“Steve, how many calories should I eat every day? I have goals!”
Great question.
Knowledge is power. So today, we are going to make you more powerful by calculating your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE).
Of course, “knowing is half the battle.”The other half is using your newfound knowledge to achieve your goals!
Fortunately for you, we’ve helped thousands of Online Coaching Clients lose weight and get healthy, and TDEE is just one of many factors we consider when building a specific strategy for somebody’s goals.
Okay FINE, I’ll share the other factors and strategies below too.
Simply click on the section below for quick reading, though I’d recommend you read the whole enchilada to properly apply TDEE to your life:
Although you can adjust it, I want you to set your “Activity Level” as “Sedentary,” (I’ll explain why in a minute):
Nerd Fitness Total Daily Energy Expenditure Calculator
(Note: we have used The Mifflin-St Jeor Equation to create this calculator! [1])
Hooray! You now know estimates of your BMR and TDEE![2]
You may be thinking, “Ah, Steve, what do either of these mean?”
I got you boo.
Make sure you write down your two numbers, and then move on to the next section.
If you’re already starting to get overwhelmed, have no fear! We help hundreds of men and women calculate their calorie goals, and we’d love to help you too!
WHAT IS BASAL METABOLIC RATE (BMR)?
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the total amount of calories needed to keep your body functioning.
Body processes like breathing, cell production, pumping blood, and maintaining body temperature all burn calories.
This means that even when you sit perfectly still, you still use plenty of calories keeping your body in good working order.
To define BMR:
“Basal” more or less means “basic,” so you can think of BMR as the number of calories needed for basic daily functions.
Your sex, age, weight, and height will all affect the number of calories you need, which is why they are variables in our equation above.
The taller you are, or the more you weigh, the higher your BMR will be.
There is simply more of you to fuel: more blood to pump, more cells to produce, more body mass to transport and manage.
Your age will also factor in: the older you get the lower your BMR will be.
Roughly two-thirds of the calories you need each day go into keeping your body running.
The other third?
That goes into powering your motion.
You know, because going from one place to another requires energy. So does lifting stuff.
So let’s talk about Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) next.
WHAT IS TOTAL DAILY ENERGY EXPENDITURE (TDEE)?
Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is an estimate of how many total calories you burn in a day.
Since your BMR includes the calories you need while resting, we’ll also need to factor in movement and exercise.
To do this, we’ll take your BMR and multiply it by an “Activity Factor.”
ACTIVITY LEVELS CAN BE THOUGHT OF AS THE FOLLOWING:
Sedentary (BMR x 1.2): You regularly have to tell Netflix you are still watching. You don’t intentionally exercise at all.
Lightly Active (BMR x 1.375): You casually stroll through your neighborhood a few times a week. On average, you walk for exercise about 30 minutes a day. Another way to think about this would be 15 minutes per day of vigorous exercise like running or lifting weights.
Moderately Active (BMR x 1.55): If we called the gym on a weeknight looking for you, they’d find you. This averages out to about one hour and 45 minutes of walking (for exercise, not going around your house) a day, or 50 minutes of vigorous exercise a day.
Very Active (BMR x 1.725): You work in construction during the day and you’re on the company softball team. This averages out to about four hours and 15 minutes of walking (again, for intentional exercise) a day, or two hours of vigorous exercise.
If you’re following along at home, you may notice that different Activity Factors can make a big difference in the calories burned.
Let’s use some numbers.
Suppose you’re:
Male
35 years old
Weigh 200 pounds
Six foot even (72 inches)
You’re also wearing a recently ironed collared shirt and it looks great on you. It really brings out your eyes.
Awesome shirt or no awesome shirt, we know your BMR comes in at 1,882 calories given the variables we identified. Meaning you’ll need roughly 1,900 calories for basic bodily functions.
This is where things get interesting.
If you’re sedentary, we’ll multiply 1,882 (BMR) by 1.2 to get a TDEE of 2,258, which means you’ll need 2,258 calories to maintain your current weight, support bodily functions, and to walk around your house, to go from your car to your office, from your office back home, etc.
Let’s imagine a scenario where you are not sedentary. Let’s say you’re lightly active – you walk around your neighborhood a few times per week.
We take your BMR of 1,882 and multiply it by 1.375 to get a TDEE of 2,588.
”The difference between these two activity factors, in this case, is 230 calories. That’s equivalent to a single glazed donut.
