Everything You Need to Know About Nutrition for Weight Loss Goals

Fitness and nutrition are two sides of the same coin — but for weight loss goals, focusing on nutrition is key.

INTRODUCTION

Like everything else in life, fitness is just a matter of math and discipline. Nutrition (“energy in”) and training (“energy out”) are key, but let’s focus on nutrition for now — since it's the more important factor for weight loss goals.

These evidence-based “rules” are heuristics that will work for most people most of the time. For maintenance and lean mass gain, the same principles hold true, but their application may differ.

They say, "Abs are made in the kitchen." That's half true; I work my core musculature at least twice a week — but I didn't really start to see my abs until I got down below ~14% body fat.

Rule #1: Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Weight loss requires a calorie deficit (Hall et al., 2011). Define your goal and calculate your TDEE and energy intake needs to find how many calories you burn daily and how much you should eat in order to reach your goal in a specific timeline. This tool is extremely powerful when used in expert mode: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/bwp

🚨Important note: calculated TDEE is a great starting point, but it’s just an estimate. If you’re eating at what the calculator says is maintenance level or in a deficit, but the scale keeps going up, you’re in a surplus. Adjust accordingly.

Rule #2: In order to do anything about numbers, you have to know what you’re eating. Track your intake using an app like FatSecret (https://www.fatsecret.com/) and a food scale. And track your body weight every two or three days in the morning before eating/drinking and after using the bathroom. Note: I’ve also tried MyFitnessPal (hate it) and I currently use VeSync (not the best UX) since it connects to my Bluetooth Etekcity food scale and auto-populates the weight.

Rule #3: Watch your macros and prioritize protein. There are no bad macros (well, except for alcohol, but we like it), although the distribution matters. Carbs/protein = 4 kcal/g, fat = 9 kcal/g, alcohol = 7 kcal/g. Prioritize protein (1.2–2.2g/kg goal weight) to maintain lean mass and stay full (Wycherley et al., 2012; Paddon-Jones et al., 2008). I usually recommend the higher end of that range, or exceeding it. In fact, a recent study found that resistance-trained individuals who consumed approximately four times the recommended amount of protein and an additional ~800 calories (from only extra protein) saw no additional fat (or lean mass) gain compared to a control group eating 1.8g/kg (Antonio et al., 2014). With carbs, aim for at least a 1:6 ratio of fiber to total carbs and try to eat at least 38g fiber/day (for men under 50, 25 for women under 50). Exceeding the recommended daily allowance might make you feel bloated. 

A note for the keto/carnivore dieters (because I used to be one): Keto is subject to the same laws of thermodynamics as the rest of the universe. Loading up on very fatty/calorie-dense food helps keep you satiated, but if you’re not running a deficit, you won’t lose weight. Can you lose weight on keto? Yes. Can you stay on keto for a long time with enough discipline? Also yes. But is it the ideal diet? No. It’s hard to sustain, breaking it messes you up and carbs and fiber are important for optimal functioning. And the worst part about keto? It turns you into a raging keto evangelist.

Rule #4: Cut the garbage. Limit (heavily/ultra-) processed foods (added sugars, salty snacks, seed oils, saturated fats) and opt for whole foods like fruits, veggies, lean proteins, and high-fiber carbs (Monteiro et al., 2018; Hall et al., 2019). There is an emerging class of highly processed food that are modified to make them more nutritious instead of more palatable, like high-fiber bread, high-protein milk and yogurt, etc. These can actually be very useful. But everything in moderation.)

Rule #5: Maximize the volume and minimize the calories. Fill up on less calorie-dense, higher-volume foods like fruits, veggies, and high-fiber options. For example, a medium potato and a small croissant have the same amount of calories, but the potato is nearly seven times as filling (S. H. Holt et al., 1995) — in fact, it’s one of the most satiating foods you can eat (Buckland et al., 2018). On the extreme end, for illustrative purposes, a pound of iceberg lettuce has 60kcal and a pound of oil has 4,000. Drinking water or coffee (or another zero or low-calorie beverage of your preference) before meals can also help curb hunger and prevent overeating.

Foods to eat in moderation:

• Simple carbs, like white rice, and sugary drinks or snacks (opt for a carb-to-fiber ratio ≤ 6:1).

• Salty/processed meats (e.g., kielbasa, beef sticks)

• Nuts (very calorie dense)

• Suff with lots of saturated fat (peanut butter, salami, cheese)

• Foods high in omega-6/seed oils (Doritos or chips, store-bought sauces and dressings, and other packaged foods)

Rule #6: Timing doesn’t really matter. You may have heard that you can’t eat late at night or early in the morning. That’s BS. Studies have shown over and over that nutrient timing is really only important for endurance athletic goals or athletes who are training multiple times daily. That said, consuming 20–30g protein within a 1–3-hour window before resistance training is ideal for stimulating muscle protein synthesis and, although it’s a popular practice, eating protein immediately after weight training isn’t important (Schoenfeld et al., 2013). Despite persisting myths that the body can absorb only a certain amount of protein per meal, there appears to be no practical upper limit (Trommelen et al., 2023). If you can, you should spread protein intake more evenly throughout the day (e.g., 30g four to six times daily) and consider eating slow-digesting proteins (like casein, found in Greek yogurt) before bed (Areta et al., 2013). Intermittent fasting can help structure your routine, although it’s more of a psychological tool and likely has no metabolic benefit.

