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BULLETPROOF - Healthy Weight Calculator: Weight Loss … · reach a certain weight, weight loss...

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Page 1: BULLETPROOF - Healthy Weight Calculator: Weight Loss … · reach a certain weight, weight loss will slow considerably; this is how the weight loss plateau occurs. It would, in fact,
Page 2: BULLETPROOF - Healthy Weight Calculator: Weight Loss … · reach a certain weight, weight loss will slow considerably; this is how the weight loss plateau occurs. It would, in fact,

BULLETPROOF

Copyright© 2012 Andrew Styles • www.HealthyWeightCalc.com p a g e •

All contents copyright © 2012 by Andrew Styles, and HealthyWeightCalc.com. All rights reserved. No

part of this document or accompanying files may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, electronic

or otherwise, by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher.

This ebook is presented to you for informational purposes only and is not a substitution for any

professional advice. The contents herein are based on the views and opinions of the author and all

associated contributors.

While every effort has been made by the author and all associated contributors to present accurate and

up to date information within this document, it is apparent technologies rapidly change. Therefore, the

author and all associated contributors reserve the right to update the contents and information

provided herein as these changes progress. The author and/or all associated contributors take no

responsibility for any errors or omissions if such discrepancies exist within this document.

The author and all other contributors accept no responsibility for any consequential actions taken,

whether monetary, legal, or otherwise, by any and all readers of the materials provided. It is the readers

sole responsibility to seek professional advice before taking any action on their part.

Readers results will vary based on their skill level and individual perception of the contents herein, and

thus no guarantees, monetarily or otherwise, can be made accurately. Therefore, no guarantees are

made.

This eBook is for educational and informative purposes only and is not intended as medical or

professional advice. Always consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet or

nutrition program. The use of diet and nutrition to control metabolic disorders and disease is a

very complicated science, and is not the purpose of this program. The purpose of this program

is to help healthy people reach their cosmetic fitness goals by educating them in proper

nutrition and exercise guidelines.

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Copyright© 2012 Andrew Styles • www.HealthyWeightCalc.com p a g e •

No health claims are made for this program. This nutrition and exercise program will not help

cure, heal, or correct any illness, metabolic disorder, or medical condition.

The author is not a medical doctor, registered dietitian, or clinical nutritionist.

If you have diabetes, chronic hypertension, high blood cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, or

any other medical condition or metabolic disorder requiring special nutritional considerations,

we suggest you consult a health care professional with a clinical nutrition background (MD, RD,

or CCN) for your special nutrition program.

If you have been sedentary and are unaccustomed to vigorous exercise, you should obtain your

physician’s clearance before beginning an exercise program.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that apparently healthy

individuals who are male and over 40 or female and over 50 to have both a physical exam and a

diagnostic exercise test prior to starting a vigorous exercise program.

A diagnostic exercise test and physical examination is also recommended in individuals of any

age who exhibit two or more of the major coronary risk factors (smoking, family history of heart

disease, elevated blood cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, and diabetes). Any individual with

a known history of heart disease or other heart problems should be required to have a medical

evaluation including a graded exercise test before engaging in strenuous physical activity.

The author and publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity

with respect to any of the information contained in this eBook. The user assumes all risk for any

injury, loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused, directly or indirectly by using any

information described in this eBook.

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BULLETPROOF

Copyright© 2012 Andrew Styles • www.HealthyWeightCalc.com p a g e •

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BULLETPROOF

Copyright© 2012 Andrew Styles • www.HealthyWeightCalc.com p a g e •

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BULLETPROOF

Copyright© 2012 Andrew Styles • www.HealthyWeightCalc.com p a g e •

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BULLETPROOF

Copyright© 2012 Andrew Styles • www.HealthyWeightCalc.com p a g e •

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BULLETPROOF

Copyright© 2012 Andrew Styles • www.HealthyWeightCalc.com p a g e •

I am proud to say I have been through the weight loss journey. Getting to the point of realizing

that my weight had become a problem was the first step. I had become overweight without

even noticing it until it was blatantly obvious when I looked in the mirror. There was also the

benefit of having loved ones who could tell that it was apparent to them also and that they

were concerned about my weight gain and overall health.

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BULLETPROOF

Copyright© 2012 Andrew Styles • www.HealthyWeightCalc.com p a g e •

When I refer to my weight loss journey I mean that I have struggled, failed and then succeeded

in reaching and maintaining a healthy weight.

Putting weight back on has been an overall positive experience for me because each time I have

learnt so much. However, for anyone reading this, I would strongly recommend once you lose

the weight, you keep it off. It is MUCH easier to put weight on than to lose it.

During my weight loss I developed the site, HealthyWeightCalc.com, to help others lose weight

just as I had. Watching the HealthyWeightCalc community has been great; it has given me the

opportunity to witness some fantastic success stories. I also learnt a great deal from this online

community and from health professionals before compiling these proven weight-loss concepts

throughout this eBook.

Let me start off by sharing the one key trick I learnt about weight loss.

Sadly, the widespread outlook on how to lose weight has been severely flawed, and here’s why.

The amount of food we should eat to lose weight is in part determined by our current body weight.

When we diet, our body weight is reduced (as intended) and our bodies then require less food. Reducing food portions as we weigh less is necessary for achieving weight loss goals within a reasonable time frame and this is the basis of HealthyWeightCalc.com

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Copyright© 2012 Andrew Styles • www.HealthyWeightCalc.com p a g e •

Let’s take a look at a quick example:

If you stop having a 600ml bottle of Cola with your lunch, that equates to 250 fewer calories a day. It is widely believed that this would equate to up to 26 pounds of weight loss over a year *. Sounds great, doesn’t it? And yes, to begin with, you should lose weight. However, once you reach a certain weight, weight loss will slow considerably; this is how the weight loss plateau occurs. It would, in fact, take almost three years (rather than one) to lose 26 pounds by eliminating 250 calories a day.

Requiring less food as you lose weight is a very important point that traditional diets and methods of losing weight have failed to grasp. In doing so, the ability to lose weight within a given amount of time has been overestimated and inaccurate. This mistake is responsible for the weight loss plateau and the associated setbacks and hurdles that come with it.

I touch more on this in the following Chapter How to Lose Weight and the section How many calories you should eat

*Based on a 200-pound man

There are SO many convincing fads out there and people keep falling for them time and time

again. I know I did to begin with.

Nothing discovered in the last 10 years is going to magically remove your weight. I may come

across as harsh and dismissive but we really need to snap out of the idea that new ways to help

us combat the fight against fat are being revealed.

We hear about something new almost on a daily basis, but why don’t any of these weight loss

revelations become a standard recommendation amongst health professionals worldwide?

Why do health professionals always focus on diet and exercise?

Why is there such a high turnover of weight loss diets?

Because they are fads! Pure and simple.

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Copyright© 2012 Andrew Styles • www.HealthyWeightCalc.com p a g e •

Fads aside, the only scientifically proven method of losing weight has been available to us our

whole lives and involves a focus on two main requirements.

1. Diet

This involves restricting your food intake, NOT starving. The healthier and smarter you

eat, the more you can eat and the more efficient and successful your weight loss.

2. Exercise

Burn extra calories, allow yourself to eat more and encourage the weight loss you seek.

First we’ll take a look at how eating and exercise result in weight loss by creating a calorie

deficit.

The concept of the calorie deficit is all about how much energy we use (functioning and

exercise) and how much we take in (diet). It is the longest lasting and most credible weight loss

concept still today, with doctors, health professionals and trainers backing the science and

effectiveness behind it. Here is the formula for weight loss via the calorie deficit:

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Copyright© 2012 Andrew Styles • www.HealthyWeightCalc.com p a g e •

The amount of energy we use (how much we burn) must be greater than the energy we take in

(how much we eat). This creates the calorie deficit. When we use more energy than we have

eaten, where does that energy come from instead of food?

Our body’s fat-energy reserves, such as fat!

When we burn more energy than we eat, the excess energy required must be burnt from the

body’s stored energy (weight/fat)

When we eat more energy than we burn, the excess energy is stored in the body as weight/fat

When introducing the one trick to losing weight in this book I highlighted the idea of eating less

as we lose weight. Let me rephrase that in terms of calories. As we lose weight, our bodies

require fewer calories to function, i.e. we burn fewer calories. Because of this, as we lose

weight, calorie intake needs to decrease in order for weight loss to continue. This is a very

important consideration for achieving weight-loss targets without becoming stuck at a plateau.

I drive this point home when I talk about how many calories you should eat.

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Copyright© 2012 Andrew Styles • www.HealthyWeightCalc.com p a g e •

If you are still left with the simple question, “What do I need to do to lose weight?”, here it is in

a nutshell.

