Getting lean: a quick guide of what you need to know
A guide to getting lean.
- Buy a scale and measure what you are eating. What gets measured gets managed.
- General goals: create a calorie deficit, eat enough protein to maintain muscle mass, take some fat to avoid hormone disruption and minimize carbohydrates.
A “calorie deficit” means your body consumes fewer calories than it needs to function. For most adults it’s between 1,800 and 2,500 calories per day. Need a more exact number? Get a notebook and track your weight and calorie intake for two weeks.
Protein: eat 2 grams of protein/kg body weight per day
Fat: eat 1 gram/kg body weight per day
Carbs: eat 1-2 grams/kg body weight per day
If you are not making progress, reduce carbohydrates.
For example, a 200-lb person (= 90kg) should aim for 180g of protein, 90g of fat, and 90-180g of Carbs. Adding these up results in as much as 450g (= 1 lb) of food per day. The water content of food will increase the consumed weight slightly, but it’s a good way to control what you eat.
Keeping the weight off in the long term is usually only possible through a change of habits and lifestyles. For example, removing sugar from your coffee, eliminating dessert from dinner, drinking more water throughout the day, incorporating some exercise into your daily schedule, etc.
And remember. Losing weight and keeping it off is not easy. That’s why so many of us struggle with weight. You will need persistence and strength. Don’t give up!
