You Don't Need To Suffer Through A Diet (Here's How To Do It Right)
Once you know this, it'll be so much easier
When you're on a diet, the whole point is to eat a little bit less than your body needs to maintain its current weight.
And as a result, you're going to feel hungry more often than normal especially in the beginning as your body adjusts.
But if you cut calories too aggressively, there's a point where you'll feel so hungry so often that it's overbearing.
We don't want that.
But a little hunger is okay.
In fact, it's a sign you're doing something right.
Here's how to make sure you don't cross over that line:
The first thing to do is get an idea of what calories look like visually.
For example, 400 calories could look like:
12oz raw plain chicken breast (that's a big chicken)
110g plain uncooked white rice (a full size dinner plate covered when cooked)
4tbsp peanut butter (roughly a ping pong ball size)
1.2lbs broccoli (roughly a whole large head)
1 McDouble (yes, really)
Depending on the food, it could look like a whole lot or a whole little.
That really comes down to the macronutrient profile:
Dietary fat is roughly 9 calories per gram.
Carbohydrates are roughly 4 calories per gram.
Protein is roughly 4 calories per gram.
Typically speaking in terms of size, carbs are going to be the biggest visually, then protein, then fat.
Once you have a rough idea of the visuals, it's important to know how much you need to eat.
This is something I teach in my guides, program, and coaching (more on that at the end).
The final step is this:
Set yourself a calorie deficit between 300-500 calories because that's going to be the manageable sweet spot where you'll make steady progress, but not be too hungry.
This may seem like a lot of prep work just to find the balance between hunger and suffering, but it's important to know how food works in the body and your own needs so you can find that balance.
Because once you're crossing over to that 700 or even 1000 calorie deficit, it gets tough to stick with.
Not impossible to do, but more suffering than it's worth in my experience.
It's better to cut only 300 calories for 12 weeks, than to cut 1,000 calories for 2 weeks then give up forever.
You'd lose 3 more pounds of fat doing the former, and life would be so much better mentally (and dietarily).
Any questions? Let me know.
Talk soon,
-Gabe
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