A). Eat Less/Better

B). Exercise More

C). Both A and B

Of course, I am going to go into far more detail throughout this eBook.

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BULLETPROOF

Copyright© 2012 Andrew Styles • www.HealthyWeightCalc.com p a g e •

Now you know the formula for a calorie deficit, you have to put that into practice. We achieve

this by counting the calories we eat (dietary focus) and the calories that we burn. It was not

until I decided to give calorie counting a serious attempt that my weight started to fall

consistently. Counting the calories we EAT is relatively straightforward but it is not only exercise

or other activities that BURN calories. We all burn a certain number of calories every day just by

being alive – as we eat, when we sit, while we talk and even sleep.

All these calculations and counting don’t seem like very much fun, do they? Well, it didn’t to me

either, which is part of the reason I developed HealthyWeightCalc.com to do these calculations

for you.

We hear it all the time, so much so that it becomes tiring: “Diet and exercise are the key to

losing weight”, and I tend to agree; after all, they are the components of the weight loss deficit

formula. But in the early days of my weight loss effort I was not counting calories or taking the

calorie deficit seriously. I felt like I enjoyed my eating habits at the time and did not want to

change them, so I tried to focus on exercise instead.

Increasing my exercise worked for the most part. I was eating healthier overall, but I definitely

wasn’t counting calories. I was just engaging in frequent exercise, such as:

30 minutes of cardio every second night

a brisk 25-minute bike ride to and from work each weekday.

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Copyright© 2012 Andrew Styles • www.HealthyWeightCalc.com p a g e •

Slowly, but surely, I saw results. The weight loss was not significant or very consistent, but

overall I was satisfied with it.

I did find it quite a struggle, though, considering how much exercise I was putting in. Then, a

few months later, my weight returned which prompted me to place more emphasis on my diet

and to give the calorie-counting concept a try.

Finding out how many calories I needed to limit myself to each day to lose weight was the first

step (using www.healthyweightcalc.com). This calculation took into consideration how many

calories I burnt just by being alive and by how active my lifestyle was.

Once I knew this, the next step was to calculate how many calories were in the foods I ate (see

the food diary). By doing this I ensured I was not eating beyond my calorie limit and, in effect,

creating a calorie deficit.

Counting calories in the foods I ate was an eye-opening experience. Knowing the percentage

that a block of chocolate or a packet of chips was of my daily calorie intake was a very good

lesson.

I had been eating more than double my recommended daily intake! I’m also pretty sure that

without calorie counting, many other people eat in a similar manner. Calculating calories in

foods was empowering. I came to realize just how dominant diet is in weight loss and how

something as simple as a sushi roll could be the difference between losing and putting on

weight.

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Copyright© 2012 Andrew Styles • www.HealthyWeightCalc.com p a g e •

You may be wondering, why is diet everything, and not exercise? When I learnt how many

calories are burnt through exercise, I realized that diet is the make or break of a weight loss

journey, hands down. It takes a lot of time and exercise to burn the amount of calories we can

devour in seconds. However, do not underestimate the benefits of exercise. It certainly won’t

sabotage your weight loss, but instead will complement a good diet like a match made in

heaven.

The following table demonstrates the power of diet by comparing the amount of exercise that

is required to burn the calories from various foods.

Small Fries - McDonalds 288

At least 20 minutes of running (speed and weight

dependent)

Chocolate Chip Cookie – Subway

210

Hershey Milk Chocolate Bar 43g

210

Pasta, rice and bread – 1 cup 215

There is no more crucial component of weight loss than tracking what you eat. Studies have

shown that keeping a food diary of the foods that you eat significantly increases the chance of

successful weight loss by making us aware of what we eat and limiting our food intake.

I have noticed an attitude amongst many people who tend to see tracking and counting calories

as obsessive and unnecessary. I constantly hear comments such as: “I don’t believe in calorie

counting, I simply eat healthy…”

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Copyright© 2012 Andrew Styles • www.HealthyWeightCalc.com p a g e •

The truth is, saying that you are going to eat a balanced and healthy diet just isn’t enough for

most of us for a few reasons.

First and foremost, every person who is overweight is eating more calories than they

burn; this is called creating a calorie surplus. When we do this, the body stores this

excess energy (because calories are essentially energy) as body weight/fat. When I

started to count calories and realized exactly how much more than my daily

requirement I had been eating, this became quite clear to me. ALL food, even healthy

food, has calories and requires moderate eating to lose and maintain a healthy weight.

It’s all about portion size (which I talk about in Chapter6: Food & Diet). Tracking calories

teaches us this reality.

Eating a healthy and balanced diet is perfectly fine and I encourage it if you are at a

happy and healthy weight; however, I object to the attitude of rejecting calorie counting

when a person is not at a healthy weight, even if they have convinced themselves

otherwise. Losing weight will occur only if you burn more calories than you consume

and the only way to guarantee this is to count your calories.

Studies have shown that people spend a lot of their time eating unconsciously. By

unconscious I don’t mean that we eat in our sleep, but more often than not we will be

eating more than we can recall.

Following on from eating unconsciously, we find ourselves in situations where we are

distracted while we eat, whether it is while working, socializing, watching TV, lost in our

own thoughts or a spectator to sports. Tracking foods keeps us mindful and in control of

our food intake in situations where we would otherwise be unaware of how much we

are eating.

Learning to calorie count helped me to understand and then control what I was eating and after

a short amount of time estimating the calories in meals became quite natural.

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It is one thing to want to lose weight, but it’s all a stab in the dark without targets and goals. A

good weight loss plan will effectively help you to reach a goal weight within a specified amount

of time. Weight loss studies have indicated that setting goals and targets maximizes the

likelihood of weight loss success.

Based on your weight loss goal, I designed HealthyWeightCalc to set daily calorie limits (how

much you should limit your food intake) and weekly weigh-in targets.

As you read this book and learn more about nutrition and weight loss it will become clear that

feeling and looking good isn’t just about losing weight. It is not uncommon for a dieter to lose

weight and still have excess fat (or even skin) in all the wrong places. This is very discouraging.

There are many people who are skinny and still fat; I know that sounds like a contradiction but I

am referring to body composition. A person may appear thin but still feel dissatisfied and be

unhealthy with the fat still on their body. I have lost count of the number of times I have heard

the question, “Why won’t my belly go away?” Or, “I still have flab here and flab there”.

Our weight-loss planning must encourage fat loss and muscle maintenance so that we are left

with a body composition and shape that is healthy and has us feeling happy with the way we

look.

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Copyright© 2012 Andrew Styles • www.HealthyWeightCalc.com p a g e •

There are a few factors of weight-loss planning that will determine the ideal weight-loss

outcome of losing fat and firming/maintaining muscle:

weight-loss duration

speed of weight loss

daily calorie limit: sufficient calories and food

food and diet: not all calories are created equal; I talk about eating the correct calories

in Chapter 6: Food and Diet

strength training: exercise is a very valuable component of establishing the ideal body

during weight loss; I go into more detail about this in Chapter7: Exercise.

I encourage everyone to aim high and strive for their ideal weight as long as it is healthy weight

loss and a healthy weight for their body (the BMI is a good guide for most). Decide from the

beginning how you want to look, what clothes you want to fit into and how fit you want to be –

then aim for it. As long as your final goal weight is a healthy one, there is no reason why you

cannot achieve it.

Establishing how much weight you want to lose needs to be considered in conjunction with:

1. weight-loss duration

2. speed of weight loss

3. daily calorie limits/food allowance.

Setbacks are inevitable and bouncing back from them is very important. However, why not try

to avoid the setbacks in the first place and give yourself the most positive start and best chance

of success?

Improper weight-loss planning can make your weight-loss journey difficult, arduous and, at the

very worst , short lived.

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Copyright© 2012 Andrew Styles • www.HealthyWeightCalc.com p a g e •

I have already said that I strongly encourage you to aim for high weight-loss goals. But in terms

of weight-loss planning, it is always an unreasonable weight-loss duration or calorie limits that

will sabotage weight-loss efforts. These two need to be balanced for a successful and long-

lasting weight-loss plan.

Set yourself reasonable and achievable targets throughout your weight-loss journey and

experience encouragement and motivation as you reach them.

Any weight-loss goal is achievable, but we tend to want to lose weight as quickly as possible at

any cost. Sometimes this is the case when wanting to lose a lot of weight for an event or from

sheer impatience of not seeing results quickly.

Gradual and healthy weight loss is by far the best route to take to ensure that it is successful

and sustainable, and that fat is being lost rather than lean body mass. The recommended rate

of healthy weight loss is up to two pounds of body weight a week, though it is understandable

for some people to have a greater rate of weight loss in the first few weeks due to water loss or

when the amount of weight is still a small percentage of their overall body weight.

