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Nutrition

Weight-Loss Nutrition Guide

Weight-Loss Nutrition Guide
Jamie Wright
Writer and expert1 year ago
View Jamie Wright's profile

Need some help reaching your weight loss goal this new year? We have everything you need to achieve success, from PT and nutrionist advice to the ideal supplements for your individual plan.  

Try our weight loss build-your-own-bundle for a head start - choose from a selection of leaner products including protein, alternative bars and snacking options, pre-workout, supplements and a shaker, plus a detailed weight-loss guide.  

 

Weight-Loss Advice

Here’s a collection of important information when it comes to weight-loss – ranging from training, nutrition and supplement advice, specifically for your goal.  

 

1. Change Your Relationship With The Scales For Weight Loss Success

Learn how to have a healthy relationship with the scales, with our nutritionist Jamie’s tips and tricks to use the scales to collect data – rather than as a punishment.  

 

2. Top 5 Supplements For Weight Loss  

Losing weight can be a difficult journey – these 5 supplements might help you along the way.  

 

3. Low Calorie Meal Prep | 15 Tasty Lunches Under 500 calories  

Keep your meal prep interesting with 15 different lunch recipes, all under 500 calories.  

 

4. What Is Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)? | CLA For Weight Loss & CLA Benefits 

This supplement has plenty of benefits for those looking to lose weight – find out more about CLA and how to use it from our nutritionist.  

 

5. A Healthy Shopping List For Muscle Gain and Weight Loss  

Always get distracted in the supermarket aisles? Try this healthy shopping list next time you get your weekly shop.  

 

6. How To Calculate A Calorie Deficit In 3 Steps 

Follow our easy steps to figure out your ideal calorie intake to help you meet your weight loss goals. 

 

7. The Best Exercise Types For Weight Loss  

Find the training style that is suited to you – that will help you achieve your goals while enjoying yourself too.  

 

 

8. Support Your Weight Loss Goals With Nutritionist Approved Supplements 

With a sea of supplements out there, it can be hard to know what will work for you and your goals. We break it down with these five top supplements for weight loss goals.  

 

 

FAQs

Are nutritional shakes good for weight loss? 

Personally, I would say that they were. 

If we’re referring to a protein shake for example, it helps provide a high quality source of protein for a very efficient number of calories (efficient in terms of the total protein serving for the amount of kcals consumed). A protein shake can also help with satiety and minimise hunger whilst also helping to regulate blood sugar and therefore energy levels and cravings. 

A protein shake (or shakes) can also help you reach a greater total daily protein intake which can be incredibly beneficial during a weight loss phase beyond the already mentioned benefits.

That’s because a higher protein diet can help retain the muscle mass you’ve already had which, in turn, will help keep your metabolic rate higher (as muscle is very energetically demanding tissue) and may give you the look you’re striving for as your body fat levels decrease. 

One other point about protein shakes (and, more generally speaking, a higher protein diet) is that protein has the highest thermic effect among the three macronutrients (protein, carbs and fat). This means quite simply that it costs our body the most amount of energy to digest, break down and use the nutrient.

Additionally, protein is not readily stored as body fat and the conversion process of protein to fat is energy demanding in of itself and usually leads to your body just expending more heat or moving a bit more to expend the surplus energy. 

If we were to be asking the question about meal replacement shakes, I’d say that you could make a good argument for those too. 

They’re typically high in protein and can even contribute some fibre (which shares similar weight loss benefits to protein) but are also nutritionally “complete meals” meaning that we can achieve a great deal of our body’s daily nutritional requirements within a relatively lower calorie amount (when comparing it to multiple wholefood meals). 

So, yes, nutritional shakes can be, in my opinion, good for weight loss. 

 

Is it good to take nutritional supplements for weight loss?

The more restrictive our dietary intake gets the more supplements transition from a compliment to borderline necessity. 

When you’re starting off on a weight loss dieting phase, you shouldn’t really need to be dieting so restrictively that it will lead to you being at risk of nutritional deficiencies.

Additionally, the more restrictive you are early on, the less room you have to work with later in the dieting phase as you’re trying to lose the last few pounds or kilos (and may lead to you have to take an extended break and gaining back a bit of the initial weight lost before returning to a weight loss phase). 

