies I’ve learned.

My Motivation to Lose Weight

My only motivation to lose weight is for the aesthetic of it. I want to be proud of my physique, and view myself as someone who works out and takes care of his appearance. I’ve gained and lost weight in the past, but I’ve never been at a very low body fat percentage.

Step 1: Counting Calories and Macronutrient Intake

The first step for me was to get a sense of how many calories I eat in a day without trying to lose weight. I logged everything I ate through MyFitnessPal and I learned that certain foods were more caloric than I expected (bread, pasta, etc) and certain foods were less caloric (fruits and vegetables). This also got me in the habit of tracking what I eat and paying attention to portion sizes.

The second step for me was to determine my Total Daily Energy Expenditure using a calculator (this one for example). For my weight and height, my TDEE at the time was 2400 calories. This roughly lined up with the calorie intake I measured using MyFitnessPal.

The third step was to come up with a calorie goal and a macronutrient goal. A pound of fat generally stores 3500 calories, so it takes a daily 500 calorie deficit to lose 1lb per week. From the previous step, my TDEE was 2400 calories, so my goal was to eat less than 1900 calories. For macronutrients, a gram of protein contains 4 calories of energy, a gram of carbs contains 4 calories, and a gram of fat contains 9 calories. It’s a good idea to eat 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass, and to eat a minimum of 0.3 grams of fat per pound of body weight to maintain hormone function. This puts my macronutrient goal at ~140 grams of protein, ~50 grams of fat, and ~220 grams of carbs. The most important goal is the calories, next is the protein, and the breakdown of carbs vs fat doesn’t matter too much as long as I’m eating a minimum of 50 grams of fat.

Beware that losing weight faster than 1lb/week increases the risk of rebounding, since your body has less time to adapt to your new weight, and your diet is likely harder to sustain.

Step 2: Getting Enough Protein Without Eating Too Many Calories

It’s tough getting adequate protein as a vegetarian, and it’s even harder to be in a caloric deficit at the same time. It takes a lot of planning, shopping, and cooking to come up with meals that will give me enough protein without excess carbs and fat. Lentils and chickpeas have too many carbs, Impossible burgers are too fatty, and protein powder tastes bad and isn’t satiating. My rule of thumb is that a meal is good if the ratio of proteins to calories is 1:12 or better. Here are some meal options that have worked for me:

Breakfast Options

  1. Kodiak Oatmeal with Milk
    • Kodiak Oatmeal is 190cal and 12g protein
    • Fairlife Milk is 27cal and 4g protein for 1/3rd cup
    • Total: 217cal with 16g protein (ratio: 1 to 13)
  2. Catalina Crunch Cereal with Fat-Free Milk
  3. Veggie Sausage and Ketchup
  4. JUST Egg Omelette
    • JUST Egg is 187cal and 13g protein
    • Fat-free Mozzarella is 45cal and 9g protein
    • Spinach is 0cal and 0g protein
    • Chives is 0cal and 0g protein
    • Total: 232cal and 22g protein (ratio: 1 to 11)

Lunch/Dinner Options

  1. Quest Protein Pizza
    • Total: 650cal and 54g protein (ratio: 1 to 12)
  2. Protein Pasta and Veggie Meatballs
  3. Daring Chicken Tikka Masala Salad
    • Daring Chicken is 90cal and 14g protein
    • Tikka Masala Sauce is 60cal and 1g protein
    • Spinach is 0cal and 0g protein
    • Total: 150cal and 15g protein (ratio: 1 to 10)
  4. Sandwich
    • Keto Bread is 70cal and 8g protein
    • Low-fat Cheddar is 90cal and 8g protein
    • Condiments (calorie-free ketchup, mustard, pickles, etc) are negligible calories
    • Total: 160cal and 16g protein (ratio: 1 to 10)

Dessert Options

  1. Tasty Pastry is 180cal and 20g protein (ratio: 1 to 9)
  2. Greek Yogurt and Berries
    • Fat-free Greek Yogurt is 90cal and 18g protein
    • Strawberries are 16cal and 0g protein for 4 berries
    • Splenda or calorie-free maple syrup to add sweetness are 0cal and 0g protein
    • Total: 106cal and 18g protein (ratio: 1 to 6)

Snack Options

  1. Egg White Wrap with Cheese and Mustard
    • Egg White Wrap is 25cal and 5g protein
    • Mustard is 0cal and 0g protein
    • Low-fat Cheddar is 90cal and 8g protein
    • Mustard is 0cal and 0g protein
    • Total: 115cal and 13g protein (ratio: 1 to 9)
  2. Quest Protein Chips is 140cal and 18g protein (ratio: 1 to 8)

Step 3: Managing Hunger

To feel fuller, we want to optimize for food that’s as filling as possible per calorie. In descending order of satiety to calorie, we should have more water, fibre, and protein. For example, have more:

  • Water (diet sodas, calorie-free drinks)
  • Fibre (popcorn, seaweed snack, vegetables, fruit)
  • Protein (whey protein, pea protein, soy protein)

On the opposite end, here are the least filling foods in order:

  1. Sugar (candy, baked goods)
  2. Low-fibre carbs (rice, white bread)
  3. Fat (french fries, whip cream)

There are certain foods known to suppress grehlin, the hunger hormone:

  • Caffeine
  • Watermelon
  • Omega 3 fatty acids (algae oil supplement)

Some other strategies to reduce hunger are:

  • Get enough sleep
  • Delay your first meal as much as possible, and stop eating 2-3 hours before sleeping

Step 4: Managing Cravings

Sometimes (many times per week) I’ll want food that doesn’t fit my protein-to-calorie ratio requirement, like desserts and fast food. Instead of cutting these foods out, I like to find a close alternative that fits my macros better:

If an alternative food is not possible, have the food you’re craving but eat some protein alongside it. If you’re craving chocolate, crush it and mix it into greek yogurt. If you’re craving french fries, have it with 0cal ketchup and a protein shake.

Step 5: Maintaining a High Metabolism

It’s a myth that being in a caloric deficit will put you in starvation mode, and that your metabolism will drop to the point where you’re no longer in a deficit. While this isn’t true, there are a few ways your metabolism decreases while dieting:

  • Less food leads to more lethargy, so you move around less and burn less calories
  • Losing weight directly reduces your energy expenditure
  • Your digestive system burns energy to digest food, and eating less means burning less energy

To counteract these, try:

  • Counting your steps and walking a minimum of 10k steps
  • Adapt your calorie goals to your new weight every month
  • Eat a lot of fibre and protein to keep your digestive system active

Step 5: Adapting my Goals

As you lose weight, your metabolism will decrease as you have less tissue to maintain and provide energy to. You should adapt your TDEE calculation for every few pounds that you lose in order to maintain a regular loss rate of 1lb/week. As you get leaner, protein will become more and more important to maintain muscle, so consider increasing the amount of protein while decreasing the amount of calories. Currently I’m aiming for 150g of protein and 1700cal per day.

What I’ve Gained from Losing Weight

I thought that losing weight would give me more energy, but it’s drained way more energy than it’s given me. Consistenly being in a caloric deficit is tough mentally (I have to manage my hunger, forego food that I want for food that fits my macros, etc) and physically (makes it tougher to recover from weightlifting, harder to sleep).

I feel better about my physique than I ever have, and I’m even more motivated to continue bodybuilding. Even though most diets fail and have a rebound, I’m confident I can keep the fat off by intuitively eating, monitoring my weight, and counting calories once in a while so I get a sense of what my daily caloric intake is.

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