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Copyright© 2012 Andrew Styles • www.HealthyWeightCalc.com p a g e •

Just as dieters are often impatient with the duration of weight loss, there is a similar tendency

to aim for a calorie intake that is too low. If this is the case, then you are depriving yourself of

food and this will make your weight-loss journey much more difficult and decrease the

likelihood of success significantly.

HealthyWeightCalc helps you to determine how many calories you should limit yourself to each

day.

Daily calorie limits are established according to how much weight you want to lose and within

how much time.

More Weight Loss Less Food

In Less Time Less Food

Less Weight Loss More Food

In More Time More Food

The more weight you want to lose or the shorter the period of weight loss, then the lower your

calorie limit will be (the less you can eat). By the same token, the less weight you want to lose

and the longer the period of weight loss, then the higher your calorie limit will be (the more you

can eat).

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Copyright© 2012 Andrew Styles • www.HealthyWeightCalc.com p a g e •

Men: 1600 calories

Women: 1200 calories

I recommend that you eat more than the recommended minimum calorie intake throughout

your weight-loss plan.

The less you weigh the fewer the calories you need to eat for weight loss to occur. You will

notice this when you set up a weight-loss plan; the calories each week will gradually decrease

according to your weekly weight target.

In reality, your weight will not equal the weekly targets of your plan. Weekly calorie limits for

your plan are adjusted to ensure that you remain on track to reaching your goal weight.

Decreases Decreases

Not Met Decrease

Surpassed Increase

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Copyright© 2012 Andrew Styles • www.HealthyWeightCalc.com p a g e •

If you have never dieted before, allow yourself a good number of calories. If you are new to

calorie counting or dieting, having a plan that starts with at least a few hundred more calories

than the recommended daily minimum would be ideal (adjust the length of your plan and/or

the amount of weight to lose accordingly).

However many calories you are eating the last thing you want to be throughout each day is hungry. If you start a plan and you find this is the case you may have to re-assess your weight-loss plan so that it allows you to eat a more reasonable amount of food OR you may need to adjust your diet with healthier foods which are generally more filling (I talk about the ability of foods to satisfy and fill us in Chapter 6: Food and Diet).

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Copyright© 2012 Andrew Styles • www.HealthyWeightCalc.com p a g e •

Before you count the calories in your food, you should first know how many calories you should

be eating. Refer to Chapter 4: Weight Loss Planning for more about this, then counting calories

in food will make sense.

Calorie counting is very easy once you know how, but it can seem intimidating at first and there

are still many who remain in the dark over it.

I designed the HealthyWeightCalc Food Diary to make calorie counting and tracking accurate

and simple. The growing database (of 70,000 foods when this eBook was written) should

contain many of the foods you search for, or you can add foods of your own very quickly and

easily.

It will not always be convenient to measure our food portions or find suitable food matches, so

counting and estimating calories will become a valuable skill.

The best way to learn about calorie counting quickly and over a wide range of foods is to learn

the calories in staple food, fresh produce and the ingredients and foods that you eat the most.

Becoming familiar with the calorie content of these foods will enable you to do a quick

breakdown of many meals.

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Copyright© 2012 Andrew Styles • www.HealthyWeightCalc.com p a g e •

Vegetable Oil (1 tablespoon) 125 calories

A generous drizzle of oil on bread, vegetables, a baking tray, salad or in a sauce will add hundreds of calories to a dish or snack in the blink of an eye. The oil content is obvious in fast foods like burgers and fries but cuisines from all over the world are notorious for hiding oil in dishes. Oil can often be a solid component of sauces, condiments, marinades … Olive and canola oils, the best options with nutritional benefits, have similar calorie content.

Bread (2 slices) 120-200 calories Now you know the calorie content of your bread, you’ll be able to estimate how many calories are in sandwiches.

Butter & Margarine 1 tablespoon)

100 calories A calorie boost to any dish or snack.

Rice Cakes

35 calories Not too many calories on their own but add some butter or other toppings and you have to ask yourself if rice cakes are satisfying enough to justify the calories.

White Rice (1 cup cooked) 242 calories The average person eats more than a cup with a meal. Imagine the calories in a large serving of fried rice with the oil and additional contents.

White flour (1 cup) 455 calories We have listed the most used baking ingredients here.

Sugar (per teaspoon) 16 calories How many calories are we adding to sweeten our drinks and food?

Eggs (1 medium) 63 calories

Full Cream Milk (1 cup) 150 calories Milk contributes greatly to the calories in coffee and cereal.

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Become familiar with the calories of fresh produce that makes the bulk of your diet. Here is our

example list.

Beef

Chicken

Fish

Vegetables

Fruit

Lentils

Beans

Determining the calorie content of the food in supermarkets and other stores is extremely easy as the information is available on the labels, under nutritional information. Sometimes calories are expressed in different ways so here is a guide to converting between them.

Calories/cal x 1000 x 4.184

Kilocalories ÷ 1000 ÷ 4184

Kilojoules/kj ÷ 4.184 x 4184

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I always find it a good idea to round up your calorie estimations to ensure that you do not fall

beneath your calorie target. If you think your meal may be between 600 and 650 calories, just

assume that it is 650 calories.

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Copyright© 2012 Andrew Styles • www.HealthyWeightCalc.com p a g e •

I do not hide the fact that I feel diet is the make or break of weight loss, and outlined the

reasons in Chapter 3: Why Count Calories? I am not alone in this, for most medical

professionals tend to share the same view. Now let’s take a look at some food facts and advice

to get us on the right track to eating for weight loss.

The “calorie in, calorie out” approach is a very straightforward formula – consume fewer

calories than you burn and lose excess weight.

But not all calories are equal and we will explore various reasons as to why we should choose

some calories over others and how they not only benefit health and overall well-being, but

greatly assist weight loss.

The first factor of a calorie I will take a look at is the nutrient content. What are nutrients?

Nutrients are compounds required by humans to repair, grow and to carry out a range of other

functions, so it is essential that our diets take into account the nutritional content of our

calories. To function at our best, be healthy and happy, we need to meet our recommended

nutritional intake and ensure that the ratio of nutrients we eat is healthy.

Nutrients include the likes of vitamins and minerals, but when we are talking about nutrients in

terms of energy and weight loss, our initial primary focus will be on carbohydrates, proteins and

fats. Together, these nutrients make up the calories in our food.

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Now that we know that calories are made up of these three nutrients, let us summarize

important information about each in the table below, then I will talk about them in more detail.

Calories per gram 4 4 9

Recommended Diet Ratio 40-45% 25-30% 30-35%

Best Forms Unrefined

High fiber

High bran

Low Glycemic Index

(GI)

Vegetables

Lean meat

Fish

Nuts

beans

Monounsaturated fats

Polyunsaturated fats

Omega-3 fats

Good Sources Fruits, vegetables,

beans, brown rice,

whole-grain bread,

whole-wheat pasta

Lentils, beans,

fresh fish,

various nuts

Avocado, olive oil,

seeds, fatty fish, nuts

Bad Foods White bread, white

rice, white pasta,

potatoes, sweet

drinks

Processed

meats

Fried foods, potato

crisps, biscuits, cakes

and many other

processed foods

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Nutritional content is displayed on most packaged foods including those on the shelf in your

supermarket.

Not all carbohydrates are as bad as we may have been led to believe. In fact, your diet should

consist predominately of carbohydrates in their good form, namely vegetables, whole fruits and

whole grains which are good for their vitamin and mineral content, digestion, blood sugar

regulation amongst many other health benefits.

Unfortunately, diets are typically comprised of the wrong types of carbohydrates. These bad

carbohydrates include the likes of white bread, white rice and white pasta, where a high

amount of processing has stripped them of their nutritional value. Even when not processed, a

potato isn’t considered one of the top choices for carbohydrates as it spikes blood sugar levels.

Glycemic Index (GI) has become a popular measure to take into account as it

refers to how quickly a carbohydrate increases blood sugar levels. Generally the

more difficult a carbohydrate is to digest then the slower it will increase blood

sugar levels and the lower the glycemic index. The glycemic index is a scale from

1-100, with anything below 55 considered to have a low GI and anything above

70 to be high GI. The rate at which a carbohydrate containing food will release

sugar into the bloodstream is dependent upon other factors; the glycemic index

is a guide. Of course, a low glycemic index of a food does not automatically make

it healthy; other nutritional factors need to be taken into account.

