A good weight loss program is about more than food. However, it is an important piece of the puzzle. This article will cover four strategies you can use to help you manage what and how much you eat.
Macrofactor App
Generally, I recommend only experimenting with and practicing long-term strategies. Using an app is an exception.
Apps can provide super beneficial data and help you drive the right actions. They can also be educational regarding how various foods work with your goals, and some people really enjoy the gamifying aspect to them.
However, apps can also be time-consuming to set up. And for some people, there is a risk of developing an unhealthy obsession with numbers and food tracking (this is why it needs to be temporary).
Macrofactor costs $12 per month. But this is why I recommend it over the free apps:
Its data is very accurate. Many other apps allow users to enter data on calories, but that data is often wrong. Macro factor doesn’t, and their data is very accurate.
Macro Factor is more like having a coach in your pocket. It looks at the food you eat, the scale weight you eat, and your goals and then recommends changes to your program once a week to keep you on track. Super cool.
You do not need to use MacroFactor or any app to lose weight successfully, but for some, it is a useful temporary tool.
Hand Portion Method
The hand portion method involves using your palm, fist, cupped hand, and thumb-sized portions of various kinds of food you will eat throughout the day.
Here’s a daily example:
3-4 palm-sized portions of protein
3-4 fist-sized portions of greens
3-4 fist-sized portions of other fruits or veggies
3-4 cupped hand portion of starches
3-4 thumb-sized portions of fats
This method requires no measuring tools or technology, and it’s portable.
However, this method can be tricky if you like to make a casserole or one-pot dish with many different foods mixed together.
You do not need to use this method to lose weight successfully, but it is a useful tool for some.
Eating to 80% full
This method involves eating to a certain fullness level – possibly 80%. While you don’t need to start with this method to lose weight, I believe it is essential to learn how to do this if you want to keep the weight off.
This method is simple but not necessarily easy at first. We typically eat on a schedule and finish our plates. Tuning into fullness levels will be new for most of us and will take practice.
However, practice will help you become aware of how full you need to feel to achieve your goals.
You might need to shoot for 70% to 80% full to be in a calorie deficit and 80%- 90% to maintain.
You will have to stay present at first, but after a while, you will stop at your desired fullness level without thinking much about it.
Balanced Plate Method
This method involves compartmentalizing your plate with different kinds of food.
You might fill a quarter of your plate with greens, another quarter with other fruits and veggies, another quarter with protein, and another quarter with carbohydrates. Then, you finish that plate with some fat.
If you are trying to lose weight, you start with a smaller plate.
This method does a great job of balancing your nutrients and can be very easy to do.
However, like the hand portion method, it can be tricky if you like to make casseroles or one-pot dishes with lots of different foods mixed together.
How to Choose Your Method
I suggest starting with an app or the hand portion method. Stay open-minded and willing to experiment.
You could also go right to 80% full and see if that works. I think most people benefit from more “guardrails” when starting out, but some can be successful with the 80% full method right out of the gate.
You get to decide which method to start with. However, I suggest your long game be 80% full and with the addition of the Balanced Plate method when the meal allows for it.
Learning More About Your Method(s) of Choice
I invite you to join our group weight loss group, which officially begins the day after Labor Day. We will explore each of these strategies in depth and many others. You can learn more about the program here.
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