More and more people suffer from overweight and the associated secondary diseases. (1) Yet it has long been scientifically confirmed how fat loss works.
If you consume more calories than you get from your diet, you will lose weight. If you take in more calories than you consume, you will gain weight. (2)
But why do so many people still fail when it comes to long-term fat loss??
In this article I would like to introduce you to a simple rule for your diet, which ensures lasting successes. If you follow it, you will lose some fat every day without dieting.
Why diets often fail
Not every diet is the same. Depending on the concept, there are definitely diets that can be called sensible and those that are definitely not.
Classic examples of diets that don’t make sense would be the oatmeal diet or the rice diet. Although many people have already lost fat relatively quickly, the side effects can be enormous.
A classic example of a sensible diet would be a low carb diet, for example. But even with this many people fail.
The reason for this is pretty simple: Too little flexibility, too many restrictions. To carry out a radical change of diet from one day to the next may work for one or the other. For lasting success, however, this is neither necessary nor sensible.
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The golden rule for effective fat loss and long-term successes
In my opinion, the most important rule for permanent fat loss is therefore: Flexibility through the 80 to 20 principle.
If you have already taken our free weight loss course, then maybe you are starting to see the light. Also there we present you this rule and/or this principle namely.
The way the so-called 80 to 20 rule works is actually quite simple:
80 percent of your daily caloric intake must come from healthy, unprocessed foods. With the remaining 20 percent, you’re allowed to indulge.
This keeps your diet healthy and you still don’t have to give up anything.
A practical example for the application of the 80 to 20 rule
To quickly and easily explain how you apply this rule in everyday life, below is a brief example:
Anna is 28 years old, weighs 77 kilograms, is 1.65 meters tall and does strength training twice a week. For the summer, she wants to lose a few kilograms of fat.
Through our free weight loss course, she found out that to do this, she should consume about 1500 kilocalories a day. This divides it now with the help of the 80 to 20 rule.
80 percent of 1500 kilocalories are 1200 kilocalories (1500 x 0.8 = 1200).
The remaining 20% are therefore 300 kilocalories.
The rest is actually quite simple. To take in the 1200 kilocalories, Anna simply resorts to natural, healthy foods.
These include, for example: Oatmeal, natural dairy products like cottage cheese or yogurt, lean meats, fish, fruits and vegetables, potatoes, legumes and nuts.
Anna can then treat herself with the remaining 300 kilocalories. Thus is in the summer also more often an ice cream inside or on Sunday a piece of cake with the family. And this, even though Anna loses fat at the same time.
Why this rule is so important for fat loss
Essentially, there are two reasons why people who apply this rule achieve better success in terms of fat loss.
1.) The rule leads automatically to a durable nourishing change
We all know that a permanent change in diet is the only key to success. Otherwise, in 99% of cases, the yo-yo effect occurs and we regain the lost weight. In the worst case you even put on more weight than you lost before.
Studies also confirm that strict diets are not a solution. They have often been associated with subsequent weight gain. (3)
The 80 to 20 rule not only helps you to lose fat, it also automatically ensures a permanent change in diet. Because by dividing your calorie intake, you learn to estimate quantities of foods. This way, after losing weight, you know approximately how much of which foods you can eat to maintain your weight.
2.) It prevents binge eating
Often a diet fails only because it prohibits too much. This increases our desire for the forbidden foods and often you can’t stand it at some point: It comes to a binge. This has also been confirmed by scientific studies. (4)
A binge like this can set you back an entire week in the worst case scenario. Many people even give up their diet completely.
With the 80 to 20 rule, this phenomenon does not occur. Because here you can always indulge in the respective foods, since they are not prohibited. This will also prevent bingeing.
More rules for more fat loss success
The 80 to 20 rule discussed here is, in addition to the calorie deficit, our basic basis, so to speak.
However, you should also internalize the following rules if you want to lose fat quickly and, above all, permanently.
1. Eat many satiating foods
You can also gain weight by eating healthy foods, because after all, they also contain calories. Therefore, it is important that you for your calorie intake mainly healthy And use satiating foods.
This way you won’t feel hungry while losing weight and you’ll be able to keep it up in the long run. Studies have shown that if you consume a lot of satiating foods, you eat less at the next meal and feel less hungry. (6)
The top 5 most filling foods are:
Include any vegetables that you like in your diet. It is low in calories, satiates enormously well and provides high amounts of fiber, vitamins and minerals.
If you don’t like vegetables, then you’re just preparing them incorrectly. Our broccoli cheese casserole, for example, has already convinced many people who claimed not to like broccoli at all.
Fruit is also low in calories as well as satiating and should be eaten when losing weight. Especially berries are highly recommended because of their low calorie and high vitamin content.
3. Low-fat curd cheese
Low-fat cottage cheese is high in protein and low in calories. It is enormously satiating because eating protein releases one of the most important satiety hormones called peptides YY. (7)
Try mixing 250 grams of low-fat quark with 50 grams of water until smooth, then add 100 grams of berries and a suitable sugar substitute. A healthy breakfast that fills you up very well for its low calorie content.
4. Potatoes
Per 100 calories, potatoes are many times more satiating than rice or other side dishes. (8) This is mainly because potatoes contain more water and fiber. Per 100 grams they also provide only approx. 70 kilocalories, which is very little.
5. Lean meat and fish
These two foods also contain a lot of protein and few calories. Thus they keep enormously well full. (9) When it comes to fish, by the way, it can be the fattier variety from the sea, because it has more omega 3 fatty acids.
2. Effective fat loss through sufficient protein
Achieving a calorie deficit and keeping the diet flexible are the two most important rules of fat loss. Immediately after this comes the adequate intake of protein.
Protein saturates better than fat or carbohydrates and also ensures that we do not lose muscle mass when losing weight. (9, 10) For these reasons, you must always eat enough of it.
A good guideline for healthy people is 1.5 to 2.0 grams of protein per day per kilogram of ideal weight. People who do a lot of sports should rather orient themselves to the upper end of the range. (11) Those who don’t do sports, rather on the lower end. (12)
Tip: Our list of protein foods shows you the best sources of protein for fat loss and muscle building.
3. Drink plenty of water and do not consume caloric drinks
Drinking water also helps us feel less hungry and makes it easier to lose weight. (13) For example, if you drink 500 milliliters of water before a meal, your stomach is already stretched so much that you eat much less afterwards. (14)
A good basic rule is to drink about one liter of water for every 25 kilograms of ideal weight. Depending on how warm it is and how much fluid you lose, the recommended amount to drink can of course be higher.
In addition, you should completely avoid caloric or sugary drinks.
I also mean this in terms of the foods that count towards the 20 percent. For such drinks can even cause ravenous appetite, as the blood sugar level rises rapidly due to the sugar they contain, and then falls rapidly again.
An exception is protein shakes and other protein drinks, as they are very filling and help to ensure that you take in enough protein.
Conclusion
Many people fail in losing weight because they restrict themselves too much and forbid themselves everything.
For lasting success, it therefore makes much more sense to do exactly the opposite: Namely, to treat yourself to something every day that is within a certain "calorie budget" is. Thus, you make fat loss easier for yourself and will really achieve long-term results.
Do you already follow the 80 to 20 rule and if so, what are your experiences with it?? Leave a comment now, also if you have any questions or want to give feedback.
Until then I say goodbye for now. Greetings, Lukas and the Lecker Abnehmen Team.