Fiber is a type of carbohydrate highly regarded in the diet and we hear about

the fiber content of food quite a bit. Fiber does not release sugar quickly into the

bloodstream because it takes more time and effort for the body to break it

down. It is also praised for its role in keeping the digestive tract healthy and

avoiding constipation, amongst other benefits. Vegetables, fruit, oatmeal, lentils

and whole grains are very good sources of fiber.

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Proteins are responsible for the growth and maintenance of muscle, along with a host of other

benefits for the body and mind. Good sources of protein means choosing those foods which are

low in bad fats. This encourages the maintenance of muscle and the loss of fat.

Fats get a bad rap and this is due to the types of fats that are typically eaten. There are too

many bad fats in the average diet of today whereas good sources of fat by comparison are very

much limited. Bad fats, such as trans fats, are a threat to our heart and greatly increase our risk

of developing any number of conditions. Good fats, on the other hand, are good for our health

and overall well-being.

The stomach area is notorious for the accumulation of bad fat which is made of two different

types, subcutaneous and visceral fat. A little subcutaneous fat over the top of the abdominal

muscles is okay and natural but in excess they are both dangerous (particularly visceral fat).

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The Healthy Eating Plate, as developed by Harvard University, is a terrific representation of the

types of foods we should eat and in what ratios.

Copyright © 2011, Harvard University. For more information about The Healthy Eating Plate, please see The Nutrition Source, Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, www.thenutritionsource.org, and Harvard Health Publications, http://health.harvard.edu

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If we like the taste of our food then eating healthy is not difficult at all. There are so many

recipes available online now that to find meals and methods of making food that will be quick,

easy and to taste is feasible for anyone. Keeping our food simple will also help to make it quick

and easier to prepare and calculate calories. Experiment and search for healthy foods and

recipes online (take a look at my sample diet plans in Chapter 11).

The effect a food has on your sense of fullness and satiety is very important for the purpose of

weight loss and maintenance. If you spend too much time between meals feeling unsatisfied

and not full, a weight loss regime will be more difficult and much more likely to be sabotaged

by binge eating and overeating.

The measure of food’s fullness may be referred to as the “fullness factor” or the “satiety index”.

By knowing a food’s fullness per calorie, we can compare two foods that have the same number

of calories, then choose the food with the higher fullness factor, i.e. the food that will satisfy us

the most and for longer.

There are a few factors that will determine the fullness factor of food:

A food may keep you feeling satisfied for a longer period of time, reducing the urge to snack between meals.

Fish, poultry, beans, nuts and whole grains such as brown rice, whole-wheat bread and whole-grain pasta Generally speaking, foods that are higher in fiber, protein

and water will heighten the fullness factor of foods. Some foods will fill your stomach faster, helping to avoid overeating quickly.

Oats, fruit, poultry, whole grains

The extremely low-calorie content of certain foods compared to their weight/mass means they can be eaten in very large amounts while still keeping the overall calorie intake low.

Unbuttered popcorn and most vegetables

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Some foods contain natural chemicals that slow their absorption, keeping those who eat them feeling more satisfied for longer.

Lentils

There are actually a number of diets that are based on the concept of eating only foods that are

high in density and low in calories. Some of these diets are concerning, particularly when the

food list is very limited. The inclusion of high satiety foods is, of course, a much better

alternative to those foods which are high in calories and not filling. We just need to ensure our

diets are varied, balanced and cover a good spectrum of nutrients.

There have been attempts to create an index or measure of fullness; however, these are based

on experimental studies which are limited by factors like small test groups and the role of

personal taste. After all, how satisfying can a food be if we don’t like how it tastes, regardless of

how well it fills our stomach?

Guides and measures of food satiety are very useful but at the end of the day you need to take

your own personal tastes into account. When you start to count calories you will learn to strike

a balance between taste and satiety.

You may ask yourself, what foods do I find satisfying and tasty, while keeping a relatively low-

calorie count? Compare foods in portions of 100 calories and ask , which one would be most

satisfying?

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Fruit actually has a bad reputation amongst some in the weight-loss community. Yes, fruit does

have a high sugar/carbohydrate content (sugars from fruit are known as fructose), but to see

them as anything other than a valuable component of the diet or for weight loss is alien to me.

Here are some reasons why whole fruit is important for health and weight loss, and why

concerns over calories from fructose is insignificant compared to their benefit.

The sugar content of fruit is healthy. We need some sugar in our diet and fruit is by far

one of the best sources (not white table sugar).

Fruit is a crucial weapon against sugar cravings and withdrawals. A much healthier

substitute for unhealthy and higher-calorie processed foods.

The calories in fruit are highly nutritious consisting of a range of vitamins and nutrients.

Generally speaking, fruits are pleasant tasting with a wide variety to choose from.

Fruit is filling! Fruit will work wonders for curbing the appetite and snacking between

meals.

All in all, the calories you take in from fruit pack a punch nutritionally and by helping to keep

your overall calorie intake down. Incorporate fruit into a well-balanced diet to stay within your

daily calorie limit.

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I am not as enthusiastic about fruit juices as I am about eating whole fruit. They may be seen as

the easier way to get the nutrition of whole fruit but they are usually nowhere near as

nutritious.

The problem may not be so much fruit juice itself, but more so the way that juice is available to

us and how it is commonly consumed. Much of the juices found on supermarket shelves have

been processed so that not only has much of the original nutritional content of whole fruit been

removed, but the actual fruit juice itself. That’s right. The fruit juice in your fridge or pantry

may consist of a small percentage of fruit juice and the rest water, sweeteners, artificial flavors,

additives and preservatives. Mother Nature has a habit of getting the ratio of pulp in fruit so

that it’s just right, but be cautious of the juice on your shelf that claims to have the pulp

included, because the pulp may not actually belong to the juice it is mixed with.

Juice lacks the abundant fiber and body of a fruit. This reduces not only the nutritional benefits

that comes with fruit, but the fullness factor. Eating a whole orange or apple, for example, is a

great snack that can ward off hunger and keep you feeling full between meals, but the fullness

factor from a glass of juice just doesn’t pack the same punch and is outweighed by the number

of calories.

If we place, side by side, 80-calorie portions of fruit and juice, the amount of juice will seem

comparatively small and not very fulfilling. Energy released from a whole fruit is spread out

over time whereas a fruit juice will give you a more immediate hit of sugar. Speaking of sugar,

the calories in fruit juice are made up of more sugar than the calories in whole fruit, where a

percentage of its calories come from other healthy nutrients.

The best way to consume fruit juice is to have whole fruit juice prepared at home by a juicer, in

a store or by buying juice that you are assured consists of the whole fruit without added sugars

and flavors and processed in a way that maintains as much of the nutritional content as

possible.

It is just too easy to drink a large number of calories from fruit juice which may also be lacking

nutritionally. I strongly encourage you to pick up a piece of fruit any time you feel like snacking,

or simply throwing a few into your bag or case for the day. Fruit is a filling, nutritious and

delicious component of your weight-loss diet.

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I want to illustrate that there is a lot of existing weight-loss information and stigma attached to

certain foods that can unnecessarily restrict our lifestyle when we are losing or maintaining

weight. Rather than accept the reputation a food has, it is important for us to know the

nutritional facts about food and to weigh out the pros and cons along with our own personal

tastes.

I have found that various meats are an example of food that is often subject to such stigma.

We have been led to believe that we should stick with specific meats or cuts but you can enjoy

lean versions of most meats and even some of the least-lean versions without breaking your

calorie bank. Moderation and versatility is key and I’m going to focus on chicken breast versus

chicken thigh as an example.

Chicken breast is a much-touted component of any weight-loss diet. It is considered a very good

lean meat, high in protein and low in fat. Food diaries, weight-loss recipes and sites are rife

with the use of sliced, shredded or whole pieces of chicken breast for salads, sandwiches, meals

… you name it.

Then there is the chicken thigh; though preferred by many people as a tastier cut of chicken, it

is known as being fattier and the piece to veer away from where weight loss is concerned. But is

it this straightforward? Does chicken thigh deserve its reputation?

Credit given where due, chicken breast is a great nutritious cut, but I would like to promote

chicken thigh as a cut of meat that people should not be afraid to embrace during the pursuit of

weight loss.

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First, let us compare the two in a side-by-side summary:

100 gram (3.5oz) raw serving

Calories (total) 100 119 8% Calories from Fat 11 35 18% Calories from Protein 98 84 28% Nutritional content Vitamin

B6,Phosphorus, Selenium, Niacin, Zinc, pantothenic acid

Vitamin B6,Phosphorus, Selenium, Niacin, Zinc, pantothenic acid

Fullness factor Arguably more filling due to protein content.

Ease of use Often considered difficult to keep moist.

