Moderate limitation
So many people think that when they go nuts in limiting some food categories entirely, then and only then they will reach their goal. Restricting your food choice and especially your favorite food can be very frustrating. It will urge you to go in the opposite direction you initially planned for. I'm not saying that limiting your food choice will never get you to your goals but instead of making things easy, it can pretty much make things so much more difficult.
For the regular people, there is a higher chance you can stick to a not-so-limiting diet rather than an all-in pursuit that will last merely 2-3 weeks or even worse 2-3 days!
Balance and neutrality are the keys here. You have to understand what you like and enjoy having. Try limiting unhealthy things you enjoy but not to the extent that it will make you crave them even more! Look for that balance between choosing what can stay and what needs to go. What food to switch to and what food to incorporate more in your diet.
Calories in and Calories out
In a world where people love to make things more difficult than it is. The weight loss myth is among the top tier of this complication.
Achieving weight loss and fat loss goals can simply be done by calculating calories in and calories out. Many people still argue that choice of food matters more than the number of calories you consume and spend in the day.
However, in my opinion, we should balance this out by combining the two ideas. Use a calculation tool like the TDEE calculator to learn your maintenance calories.
(Please note that this tool is only providing you with a rough idea of your recommended calories intake from your current age, sex, weight, and height)
Trust me, the temptation of getting the result as fast as humanely possible is going to haunt you. Hold that thought! because it is not the way you want to go. I suggest not more than 300 calories cut per day is probably doable for most people.
I also highly suggest that you track whatever you put in your mouth for at least 3 months. Get used to your food choices and how many calories it provides. This might sound like a lot of work but it will save you more time than jumping into a fat loss journey, managing to lose some fat, and gaining it back as fast. I use Myfitnesspal but you can use whatever you like.
Walk more
Apart from your exercise(which I hope you've included in your fat loss journey), you should try to get 8,000 - 10,000 steps per day.
Walking is such a great way to move more. Remember that this is only an extra thing in your daily routine.
Walking has a lot of benefits for you and the best of all is "It doesn't make you hungry", So many times, we aim to run to lose weight and ended up eating more than we should. An easy walk is not going to make you feel too hungry.
You can try walking in the morning with some podcast to start your day or even a quiet moment, walking through your neighborhood is a great start. If you live a sedentary lifestyle you might want to consider setting up an alarm to get up from your chair and walk a bit once every 1 hour. When you're on phone calls, it's might be a good opportunity to get some steps in.
Track your step by using apps on your phone or wearing a cheap wearable like Fitbit, Miband, Apple watch, or any fitness tracker of your choice. I'm not saying to replace walking with other cardio activities. Running, playing tennis, cycling and many more are amazing for your health. In general, walking is just a good and moderate way to "move more" that's my point.
I'm going to end it here.
If you are in Phuket or planning to be here, Please visit The Bowl Phuket. We serve Poke bowl, Acai bowl, and smoothies bowl. Hence the name.
We also serve plant-based food and lots of healthy snacks.