Personally, I would consider introducing a vitamin D (or general multivitamin) as well as an Omega 3 fatty acid supplement into your routine when engaging in a weight loss dieting phase (well, actually, I’d say that most would benefit from those regardless of whether they’re dieting to lose, maintain or gain weight).

It’s likely that you’ll need to make further considerations the longer you’re dieting for but it’d be difficult to make suggestions without knowing the individual’s personal situation and requirements. Stick with these two to begin with; they offer the greatest health bang for your buck. 

 

Which nutrition is best for weight loss?

There is no one best diet for weight loss that would work for absolutely everyone. We are all different and trying to apply one approach to fit all is like buying one pair of shoes and expecting it to fit every single person; sure, some will fit into the shoe well, but most will either have far too much room, their toes will be squished or they’ll not be able to get into the shoe at all! 

It’s the same with dieting and, more specifically, dieting for weight loss. So, instead of looking for a one size fits all approach it’s best to look at what behaviours and strategies are most successful in achieving weight loss (and also sustaining that weight loss over an extended period of time). 

The keys to successful and sustained weight loss have been found to be; 

  • Portion control 
  • A reduction in total food energy intake 
  • A higher dietary protein intake 
  • A lower dietary fat intake (not to say dietary fat is “bad” but it is the densest of the macronutrient groups coming in at around 9 kcals per gram) 
  • An increase in plant-based foods (fruit and vegetable intake) 
  • Less calories consumed from sugar-sweetened beverages 
  • An inclusive rather than exclusive approach to food choice (food flexibility compared to super rigid dieting!) 

Those who track their weight, monitor their eating and maintain an active lifestyle are typically found to be generally more successful with weight loss and weight management  than those who don’t. 

One other strategy you may want to consider while dieting which can help to minimise any unwanted metabolic slowdown is planned “diet breaks”. 

A funky study called the MATADOR study (which stands for Minimising Adaptive Thermogenesis and Deactivating Obesity Rebound) tested these diet breaks between two groups of weight loss enthusiasts. 

One group was asked to follow a continuous calorie restriction diet whereas the other was assigned to a 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off format of alternating calorie restriction and eating at maintenance on. All in all, the study was fairly lengthy (around 30 weeks of actual dieting) and yielded some interesting findings! 

The researchers found that it was those following the intermittent dieting format who achieved greater weight and fat loss. The researchers believe this was because the diet breaks reduced the impact of adaptive thermogenesis (and that this approach is actually much more sustainable too!). 

 

What is the best dinner for weight loss?

In an alternate reality where I’m Dr Frankenstein and I’m creating the perfect weight loss dinner it would be a monster … a masterpiece consisting of; 

  • A palm-sized portion of protein (in the form of lean meat, white fish, egg and or other dairy products, tofu or other vegetarian / vegan suited protein sources) 
  • Lots of plants - a palm to two palm sized portion of plants 
  • A closed fist sized serving of wholegrains 
  • A serving of fats containing monounsaturated and or polyunsaturated fatty acids with minimal amounts of saturated and trans fats. 

Of course, there’s also the caveat that the meal itself would have to be portioned in a way that the energy contribution fits into an overall weight loss appropriate diet (i.e. one that is aimed at facilitating a calorie deficit). 

If you can meet all (or at least the majority) of the aforementioned criteria then you can let your imagination run wild with the actual dinner itself. 

Personally, I really enjoy a stir fry, roast dinner, stew, curry or chilli. But if you’re someone who doesn’t necessarily enjoy these things then you can change it up. Just make sure that it fits into the calorie intake you’re aiming for to facilitate weight loss, prioritise protein and plants where possible and the rest will come easy! 

 

Is meal replacement shakes good for weight loss?

I believe that meal replacement shakes can be incredibly helpful for weight loss dieting phases. 

Meal replacement shakes are typically high in protein and can even contribute some fibre. Having these two dietary components together in a meal can work wonders for managing hunger, cravings and blood sugar.  

Additionally, because these are nutritionally “complete meals” that means we can achieve a great deal of our body’s daily nutritional requirements within a relatively lower calorie amount (when comparing it to multiple wholefood meals). 

They’re also practical and so can help you tick a lot of your nutritional requirement boxes if you live a busy lifestyle and preparing meals may not always be practical. 

Not a necessity by any means but meal replacement shakes can be really helpful in certain situations! 