These results suggest that normal weight individuals overestimate energy expenditure (EE) during exercise by 3-4 folds. Further, when asked to precisely compensate for exercise EE with food intake, the resulting energy intake is still 2 to 3 folds greater than the measured EE of exercise.
Not only that, but our fitness trackers overestimate how many calories we expend through exercise too…some by as much as 90%![5]
This infographic shows how big of a difference those calorie discrepancies can be:
We think we’re working out “intensely” for 60 minutes, so we overeat, assuming we have lots of extra calories in our “daily budget” to spare.
However, when researchers look at stuff like heart rate, VO2 max, and calories burned, they determine that we actually only exercised “moderately.”
So yeah, don’t always trust your Fitbit:
Oh, and this is only one side of the equation. As I said, folks also UNDERESTIMATE how much they ate.
Regarding calories and food intake, folks consistently believe they eat less than they actually do.
Oh, and this is even true of dietitians, who are specifically trained on calories contained in different meals.
As we mention in our “Lose Fat and Build Muscle” article, strength training requires A LOT of energy, not only for the exercise itself, but also for rebuilding muscle in the days following the activity.
That’s why Coach Matt highlights the importance of strength training in our video on body recomposition:
So when determining our activity level for our calorie calculator, we consider strength training to be “vigorous exercise” (as we highlighted above).
Another way to think of this: if it takes 30 mins of walking a day to be “Lightly Active,” 15 minutes of daily strength training would roughly be equivalent.
NOTE: if estimating your Activity Factor and TDEE is starting to freak you out:
Trying to pick and calculate the right amount of calories to consume can be stressful.
Especially if you’ve had trouble losing weight in the past. And that’s just the math part – we haven’t even got to the psychological part about how delicious pizza and ice cream are.
It’s actually the reason we created our uber-popular 1-on-1 Coaching Program. We sought to take all the guesswork out of getting in shape, by creating a program to tell you exactly what to do.
HOW DO I USE BMR AND TDEE FOR WEIGHT LOSS?
If you’ve read this far into the article, I imagine you are interested in learning your Total Daily Energy Expenditure for weight loss.
I also imagine you support my belief that The Shawshank Redemption is the greatest movie ever made:
The TDEE we calculated above provides a decent estimate of the calories you require each day.
If the scale is staying constant – congrats! You’ve found your “calorie equilibrium.”
Your body is burning just as many calories as you’re consuming each day.
However, I’m going to guess you’re here because your goal is to see the scale go down!
In order for you to lose weight, you need to start reducing your total calorie intake, which then forces your body to start burning the stored fat you have for energy.
You’ve already calculated roughly how many calories you burn (your TDEE) on a daily basis, let’s see roughly how many calories you’re consuming each day too!
(If your weight is staying steady, then these numbers should be relatively close – provided your tracking is accurate!)
It’s this nerd’s humble opinion that the easiest way to track calories consumed is with an app.
We live in the future.
Use a smartphone and download one of the following to track your food intake:
My Fitness Pal. The gold standard of calorie counting apps. It’s also the most popular, supporting the largest food database in the game. Plus, it can download recipes from the internet and provide a calorie and macronutrient estimate.
FatSecret.Basic, simple, and free, FatSecret is a great calorie tracker. It’ll allow you to connect with other users, plus it’s got a barcode scanner for caloric content from labels. Super nifty.
Lose it!Another free calorie-counting app, focusing more on goal setting. Additionally, the Snap It™ feature lets you use pictures for data input. Double nifty.
You certainly don’t have to track your food forever.
But a solid week’s worth of data will help you get a sense of the food you are consuming, especially if you eat roughly the same food each day.
Not sure if you’re getting your portion sizes correct? Most people don’t. Consider a cheap food scale to educate yourself on actual portion sizes!
You can also check out our guide How to Portion Control, which will teach you how to use your hand to estimate calories:
The important thing is to compare your daily calories consumed to your TDEE.
To lose weight, your calorie consumption should be less than your TDEE.
(If you’re currently thinking, “But Steve according to my stats I burn way more calories than I consume, but I’m not losing weight!” I would read this.)
Some numbers to keep in mind:
3,500 calories equals roughly one pound of fat.
There are seven days in a week.
Basic math suggests if you want to lose one pound of body fat in a week (a sustainable goal for some), you need to create a caloric deficit of 500 calories a day. We can get there by:
Consuming 500 fewer calories
Burning 500 more calories
Or a combination of both
When you consistently consume fewer calories than you burn, your body will have to start pulling from your stored fat for its energy needs.
