For those who don’t know, to lose weight you have to eat less.

Specifically, you need to be consuming fewer calories than you are burning. So for example on average I burn about 2300 calories a day through sleeping, eating, pooing, walking etc. so I would need to eat less than that to lose weight. Simple.

Now the calories we burn on a daily basis are called our ‘maintenance calories’. This varies for everyone. To get an approximate value multiply your weight in pounds by 15. This will give you a good starting value.

Our aim during weight loss is to lose about 1lb (0.4kg) of fat a week. This figure is a good mix of being able to eat enough so we don’t hate the diet, yet we will still be losing a fairly considerable amount of fat which we will be able to do consistently.
The deficit is also not large enough to lose too much muscle; as we lose weight our body is deprived of nutrients, and will start fishing around for energy from fat and muscles. The body normally looks around for fat first, however if we are really not eating enough it will start to attack our muscles too. We don’t want that because muscle makes us (both men and women) look good.

So, our objective is to reduce our calories by about 300-500 calories below our maintenance value. For me I weigh 163lbs, so I burn about 2400 calories just doing daily stuff. To lose weight, I will start off with eating 2100 calories and tracking my weight every week to see if I’m on track. If I’m not, I will eat about 100 less each week until I am.

So what is this method of weight loss you want us to try?

Well, this may surprise you, but I say fuck breakfast.

And here is why: My willpower is strongest in the morning; I am able to control myself and resist earlier on in the day. Throughout the day, my determination and willpower fade, and by the evening I am vulnerable to cravings. I also do not like going to bed hungry and like to eat whilst watching TV…

In essence, I just try and wait as long into the day as possible before eating –this often just means waiting till lunch to it.
Now there are actually studies showing the benefits of doing this, however regardless of the benefits, I just find it a very manageable way to control how much I eat.

Admittedly, it is difficult at first, so I started off just waiting a bit later in the day to eat. First till 10 AM, then till 11 AM, and within a month I was able to consistently manage to wait until lunch.
This makes the rest of the day a breeze, because you can just eat normally, and will not feel like you are missing out on anything.
When you get good at controlling yourself, you could even try and eat a little less at lunch and have a feast of a dinner, if you really like to eat a lot in one sitting.

Any Tips?

To curb your hunger in the mornings chew on some gum – this does wonders for me.
Also, sparkling water and black coffee are great ways to satisfy your belly before lunch.
And stay busy – if you are doing something such as work or studying time can fly! Before you know it is lunchtime, and your belly feels fine and you are happy because you know you are on the right track to losing weight!
Be sure to eat enough protein to help retain muscle! Aim to shoot for about 0.9g per lb of bodyweight.

I urge you to give it a go. It really has helped me control my food issues (I like to eat, a lot…) and it feels really good mentally when you are able to control yourself.
Also, I noticed that I actually feel more refreshed and energised without food  in the morning– I assume it’s because eating an influx of sugary high-carb breakfast foods really messes with your energy levels

Good luck!

-Mike