Rule #7: With supplements, always consult a doctor or dietitian and always look for third-party testing. I tend to buy ones that are NSF-certified for sport. I like Thorne for most supplements.

Supplements to consider:

• Daily multivitamin.

• Vitamin D (1,000 IU/day). Many Americans are deficient, especially in winter months.

• Omega-3s. If you don’t eat fish 2x/week, you might want to take a daily Omega-3 supplement. Be careful with these; many of the cheap ones available are literally rancid.

• Whey protein isolate (better than concentrate) — Thorne is good (but expensive) as is Dymatize (less expensive)

• Creatine (5g/day, NSF-certified or third-party-tested brands like Thorne). It’s one of the most studied supplements with established physical benefits for those resistance training and potential cognitive benefits for aging populations (Kreider et al., 2017; Avgerinos et al., 2018). Loading phase optional; results without loading in 2–3 months.

• Note: the only (legal) performance-enhancing supplements that are backed by strong evidence are creatine and caffeine. For nutrition/body composition, protein (very strong evidence) EAAs (strong, but probably not necessary if you get enough protein) and HMB (weaker evidence). 

None of this is particularly complicated, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Change is hard. And for some people, it’s really hard. I hope this helps you on your weight-loss/fitness journey. And an important note: all of this is possible to do on your own, but working with a professional can be beneficial. (And most decent health insurance will cover a nutritionist — I don’t even pay a copay when I see mine.)

Good luck!

References

Antonio, J., Peacock, C. A., Ellerbroek, A., Fromhoff, B., & Silver, T. (2014). The effects of consuming a high protein diet (4.4 g/kg/d) on body composition in resistance-trained individuals. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 11(1), 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-11-19

Areta, J. L., Burke, L. M., Ross, M. L., Camera, D. M., West, D. W., Broad, E. M., … & Coffey, V. G. (2013). Timing and distribution of protein ingestion during prolonged recovery from resistance exercise alters myofibrillar protein synthesis. The Journal of Physiology, 591(9), 2319–2331. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2012.244897

Avgerinos, K. I., Spyrou, N., Bougioukas, K. I., & Kapogiannis, D. (2018). Effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive function of healthy individuals: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Experimental Gerontology, 108, 166–173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exger.2018.04.018

Buckland, N. J., Camidge, D., Croden, F., Lavin, J. H., Stubbs, R. J., Hetherington, M. M., Blundell, J. E., & Finlayson, G. (2018). A low energy-dense diet in the context of a weight-management program affects appetite control in overweight and obese women. The Journal of Nutrition, 148(5), 798–806. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxy041

Hall, K. D., Ayuketah, A., Brychta, R., Cai, H., Cassimatis, T., Chen, K. Y., … & Zhou, M. (2019). Ultra-processed diets cause excess calorie intake and weight gain: An inpatient randomized controlled trial of ad libitum food intake. Cell Metabolism, 30(1), 67–77.e3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2019.05.008

Hall, K. D., Heymsfield, S. B., Kemnitz, J. W., Klein, S., Schoeller, D. A., & Speakman, J. R. (2012). Energy balance and its components: Implications for body weight regulation. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 95(4), 989–994. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.112.036350

Holt, S. H., Miller, J. C., Petocz, P., & Farmakalidis, E. (1995). A satiety index of common foods. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 49(9), 675–690.

Kreider, R. B., Kalman, D. S., Antonio, J., Ziegenfuss, T. N., Wildman, R., Collins, R., … & Lopez, H. L. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: Safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14(1), 18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z

Monteiro, C. A., Moubarac, J. C., Cannon, G., Ng, S. W., & Popkin, B. (2013). Ultra-processed products are becoming dominant in the global food system. Obesity Reviews, 14(S2), 21–28. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12107

Paddon-Jones, D., Westman, E., Mattes, R. D., Wolfe, R. R., Astrup, A., & Westerterp-Plantenga, M. (2008). Protein, weight management, and satiety. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 87(5), 1558S–1561S. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/87.5.1558S

Schoenfeld, B. J., Aragon, A. A., & Krieger, J. W. (2013). The effect of protein timing on muscle strength and hypertrophy: A meta-analysis. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 10(1), 53. https://doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-10-53

Trommelen, J., van Lieshout, G. A. A., Nyakayiru, J., Holwerda, A. M., Smeets, J. S. J., Hendriks, F. K., van Kranenburg, J. M. X., Zorenc, A. H., Senden, J. M., Goessens, J. P. B., Gijsen, A. P., & van Loon, L. J. C. (2023). The anabolic response to protein ingestion during recovery from exercise has no upper limit in magnitude and duration in vivo in humans. Cell Reports Medicine, 4(12), 101324. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrm.2023.101324

Wycherley, T. P., Moran, L. J., Clifton, P. M., Noakes, M., & Brinkworth, G. D. (2012). Effects of energy-restricted high-protein, low-fat compared with standard-protein, low-fat diets: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 96(6), 1281–1298. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.112.044321