Easy to cook and retain moisture. Versatile.

From a total-calorie perspective, there is not much between them. For every 100 grams (3.5oz),

chicken thigh has just 19 more calories (equivalent to a teaspoon of sugar) than chicken breast.

If we look at a 300 gram (10 oz.) serving of each, the difference is about the same as a small

apple or tablespoon of honey.

The chicken thigh has a significantly higher fat content than chicken breast – approximately

20% more.

It is also important to look at chicken thigh as a stand-alone food. Though fattier than chicken

breast, as a part of a well-balanced diet, the fat content should not blow your recommended

daily fat intake (dependent on portion size, of course) and it is better that your fat content for

the day comes from chicken thigh rather than other sources much higher in trans or saturated

fats.

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Be sure to remove the skin and cut off any visible fat from a chicken thigh to minimize the fat

content.

Both are excellent sources of protein, but chicken breast wins here with approximately 30%

more of its calories coming from protein than chicken thigh.

Some argue that the dark meat of chicken thigh is actually more nutritious than white meat;

however, I am more inclined to call it a draw with both scoring well. Chicken breast does, of

course, benefit from a better protein-to-fat ratio.

Whether chicken breast tastes better than chicken thigh is, of course, down to personal taste,

but there always seems be a good portion of dieters on the internet looking to make chicken

breast more appetizing. If you are one of them, I strongly recommend you try chicken thigh as a

chicken-breast alternative. I was actually one of the many people looking to make chicken

breast more moist and interesting; that is, until I became a chicken-thigh convert and allowed

myself to enjoy what I believe is the more delicious of the two.

For me, the texture of chicken thigh is moist, delicious and can be enjoyed so easily without

calorie-rich sauces or marinades.

Due to the higher-protein content, chicken breast is the more filling of the two. I find that

chicken thigh has that melt-in-my-mouth texture (probably due to the fat content) that makes

me feel like I can eat more, whereas chicken breast has this density to it that fills me up fast.

Having said that, as a part of a well-balanced meal, it is not difficult to restrict my intake and be

well satisfied by a reasonable portion of chicken thigh.

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Some will say that when you know how to cook chicken breast properly it’s a delicious and

moist option, and I would have to agree. Chicken thigh for me is just more versatile and easier.

It is great pan fried (easy on the oil, a spray will do just fine), slow cooked, grilled, stir fried,

barbecued …

Many diets of today could do with removing other fatty, low-nutritious and high-calorie foods

before choosing chicken breast over chicken thigh and this applies to many other foods that

have a bad reputation. So I urge you, give chicken thigh a good chance as a part of a well-

balanced diet if you start to find chicken breast a bit boring, and confirm the nutritional and

caloric value of foods you enjoy before crossing them from your list.

Your diet may be made up of highly nutritious low-calorie food but at the end of the day,

portion size will ultimately determine your overall calorie intake.

Studies have shown that:

The larger our serving size the more we will eat, regardless of how hungry we are or

even how much we are enjoying our food. Serving up the amount of food that will suit

our calorie intake for our meals will help our brains to establish that these amounts of

food are enough.

Smaller plates and smaller serving spoons create an illusion of serving size. Larger

plates and bowls make serving sizes appear smaller and affect satiety. The larger the

serving size, the more food that will be eaten. So simply reducing the size of your plates

and serving spoons can encourage your brain to accept that your ideal serving size is

filling.

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The more food choices that are available to us, the more we are likely to eat. This makes

buffets, BBQs and other places with a large variety of food an opportunity to eat more than our

required intake of calories. When there is a variety of food to choose from, there is a tendency

to eat large portions and to want to sample multiple types of food on hand. Remember, even

though there is more food, you do not need to try it all. Take the time to enjoy your meal and

the food you have selected.

When I began calorie counting I learnt some shocking eye-opening truths about food and how I had been self-sabotaging my health and weight from the word go. I’m not alone; here are common danger foods that are slipped into the diets of all of us from an early age – food traps that our parents fell into and passed onto us. Being aware of these traps is extremely valuable for your weight-loss journey.

Some of the danger foods in this list may seem obvious but they still manage to be a big trap for

many of us! Sadly, you may recognize some of the biggest offenders as food staples mentioned

in Chapter 5: Estimating calories. Calorie counting helps us to see these foods in a measurable

way and for what they are.

There’s a reason why Atkins and other carbohydrate diets have been so popular. Many of us

grew up with diets where the bad carbohydrates were a necessary component of every main

meal and eaten as if they were void of any calories at all. We actually still need a sizable portion

of carbohydrates in our diet; they just need to be the right kinds, like vegetables, fruits,

unprocessed grains … (see Choosing the right calories for more about this).

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Unfortunately, bad carbohydrates with little nutritional value (low in fiber, with a high glycemic

index) have claimed a very large portion of our daily intake, even with what we may consider

small servings. Let’s take a look at the calories:

1 cup of rice 205 Calories I would eat at least 2 cups per meal.

1 potato 145 Calories I would eat at least 2 per meal.

2 slices of bread 135 Calories I would eat on average 3-4 for meals and also snack on bread.

Fried Rice, Risotto: Dishes where rice is the main ingredient require much larger amounts of rice and calories to bring about a feeling of fullness. I may require a serving of fried rice that contains at least four cups of white rice to be satisfied. The four cups of rice before factoring in the remaining ingredients comes to more than 800 calories alone.

Many people have been conditioned to eat a large number of the bad carbohydrates in their

diet which has played a huge role in negative weight gain. It is not difficult to turn the tables on

bad carbs by reducing them and replacing them with better alternatives.

Unlike rice, potatoes, pasta or bread, oil is extremely good at hiding in your food and does so

very often.

It is very easy to add just 1 tablespoon or more of oil to our foods without thinking too much

about it. Out of sight, out of mind. Oils can be, and often are, served up to us without us even

knowing.

Hiding: Oil hides in sauces, marinades, mayonnaise, dressings and many other

condiments. It is also an ingredient in pastries, desserts and many other recipes.

Salads: Next time you start to drizzle your salad with large amounts of oil, even if it’s the

healthier olive oil, you know how many calories you are adding to it.

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Non-stick: Slathering your baking dish with oil makes it non-stick. A small amount

distributed evenly will also do the job. Baking spray is not really zero calories, so using it

sparingly to meet its purpose is advised.

Texture and moisture: The secret to giving a dish or food a more pleasurable, moist

texture is often oil, at 120 calories a tablespoon.

Healthy oils: There is the temptation to be more liberal when the oil, such as olive oil, is

considered to have reasonable health benefits. Despite this, the calorie content is about

the same across all oils and when you have a calorie limit to adhere to, you do not want

oil to cut into your daily calorie intake too much; it simply isn’t filling.

Margarine and butter share many similarities with oil in terms of calorie content and usage and

generally contain a lot of the worst fats. There is, however, a greater variety of margarines on

the market with various ingredients and fat percentages. Generally speaking, a tablespoon of

margarine is approximately 100 calories.

Spreading: Butter and margarine have traditionally been spread onto bread and other

products with more thought given to the caloric value of the bread than the smaller

amount of butter or margarine. What people may be unaware of is the fact that this thin

layer of yellow packs quite a punch with the calories, sometimes even more than the

bread or scone it’s spread upon.

People like to spread it thickly on rice crackers. Each tablespoon of butter or margarine

will have you adding around 100 calories to your low-fat rice crackers, bread, etc.

The practice of buttering vegetables has outweighed the nutritional and low caloric

benefit of the vegetables.

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Be wary of products that claim to be low in fat.

Check the sugar content; often a product will be reduced in fat but be high in sugar. The

bad calories are still there and in a recipe designed to tempt and addict you.

Check the ingredients; how many numbers or words that you don’t recognize are

there? Some products are low in fat and even low in calories, but may contain

chemicals that have potentially serious health implications.

Fries are a multiple threat; not only are they are a bad carbohydrate (potato) but they are deep

fried in oil. Deep frying strips the potatoes of their nutritional content and injects them with

high oil content and saturated fats. Fries/hot chips are a common side dish and a small serve

has a great amount of calories of the worst kind. A large fries at McDonalds has almost the

same amount of calories as a Big Mac.

Chocolate was one of my weaknesses and it takes only a small amount of chocolate to give you

a high amount of calories. One hundred grams of the regular milk chocolate I was consuming

equaled 520 calories and believe you me, I was eating far more than this.

Yogurt is considered a health and weight-loss staple, just the way the yogurt companies like it.

But lurking within your little pot of yogurt may be significant amounts of sugar. Opt for

unflavored natural yogurt and you can learn how to flavor it yourself with more satisfying or

healthy low-calorie choices like fruit. Many other yogurts on your supermarket shelves are

either high in sugar, calories or nasty chemicals (often found in “low-fat” varieties).

