Eat ≤ Calories Burned = Weight Loss

If you’ve struggled with weight loss as often as I have, you’ve probably heard the words ‘Calories in vs. Calories out’ many times before. Sounds pretty simple right? As long as you eat fewer calories than you burn, you’re bound to lose weight. I won’t lie; this has worked for me many times before. Whenever I used to put on a couple of pounds, I would just watch my calorie intake and it would gradually come off. As the years went by I continued to fluctuate, never really maintaining a healthy BMI for very long in between. By the time I hit 280lbs, reducing calories just wasn’t enough.

The pounds that used to shed so easily became extremely hard to lose. No matter how long I deprived myself for days or even weeks, I saw no significant movement on the scale, leaving me feeling hopeless and unmotivated. After trying for a couple of months with no real results, I realized that I needed to do more research to educate myself about the foods that I was putting into my body.

Once I started looking for information on how to deal with obesity I stumbled upon this documentary FedUp. If you haven’t seen it yet please take some time because it’s a serious eye opener. This is when I understood why a calorie isn’t just a calorie. Instead of seeing food in calories, I started breaking down my food intake into grams of proteins, carbs and fats.

As I started to understand what proteins, carbs and fats were and what impact they have on the human body, I was able to make smarter food choices and create delicious recipes to fit my personal macros. The fact that cooking is my passion really helped me to create my own personal meal plan that didn’t just restrict my calories but helped me fuel my body to have the energy to get off my ass and thrive.

So what are macronutrients exactly?

Macronutrients are protein, carbohydrates and fats. Proteins can be found in most animal products like eggs, meat, bone marrow and milk. Plant based protein sources include nuts, broccoli, beans, quinoa, and too many other options to mention. Carbohydrates are found in leafy greens, whole grains and root veggies. Fats can also be found in both animal products such as butter, eggs and various animal fats or in plants like avocado, olive and many types of nuts and seeds.

By eating a 40% Protein, 40% Fat and 20% carbs macro ratio, I was able to keep my hunger at bay, balance my energy levels and curb sugar cravings. Combined with badass workouts at Arena the pounds just started flying off. This doesn’t mean that my macro ratio is your macro ratio. Every BODY is different and counting macros is totally customizable for your goals and body type, that’s why it’s also called flexible dieting.

At the very beginning the food scale became my best friend. I could see exactly how big my portions where supposed to be and play with my old recipes. After a while I got good at eyeballing my favorite foods, making prep time much shorter and easier.

If you’ve struggled with weight like I have in the past, this story is to inspire you to dig deeper and learn more about the energy that you are putting into your body. Understand what fuels it and also what damages it. Be completely honest with yourself, because denying only ends up hurting YOU.

Start Simple; watch the documentary FedUp. I hope it changes your life as much as it has mine.