What works for me when dieting

You can probably tell from the title of this post that I’m not one of those people who think that what works for one person will work for everyone.

That doesn’t mean I think that it’s possible to breach the laws of physics and that you can lose fat while being in a calorific surplus.  But I do think that different people handle carbohydrates and fats in different ways when dieting.  I also know from experience that I handle cardio and other life stresses in a different way to Anna, for example.

That being said, this is what I think works for me:

Realistic expectations – I don’t like to go into a programme with huge expectations and then to fall short of that.  I prefer to set myself an achievable goal and then to hit it and push on for more.  In this case, I think that 5kg (10lbs) should put me back roughly at the same level of body fat that I was for most of last year.  If I feel like I’m on a roll, I’ll push on a bit and see if I can make the step from four visible abs to six.

A real deficit – I’m not the sort of person for whom a little tweak in the diet makes a lot of difference.  My body doesn’t naturally carry a great deal of fat except around the waist and boy is it stubborn fat!  Come to think of it, I need a big surplus of calories before I start to add muscle as well.  So I guess my body is just stubborn full stop.  I reckon on needing at least a 500kcal deficit from a maintenance level, which is around 1,800kcal per day to start with.  As my diet progresses, I dial it down slowly.

Cardio boredom – I have always found it very hard to do any type of exercise unless I have a specific goal that I’m aiming for.  I could never just go into the gym and do a workout.  I have to have a plan in place to get a lift up or to develop a new skill.  I absolutely hate doing cardio unless I’m going all out and trying to beat a time I set last time.

Cardio boredom: there’s nothing worse than staring at a clock

Cardio quota – for some reason, I get hit really hard after cardio when I’m dieting.  I know I don’t push it too hard but I still feel like I could sleep for a week after a (relatively) short bike ride or a long but brisk walk.  I can do Non-Exercise Physical Activity (NEPA) forever but dial up the intensity even slightly and I’m toast for days afterwards.  So I find it very effective to do short, hard intervals session after each weights session (four times per week).

Non-Exercise Physical Activity (NEPA) – I really like NEPA because it doesn’t tear me down in the same way that cardio does.  The only problem is that it is very time-consuming.  I start my programme with 30-minute daily walks before bedtime.  I did this last time and it was very effective at avoiding late-night cravings plus it was useful for getting me out of the house and into the fresh air, which tends to relax me a bit and make me less grouchy.  This year, I’m thinking of adding a bit of extra weight in the form of a rucksack with a few weights plates in it but we’ll see how that goes.

Weighted or traditional cardio – I used to think of cardio in terms of cycling and using the Concept 2 rowing machine.  In the last year or so there has been a lot written about weighted cardio or strength cardio.  The idea behind strength cardio is that you don’t lose muscle or convert your muscle from fast-twitch to slow-twitch in the process.  I like sledgehammer striking and sled pushing.

Progression – I need to keep piling on the pressure.  My body quickly adapts to a certain level of cardio and a certain level of calories and I need to keep adding extra work and taking away food until I can’t do any more.

Protein – I find that I feel fuller for longer if I eat mostly protein for my dieting meals.  I don’t particularly have a sweet tooth and I’m really not much of a foodie (you can get on my good side with nothing more than a big hunk of brisket).  I do like beer but I have got to the age where I can put that down for a few weeks to achieve a goal if I need to.

Sardines: mostly protein

Fat – I can take or leave fat and I tend to leave it if I can get away with it.  Anna keeps me in check and stops me essentially eating nothing but chicken.

Carbohydrate – I feel that I am at the far end of the spectrum when it comes to carbohydrates.  I pretty much gave them up a long time ago and now only use fruit or yoghurt around workouts or in the middle of a very long bike ride (like 100 miles).  I definitely notice that the fat goes on quite quickly when I eat them and it’s essentially more-or-less impossible for me to lose weight if I eat them.  So when dieting I take it a step further and cut out the fruit and limit myself to just green fibrous vegetables (and the odd onion and pepper to taste) in the main with some yoghurt before a weights session.

100 miles on a bicycle: quite literally a pain in the ass

Stress – there are some stresses that I find easy to bear and others I find harder to live with.  When I’m dieting, though, I get very grumpy and Anna tends to stay out of my way.  I also find that spending time with family and friends, which is normally a big de-stressing agent for me, is difficult when dieting as the English culture requires that alcohol be consumed at such meetings.  When you’re already crabby from hunger, dealing with drunken people while sober is not really a nice way to spend a relaxing evening.  This tends to drive me towards spending a lot more time working or writing when I’m dieting and I have to be careful to take quality time to relax properly or I burn out and end up miserable.   

Heavy lifting – I had the worst ever experience of my training life when I tried a volume-based approach to weight-loss a while ago.  I lost so much strength it took me months to get it back.  Now, I am religious about cutting the volume back really quite strictly (possibly too strictly) so that I can afford really high intensities.  I train four times a week and incorporate two upper body sessions, one lower body session and one strongman session.  I like 5 sets of 2 reps for big compound movements like squats and overhead presses and I’ll throw in some 3RM work as well for good measure. 

So that’s what works for me.  If it works for you too, please let me know.

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