Answering Every God Damn Question You Have About Weight Loss

When it comes to weight loss, saying that people have a lot of questions about the whole proccess is an understatement. People have A LOT of questions about weight loss. And that’s understandable, especially with all the contradicting and crappy info out there in the industry.

And since I’m such a good law abiding citizen, I’ll do my best to answer all your burning weight loss questions below.

So lets get to it, shall we.

Diet questions

How do you lose weight?

Eat less food.

I’m gonna need more than that. How much less? How much do I need to eat a day?

To calculate your daily calorie intake, you can start by multiplying your bodyweight in pounds by 12. That should give you a rough estimation for your daily calorie intake in order to lose 1 pound a week.

Ugh, do I have to count to calories?

Yup, sorry buddy. How do you expect to lose weight if you don’t track your food intake.

Many people argue that calorie counting is not a long term plan, and it’s better to simply gauge your hunger or to “eyeball” portions instead. The former is just plain risky while latter can work in certain situations, but in the end, counting calories is the safest and most reliable way of tracking your food intake.

What is the maximum amount of weight I can lose each week?

Realistically, you should only try to lose 1-2 pounds per week. However, if you’re feeling super motivated, you can try out my form of extreme dieting to lose insane amounts of weight in one week.

Do I need to eat breakfast to lose weight?

No, breakfast IS NOT the most important meal of the day. The only reason you should eat breakfast is if you enjoy it, otherwise don’t worry about it.

How about eating really late at night, I heard that makes you fat?

Well you heard wrong. As long as you don’t shoot over your calorie allotment for the day, you’re good to go.

How many meals do I need eat a day?

I truly don’t care. You can eat 6 meals a day or you can eat 1 meal a day. In the end, as long as your calories add up the same then it doesn’t matter.

But don’t I need to eat at least 6 meals a day to keep my metabolism revving?

Nope, this is another diet myth that just can’t seem to die no matter what. Your metabolism doesn’t slow down if you don’t eat every 2-3 hours. It actually takes closer to 96 hours before your metabolism experiences any measurable decrease.

So is it okay if I just eat 1 giant meal every day?

Sure, why not? Eating 1 big meal very day is the basis of an intermittent fasting program known as the Warrior Diet where you fast throughout the entire day and don’t eat until night time.

What kinds of food should I eat when trying to lose weight?

I’ve never been a huge fan of telling people what to eat. I much prefer to tell them how much to eat and let them make their own choices. But with that said, you should just eat ANYTHING you want, just eat smaller portions of it.

How about protein, that’s important right?

Yeah, I would say protein is definitely the most important macronutrient, so you should aim for a minimum of 0.6 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight when dieting. This will help keep you satiated and will help preserve muscle mass.

But if for some reason you aren’t able to hit that amount one day, don’t worry about it. Many people expierience forms of “protein guilt” as Brad Pilon likes to call it when they don’t eat enough protein. Protein has the ability to recycle itself, so it’s okay to have low protein days once in a while.

Is red meat bad for you?

Hell no! Eating too much red meat is bad for you, just like eating too much of anything is bad for you.

But Dr. Oz said you should become vegetarian.

Here’s some advice – never take nutrition advice from Dr. Oz.

On my list of “famous fitness people on TV I hate”, Dr.Oz is on top. You can read my anti-vegetarian article if you want, but I must warn you, if you’re a vegetarian, you’re not going to like it.

Should I eat carbs?

Unless you absolutely hate doughnuts, bread, sushi, and chocolate filled eclairs, then no, you shouldn’t eat carbs.

On the other hand, if you love those foods, then I encourage you to eat carbs on a regular basis. Don’t let anyone tell you that you shouldn’t eat carbs when trying to lose weight since it promotes fat storage and whatnot. Just watch your calories, and you’ll be fine.

Are low carb diets good for weight loss?

In general, no. Most people can’t sustain a low carb diet for a long time. But if you have a massive amount of weight to lose, then going on a low carb diet for a few days can have its benefits since carbs bind to water and dropping the carbs can help you shed the water quickly.

And what about fats, should I avoid foods like bacon since they contain a lot of saturated fats?

