The 3-4-5 Rule to Weight Loss

nickthephysio

Hi All,

Just thought i'd pass on some knowledge and experience with what's working for my clients and hoping you can achieve the same...

I created this plan approximately 2 years ago and have tried and tested it on over 300 people so far and it's really simple...eat 300 kcals for breakfast, 400 for lunch and 500 for dinner. In-Between each meal have a 100-200 kcal snack and over the course of the day you'd have eaten 1500-1800 kcals.

To earn a 'richer' meal or in need of the extra calories or even going out for a celebration then earn them through exercise. The exercise doesn't have to be all about high intensity stuff...it can be walking to gardening to biking...whatever you enjoy and that's the key thing here...YOU have to enjoy doing it otherwise you'll give in quicker that you started.

Things to think about:

1. You must MFP your food for at least 3-5 days to see what your average calorie intake is. Most people i've found who experience the yo-yo effect is when they have gone from a high calorie intake to a low calorie intake in a short period of time. Your body doesn't like this approach at all so i'd recommend dropping by upto 500 kcals a day for the first week and so on until you reach the above range.
2. Don't be disappointed if you don't see the weight loss straight away...it usually takes the body two weeks to re-establish homeostasis...then you should see the weight fall off.
3. You must eat some of the calories you have earned through exercise otherwise you won't refuel properly and your body may even start to break down muscle tissue for fuel...this will have a huge negative effect on your weight loss.

The weight loss process is about balance and lifestyle changes...MFP works for me and my clients...i hope it helps you too.

Feel free to add me as a friend and i'll help you apply the above...

Thanks

Nick

PetiteSilm

Not bad, my calories intakes has been all over the place lately. Lol But what you wrote does make sense. I'm going to try this method and see if I noticed any different.

TR0berts

Um, if you're looking to lose weight, homeostasis definitely not what you want going on.

ndj1979

why would you recommend a 1200 calorie diet for everyone? Not everyone is the same height, weight, age, gender, etc; so a person that is 5-10 300 pounds can lose at a higher caloric intake than someone that is 5-2 femaile and 200 pounds..

also, why no mention of the following?

1. enter stats into MFP and set for one pound loss
2. use a food scale to weigh all solids
3. find an exercise program you enjoy
4. log, weigh, measure everything for initial weight loss period
5. continue to enjoy the foods that you like, just make sure that you are hitting calorie targets and meeting nutritional needs.

kristen6350

Um, K. Not everyone is the same...I'm 5'11, if I ate 1200 calories a day I'd be so hangry no one would be my friend. If you are trolling for new clients, go away. You aren't needed here.

nadler64

Interesting, Kristen6350. I made a similar comment about trolling for new clients and it disappeared. Let's see if yours does too...

ninerbuff

Assuming the OP is speaking about females (most clientele are female than male for most trainers), it's not that bad. 1500-1800 calories a day is fine. More active and athletic people would need more. I'd still plug in the number to MFP and find out what's right for an individual.
And TR0berts is correct............you don't want to be in homeostasis (no weight movement at all).

Also some people don't eat breakfast (myself included). I do it so I can eat later into the night.

But it's a decent plan for the average female to do, if they can stick to eating that way.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

SueInAz

1500-1800 calories is not a bad plan but losing weight is certainly not one size fits all. At 5'3.5" and 50 years old, 1500 calories would have me maintaining my weight, for the most part and I'd definitely be gaining on 1800.