Ditching the Complications and Embracing What Actually Works
Let’s be honest, the world of weight loss advice can feel like an overly complicated circus. It’s a constant barrage of conflicting information, quick fixes, and unsustainable approaches. I know this from personal experience. I managed to shred 15 pounds of fat in less than 100 days, and I can tell you that the modern weight loss advice landscape is often a mess of overcomplication and often completely ineffective approaches.
The frustrating thing is that all these tactics, while seemingly effective in the short term, just don’t work for most people because they’re simply not sustainable. They’re overly restrictive, and have no long-term impact on your weight loss journey. The lack of results will almost certainly crush your motivation, and before you know it, you’re often caught in a downward spiral, which may end up leaving you worse than when you started.
The best piece of health and fitness advice I ever heard, and which has had the most impact on my clients, is this: “Moderation over elimination, because deprivation does not work in the long term.” It’s a bit of a mouthful, but it’s definitely worth remembering.
It’s far better to continue enjoying the things you love (sweet foods, your favorite beer, or your preferred types of carbohydrates), but in moderation, rather than cutting them out altogether. The reason this works is because eliminating these things can quickly lead to cravings, and make it far harder to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It’s about focusing on overall habits and sustainability, rather than an “all-or-nothing” approach.
I’m not here to sugarcoat anything, so I will be very clear here. Eating a Krispy Kreme doughnut daily for lunch will absolutely not do you any favors, so moderation is still key. It’s about finding a sustainable balance.
When you’re trying to lose weight, you need to increase your energy output, restrict your energy input, or (as I believe is the best approach), to strike a strong balance between both. And the research has shown that this is, without a doubt, the most effective approach to take. So, let’s jump in, and I’ll share some of the things that I have found to be truly effective.
The Mindset Shift You Must Adopt First
Before we get into the practical steps, I want to discuss this one point: Replace the word “diet” with “nutrition.” It might seem like I’m just giving you some cheap self-affirmation talk, but how you frame your relationship with food genuinely matters. It can make or break your progress.
When people say “I’m going on a diet!”, it screams a short-term gimmick, and it also triggers images of deprivation and restriction. This mindset is self-defeating, as it sets you up for unhealthy eating habits and quick fixes, rather than focusing on long-term health.
When you focus on “nutrition,” you start thinking about fueling your body for the long-term. This removes the negative emotions associated with dieting, and you also start to treat food in moderation, and naturally gravitate towards more nutritional options. It’s a far more sustainable and a positive way to become healthier overall. It’s a powerful mindset shift to make, and one that I advise all of my clients to adopt.
Have a Built-In Portion Control Plan
If you have your meals centered around protein, you’ll quickly find that it naturally restricts your portion sizes because you tend to have only one protein source.
For example, when I eat at a restaurant, I usually order the protein-focused dish, which could be a steak, salmon, or chicken breast. You just get one serving, not multiple. You might be viewed in a strange way if you were to order multiple main courses, and it simply isn’t part of most social conventions.
This is how protein dishes can build in portion control. It’s a subtle, but very effective way to ensure you are not overeating.
The Power of Tracking Your Intake
Not everyone is into calorie counting, but it’s definitely the most effective way to track your energy intake. People often say that “not all calories are the same – food digests differently”. While that may be true, tracking your calorie intake is a good way to anchor yourself to a fixed metric and get a sense of where your eating habits are heading. It’s a key tool for many people.
If you’re not sure where to start with the calories, I would recommend using a BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) calculator. This will give you a good starting point.
Fitness expert Jeff Cavalier (Athlean-X) also says that you won’t need to follow the calorie counting part so strictly if you focus on eating nutrient-dense foods. As he says, if you focus on eating chicken, beef, fish, fibrous carbs, fruit (as much as you like), coffee, tea, and water, you’ll almost certainly lose weight without even trying. And he’s correct, because you simply won’t eat 10 steaks, or 10 fish fillets at a single sitting.
This brings up the issue of whether to completely cut out all of the other options, which I do not recommend.
I find a plan like this to be too restrictive for people who are not dedicated athletes. Personally, I enjoy having a beer and a sweet treat every so often, usually on the weekend and after meals. So, instead of cutting out these simple pleasures from my life, I just ensure that I track my intake so that I’m not overindulging. I find that this approach is far more sustainable, and practical in the long term.
Lock This Habit Down (No Matter What)
It’s also very surprising to many people that most of the calories that I personally burn come from walking. It’s a context-independent habit that almost any non-disabled person can do without needing any expensive equipment. It’s easily one of the best, most effective, and simple things that most people can do.
Dr. Andrew Huberman says that “Habit strength is measured by two main criteria: how context-dependent it is, or how context-independent it is”. What this means is, can you still do the habit, even when the context of your environment changes? For example, most people that I coach manage to still fit walking into their schedules when they go on vacation, because it’s a low-impact activity that can be done anywhere.
I’m the same – walking has just become a part of my lifestyle, no different to showering, or brushing my teeth. Planning a walk and reaching around 12,000 steps daily has become a context-independent ritual that I don’t need to think about, and which can be done almost anywhere.
The beauty of walking is its low-impact nature. It also often acts as a gateway to more intense workouts, which suddenly feels within reach when you are getting regular exercise. It’s how I help my clients lose excessive weight; I meet them where they are, and slowly upgrade their efforts over time.
From there, there are numerous things you can do, such as running, cycling, swimming, and, my personal favorite, lifting weights. Ultimately, it’s all about locking into what clicks with your brain’s algorithm, and then repeating that action, to turn it into a habit. When you put this into play, I think you’ll be surprised at how quickly it changes your life.
Build an Accountability Framework
Having a good accountability framework is usually the make-or-break factor between losing weight and keeping it off, or crashing and burning, with your face buried in a box of cookies. I have been there before, going on a binge after a weekend cricket match. It all comes down to who you surround yourself with. “Birds of a feather flock together” couldn’t be more true, especially when it comes to fitness.
It’s no different with weight loss. One study revealed that people trying to lose weight actually shed more pounds when they hung out with fitter friends. And it’s not just about the numbers – seeing the healthier habits of other people, can push us to work harder, stay accountable, and boost our motivation.
As a fitness enthusiast, I see this time and time again. And this is particularly noticeable with people who are emotionally attached to their friendship groups. The feeling of fitting in with your crew, or being pushed to level up because you don’t want to disappoint your friends, is a very powerful motivator.
My secret weapon with my clients? It’s that they don’t want to let “Uncle Chris” down (that’s me). The fact that we agree to check in every week, and they have promised to do their steps and track their meals, all help to keep them accountable, and ensure that they actually follow through with their plans.
So you have to intentionally build that type of framework around yourself, which can include working with a coach, or finding friends that have similar health goals.
Closing Thoughts
Please, for the love of god, stop overcomplicating this process. Losing weight and keeping it off is simple to do, but can be challenging to execute. So make things as simple as possible for yourself.
Shifting your mindset, to see food as nutrition, can help give you the balance and sustainability that you’re looking for. Focusing on nutrient-dense foods, will help you stick to a calorie-controlled plan without obsessing over all the things you “can’t” have, as though they are some off-limits temptation. Remember that nothing is really off-limits, it’s all about being smart about what you consume.
I find that tracking what you eat is far smarter approach, as it lets you enjoy the occasional beer, or a chocolate cake, without wrecking your self-esteem and throwing in the towel. You should also remember that walking is as effective, and as simple, as it gets for losing weight. And to tie it all together, make yourself accountable to another human by adding a fitness-oriented friend into your life. And if not, I always advise working with a professional coach who can help you on the way.
What have you got to lose?
