4 Simple Fat Loss Diet Tips for the Casual Gym Goer

The Simple Facts

• Fat loss comes down to calories in vs calories out.
• However making smart choices makes the process of reducing calories, controlling hunger and coping with cravings easier.
• These 4 steps are simple to implement and will start to make noticeable results to your physique, without getting bogged down by diet & nutrition.
• Step 1 is removing the obvious junk
• High protein foods & “health foods” aren’t always optimal for fat loss
• Don’t get bogged down by over complex supplements. Keep it simple.
• You don’t have to stress over tracking food and worrying about your macros all the time. Using Common sense prevails.

A Casual Approach To a Fat Loss Diet

That title sounds a bit like a bargain bin diet book. Doesn’t it?

The “casual” gym goer doesn’t want to get bogged down with the science of fat loss, or the amino acid profile of their protein shake. Heck, when it comes to supplements, the casual gym goer falls into 2 camps.

One who thinks all supplements are a scam. The other believes everything that the advert tells them. They think fat burners literally burn fat without having to diet or exercise.

The casual person looking to drop their holiday weight, or drop a few lbs before they hit the beach for summer aren’t concerned with the science behind how muscles produce energy, or how metabolism speed changes upon activity level and food intake.

They want an easy to follow, practical, advice that will give them results.

They don’t want to step on stage at a bodybuilding show. They don’t want to be deadlifting 400kg. They want to drop some fat, without their life revolving around the gym and their diet.

Sure, the more serious lifter will benefit from arming themselves with more knowledge about diet and working out. But this article isn’t geared towards the “serious trainee”.

Instead, we have 4 steps that anyone can incorporate into their diet to help them lose weight, without stressing over it.

4 Simple Fat Loss Diet Tips

Im going to break these tips up into different stages. For the more experienced gym goer, these may seem obvious.

For the hardcore poptarts and cereal IIFYM dieter, this may be hard to comprehend.

Step 1 – Reduce the Obvious Junk

Before anyone jumps on a high and mighty “there is no such thing as clean eating” rant, lets look at this from a logical point of view.

It doesn’t take someone with a phd in nutrition to understand that sweets or candy, chocolate, sugary sodas, crisps or chips, cakes and the like are “junk food”. Everything in moderation, to some degree is ok in my opinion. However relying on overly sugary foods, in my opinion, is not a good thing. (For another perspective on sugar see this article)

For the average person, its likely that cutting down on these would bring their caloric intake to a point where they are in a deficit, and thus, able to lose fat.

Im not saying that these foods need to be eliminated from your diet completely. Why restrict yourself of something you love?

The key here is moderation.

To put this into perspective, lets create an example.

Example

Say we’re looking at an office worker, who consumes a chocolate bar after his lunch. A packet of crisps (potato chips) with his mid-morning fruit salad. Cake after dinner in the evening. Maybe even an extra large slice of cake for fat friday.

By reducing the “junk” food consumption, calories are being eliminated from the diet. Go from having chocolate every day, to just twice a week. Cake only after 1 meal a week. Crisps every other day. These small changes will reduce overall caloric intake.

However because they’re still part of your diet, you won’t building cravings and feel like you need to binge on them.

You can always follow IIFYM, and factor these foods into your daily diet. However not everyone wants to track calories. I dont know why, and I don’t care.

Tracking macros, in my opinion, if the most optimal approach to dieting. However for those that don’t, simply starting to cut out the obvious junk will be 1 step in the right direction to losing weight.

Step 2 – Rethink those “healthy foods”

The supplements market has exploded with “healthy foods” over the past few years. I’ve seen everything from protein cookies and high protein bread, to muscle building brownies. Heck there is even a protein bakery focusing on “healthy treats”.

Its not just high protein snacks though. The old fashioned, tried and tested “health foods” are more popular than ever.

What people don’t understand though, is some of these “healthier choices” are actually more detrimental to the normal foods someone would eat.

For those who don’t read food packets (shame on you!) or track macros, these misinformed foods could be crippling your fat loss diet.

These foods are misleading you to believe they are a healthier option than other foods. These “benefits” range from low fat, fat free, whole grain, organic, high in fiber, reduced sugar and there are probably a ton more i’m forgetting about.

However what these labels don’t make clear (and for obvious reasons) is the opposite of what they’re trying to do.

For example, low fat foods often contain excess amounts of sugars. On the flipside, those foods that are billed as low in carbs, can have a higher than normal fat content.

Sugar laden, but “high in fiber” breakfast cereal leads us to believe we are starting out day off right.

Oh and because they’re “healthy foods” it means we can eat more and lose weight? Not quite as this study eludes to.

As much as food groups can help weight control, as is shown by the HSPH, we still must not forget that eating an abundance of calories, from any food group, can lead to weight gain.

This is obvious, but we want to believe otherwise. Often, common sense flies out the window when it comes to “looking good”. Especially when it comes to taking a shortcut, or doing it “quickly”.

2 slightly less obvious food choices, which are about to become obvious are:

• Milk
• Fruit Juice

These contain hidden calories like you wouldn’t believe. Im not saying that these foods (drinks?) are bad for you. Not at all.

Im simply highlighting the amount of calories you could be consuming from these, without even realising it.

Semi skimmed milk nutrition per 100ml

52kcal
5g carbs
3.5g protein
2g fat

Think of all those cups of tea or coffee you have through the day. Those calories rack up.

The same goes with fruit juice. A big glass of fresh orange juice with breakfast. A bottle of apple juice as part of your lunch time meal deal. These will add a few hundred calories onto your day without you even realising.

Step 3 – Replace the above with more obvious “better” food choices.

I purposely avoided using the term “healthy foods” here, as i felt it contradictory to what i discussed above.