Aka weight loss.
Let’s imagine that your TDEE is 2,500. This means you’d want to consume around 2,000 calories a day to lose around a pound per week.
As we discuss in great detail in “Why Can’t I Lose Weight,” sustained weight loss is largely a result of consistently managing the first half of the equation: “calories in.”
Said another way: it’s much more difficult to sustainably increase your Activity Level than it is to reduce the calories you consume.
After all, what’s more likely to become a lifelong habit? Changing your food choices, or going from being a couch potato to vigorously exercising 90 minutes per day?
Many of our coaching clients found weight loss previously unattainable until one of our trained professionals objectively reviewed their life and provided actionable feedback.
They all follow the same premise: they reduce or eliminate certain foods or macronutrients, making it easier to eat in a calorie deficit.
While all sensible diets will prioritize protein, some might limit carbs while others might limit fats. These differences come down to what works best for the individual.
So yes, any diet can help you lose weight in the short term – just remember that you need to stick with the changes permanently to make the results stick permanently!
After all, temporary changes create temporary results.
I personally follow a mental model diet, that focuses on real food most of the time, and occasionally includes some junk food. I plan my week of eating ahead of time:
#1) Limit your intake of processed food – it’s designed to be overconsumed.
Do you really think you’d be able to eat half of a snickers bar to limit yourself to 200 calories? Of course not. This argument is essentially the rationale for following a paleo diet.
#2) Eat veggies. Vegetables are nutrient-dense and light on calories. Because of all the fiber, they are also tough to overeat.
Imagine eating a plateful of broccoli.
Are you going for seconds? Probably not. So eat your veggies to help keep you full.
#3) Be wary of liquid calories. Cut back on soda, juices, smoothies, and any beverage with calories.
Even most coffee orders (with sugar, cream, etc.) will have a ton of hidden calories.
All these drinks are sugar bombs since there is no fiber to balance out all the carbs you are consuming. Stick to water and unsweetened tea or coffee. Here are our thoughts on diet soda.
#4) Prioritize protein. Your body needs to use protein to heal and rebuild muscle after exercise.
Outside of repairing your body, protein will also work to keep you full and satiated: 400 calories of chicken will leave you wayyy more full than 400 calories worth of Gatorade.[9]
If you prioritize protein on your plate, you’ll be doing a lot of the heavy lifting on proper nutrition.
As we lay out in our epic “How Much Protein Should I Eat?” guide, some great sources of protein include chicken, eggs, beef, pork, fish, nuts, legumes, quinoa, and most dairy products.
These four points will help you on your journey to create a caloric deficit.
Disclaimer: this is all easier said than done. After all, 70% of the country is overweight. Don’t worry though, because most of them don’t read Nerd Fitness.
You do. This is like a strategy guide for life.
We’ve helped thousands of people like you here at NF, and we really focus on nutrition.
As we said, it’s 90% of the battle!
It’s why we created our own free, fun 10-level nutritional system. Each level gets a bit more challenging, but you can progress at your own speed to make your changes stick.
You can download our 10-Level Nutrition Guide when you sign up in the box right here:
Download our free weight loss guide
THE NERD FITNESS DIET: 10 Levels to Change Your Life
Follow our 10-level nutrition system at your own pace
What you need to know about weight loss and healthy eating
3 Simple rules we follow every day to stay on target
HERE’S WHAT TO DO TO LOSE WEIGHT WITH YOUR TDEE
Let’s recap this whole guide for you, with some actionable steps:
#1)Determine your BMR and TDEE. This will be critical for computing your caloric deficit. They’re good numbers to keep in mind during the whole experiment. Calculate your TDEE here.
#2) Track everything, as is, for one week.Log everything you eat. No judgment. If you eat five slices of pizza in a night, count every slice.
This step alone has helped many Rebels turn their lives around. Consider a food tracking app or online tracker to educate yourself!
#3) Compare numbers.Where is your current caloric intake at? How does this compare against your TDEE? If your intake is higher than your TDEE, you’re likely gaining body fat. We want to flip the equation.
#4) Create a consistent caloric deficit.The easiest and most sustainable way to do this is to eat REAL food. Mixing in strength training and fun cardio can help too.
#5) Track progress. Continue to track your calorie intake, to ensure you consistently expend more calories than you consume.
