If Counting calories feels overwhelming in the beginning... Don't worry you're not alone.
That's why many people decide to follow different diets and they still get results!
When we use the word 'Diet', we use it to mean the food and drinks a person regularly consumes.
For example, following the Paleo Diet you consume only what fits in their guidelines.
Whereas many people associate the word 'diet' to inherently mean a 'crash diet' (severe food intake restriction to lose weight quickly)
We'll review alternative ways to lose weight with:
- Fasting / Intermittent Fasting
- Common Diets - Keto / Carnivore / Mediterranean / Paleo / Low Carb
- Hand Portioning / Eye-Balling
The most important mechanism to losing weight is creating a manageable restriction on food consumption.
If calorie counting is like budgeting your calories (Calorie Restriction)...
Intermittent Fasting or Fasting limits when you consume your calories (Time Restriction) and...
The popular diets listed below limit where you get your calories from (Dietary Restriction).
This article will cover:
-Pros and Cons of Common Alternative Diets
-Common Mistakes with These Diets
-Time for Action
-RECAP
Pros and Cons of Common Alternative Diets
Fasting / Intermittent Fasting
The simple guideline of the fasting "diet" isn't necessarily WHAT you can eat, but WHEN you eat.
Fasting
Fasting is not consuming calories for 24+ hours, where you only consume water, electrolytes, coffee and no-calorie beverages.
It has been a common practice for many religions or sheer lack of food, in the past.
But has since been popularized for weight loss and other health benefits.
Pros
Weight loss - not eating for one or more days can create a significant calorie deficit leading to 0.5 to 3 pounds of weight loss.
Health markers - potential benefits for heart, insulin sensitivity, blood sugar, triglycerides, cholesterol, inflammation, etc..
Healing - some studies suggest faster wound healing and cellular repair.
More time - you spend less time buying, cooking and eating food, so you have more time to work, study, or scroll on social media!
Cons
Weight gain - Your body or mind can overcompensate from not eating by over consuming calories once the fast is over.
Health risk - Especially to those with existing medical conditions, there are risks like blood sugar or electrolyte imbalances.
Mind - Low blood sugar, stomach cramps, nausea, and low energy can affect focus and even distract you from basic daily activities.
Intermittent Fasting
More accurately Time Restricted Eating was popularized in the last 10-15 years.
The guideline is to eat within a specific time frame during the day.
The most common being 16 hours of fasting(not eating) and 8 hours of eating
(See the image below for different fasting:eating ratios)
Pros
Weight loss - Restricting when you can eat, can limit how much you eat.. leading to weight loss
Simplicity - this guideline can be easier to implement than counting calories or other diets
Health markers - potential benefits for heart, insulin sensitivity, blood sugar, triglycerides, cholesterol, inflammation, etc..
Cons
Nutrients - short term, you can lose weight from eating less, but poor food choices can lead to nutrient deficiencies
- without enough protein, you will lose lean body mass that can lead to health issues or being "skinny fat"
Health risk - for women, significant calorie restriction can affect hormone levels (estrogen and progesterone) leading to negative symptoms
Lifestyle - the strict eating time window can interfere with social or family eating schedules
Takeaway
Fasting and Time Restricted Eating can be used as a method to eat less calories to lose weight..
But you must include the variety of nutrients your body needs to maintain health in the process.
"Diets" - Keto/ Carnivore/ Mediterranean/ Paleo/ Low carb
We'll expand on theses specific diets in future articles, but here are brief descriptions and overall pros & cons with these diets.
Keto - eat majority fat, moderate to low protein and no carbs
Carnivore - only foods from animal sources
Mediterranean - mostly vegetables, fruits, herbs, nuts, beans and whole grains. Moderate amounts of dairy, poultry and eggs
Paleo - only foods our "ancestors" would have eaten. Naturally raised meat, fish, vegetables and fruits
Low Carb - most popularly the Atkins Diet, mainly protein and fats, start with minimal carbs and gradually increase to low carbs
Vegan/ Vegetarian - plant-based foods only. The Vegetarian Diet includes dairy and eggs.
Pros
Weight loss - if you follow the overarching theme for these diets of 'eating mostly naturally occuring foods'...
- You can lose weight from eating less food
Simplicity - simple guidelines of 'eat these foods, don't eat those foods' can be easier to follow than counting calories
Health markers - blood work and body composition can improve from avoiding highly processed foods while eating more nutrient dense foods
Cons
Restrictive - while these "rules" can be simple, it can interfere with cooking for your family, eating out with friends, or finding available food when you're in a rush
Missing nutrients - Particular diets eliminate specific food groups that lead to missing key nutrients
- for example, it can be challenging for the vegan diet to include enough daily protein
- keto diet focusing mainly on fats and carnivore diet focusing on protein and fats can both lack nutrients and fiber from carb sources
Takeaway
The common underlying theme for these diets is eating more natural foods and eating less highly processed foods..
Which often lead to eating less calories for weight loss.
Including a variety or nutrients is important for health.
Finding a balance with foods you will normally encounter is a more practical guideline, rather than the strict rules of most diets.
Hand Portioning / 'eyeballing' Method
(image from Precision Nutrition)
Hand Portioning or eyeballing is a simple way to estimate food portions without weighing or tracking each calorie.
