Effortless Weight Loss: 3 Simple Tips to Shed Pounds Faster

Effective weight management and weight loss has a multitude of factors but a massive talking point that often goes overlooked is satiety - which is the feeling of being content after a meal or feeling 'full'.

This is not to be confused with satiation which is the process that causes one to stop eating. [1]

We're going to be focusing on 3 key factors that enhance satiety which not only gives us that feeling of fullness that persists after eating but it also suppresses the need to further consume more food which is a massive yes when trying to reduce overall calories.

The Big 3 - Prioritizing Protein Intake, Lowering Energy Density of Carbs & Fats & Incorporating Enjoyable Exercise

Prioritize Protein

High protein diets have always had attention from the mainstream media but now they are gaining popularity as an effective approach to weight loss.

If we touch on the science.. briefly! The potential mechanisms that support a high-protein diet in regards to weight loss are the heightened secretion of satiety hormones, the reduction in release of appetite-stimulating hormones (ghrelin) and the increased thermic effective of food. [2]

The last one is interesting - the thermic effect of food (TEF), specifically in this case protein.

TEF is a metabolic response to food which essentially increases energy expenditure due to the steps it takes in the body to process nutrients (Digestion, Absorption, Transportation etc..) and for protein it can be as as 15-30%~ in relation to your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) which in comparison to carbohydrates 5-10%~ and fats 0-3%~ you can understand there's more bang for your buck prioritizing protein in your meal.

We won't go too far down the rabble hole with the science as it can get heavy but if you look at the articles in the reference section you should get a more in depth understanding into the processes that we're talking about.

So how should we prioritize protein and what does this look like?

Consuming Protein First

• Research suggests that consuming a high protein breakfast and specifically, eating protein at the start of the meal can help improve satiety, reduce food motivation/reward, and improve diet quality throughout the day. [3]
  

Consume A High Protein Diet

• Research states that consuming a high protein diet not only plays a key role in weight loss but also lowers cardiovascular disease risk factors such as blood triglycerides and blood pressure while preserving fat free mass!

How Much Is A High Protein Diet?

1–1.60g protein per kilogram of body weight per day (opt for the higher end) - essentially if you was 90kg individual you would multiply 90kg by 1.6 which would give you 144kg of protein per day!

There are several other calculations and studies that actually opt for higher and they do this by calculating by pounds instead of kilos with different ranges.

The 'Science'

The two main factors in inducing weight loss in a high protein diet is its effect on satiety and energy expenditure. The increased satiety is believed to be a result of elevated levels of anorexigenic hormones, decreased levels of orexigenic hormones, increased DIT, elevated plasma AA levels, increased hepatic gluconeogenesis, and increased ketogenesis from the higher protein intake. [4]

Moving on..

Lowering Energy Density of Carbs & Fats

This sounds complex but is incredibly simple, but I believe the British Nutrition Foundation word it best:

Energy density is the amount of energy (or calories, kcal) per gram of food - Lower energy density foods provide less energy per gram of food – this means that you can have larger, more satisfying portions of these foods for fewer calories. [5}

Instead of looking at the potential mechanisms i.e slower gastric emptying, enhanced gastric filling etc.. we're actually going to look at strategies to lower the energy density that are sustainable. [6]

Consume Low Energy Dense Foods First

• When you're at your hungriest and there are no competing foods. 'Filling up first' by consuming a large portion of a low-energy-dense food such as salad (Rolls et al. 2004), fruit (Flood-Obbagy & Rolls 2009) or soup (Flood & Rolls 2007) has been shown to reduce meal energy intake.

Reduce Excess Fat & Sugar

• Prepare fruits, vegetables, and other foods without excess fat and sugar. Frying vegetables or covering them in butter or cream sauce will increase their energy density. The same holds true for fruits with added sugar, syrup, or fat.

Have Lower Energy Dense Foods Readily Available

• Have plenty of foods low in energy density readily available. Making food more readily available can increase consumption. Having plenty of low-energy-dense food at home and at the office makes it easier to choose these foods over higher-energy-dense options.

The final two points above were from the Centre of Disease control (CDC) - for reference.

By now you're probably wondering what are the lower energy dense foods. Thankfully the British Nutrition Foundation have created a free 12 Page PDF that answer the following:

• Lower Energy Dense Food Choices

• Higher Energy Dense Food Choices

• Healthier High Energy Dense Options

• 2 Sample Menu's

• Tips, Tricks & Other Factors

https://www.nutrition.org.uk/media/vvondfra/energy-density-leaflet-april-2022.pdf

Now for the final point..

