In four months, I was able to lose weight and maintain muscle without hating every second of it :)

My weight loss story isn’t like most people you may have read about — who typically start off out of shape, find a passion for fitness, and get their life together. I was actually the opposite. Since I was a young teen - I have always been interested in health and fitness. I started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) at age 14, and have also been lifting weights as well since then. From an early age I studied everything out there regarding dieting, nutrition, and fitness because I (mistakenly) thought I was going to go far in the world of BJJ. In high school I was sub 10% body fat at roughly 155 pounds, and considered myself to have a good mix of decent cardio and strength.

Then a few years of university, some injuries, concussions, and some mild depression happened — and in April I found myself at 209 pounds with high blood pressure. I was never more ashamed of myself and insecure of who I was. (This isn’t to imply your body is your self worth, but for me personally, being in shape/healthy has always been a large part of my self image). I would start to eat healthy for a few days — I knew what to eat, but didn’t have the willpower to follow through and went back to eating frozen dinners and Mc Donald’s.

Now as of August — I have lost roughly 35 pounds — and feel much better about myself. I tell everyone it is much easier than you’d think — and they think I’m crazy. This has prompted me to want to share some advice to my friends/peers so they can perhaps find the drive to do the same, as I truly feel once I changed my mindset regarding my health and followed a few strict principles; losing weight becomes effortless. I’ve been on both sides of the coin — so I know how difficult it is to break bad habits, but I find if you follow the general guidelines I’m going to outline, healthy weight loss (not starving yourself) becomes very easy.

Know a little about nutrition and food: You don’t need to become a dietitian, but do some basic research on what role the three macro-nutrients, micro-nutrients, and minerals play within your body. You have no idea how many people still believe old health myths — such as breakfast cereal is healthy, or that eating a lot of fruit is good for you. For this I would highly recommend YouTube, Reddit, and other internet sources as a fast way to get up to speed. I’d also recommend looking into a variety of important ideas such as the glycemic index and insulin responses to food, foods that are generally nutrient dense, and the effects of certain foods on people based on their genetics (some people react badly to dairy, gluten, sugars, etc). Having the theoretical knowledge base of what makes up food helps you make better choices when you start to make your lifestyle change — as you’ll start to think more logically about your food choices. Do I really need an extra 30 grams of sugar? Have I had enough minerals in my diet today? Which option has more protein? Know your BMR, and macro-nutrient requirements as a guideline: Now I know counting every calorie and gram of carbohydrates isn’t for everyone, but it’s still a great resource to have as a general baseline for your food choices. There are some people that don’t believe in counting calories — they’re simply ignoring basic science. If your BMR is 1600, and you eat 3000 calories a day — even if they’re all proteins and vegetables, you’re going to gain weight, period. I also don’t believe in the opposite, where certain people think a calorie is a calorie so they eat junk foods to meet their caloric needs. Both approaches are bad, and will lead to weight gain. Eat less than you burn to lose weight, eat slightly more than you burn to gain weight (when incorporating resistance/strength training). Knowing your carb/protein/fat requirements is also important if you’re really looking to develop an aesthetic physique. There are a ton of calculators online that can help you figure this out. How many calories have I ate today? Should I get the grilled or fried option to stay on track? Intermittent Fasting: IF is really one of the foundations of my weight loss journey. For those of you who don’t know yet — fasting is an awesome way to improve your health. It has been linked to a ton of different health benefits including: fat loss, increased testosterone support, improved immune system, more focus, better gut health, and even recovery. I follow a 17:7 eating window, but generally a 16:8 is the most popular. For example — you start eating at 12 pm and stop eating at 8 pm. This is much easier than it sounds, as you just skip breakfast, eat a big lunch (technically your breakfast), a second lunch, and then dinner. One really awesome part about intermittent fasting is that since your eating window is smaller, you get to eat bigger portions of your favorite foods to get your calories in — no more tiny frequent meals that leave you craving more. While fasting, you’re giving your digestive system a rest — and your cells begin to go through a process called cell apoptosis, where weaker or dead cells are used for energy by stronger/healthier cells. This recycling of the cells is essential, and fasting expedites this process in a very interesting way. Check it out online — it’s amazing how our bodies work. For weight loss, one of the biggest areas used up for energy are your fat cells — who have been stored for this exact purpose (to be converted into energy in times of no food). You can only have black coffee, green tea, or water during a fast (zero calories). Even adding a few drops of milk breaks your fast, so be strict about this! Structure your workouts around strength, minimal frequency: While cardio is essential for your health, too many people make cardio their only means of exercise. I won’t go into the many benefits of weight training — which include better joint health, muscle development, hormonal support, more calories burned, etc — but take my word for it or check it out online for yourself. Doing only cardio combined with dropping weight will also mean you’ll lose muscle mass and have the dreaded “skinny fat” look. If you already weight train — that’s great- but keep in mind more volume + frequency of working out while dropping weight means you need more calories to recover. Also — you aren’t Mr. Olympia — unless you’re using anabolics or other forms of PED’s, working out every day with weights is counter productive. You simply don’t have the recovery capabilities, your burning out your nervous system, and this will actually lead to muscle loss and injury. As a natural, you should aim to workout with weights 2–4 times a week. Focusing on strength will allow you to maintain or even gain the most muscle possible while keeping volume/wear and tear low. Make sure you get some intense cardio in at least once a week as well to keep the heart healthy! Be flexible, give yourself cheat days, and don’t overthink it: While being strict is great for short term gain — it’s not a long term solution. I’ve seen it time and time again — friends who go on a super strict diet — lose a bunch of weight and look great - only to mentally burn out and gain it all back a few weeks later. You might need to track every calorie if you’re a competitive athlete or bodybuilder, but the average person is not. You also don’t want to build an unhealthy mental relationship with food where you see healthy choices as your “punishment” for getting the body you want. You can have your cake and eat it too if you incorporate some flexibility in your diet. That’s why I love intermittent fasting combined with general healthy eating principles. I try to stay just under 2000 calories a day and meet my macro/micro nutrient needs, but I’ll be the first to admit sometimes if there’s room I’ll eat some chocolate, or occasionally have a cheat day where I eat a little more than I expected. It’s not the end of the world. Being too harsh on yourself regarding what you eat isn’t healthy — that’s called an eating disorder. I’ve been able to lose weight, but I’m not ashamed to admit sometimes I still enjoy some drinks with friends, dessert once in a while after dinner, and a small bag of chips at work occasionally. I’d rather be the guy who eats mostly healthy all his life, than the guy who eats bland chicken, rice, and cold veggies every day for three years before quitting. It’s all about moderation, being patient with yourself, and building generally good habits.

I hope this article has been helpful, and I’d love to get some updates on how you are doing in your healthy journey. I love to hear about what specific areas people are struggling with, as often you’ll find many people struggle with the exact same things. If you have some nutritional advice — send it my way, as I’m always looking to learn more.

Chris Alfar

calfar@ryerson.ca