2-4 meals with these portions is typically enough food for the average adult.
Pros
Weight Loss - limiting how much food you eat can lead to sustainable weight loss
Standard - you have a simple way to adjust your macronutrient (protein, carbs, fat) portions if you don't see results or you get too hungry
All Diets - this guideline can be used for any diet that includes all macronutrients
Nutrients - you include the major macro(protein, carbs, fat) and micro(vitamins & minerals) nutrients with this approach
Cons
Adjustment - it takes time to adjust portion sizes to fit your goal and body's needs
Mixed foods - it can be challenging to measure portions for mixed foods like stir fry, burritos, pasta, etc...
Choices - having multiple options for each category can be overwhelming for some beginners
Takeaway
Aside from counting calories, the hand portioning method is our favorite for weight loss.
- You get a balance of nutrients
- It can be adjusted to help you reach and maintain your results
- It's not as demanding as calorie counting, while provide enough guidelines to be flexible.
Common Mistakes with these Diets
Food Quality
Lowering calories (how much food you eat) is the first and most simple step you can take to start losing weight.
But that's hard to do with any diet if most of your calories come from highly processed foods.
Highly processed foods can range anywhere from the obvious 'junk food' with lots of sugar, fat, oils, and lists of hard to pronounce ingredients...
To the packaged foods labeled "Healthy" "Fresh" "Organic" "Natural" "Low Fat" "Low Sugar"
Here's why it's hard to eat less calories with low quality foods:
- Low Satiety - they're low in protein and fiber so they digest quickly and you're hungry sooner
- Higher Calorie Content - typically made with high sugar and/or fat so the same amount of food holds more calories than natural foods
- Hyperpalatable - the high sugar, salt, fat, carb ingredients make them taste "good", activating the reward part of your brain. This is partly why you choose these foods for "emotional eating".
The goal is to gradually introduce natural foods while in a calorie deficit...
And eventually get the majority of your food from these natural sources.
You'll see these food choices in the Action Step below.
Food Quantity
Reducing calories is a great place to start for weight loss..
But when motivation and desire to see results is high, many lower their food intake too much..
And end up with brain fog, low energy, more cravings and commonly abort the diet within weeks.
Even when some people push through the huge calorie deficits they can:
- lower their metabolic rate
- lose muscle and lean mass
- create hormonal imbalances
- increase their hunger signaling
The goal is to start with a calorie deficit that you can maintain, until you lose unnecessary weight...
Then eat the amount of food that fits your body's needs and activity level.
Losing weight without counting calories can be simple
The combination of the right food quality and quantity is laid out in the next section.
Time for Action
You can use the Hand Portioning / Eyeballing method for most diets.
And while you can experiment with dietary restrictive diets like keto, carnivore, vegan, or low carb where you eliminate certain food groups, cold turkey...
Gradual change is more manageable for most people, for example:
Step 1: Lower overall calorie
Step 2: Include a source of protein at each meal
Step 3: Eat enough during meals so you don't need snacks
Step 4: Choose healthier choices for carbs and fat
Step 5: Test vegetables you can actually enjoy
Change is never as easy as these five steps, so start where you can confidently take action and continue stacking these habits.
Precision Nutrition shared a great visual for food to 'eat more, eat some and eat less of'
Protein is needed in all cells of your body.
Read that again.
Yes, you can start your weight loss journey by eating less overall...
But it's important for your health to include a variety of protein sources that you enjoy.
*Start with including a protein source at breakfast, lunch or dinner for 1-2 weeks...
*Then work on including it at another meal the next 1-2 weeks.
Don't let people scare you about carbs.
They are good sources of energy and fiber.
Simple categories of carbohydrates are vegetables, fruits, and starches.
Yes, highly processed sources of carbs are easy to overeat..
But natural sources of carbs in a balanced meal is useful for healthy fit individuals.
*Adjust your carb intake gradually by eating less foods like bread, tortilla, cereal, and those in the 'eat some / eat less' category
(*If you have very poor healthy markers/blood work, consider eliminating the junk cold turkey)
*If you have a sweet tooth, find fruits you enjoy as substitutes.
Most people are surprised to learn many highly processed foods, packaged or prepared in restaurants...
Are carb heavy, but also include a lot of fat.
Fat helps produce hormones, absorb, nutrients, support cell function and are a source of energy.
Natural sources of fat is prefered but they also have more calories per gram, compared to protein and carbs
1 gram of fat = 9 calories
1 gram of protein = 4 calories
1 gram of carb= 4 calories
*Be cautious how much nuts you have as a snack..
Or the amount of oil you cook with or put on your salad.
RECAP
Different diets and approaches have their pros and cons.
Experimenting with these methods at different times can show you what your body likes and dislikes.
Even though calorie counting can give you the most precise results...
Hand portioning with the nutrient variety listed above is a great combo to be sustainable and effective.
Where ever you decide to start, the most important part is to track what you're doing.
1. Write down what you're doing
2. Track your progress
3. Adjust your plan if you're not seeing results.
Finding what works for your within these guidelines is the goal.
There is no one size fits all.
If you feel hesitant to start on your own, you can benefit from the guidance of a coach.
And that’s exactly what we do at Dare Strength, check out our programs and contact us to get sustainable results.
If you’re not local to Dare Strength, I can help you remotely with online coaching.