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Muesli, and even more so granola, can contain high amounts of sugar and calories, particularly

in the form of dried fruits and nuts, and are sometimes processed with honey and fruit juices.

Basic rolled oats, however, the basis of muesli, are very nutritious and high in fiber without all

the sugary addition of many mueslis on the supermarket shelf. Because of the high fiber

content, rolled oats are quite filling in small portions and make a great snack or breakfast with

natural yogurt, fruit or as a basic Bircher.

Finding out that stepping up my exercise regime would not account for my diet was an

important lesson, but I then had to put that theory into practice and change my diet.

When I started to count calories I understood just how bad my diet had become and how much

I would need to change it.

In addition to large portions of unhealthy main meals, I was eating some of the worst snacks on

a daily basis. It was not unusual for me to be able to polish off the equivalent of a small block of

chocolate and large packet of crisps each day, minimum.

When my weight and my behavior to food spiraled out of control it became quite clear to me

that those things had to change.

So here are some of the changes that I made and perhaps some of the things that you can do

too.

When we eat badly our bodies and brains become accustomed (even addicted) to bad

ingredients (designed to be addictive) and there is a significant physical and mental adjustment

to be made for healthy eating. There are some things that you can do to make this adjustment

easier and to ensure that you don’t fall victim to old habits.

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Replace sugary and fatty snacks with fruit and perhaps a small amount of

chocolate. Starting with plenty of sweet fruit is better than eating processed snacks.

Replace foods high in fat with those high in protein and low in fat, such as:

Eggs (the whites of eggs in particular are very low in fat and low calorie)

Lean chicken

Tuna and Salmon

Beef

Replace pop soda/soft drinks which are very high in sugar, calories and chemicals

(especially in the case of “no sugar” versions). Pop soda is a craving I have noticed amongst

many members of HealthyWeightCalc and my suggestions are sourced from the

HealthyWeightCalc community also.

Ideally, you want to be drinking water and herbal teas (like green) which are good for you and

free of calories. To get to this stage, here are some of the successful suggestions made by

HealthyWeightCalc members:

Cut down slowly – Sugar drinks have been designed to be addictive and going cold

turkey for some may be too much of an uphill battle that can even lead to sugar binging.

Allow your body to become accustomed to a new diet that is free of pop.

Fruit Juice – I have made no secret about my feelings towards fruit juice (Chapter 6:

Food and Diet); I think it can be ALMOST as bad as pop soda. However, choose your fruit

carefully and fruit juice is a good choice to combat those pop soda withdrawals.

Gradually you want your consumption of any fruit juice to turn into the eating of whole

fruit.

Replace with flavored water – Flavored water is another potential trap for health and

weight loss. Easily marketed as healthy, flavored waters are often filled with sugars

amongst other undesirables. Look for low-sugar waters that are low in calories and with

a few natural ingredients.

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Carbonated water – I have heard from some people who felt that it was the

carbonation of pop soda that they were addicted to rather than the sugar content and

that replacing soda pop with other carbonated drinks removed their cravings. This is

great because the soda pop is being replaced with drinks free of sugars and chemicals,

such as sparkling mineral water or tonic. You could even place fruit, such as lemon and

lime, in your carbonated water for flavor – very refreshing.

Replace processed carbohydrates with brown and whole-grain versions. I had learnt that

I was taking in a lot of calories from white rice, one of my weaknesses. Brown rice is more

filling, satisfying and contains fiber. I eat at least half as much brown rice and enjoy it more than

I ever did white rice. The same applies to the love affair with white versus brown versions of

bread and pasta. While we are on the topic of carbohydrates, increase your vegetable and fruit

intake also; both are extremely filling and nutritious.

Ease off the oil – We have been conditioned to use oil liberally without much thought for its

high calorie content. Instead of using oil or butter to grease a baking or frying pan, try a baking

spray instead. Baking sprays are low in calories and it’s very easy to cover a surface in a thin and

even amount. Only a light spray is required, the calories can build up quickly with the baking

spray as well if sprayed recklessly.

The fewer ingredients in the meals you eat, the easier it is to calculate and know how many

calories you are eating. More complex meals have the ability to hide calories in oils, sauces and

marinades. If you are accustomed to a diet of rich and complex foods, there will be an

adjustment, but you will learn to appreciate the flavors of simple and healthy foods. If your

food is bland, add a suitable condiment and be sure to calculate the calories in that condiment

also.

This is the best way to keep your food simple. This way you know exactly what is going into

your meals and controlling what goes into your body.

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I restrict eating takeaway food for when I am out with friends or choose something extremely

clean and healthy, e.g. sashimi or this Japanese meal I fell in love in with, called Beef Tataki. It

consists of delicious rare beef with spring onion and sometimes raw egg. Otherwise, eating

simple food with basic ingredients is a sure way of more accurate calorie counting and the

avoidance of hidden calories that can really cost you. One of my favorites, Chinese takeaway

food, will often have plenty of hidden calories as can take-away foods from other ethnicities.

For those who drink, you do not have to give up alcohol, just be aware that it will easily push up

your calorie intake. If you are aware, you can balance out these calories over the week. I try to

avoid eating calorie-rich snacks with alcohol as people tend to. Instead of high-calorie snacking,

you are much better off making sure you have decent meals before alcohol consumption.

You may spend Monday to Friday hitting your calorie goals, then come Saturday and Sunday

you’re either having a terrible time trying to achieve this or you just end up blowing out your

calorie intake completely. It is not unusual to feel like you have wasted any efforts during the

week to stay within calorie limits.

There is usually a day of the week where my calories will blow out. For some of us, it is just not

a reasonable expectation to withdraw from activities that involve having alcohol or food that

will exceed your daily calorie limit. This is reality and we must allow ourselves to enjoy these

things in moderation.

Recognize that before you started counting calories you were putting significantly more calories

into your system all day, every day. Not only would you have blown your calorie limit during

after-work drinks or at family dinners, but chances are your calorie intake, without monitoring,

would have been excessive most, if not all, of the time.

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Yes, your weight loss will be more reliable and consistent the more you stick to your daily

calorie limits but exercise and your calorie limiting from the rest of the week may offset these

cheats. This is much better than depriving yourself and risk sabotaging yourself in the process,

so feel free to reward yourself now and then and have faith that overall you are limiting

yourself to a healthier and lighter you.

You can even still eat chocolate and chips and remain within your daily calorie limits, you just

need to pay attention and count the calories that come from them. When you do count their

calorie content you will realize that you can eat some of these foods, but not much. I found that

by doing this I savored a small amount of chocolate and found it quite satisfying rather than

eating loads of it mindlessly. Eat too much and pay the price.

Aim to eat a further one hundred calories below your daily limit.

This can help to buffer the additional calories from cheat days and to account for those times

you have underestimated calorie content. Eat too few calories, however, and there is a very

real risk of losing muscle rather than fat and this can be fairly unsatisfying weight loss (see

Chapter 4: Weight Loss Planning: Plan your ideal body).

I have noticed an attitude that exists amongst some towards eating as little as possible and

creating as much of a deficit as possible. This is not only unnecessary but could sabotage the

efficiency of your weight loss and your ability to maintain your diet. Eat below but close to your

daily calorie limit so that you fuel your body efficiently and maintain your muscle while losing

fat.

See Chapter 11: Sample Diet and Exercise Plans

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I did say diet is everything but I didn’t mean to downplay the role of exercise altogether. It’s just

extremely easy to counteract the benefits of exercise with a bad diet, whereas exercise is far

more unlikely to sabotage your weight loss efforts.

Let us now take a look at exercise, its benefits, how well it complements diet and how

conducive it is to the right type of weight loss and the body that you want.

I am going to get the most obvious benefit of exercise out of the way, i.e. the role it plays in the

calorie-deficit equation. The more exercise you engage in, the more calories you are burning.

Just as you count the amount of calories you eat, you must also count the number of calories

you burn to calculate your calorie deficit. Engaging in exercise can either mean that you have

more of an allowance in the amount of food you eat or it can contribute to an even larger

calorie deficit, resulting in more effective weight loss. Careful though, you still need to fuel your

body sufficiently by staying around the recommended minimum calorie intake.

Exercise is a great way to account for that muffin, birthday cake, alcoholic beverage or

chocolate bar.

We have already spoken about choosing the right types of calories and nutrition to ensure that

you are losing muscle rather than fat (you do not want to be a skinny person who still has fat in

all the wrong places). Now I am going to talk about the role that exercise, strength training in

particular, has on BURING FAT and having the body you want.

