Tips & Tactics from my Year-Long Weight Loss Journey Over the last year I’ve lost about 40 lbs. For context I’m a 32 year old woman who went from ~170 to ~130 lbs. It’s been unevenly paced, but in general I’m glad I took the whole year and would recommend slow and steady over any other way. I learned a lot, here are some of the things that helped me most. I also want to premise that I am not a nutritionist, doctor, dietitian, etc. I’m just a regular person who does some research, while relying mainly on the work and research of trained professionals. Tools: Calorie Counting Apps For the first 6 months of the year I used Noom. Noom is a paid weight loss app that comes with a course that gets into some of the psychological and physiological elements of weight loss, as well as focusing on your underlying intentions, feelings, and motivations. I think it was helpful, but not perfect. It is a shame that it costs money because that is a barrier to a lot of people, however the fact that it cost me a little made me want to use it more than if I had a free app, so I have incentive to not waste my money. It does a good job of breaking down basic concepts, though I wish it was a little more advanced, to be honest. I think you can do just fine without Noom, but in my experience I do recommend using some app or combination of apps/tracking devices to track calories, mood, energy levels, etc. Journal/Tracker Note that I didn’t just say to track only food. How you feel and function in your day to day life is important, and often overlooked by basic apps. I highly recommend a journal, at least for your first month or two, so you can look back and see what made you feel good, strong, energetic, etc. Also use this journal to write down your long-term goals and intentions. Why do you want to do this? Is it for you? How do you want to feel in 3, 6, 9, 12 months? What motivated you to get started, and what will keep you motivated? Write these down and refer back to them. It’s okay to change them as well, you can “re do” any of your journal entries at any time. There are no rules! That said, calorie tracking apps can also help you track your macros and see your overall balance. This is how you make sure you’re getting enough macro and micro nutrients. Most calorie tracking apps also track things like iron, vitamins, protein, sugar, etc. so you can look back and see your habits, and learn to make improvements in areas where you might struggle with balance. Specific Diets I’m not on a specific diet, though I do eat very little meat. I have previously done a Whole30 a few years ago, which worked okay for me, but definitely don’t recommend broadly, and it may not even help lose weight as a lot of the foods recommended are high caloric density and it's a high meat diet. I do prefer “whole” foods (loaded term, I know) ie. I don’t believe that to lose weight that it is required to buy low-fat replacements for things like cheese, salad dressing, bread, sugar, etc. Learning to eat moderate amounts of regular foods is my preferred long-term strategy rather than switching to “light” foods, but of course that is a super personal decision. If you love caesar salad and want to eat a huge plate of it, a light replacement might be the move for you! I do want to note though that many “light” alternatives have ingredients to act as fillers/stabilizers (where as the original version relies on fat to do so) which can be very hard on some people’s stomachs - if you start to feel gastrointestinal issues after incorporating these items, maybe check the labels and chat with a doctor. My Top Tips 1. The most important thing to understand is caloric density. Closely followed by nutritional density. For foods that are high in caloric density, the strategy is to implement portion control . Eat small, measured amounts in good balance with other foods. Remember, these aren’t “unhealthy,” they’re just higher calorie density - avocado, nuts, and seeds are super high in nutrients and calories. For foods that are low in caloric density, the strategy is to make this your volume eating . Foods to fill up on with big portions. Think leafy salads, brothy soups, side dishes of fresh or cooked veggies. Bulk up your meals with shredded cabbage and zucchini, pile up your snack plates with pickles and celery, throw a handful of spinach under every serving of lean protein. Once you have that figured out, balancing a meal that is relatively low calories (most of my meals are under 400 calories) that keeps you full, meets your nutritional requirements, and doesn’t lead to blood sugar crashes/tiredness is just a matter of mixing and matching. 2. Eat your macros! Every day you get to have fats, proteins, and carbs. This is money in the bank! With some practice, you’ll learn to spend your fats wisely on delicious things like olive oil vinaigrettes, nut butters, chocolatey snacks, or fitting in your favourite baked goods. A calorie tracking app can help you see how you tend to distribute your macros with your food choices, and you can make improvements to maximize this using that valuable data. If you aren’t eating all your daily portions of macros, you risk facing nutritional deficits. 