October 14, 2020

🏋️ Losing Weight as a Vegetarian

I've dipped into fitness at surface level multiple times. I started working out but couldn't sustain it. I even tried Intermittent Fasting for a couple of months but it didn't work for me.

As a vegetarian, it's definitely hard. Then I came across Divjot's journey. As a vegan, he lost weight by a calorie deficit and walking 10k steps. This looked sustainable. I got motivated again.

I decided to dive deeper into fitness and understand it once and for all. Here are the things that helped:

1. The 4 Hour Body
   It describes a slow-carb diet that has been working sustainably for me so far. Cheat days are important so that your body doesn't adapt to extended calorie deficit.
2. Weigh everyday
   Do it at the same time everyday, preferably in the morning after pooping. Keep in mind that weight is not the full picture. You should track the body composition (% fat, % muscle, % water, etc.) over time. Get a smart scale for this. I use the Mi Body Composition Scale.
3. Understand the nutrition labels
   Read https://fityourself.club/how-to-read-nutrition-labels-71ef059451c7 and https://fityourself.club/fraudulent-health-marketing-19662841de64
4. Increase protein intake
   After tracking my diet (using HealthifyMe) for a week, I found that I was just taking ~30g of protein per day. This number was a real eye-opener for me. I've increased it since then using Yogabar Baked Brownie and Optimum Nutrition Whey Protein.
5. Trust the numbers
   A pound of fat is 3500 calories. If you're on a calorie deficit of 500 per day, you will lose 1 pound every week. There might be fluctuations due to water weight but on average, the math works out.

Disclaimer: Don't cherry-pick any advice from the above list and expect it to work without doing your own research. Consult a professional dietitian or whatever.

https://twitter.com/SwapAgarwal/status/1322883494498897922

Until We Meet Again...
🖖 swap