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Strength training, whether it is in the gym with equipment, at home with free weights or using

your own body weight with gravity (think dips and pushups) is very good for one thing –

building muscle! If you eat the right number of calories and the right types, then along with

strength training you will ensure that you are losing fat rather than muscle so that your body is

toned/muscular. At the end of the day, if you are going to lose weight you want to be happy

with the result and strength training will help you achieve that.

Do not end up like many people who ask questions like:

It is because they are still technically fat (with a high body-fat percentage). Include strength

training in your weight loss regime and not only lose weight, but have the body you want.

Strength training does not have to be extreme, not all of us are body builders, and just basic

strength exercises can make the world of difference. In Chapter 11: Sample Diet & Exercise I will

have sample strength exercises you can do in conjunction with diet and calorie counting.

It really does. Everyone that exercises benefits psychologically. You may have heard about

endorphins, the chemicals that are pumped throughout your body during intense exercise; they

make you feel great. The release of endorphins into your bloodstream spikes during and shortly

after exercise but you can expect to have a heightened sense of well-being all day, every day,

when you are exercising regularly. When you’re feeling great, exercise will no longer be a task

but instead a need you must satisfy. No wonder people become addicted to exercise.

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Stress can be a contributor to weight gain, so when you reduce stress, the body is in a much

better position to lose weight effectively.

The thing with exercise is, the more you do of it, the better you get at it and when you feel your

strength and endurance improve, this is quite motivating. You will develop the motivation to

increase the intensity and duration of your exercise while reaching your weight targets as you

go. Combine this with the psychological benefits of endorphins and nothing will stop you from

achieving your goal weight.

We already touched on this in respect to exercising making you happy. Of course, being on a

natural high is enjoyable. The particular physical activities you engage in may also be very

enjoyable, whether it be a sport, in the gym or other indoor/outdoor activity. Try a few

different things, you may find a new passion in exercise.

Even just 20-30 minutes of cardio performed at the end or start of a busy day not only has a host of mental and physical health benefits, but

it can allow you to have that extra serving or snack.

it can offset a large calorie meal and bring it down to a more reasonable calorie amount.

it can be the difference between being in a calorie deficit (burning more calories than

calories eaten) or calorie surplus (burning less calories then calories eaten). It can be a

fine line and exercise can be the factor that puts us on the right side of it.

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On one hand exercise can make you hungrier with the possibility of eating even more bad food

(see setbacks), but if you make an effort to give your body the correct fuel it craves it will

respond extremely well and you will find that your cravings for fat and sugar can decrease.

When you strength train, your muscles want more protein to repair and grow, so providing

yourself with a proper diet, including good quality protein, will make you recover faster and feel

much better.

When I first started to exercise I already decided that I didn’t want to be surrounded by other people in a gym. The thought of it sounded boring and horrible and I preferred to do something in the comfort of my home or the great outdoors.

I thought the only way my exercise regime would work was if I enjoyed it and some of the activities I started to engage in consisted mainly of jogging at the park and a little skipping. I wasn’t engaging in any strength training because my primary focus was on losing weight and, initially, I did not think that strength training would help me.

In conjunction with a diet that admittedly was still high caloric, this exercise regime was just not working, so I asked a personal trainer and some other fitness experts for advice. The consensus was that, yes, first changes to my diet were required but there was also room for much more effective exercise.

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I think walking is one of the most valuable exercises available to us.

For starters, walking is one of the simplest methods of transport. I started walking

briskly to and from work, which was 30 minutes each way. In terms of calorie burning

this was the equivalent of 20-30 minutes on the treadmill without the need for warming

up, warming down, stretching or a change of clothes. It is extremely convenient.

Walking is easy; it’s one of the first activities we learn as humans. Anyone can do it and

you can start off walking as slowly as you like.

It is low impact, unlike running which puts pressure on the knees and other joints.

It can be enjoyed in an environment of your choice, with a friend, music, the sound of

nature or the hustle and bustle of city streets.

I knew I enjoyed running but I was advised that I could probably burn more calories and

exercise more efficiently in a gym. On a treadmill the surface would be easier on my

knees and allow to me to push my cardiovascular harder for longer.

I developed an appreciation for the ability to control a treadmill and set the speed and

incline, etc. A much more efficient workout than in the outdoors and I really started to

enjoy the treadmill because of this.

Convenience: The secret was finding a gym that was close to work, for that convenience

factor, and to ensure that my iPod was filled with great music to listen to, or use the

treadmill in front of a TV for entertainment.

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As I became a stronger and more experienced runner, I was able to make the shift to

outdoor running comfortably. I developed a new appreciation for running in the great

outdoors.

Weight loss of course! I could safely assume that I was burning at least a few hundred

calories on the treadmill. It does not sound much but once you start to improve your

diet, running on the treadmill can either make you lose weight faster or make up for

that extra indulgence.

Intensity: I find myself running and working up a sweat like never before, much more

than I could achieve from running outdoors.

I adopted some strength training exercises which, though seemed very simple, left me with

sore muscles that I forgot had existed. As I started to lose weight I felt my muscles toning and

becoming visible; it really gave me a great sense of accomplishing my weight loss.

See Chapter 11: Sample Diet and Exercise Plans

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Sleep is conducive to weight loss and not just any old sleep, but a sufficient amount of good

quality sleep on a good consistent routine.

Just like exercise, sleep has an impact on the hormones in your body. Without sufficient good

quality sleep the hormones in your body can become unbalanced in a way that not only

increases appetite, but affects the signals to your brain that tells you when you have eaten

enough. Double trouble. Get sufficient sleep and help your body to stabilize its hormones and

your appetite.

During your sleep the body regulates hormones, reducing your levels of stress which is a

contributor of weight gain. All in all, a better mood and feeling of well-being that comes from

sufficient sleep is going to help motivate and keep you on track.

Without sufficient sleep we feel tired and lack energy. When the body is feeling low in energy it

will call for the easiest way of receiving a quick dose of energy which is from unhealthy snacks

that spike the blood sugar. So there you have it, when we are not well rested not only do we

crave food, but we crave foods which we want to stay away from, i.e. fats, sugars, etc.

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Experiment a little to find how many hours of sleep are right for you. For adults it should be

between seven and nine hours of sleep. Too little or too much sleep and down goes the quality.

Other factors affecting the quality of your sleep include drugs and engaging in activities too

close to bedtime which over-stimulate the body or mind, such as intense movies, work, eating,

exercise, etc.

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Why don’t people reach their goals? Because people don’t understand that weight loss can take

time. There are a few ways we can set ourselves unrealistic goals when setting up our weight

loss plan.

Too much weight loss in too little time

Too few calories

When unrealistic goals are set, this automatically produces other setbacks for the dieter. Not

reaching targets is discouraging and if you cannot see your weight loss going according to plan,

it’s very difficult to see your target weight being met. If the weight loss plan is unreasonable,

then a person is setting themselves up for a very high chance of failing to meet their target

weight and this can result in a strong feeling of wanting to give up on weight loss completely.

Be easy on yourself. Set yourself reasonable weight-loss targets each week that allow you to

eat a reasonable amount of calories and even if the weight loss isn’t as rapid as you would have

liked, you are setting yourself up for a much greater chance of success.

This can put pressure on our weight-loss journey in a few ways. Firstly, if you are hungrier, the

potential is there to eat more foods so that your calorie intake is greater than the calories you

have burned, even with the extra exercise. It’s fairly common for people to believe that exercise

allows them to eat a lot more, perhaps whatever they want, and this was my attitude. You may

even be in a greater calorie surplus than when you weren’t exercising.

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Yes, exercise does burn calories and can account for a part of a meal, alcohol or a cheeky snack

here and there, but count your calories and see just how much. If you find your appetite has

increased, don’t feel bad about giving your body the fuel it needs (within your calorie target)

but do try and make sure you are giving it the right fuel – not too much sugars, fats or

processed carbohydrates.

If you exercise in conjunction with diet correctly, it is one of your greatest friends and

important for getting the right body. See Chapter 7: Exercise

I mentioned that I had succeeded with my weight loss on more than one occasion, so yes, there

was a little yo-yoing with my weight. In a way, I think I can trace back my reasons for putting

my weight back on to one factor: complacency. It’s one thing to look in the mirror or at the

scales and to want change. This can be quite a motivating force to eat better and to exercise.

But what if you like what you see? There is less of an incentive, need or goal to maintain better

habits.