3. Winter is an ideal time to start Herbal teas, hearty soups and stews, roasted squash and root vegetables, spicy lentils, high fibre beans, warm rice and veggie bakes, spiced oatmeal, big pots of tomato sauce.... Lots of delicious, cozy winter foods are low in caloric density and high in nutritional density. In fact, I actually took a break from calorie tracking for most of the summer. I did still try to balance my meals and macros, but I found that there were too many events, treats, trips, etc. to track. I was also way more active in the summer - lots of swims, hikes, walks, etc. I occasionally weighed myself and lost about 2 lbs over the summer - not a ton, but I didn’t gain either. That being said, some people might prefer to lose the majority of weight throughout the summer. Light snacks, fresh fruit, farmers market produce, big fresh salads, fruit popsicles, etc. are also great low caloric density, high nutritional density summery foods. But I threw in a few extra ice creams and cocktails as well that I decided was worth it for me. 4. Alcohol - learning to limit I still struggle with this one, I love my wine and dinner parties and happy hour gatherings. But I switched to non-alcoholic options like fizzy waters and kombuchas quite a few times at barbecues and picnics this summer, and switched to teas like spiced chai or warm fruity herbal teas in winter. I did break out the drinks but only for special occasions, I avoided opening a bottle of wine “just because” since that’s a big source of empty calories that I could do without. Pro tip: if you want to keep beer around but not be tempted to drink it unless there’s an occasion, don’t keep it in the fridge! Warm beer simply isn’t tempting. Have company coming over for a pint? Throw it in the fridge a few hours before. Dry January/Feb can also work to your advantage - it’s an easy way to get out of social drinking early in the year and kick-start your new habits. 5. Dig out your measuring cups At first what looked like a measly portion of grains is now my standard. ½ a cup, scooped with a measuring cup, of oats, quinoa, rice, pasta, etc. is a perfect portion. Need a little extra energy that day? Bump it up to ¾ or 1 cup. Same for oils and spreads - about 1 tbsp of nut butter or tahini is 100 cals! A big, unmeasured spoonful could easily be a double or triple portion without you realizing if you hadn’t portioned it. For the foods you eat regularly, you’ll soon memorize the calories and know exactly how that portion will fit in your overall day. Though I’m not really a stickler for precision, counting calories does not work without measuring . For things that are hard to “scoop” (like slices of cheese), I often use a scale. People very often overestimate portion sizes, but once you have the hang of it you’ll be much better at estimating and counting your calories. High caloric density foods are the most important to measure. An extra handful of lettuce might cost you an extra 10 calories. An extra handful of walnuts or cheese cubes might cost you 300 calories. 6. What about exercise? This is a super personal decision. I’ve been regularly active for my entire life, but never really lost weight even when I was training for half marathons. My personal formula is to eat back about half of the calories from sweaty exercises (run, weights, HIIT) and not to eat back calories from walks. Make sure the calories you eat back are high in protein. If you’re new to exercise, find something you genuinely think is fun. Though I don’t generally rely on motivation (see the next point for more on this) starting a new exercise routine could be fun to mark by buying workout clothes or running shoes you feel good in, and will want to wear, giving you a little extra motivation to get your steps in or sign up for a yoga challenge to wear your stretchy new pants. For free online classes, I like: ● Nourish Move Love (great Instagram follow!) ● Heather Robertson YouTube ● Do Yoga With Me Free app for planning gym workouts: ● Calibre Fitness (this one has great readings too to help you learn and understand more about weight/resistance training. It’s a gold mine of resources!) 