 

What are the best meals for weight loss?

While meals high in protein and packing in plenty of plants can be beneficial you may also want to consider volume based eating. 

Volume based eating is an approach to meal planning that focuses on filling up on less energy dense, high volume foods. These are foods that are packed with nutrients and fibre, typically high in water content but are relatively low in calories for the volume of food consumed. 

This means that you can eat a lot of them without going over your daily calorie budget. And since they're higher in fibre, they'll help you feel full and satisfied after meals. 

If you're interested in trying a volume based eating approach, there are a few swaps you can make at meals to increase the amount of volume you're eating.  

For breakfast, swap out sugary cereals for oats and whey protein, an egg white omelette or whole grain toast with scrambled egg white, boiled egg or lean meat. For lunch and dinner, fill up on salads or vegetable soup instead of higher calorie options. And for snacks, reach for fruits and vegetables instead of processed snacks or sweets. 

 

What meal can I eat every day to lose weight?

Literally anything as long as it fits within the energy intake you should be achieving to facilitate weight loss. 

There are no “wrong” or “bad” meals; you just have to make sure they’re appropriate for your goal at that time and, contextually, they make sense to have. 

For instance, you can have a bar of chocolate everyday if you’d like and still lose weight. 

“Oh but Jamie, isn’t that bad? Chocolate makes you gain weight!” 

False; too much of anything will make you gain weight. Chocolate isn’t special, it’s just chocolate. 

Additionally, why is it arbitrarily “bad”? Who decided that? 

What if you have a bar of chocolate each day (which fits perfectly fine within your calorie deficit achieving diet) stopped you from overeating at night on the foods you’re restricting on?  

Is that not “good”? 

Labelling foods is irrelevant and harmful without context; ignore anyone who does it. 

 

What are good meal plans for weight loss?

Those that are structured and tailored for you and that achieve a calorie deficit which will ultimately result in weight loss. 

I would also say that these plans should be restrictive to a degree but only to the amount needed to facilitate weight loss, nothing more than that. 

Excessive restriction, either in the amount of food we are able to have or those available to us, can spiral into disordered eating and health patterns. 

Foundational pieces to build around when designing your plan are; 

  • Portion control and the required reduction in total food energy intake 
  • A higher dietary protein intake (at least 1.6g - 2.2g of protein per kg of bodyweight for active individuals) 
  • A lower dietary fat intake (not to say dietary fat is “bad” but it is the densest of the macronutrient groups coming in at around 9 kcals per gram) 
  • An increase in plant-based foods (fruit and vegetable intake) 
  • Less calories consumed from sugar-sweetened beverages 
  • An inclusive rather than exclusive approach to food choice (food flexibility compared to super rigid dieting!) 

Remember, when creating any plan it should be structured, not rigid; this is not a prison sentence you’re tyrannically dictating to yourself. It’s essentially a considered, educated and informed guide by the individual who knows you best and what’s practical for you to achieve. Oh, that’s you by the way. 

Most people will succeed with weight loss if they take their time and do it with their health as the central focus rather than some poorly defined aesthetic goal. Do it for yourself, prioritise your health and forget the standards you’re bombarded with from media outlets and social apps. They are not real life. 

 

Take Home Message  

Losing weight is not always easy – but we’ve got your back with our helpful tips and tricks to get you to your goals.  

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Jamie Wright
Writer and expert
View Jamie Wright's profile
Jamie Wright holds an MSc Degree in Human Nutrition and a BSc (Hons) in Sports and Exercise Science, and now works with multiple organisations as well as running his own private practice to help individuals with their nutritional goals. He is accredited with the Association for Nutrition and helped hundreds of clients, from stay-at-home mothers to internationally competing athletes, work within evidence-based, holistic nutrition programming to reach their health and fitness goals. In addition to running his practice, Jamie regularly contributes to the field of nutrition presenting and writing on its many facets. He has had his research presented at the UK Obesity Congress as well as overseas conferences and has authored several e-books whilst contributing to others (including charitable sporting organisations). His research has centred around weight management as well as sports / exercise performance and supplementation. A massive sport nut, avid gym goer and lover of all things dog related, Jamie’s goal in sharing the experience and knowledge he has gained academically and professionally is to provide a source of clarity in the vast amount of “misinformation and noise” that exists within the health and fitness industry.
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