Weight has a habit of creeping up on us; it can feel like there’s been little-to-no change to our

weight, then BAM we’re almost as heavy as we were before and dissatisfied with the way we

look again. Here again is your incentive (staring right back at you in the mirror) to eat better

and exercise more, and the difficult weight-loss journey starts again. Don’t be overly

complacent. Maintaining your ideal weight is much less vigorous than losing the weight to get

there, but the tendency to fall into old habits is all too easy. Remember how you felt when you

were not at your ideal weight and how much work it took to get there. Weigh yourself weekly,

fortnightly or at least monthly to control your weight and look for early signs of weight gain.

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When people want to lose weight there’s a tendency to spend a lot more time thinking about

food seeing as there is now a much greater focus on diet and tracking of food. This can make us

hungrier more often.

I have noticed a strong natural tendency for people to be discouraged by, not just weight gain,

but not losing as much weight as they had hoped. This is particularly more apparent at the start

of weight-loss journeys. When I created healthyweightcalc.com it was important that I visually

represent weight loss in a graph to show that what we want to see is an overall downward

trend of a person’s weight. Most of us will experience up-and-down variations in our weight

and this is completely normal and we cannot let the weight gain of one week determine our

weight-loss fate.

Below is a graph of my own weight loss journey which clearly consists of periods of weight gain.

I have seen many graphs that contain weeks of significant weight gain, but the overall

downward trend results in goal attainment.

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Looking back at my own weight loss journey I have great confidence in the information

provided in this eBook and its ability to help you achieve weight-loss goals without any special

tricks, just solid weight-loss information. I was fortunate to gather information from those

employed in the weight loss industry, but did not foresee what I would witness from passionate

members of the HealthyWeightCalc community who are experiencing great weight-loss success

of their own.

The fight against weight loss is most effective with the support of those who have been there

and are going through the same journey so I implore you to utilize this support that is available

to you.

There is no better feeling than the realization that you hold the key to your own weight loss and

I look forward to seeing the information and support being shared amongst us all.

Many well wishes

Andrew Styles

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www.healthyweightcalc.com

Track your calories using the healthyweightcalc Food Diary. Here are some examples to get you

started.

Vegetable Oil (1 tablespoon) 125 Calories

A generous drizzle of oil on bread, vegetables, a baking tray, salad or in a sauce will add hundreds of calories to a dish or snack in the blink of an eye. The oil content is obvious in fast foods like burgers and fries but cuisines from all over the world are notorious for hiding oil in dishes. Oil can often be a solid component of sauces, condiments, marinades … Olive oil, though better for you, has similar calorie content.

Bread (2 slices) 120-200 Calories Now you know the calorie content of your bread, you’ll be able to estimate how many

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calories are in sandwiches.

Butter & Margarine 1 tablespoon)

100 Calories A calorie boost to any dish or snack.

Rice Cakes

35 Calories Add some butter or other toppings and you have to ask yourself if rice cakes are satisfying enough to justify the calories.

White Rice (1 cup cooked) 242 Calories The average person eats more than a cup with a meal. Imagine the calories in a large serving of fried rice with the oil and additional contents.

White flour (1 cup) 455 Calories We have listed the most used baking ingredients here.

Sugar (per teaspoon) 16 Calories How many calories are we adding to sweeten our drinks and food?

Eggs (1 medium) 63 calories Full Cream Milk (1 cup) 150 Calories Milk contributes greatly to the

calories in coffee and cereal.

To avoid disappointment with your body after weight loss, eat the right calories.

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Cardio such as walking, cycling and running is great for burning calories and for a healthy heart

and lungs.

I also strongly encourage some strength training (along with eating the right calories) to

encourage that body you want with your weight loss.

See Chapter 11: Sample Diet & Exercise

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Breakfast Medium pear (86) Large banana (121) Morning Snack Egg (78)

2 Eggs(156)

Lunch Tuna sandwich (350) 95 gram can of tuna Low-fat mayo Spinach leaves Whole-grain bread or roll

Turkey breast sandwich (150) 2 slices of whole-grain bread 2 teaspoons of mustard 4 slices of smoked turkey breast Spinach

Afternoon Snack Small apple (77) Small pear (86) Dinner 1 Chicken breast, 1 cup of

brown rice, several green beans, a steamed carrot (528)

1 Salmon fillet, several green beans, 2 cup brown rice, squeeze of lemon juice (776)

Late Snack Small orange (45) Apple (77)

Breakfast Bircher (190) ¼ cup of rolled oats 100 grams of natural yogurt 50grams of frozen berries

2 Boiled eggs (410) 2 Whole-grain toast/bread or a roll 1 tablespoon of butter

Morning Snack Apple (77) Several brazil nuts (190) Lunch Chicken sandwich (478)

100grams shredded chicken breast Low-fat mayo Spinach leaves Whole-grain bread or roll

Tuna roll (402) 95 gram can of tuna 1 tablespoon low-fat mayo Spinach 1 Wholemeal roll

Afternoon Snack Large banana (121) Small banana (206) 100 grams of natural yogurt 1 tablespoon of honey

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Dinner Beef Bolognese pasta sauce (644) 125g wholemeal pasta

1 Chicken thigh in curry, 1 cup of brown rice, several green beans (500)

Late Snack Large orange (86) Medium pear (86)

The sample exercises here can be performed conveniently without special equipment or space.

They can be varied according to different levels of difficulty, starting off with ‘very easy’.

I have included my favorite exercises for burning calories, strengthening upper body, lower

body and the core.

Walk as slow or as fast as you like. Increase your distance and/or your walking speed.

Good at burning calories Increases energy levels Healthy heart and lungs

Work towards achieving three sets of 10 repetitions on each leg. Level 1: Basic Lunge. Stand straight and place one leg in front of you, one leg behind and your hands on your hips. You will know how far to space your legs after the next step. Keeping your feet firmly in place push into your front heel and bend your front knee so that it is directly over your ankle; it must not go any further than your ankle. Your back knee is bent and lowered towards the ground. Focus on a smooth controlled motion, do not rush it. Both knees should be at a 90 degree angle and NOT any more forward than this. This is determined by how far apart your legs are in the initial standing position. Push back into your starting position using your front leg, stay controlled and smooth. Repeat 10 times then swap legs and do the same.

Strengthens the core and the legs

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Level 2: Lunge with Weights: Add weights in your hands; hold them to your side and increase the weight for intensity. Ensure that the exercise can be performed smoothly and with control before increasing the weight.

Work towards achieving three sets of 10 repetitions. Level 1: Wall pushups. Start by standing up, facing a wall almost arm’s length away. Lean against the wall on your palms facing upward and flat against the wall, arms straight and slightly bent at the elbow. Keep your body straight and lean forward so that your face almost touches the wall then return to your starting position. Level 2: Knee pushups – Stomach facing down, lay your legs on the ground and support your body with your hands flat on the floor and to the sides of your body level with your chest. Keeping your body very straight and your abdominal muscles tight, slowly lower your body to the ground and push back to the starting position. Level 3: Standard military pushups. Same as knee pushups but your knees are now off the ground and your body supported by your toes and hands. Keep the body very straight and tight.

Great for defining the arms and upper body Strengthens the core

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You can use a chair, bench, ledge, stair, or other stable surface that can give you the freedom to perform this exercise. Sit on the edge of the chair, your hands shoulder width apart, gripping the front of the chair, knuckles faced forwards. Arms straight, elbows slightly bent, move your buttocks off the chair and step out so that your feet are hip-width apart and bent in front of you. This is your starting position. Bend your elbows to a 90 degree angle; ensure that your elbows do not drop beyond 90 degrees, otherwise you risk injury. Slowly push yourself back to the starting position.

Great for defining and shaping the triceps – the part of the arms many people find flabby

Most skipping ropes can be shortened. The length of the rope according to your height is important. When standing in the middle of the rope, and pulling the handles tautly by your side, they should reach your pectoral muscles. Start with the handles in both hands and the rope behind you. Using your wrists, swing the rope over your head and jump as you swing it under your feet. Repeat. During this action your knees should be slightly bent, acting like shock absorbers, your wrists should be doing most of the swinging, not your arms and the jumping should occur mainly on the balls of your feet. Skipping is quite intense so do not be surprised if you can do very little skipping to begin with. It is a great exercise to improve on. The difficulty can be raised by skipping on one foot or swinging the rope twice under your feet between jumps.

Can burn a lot of calories in a short amount of time – twice the amount as jogging Great for the heart and lungs

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Lie stomach down on the ground with forearms flat. Lift and make a straight line with your body, supporting yourself by your forearms and feet. Be sure to keep your body very straight, do not let your back sink, keep your abdominal muscles tight and your neck and head in line with your body.

Strengthens the core muscles Strengthens the abdominals Exert calories – if you do this exercise properly (keep those abdominal muscles tightened throughout) you should be short of breath after this exercise.


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