Part 1: How to Lose 20 lbs. in 60 days. (What I Would Do)

You're not losing weight because you are not focusing on the things that matter the most. 

You are too focused on coffee creamers, organic vs non-organic, low carbs, non-fat.
You think eggs are bad for you and the list goes on.

You spend most of your time and energy trying to optimize these things with little to no results to show for them.

Your insistence that as long as you eat "healthy" you will lose weight is a the foundational error you are making.

Sure, you feel good about choosing organic food but the truth is when it comes to fat loss it is going to have zero impact.

Because rule number 1 of fat loss is, and always will be, a caloric deficit. Slightly less calories than your body needs.

If your caloric deficit says to eat 1600 calories then even chicken and broccoli become "bad" if they put you in a caloric surplus. Does this make sense? Do you see the importance of understanding this?

It always comes down to the amount of food.

This is just one aspect of fat loss and fitness that people are getting wrong.

Today I am going to walk you through exactly what I would eat if I were going to lose 20 lbs over the next 2 months.

I want to preface and say this is by no means a diet or training plan to follow. It is simply a template and I will do my best to show you how you can make adjustments and changes so that you can use this to your benefit in your own personal goals, get fit, lose fat and be awesome.

Step 1: Set a calorie goal.

I weigh 195 lbs so if I wanted to get to 175 I would eat around 1950 calories per day. My bodyweight x 10.

I would then aim for 1g of protein per lb of bodyweight. 195 lbs =195g of protein.
195g of protein = 780 calories (4 calories =1g protein)

I would then backfill the rest of the calories with any combination of carbs and fats that I prefer while keeping in mind my individual preference and performance goals.

1950 overall calories - 780 calories from protein = 1170 calories of anything.

Keep in mind 4 calories-1carb, 9 calories=1g fat.

Step 2: Get clarity on foods to fill these calories.

Because protein is the foundation and backbone, I need to know what my options will be here. My favorite protein options are ground beef, steak, chicken breast, chicken thighs, pork roast, eggs, Greek yogurt. I will cook and prep these in any capacity I like with 1  basic rule. I wont fry them.
 
Because I am aiming for 195g per day, I then need to get clarity on how I'm going to incorporate them into my meals. I eat 4 meals per day so I'd aim for 49g per meal. I like to weigh my food since labels can be inaccurate. 

TIP: 49g = .49 lbs, so ill be aiming for 1.95 lbs of protein/meat each day. This clarifies for me what will be appropriate portion sizes.

I will sprinkle in just enough carbs and fats to keep my meals tasting good while also being appropriate calorically. I will generally weigh these too when I'm being very precise.

Step 3: Create a plan to prep food and make this all convenient.

With clarity on what I will eat, I now must know WHEN and HOW I'm going to do this. This is often the most overlooked part for people. They don't plan out how they'll get this accomplished.

I look at the week in 2 parts. Monday-Thursday and Friday-Sunday.

For the most part I eat the same breakfast everyday with slight variations. 3-4 eggs, toast/yogurt. This takes me about 10 minutes of prep and cook time.

I will cook meats for all of my lunches M-Th. This makes it easier mid day to heat it up and throw it on a plate with little time and effort. For those who claim they don't have time to do this, it takes 30 minutes of cook and prep time on Sunday or even Monday morning and I'm all set for several days. Its not time you don't have, it is how you are spending your time.

A previous blog breaks down how to get your time back. You can check it out here.

Towards the weekend we re-evaluate plans and eating options based on what we have going on. If it makes sense to cook in bulk for the weekend then we will. If we will be out and about or eating out then we wont prep as much, just what we need. Note, the plan doesn't change just because I am eating out. I still look for the same portion sizes and options. The benefit is that I don't have to cook it and it will usually taste different. Enough variety in itself for me.

My free e-book What to Know About Mindful Eating breaks eating out at restaurants even further.

Dinner is something we like to do together. I generally try and have my last meal 3 hours before bedtime so that means dinner is usually between 6-7pm. After eating for convenience throughout the day its nice to have a freshly cooked meal at dinner. This has become something we bond and reconnect on each day. I realize many don't like cooking or have partners to cook with. I urge you to find a way to make it more fun. Invite friends or family over some nights, take a cooking class, buy new and fun foods to try out. 

Make your food a priority. Its the single biggest factor in fat loss and is the thing I am most dialed in on when I'm trying to drop a few lbs (even more than my training)

As the scale starts to move over the days and weeks, will continue to drop calories as low as 1750 ish (yes, that'd be my goal weight x10)

I'd add in an occasional day where I eat a little more based on bio-feedback (hunger, energy and cravings)
 

An example day:

3 eggs,1/2 c greek yogurt, chopped berries, sprinkle of granola

1/2 lb chicken thighs, 1 slice of sourdough bread, small slice of cheese, side salad.

Protein shake or 1/2 red meat/steak, side salad/mixed veggies

1/2 steak/chicken/pork. assorted green veggies, potato

To get better clarity I have attached a food list to guide your decision making HERE

Notes: I keep red meat options 90% lean or higher. I often personally aim for 96% lean. I drink at least 76-94 ounces of spring water per day. Roughly half my bodyweight in ounces. I will get most of my starches around workout times. Usually a window of 2-4 hours before or after a workout so that I have fuel for a good workout.

Next week, I will jump into what my training and other lifestyle habits would look like. I will then wrap up any other factors that would need to be considered and navigated. 

The main thing I want to get across here is that if fat loss is your goal, you must know
-How much food is appropriate based on your goal
-What kinds of foods will make up those calories (proteins, carbs and fats based on likes, preference and portions)
-How you will execute the plan.

Hope this was useful to you.

Until next week

PS. There is no need to do this alone!  If you are looking to lose 20-40 lbs over the next 3-6 months visit the links below to apply for coaching.