7. How do I stay motivated? This is the wrong question! The right question is “how do I make this a routine?” Sticking to routine is way easier than finding motivation. If you can’t picture yourself doing something 6 months or a year from now, then it’s not really a sustainable strategy. That said - when looking for motivation, don’t just go on your immediate thoughts and feelings. Think about how you want to feel in 6 months or a year. This relates back to your intentions and goals setting. If you’re using a journal, go back and read your early entries about why you started in the first place. Maybe if you’re asking yourself how to stay motivated, this is a good time to write an update entry and jot down how you plan to tap into that original motivation, or how your routine is going, or revisit your goals and achievements so far. 8. Help, I binged and messed up! You might have days where you accidentally blow half your caloric budget on a high-calorie, high-fat, low nutritional value treat and realize you’re hungry again an hour later but also somehow have a “gut bomb” stomach ache (been there!). Learn from it. That might not have been the smartest macro ratio, and you’ll remember that feeling next time. Drink water, go for a walk, don’t over think it or punish yourself. Every mistake is a learning opportunity. 9. You make the rules! There are no set rules other than the laws of physics and science, ie. eat fewer calories than you expend in a day and you will eventually lose weight. If you figure out something that works well for you, do it more. If something really doesn’t work, cut it out. Some people respond better to a ton of flexibility, some might need strict rules and rigidity in order to succeed. What works for someone else might not work for you. I recommend to set mini challenges. Over the summer I got really carried away with snacking, and I set a “no snacking” challenge for 1 week to get back on track (with exceptions for pre-workout snacks). Maybe weekends are a big stumbling block for you? Set a challenge to stay within your budget for one entire weekend. Restaurants causing you to go over? Challenge yourself to eat half your order and take half home for lunch tomorrow. When you notice negative patterns that are slowing your progress, try to approach them as a learning opportunity and give yourself a goal that you can achieve. Short-term goals are a key to success for a long-term goal. A few recipes I made on repeat while maintaining a caloric deficit: ● Squash lentil curry stew with kale ● Stuffed pepper casserole with brown rice, lentils and spinach ● Shakshuka ● Tomato lentil soup ● Cabbage soup variations (Budget Bytes - classic, Oh She Glows - with yam and lentils, Alison Roman - with white beans, I use a little less olive oil than the recipe calls for) ● Tuna salad ● White bean dilly salad ● Roasted butternut squash soup ● Tofu scramble with veggies (green beans, broccoli) ● Any veggie tray bake + grain + protein ● Homemade pizza on high-protein, whole grain crust (portioned cheese, lots of veggie toppings - I like kale & sausage, zucchini & red pepper, pepperoni & mushroom) ● Aloo mattar (potato + pea curry, sometimes I serve with shredded, spiced, sauteed cabbage) Philosophy I’m leaving this until the end because I didn’t want to scare anyone away with my thoughts on this, but I didn’t want to leave this information here without a few thoughts on “diet culture.” I know that I just broke down what are essentially diet tips, but I in no way want to endorse diet culture, and I think that a separation between taking control of your body and conforming to oppressive diet culture does exists. I believe everyone should be able to live their life in the body they feel best in, and if that means changing size or composition, they should have access to the tools and information to do that safely and healthily. Diet culture, on the other hand, tells primarily women that their body is not good enough, and that thin is better, healthier, sexier, more acceptable. None of this is true, and it is damaging, toxic, and manipulative. This is why I started with such a strong emphasis on tapping into your own emotions, intentions, and how you want to feel. Think about what’s best for you, your lifestyle, your body. Not on standards that have been imposed on you by marketing and advertising, unrealistic expectations, or comparisons. Another way to look at this is that managing your total daily energy expenditure and calorie intake is a way to set and implement boundaries in your life. It’s about your own control of your body, not anyone else's. I highly encourage unpacking this topic as much as you can for yourself. A lot of phrases you’ll read in weight loss blogs or forums such as “guilt-free” “skinnied-up version” “clean eating” etc. come from a place of shame, fatphobia, and preying on emotional vulnerability. Diet culture has caused a lot of harm by pressuring people into weight loss, making them feel inadequate in their own bodies, or robbing people of all sizes of joy. My final tip is that if you don’t feel like you’re in an emotional, physical, or mental place to start, don’t start. Do some research and reading, take baby steps, talk to someone, and don’t jump in if you don’t want to, feel ready, or if you can’t yet discern your underlying reasons and goals. It is possible to decide to lose weight in a way that is physically and mentally healthful while loving your body and honouring your needs.