Are you freaking kidding me? Bacon is one of life’s greatest pleasures, right up there with taking a warm bubble bath with scented candles and dim lighting.

Do I have to give up my favorite foods when dieting?

Absolutely not. Like I’ve stated many times on this blog, just eat what you like but in smaller amounts.

How do I eat healthy when going out to eat?

There are 2 ways to deal with this:

1) You can just try to make more sensible choices, like opting for non-fried foods and whatnot but that’s no fun.

2) You can create a calorie buffer where you’ll skip meals in order to save up calories until you go out to eat. This way, you’ll be able to eat a big meal without ruining your weight loss progress.

Should I eat something before I workout? 

It’s totally up to you. The most important thing you must know is that eating before a workout has very little benefit. In fact, working out in a fasted state probably has more benefits since you’re burning body fat instead of the food you just ate.

I complete the majority of my workouts in a fasted state since I don’t perform as well if I eat anything beforehand, but if you’re not hungry, then there’s no reason not to workout in a fasted state.

Should I eat after my workout? 

I wrote an article on this a while back, and have come to this conclusion – if your goal is to lose fat, then it’s really not necessary to eat after a workout. Just eat when you’re feeling hungry.

Should I take supplements? 

I only recommend 2 supplements – a good multivitamin and an Omega 3 supplement. A multivitamin is used to safeguard against any mineral/vitamin deficiencies and the Omega 3 supplement provides a whole host of health benefits that I don’t even want to get into.

I buy my supplements from Prograde Nutrition since their stuff is super high quality.

So in your opinion, what’s the best diet plan out there?

I hate labelling something as the “best.”

But if I had to choose, I would say Eat Stop Eat.

It’s not really even a diet plan in the sense that it doesn’t tell you what to eat, but instead tells you when not to eat. It’s an intermittent fasting program that tells you it’s okay to fast for 24 hours without any negative consequence. Before you think I’m crazy, make sure you read my article on intermittent fasting here.

Workout and general questions

How should I exercise when trying to lose weight?

Lift heavy weights god dammit.

How often should I lift weights?

Shoot for 3x per week for no more than 1 hour each time.

But I’m a girl and I don’t want to get bulky, shouldn’t I just lift light weights for high reps?

Please don’t do this. You’re only hurting yourself if you believe all the bullshit mainstream fitness info that you read in magazines. The only way to develop sexy muscle tone is to lift heavy weights. Check out this article for more info:.

How about cardio? Should I do that too? 

I’m not the biggest fan of traditional cardio(running for endless minutes on a treadmill), but I do like more intense forms of cardio like HIIT, metabolic circuits, and bodyweight circuits. If you want to lose weight, just stick with weight lifting at first and implement these forms of cardio later on if you want to boost your results.

How often should I workout my abs? I really want a six pack.

Getting a six pack is 95% diet and 5% exercise. The truth is that everyone already has a six pack, it’s just covered by fat. So just focus on losing fat first and foremost. Once you get to a low enough body fat percentage, getting a really nice set of abs will be super easy.

I only want to lose fat in my abs? Is that possible?

No, spot reduction is a complete myth and lie. It’s physically impossible to just lose fat in one specific part of your body. However, it is possible to build muscle in specific parts of your body.

Do you really need to “switch it up” to get results?

No, the whole theory behind “switching it up” is complete myth. Just make sure you’re progressing with your workout and you’ll be fine.

What if I don’t have a gym membership? Where can I find some effective home workout routines?

If you don’t have a gym membership, then your next best alternative would be to do bodyweight exercises at home.

Craig Ballantyne of Turbulence Training has a bunch of awesome workout routines that you can do at home. You should check those out.

How often should I weigh myself?

Definitely not once a day. Definitely not once every other day. Definitely not once every 5th day.

You know what, how about you don’t weigh yourself at all? The scale can play evil tricks on you if you’re a sensitive person who reacts to even the smallest shift.

A better way to measure your progress would be to take progress pictures every week. The mirror is much friendlier than the scale, trust me.

Did I answer all your questions?

Hopefully I’ve answered all your weight loss questions without being too confusing, but I’m sure I’ve missed a few questions as well. Let me know which ones I missed and I’ll answer them below.