There are a lot of strategies you can use to lose weight. Ultimately, success comes down to eating fewer calories than your body needs over a long period of time.
- Lost weight doing keto? It’s because you cut out a lot of calories (from carbs) compared to how you were eating before.
- Lost weight going vegan or vegetarian? It’s because you replaced animal products with lower-calorie plant-based alternatives.
- Lost weight on Weight Watchers? It’s because the point system incentivized you to prioritize lower calorie, nutrient dense foods as well as limit you overall quantity of food.
- Lost weight after you started hitting the gym? Perhaps you were eating around your maintenance calories and the increase in physical activity was just enough to put you in a deficit.
This is all to say you can use any number of diets and workout plans to achieve your fat loss goals.
The most important thing is to respect the laws of energy balance, and to do so in a sustainable, healthy way that aligns with your values, personality, and lifestyle.
For me, this has often meant counting calories. I’ve gone through a few major periods of successful weight loss over the last decade. For all but one, I’ve counted calories and used an app like Lose It! or MyFitnessPal.
One reason why counting calories or tracking macros is such a great tool for fat loss is because it shows you that you can eat all kinds of foods and see success, provided you hit your numbers most of the time.
I like to see the data and numbers so I can make adjustments to my approach when things aren’t working. And I like having some guard rails, because after years of battling an eating disorder I’ve learned that I personally can’t always trust the messages I get from my brain about food.
However, I’ve learned that most people don’t share my feelings about this kind of food logging. And I completely understand why.
Like everything else in your fitness journey, counting calories is a skill that takes time and practice. When you don’t have a lot of experience it takes a lot of time and can be very tedious and annoying. If you have young kids or a crazy work schedule, you likely won’t want to set aside the time it takes to figure this out.
Additionally, calorie counting isn’t a good fit for people who eat out a lot or don’t cook most of their own food. Using a food tracking app only works if most of the data is precise and accurate. You won’t be able to easily weigh and measure your food if you’re not eating at home. Therefore, you won’t be entering high quality information and it’s tough to draw meaningful conclusions about what’s working and what isn’t.
Here’s the thing: if you have a fat loss goal and aren’t seeing the progress you’d like, you’re probably eating too much food. (Sometimes there are also medical issues at play – if you suspect this please seek out a qualified physician.)
So what are you to do if you know you’re eating too much food, but you hate the idea of weighing, measuring, and counting calories?
Thanks to the super-smart folks at Precision Nutrition, there is an easy system you can use to identify proper portions no matter where you are.
The best part about this system is that it’s ultra low-tech. All you need is one hand and your eyes to make it work. Use the size of your hand (which, conveniently is bigger or smaller depending on your stature) to eyeball the portion sizes of different types of foods:
- Protein: Animal proteins like meat, fish, seafood, and poultry. Plant-based proteins like beans, lentils, and legumes.
- 1 serving = 1-2 palms, about the thickness of a deck of cards
- Carbs: Rice, oats, and other grains. Potatoes and starchy tubers. Fruit.
- 1 serving = 1-2 cupped handfuls
- Veggies: Basically any low carb colorful plant.
- 1 serving = 1-2 fists
- Fats: Nuts and nut butters. Olives and olive oil. Butter. Avocado.
- 1 serving = 1-2 thumbs
This can be a very eye-opening experience for people.
One thing I hear a lot is that people eat nuts as a healthy snack, but realize that they are eating handfuls at a time instead of just one thumb.
Or, maybe you order a steak at a restaurant and it’s the size of three or four palms.
The latter example would be a great opportunity to practice boxing up a portion of your meal to take home and eat later.
If you have a weight loss goal and your progress has slowed, give this system a try for a few weeks.
Serve yourself by eyeballing your portion sizes using your hand. You may realize this is less food than you’re used to eating, which could be a clue as to why you haven’t been losing weight.
When in doubt, eat slowly and stop at just satisfied (as opposed to totally full.)
This system isn’t set in stone and may need to be adjusted based on how many meals you like to eat, activity levels, and more.
Experiment and figure out what works for you. I’m here to help if you need any guidance or support along the way.