Incorporating Enjoyable Exercise

This point is actually not related to the effects of exercise on weight loss but actually on long-term adherence and sustainability.

The following research paper looks at the word dietary adherence but I want you to imagine this applies to both exercise and diet.

Research supports the idea that dietary adherence - the degree to which an individual ‘sticks’ to a diet (or exercise programme) is a more important factor in weight loss success than the ‘type’ of diet an individual is prescribed. [7]

The same to some degree can be said of exercise. If you are unable to stick to an exercise due to dreading the thought of it each week, then adherence will be low and in the long-term may create an unhealthy relationship with exercise - the same way in which some people have an unhealthy relationship with food.

This does not mean the exercise has to be easy but it has to suit the following:

• Your Schedule

• Your Tolerance

If the routine does not fit your lifestyle - it won't be adhered to.

There are the set of people that will wake up at 5am, train at night or manipulate the workout to get it from a 60 minute session to a 20 minute session and a shower, but if that isn't you - change the workout.

Your tolerance means two things - how much you can physically endure without recovery taking forever and how much do you enjoy the sessions.

I would always suggest finding a way to get cardiovascular (1-2x per week) and resistance training (2-3x per week) into your routine, but the how doesn't particularly matter.

For cardio, if you're not a fan of traditional treadmill, bike, rower etc.. don't feel you have to start playing around with the metrics. Instead - go play your favourite sport, on your lunch break go for a walk, learn a new physical skill (dance - martial arts). Just get moving at a pace that increases your heart rate substantially.

For resistance training, don't think you have to follow a rigid routine of 5-6 exercises of 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps. Mix it up. Yes, sticking to a plan for the long-term will show increases in strength more so than changing the routine constantly, however - you won't see those results if you never lift.

I would always recommend following the same routine for 6-8 weeks before adding, moving exercises around or playing with the volume - but it can also be fun.

This is where a coach comes in handy and here we are - shameless plug time.

At BoxPerform we do obviously specialise in boxing, not only for the love of boxing but its also incredibly popular and people tend to adhere to there routine when you get to punch something as hard as you like - most often, me!

But our head coach and current writer has been a personal trainer for over a decade and has a degree in sports rehabilitation. Our bread and butter is helping individuals get stronger, lose weight and become healthier versions of themselves and programming is one thing we do most certainly offer.

Therefore, if you find yourself needing that extra motivation or don't know how to set your routine up to adhere to it then I wold highly suggest booking in a free consultation call where we can look at where you're currently needing support, answer your questions and if you're happy to go ahead - devise a long term plan. If not - no worries at all!

That sums up our 3 key strategies for weight loss success - our references are below in case anything struck and you wanted to deep dive into the science. Comment with your questions and if you liked this post please do share it with someone you believe could help.

References

[1] Benelam, B. (2009). Satiation, satiety and their effects on eating behaviour. Nutrition Bulletin, 34(2), 126–173. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-3010.2009.01753.x

[2] Pesta, D., & Samuel, V. T. (2014). A high-protein diet for reducing body fat: mechanisms and possible caveats. Nutrition & Metabolism, 11(1), 53. https://doi.org/10.1186/1743-7075-11-53

[3] Leidy, H. J., Ortinau, L., Douglas, S., & Hoertel, H. A. (2013). Beneficial effects of a higher-protein breakfast on the appetitive, hormonal, and neural signals controlling energy intake regulation in overweight/obese, “breakfast-skipping,” late-adolescent girls. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 97(4), 677–688. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.112.053116

[4] Moon, J., & Koh, G. (2020). Clinical evidence and Mechanisms of High-Protein Diet-Induced Weight Loss. Journal of Obesity & Metabolic Syndrome, 29(3), 166–173. https://doi.org/10.7570/jomes20028

[5] The energy density approach - British Nutrition Foundation. (n.d.). https://www.nutrition.org.uk/putting-it-into-practice/balancing-the-diet/the-energy-density-approach/

[6] Rolls, B. J. (2017). Dietary energy density: Applying behavioural science to weight management. Nutrition Bulletin, 42(3), 246–253. https://doi.org/10.1111/nbu.122807

[7] Gibson, A. A., & Sainsbury, A. (2017). Strategies to improve adherence to dietary weight loss interventions in research and Real-World settings. Behavioral Sciences, 7(3), 44. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs7030044