What i mean is reduce your intake of the above foods (notice i said reduce – not stop) and swap it for unprocessed, wholesome foods.

Things like meats, fish and eggs. Potato, sweet potato, rice.

Swap your blue top full fat milk, for semi-skimmed or skimmed.

I want to stress that im not advising you completely go cold turkey on the above “junk” foods.

There is no need to restrict yourself from foods you enjoy. There is no need to put yourself under the pressure of “not being allowed” something.

I want to stress that im recommending you reduce your intake of these junk foods. Make it so they’re more of a treat. If you have peanutbutter sandwhiches every day, swap the bread for rice cakes a few times of the week.

Swap that bowl of granola for regular porridge.

Why does replacing foods help?

By reducing the intake of calorie dense processed foods, in favour of more filling, lower calorie options, you’ll be doing the following.

Feeling fuller, by eating fewer calories.

If you find yourself hungry and rely on calorie dense foods such as cereal bars, bread, poptarts and cookies to fill the void, you’re going to have to eat a lot to feel full.

If you instead opt to have more satiating foods something like a lean protein source and potato you will feel much fuller, for less overall calories.

Why not eliminate all junk food?

If you want to cut all “junk” out of your diet, feel free.

There are many “junk” foods I never eat, and have not ate, in years. Things like crisps. Take away food. Fast food such as McDonalds.

However food is one of lifes greatest pleasures. Why restrict yourself from enjoying so many diverse ranges of tastes? Experiencing cultures or turning down social events that are orientated around foods?

There are loads of foods that i omit from my diet because i don’t like them. I cant remember the last type I ate crisps, chips, or drank coca cola. That’s because they are all food group’s I don’t care for.

Buttercream frosting birthday cake however….. I treat myself every once in a while.

Eliminating food groups that you actually do like (whether ‘healthy’ or ‘unhealthy’) can lead to food binge eating disorders. This is a vicious cycle of over indulgence and guilt, leading to further eating and more guilt. Excess cardio is then performed in a bid to undo the damage.

In short, life becomes miserable.

Moderation is Key

Still enjoying these foods in moderation will eliminate the need to binge.

Don’t eat bad foods if you don’t care for them. What’s the point? If i think a biscuit is “ok” i’ll just leave it. I see it as “not worth the calories”. Nutritionally it isn’t doing anything “good” for me. Taste wise, it isn’t pleasing me, so why have it?

The same principle can be applied, to an extent, to healthy foods. Tuna is a good source of protein. However just the smell of it makes me bork, so i stay well clear of it.

However if you love poptarts or ice cream sundae’s, still have them.

Just cut down on the amount you currently have, which will help to reduce calories from your diet and aid in fat loss.

Step 4 – Don’t Get Too Supplemental

As i’ve already mentioned, attitudes towards bodybuilding and sports supplements can be categorised by 2 crowds of people.

Type 1 – Supplements are a Waste of Money

The first crowd believes that supplements are an overpriced scam and do nothing. All you need to lose weight is a healthy diet. On the flipside, all you need to build muscle is to eat tons of protein.

Within this group are those who look at cheap supplements and then pretty much make the same assumption that they don’t work.

Type 2 – Supplements are Essential

Then we have the complete opposite. Those who believe that supplements are absolutely crucial to making gains in the gym.

The amount of times i’ve been asked “what type of protein powder do you use” by teenagers in the gym…. (For the record, i pretty much always recommend impact whey to these people, as I explain in my impact whey review).

Rather than concerning themselves with how much protein they should be eating to gain muscle, they instead confuse themself with the vast amounts of different protein supplements available. As a result I even made this dummies guide to protein powders.

Then there are those, within this same crowd, that believe fat burners will just magically shed away the fat. With no exercise. No dieting. Just poof.

These are pills, not George Foreman grills for humans.

The Right Approach to Supplements

Supplements should be used to do exactly that, supplement a diet. Protein works. No debate about it. It doesn’t magically build muscle. A protein powder simply helps you hit your protein intake.

Creatine does help with strength gains. No debate about it.

However you can still make gains without them. Do you need a pre workout shake. Intra-workout shake. Post workout shake. Meal replacement shake?

NO!

Can they help?

Maybe

If you do lift, and you’re not tracking your macros, then chances are you probably aren’t eating enough protein. In this scenario throwing in a protein shake such as GoNutritions Whey concentrate, impact whey or TPW whey 80 will be an easy way to boost your protein intake.

You can’t go wrong with taking a multivitamin/mineral for general health purposes.

However, don’t think for one second that supplements are the be all and end all of making progress.

Before you consider dropping any kind of money on any kind of supplements I would strongly advise that you actually establish your caloric intake. Eating towards this need, and exercising hard.

Then if you get bit by the “gym bug” turn to supplements.

Don’t run before you can walk.

What You Need To Do

As i’ve mentioned, this is a basic approach, for a casual gym lifter. These points do not apply for those who eat towards their macros.

However for the average person looking to drop a few lbs, im sure that this approach can help you lose weight in a sustainable and healthy manner, without having to overthink things.

The Cheat Sheet

1. Reduce all obvious junk food.
2. Start looking at the nutrition labels on all your foods. This will reveal “hidden junk foods” aka foods marketed as “healthy foods”.
3.  Don’t think of these foods as being forbidden.
4. Reduce – don’t restrict.
5. Swap these “unhealthy foods” with healthier options.
6. Don’t stress over supplements
7. Remember that weight loss ultimately comes down to calories in vs calories out – not the foods we consume.
8. Making smarter choices with foods makes “dieting” easier, enjoyable, and sustainable

Bonus –

If you really want to get the most out of your efforts, then establish your macros, and research more into nutrition & supplements.