That’s it.
You can do this. I know you can because many of our readers have done it themselves.
Want help taking your next step after calculating your TDEE? I have MULTIPLE options for you. Pick the path below that best aligns with your goals and timeline:
1) If you want step-by-step guidance on how to lose weight, eat better, and get stronger, check out our killer 1-on-1 Coaching Program:
2) If you want an exact blueprint for how to eat better and get in shape, check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally).
Try your free trial right here:
3) Enlist in the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion.
Sign up in the box below when you download our free weight loss guide!
Download our free weight loss guide
THE NERD FITNESS DIET: 10 Levels to Change Your Life
Follow our 10-level nutrition system at your own pace
What you need to know about weight loss and healthy eating
3 Simple rules we follow every day to stay on target
You can do this, and we got your back!
-Steve
PS:Seriously, how great is The Shawshank Redemption? I could quote that movie all day long.
To practice radical self-love is to live life in a way that honors your worth, enoughness, and inherent right to happiness, here and now, just as you are.
This can be easier said than done in a world that’s bursting at the seams with diets, quick fixes, and perfectly filtered faces. It can feel like there’s always something you can do better or somewhere you’re falling short in life.
Food is an especially challenging area when it comes to practicing radical self-love. It’s often fraught with expectations around what’s “healthy” or what your food choices say about you. On the other hand, it’s also a perfect way to actually fuel your radical self-love.
On my journey to embody a healthier relationship with food, the grace over guilt mindset, which helps create more self-love, changed everything for me. I used to get caught in the cycle of feeling bad for what I ate and then making sure to exercise more in order to burn it off (punishment, disguised as a workout). Or I’d beat myself up for making choices that didn’t align with the “perfect” diet I was trying to follow.
Once I started embracing grace over guilt, I began to understand that one meal or one night of “over-indulgence” didn’t define me as a person, or define my health! I was able to break free of the patterns that were keeping me trapped in an unhealthy relationship with food and myself.
Guilt does not work as a motivator—it leads to feelings of shame that keep us stuck and hold us back from freedom and self-love.
So, if you’re ready to break free and love yourself more completely too, let’s flip the script, re-write the narrative, and talk about how you can create more self-compassion with food.
Eat Mindfully
Eating can be a pleasurable experience—if you’re mindful as you do it. Funny enough, it’s often the case that you’re not actually paying attention to your food as you eat it. I often inhale my lunch while working on my computer or standing at the kitchen counter trying to get my kids ready for school. I forget to pause and actually enjoy the food!
Mindful eating is the opposite of this. It’s the practice of being present with yourself, your food, and the experience at each meal. It’s about taking pleasure in each bite, no matter what the food is.
How to Eat Mindfully
Because radical self-love is all about claiming the joy that is yours, choosing to eat mindfully. Consciously enjoying your meal and appreciating the way the food is nourishing your body can be the perfect way to bring more self-compassion into your world. Bring this concept to your mealtimes with these three simple steps:
Stop and eat. This is the most important step. It’s hard to eat mindfully if you’re focused on driving or doing work. I’ve made it a practice to pause every night before eating my dinner to take a few slow, deep breaths. I’m usually rushing to get food on the table and negotiating with four kids to do their family contributions (setting the table, filling water, etc.) so when I get to my meal, if I don’t intentionally pause and breathe to reset my nervous system, I will eat in that rushed and over-stimulated state.
Tune into your sensations. What is the texture of the food like? Can you describe the taste? As you continue to eat, tune into your satiation and fullness so you can stop when your hunger has subsided.
Express gratitude. Align with the feeling of gratitude as you chew each bite. What about this meal are you grateful for? Hold that gratitude in your heart as you enjoy the meal from start to finish.
When practiced regularly, this mindfulness can spill over into other areas of your life, making it easier to be more mindful when spending time with loved ones or moving your body. Being in the present is just one more way to experience radical self-love in every area of your life.
Let Go of “Good” and “Bad”
This is another lingering habit from living in a world consumed by diet culture. You may have been taught, or simply learned by hearing and watching others, that some foods are “good” while others are “bad.” I don’t even have to say which foods are which because you probably already have your own lists.
One way to fuel radical self-love with food is to let go of this rating system. Instead, let all foods have a place in your life. Everything from a bowl of cereal to a cookie or a veggie stir fry can be pleasurable, nurturing, and supportive in different ways.
One day you might choose chicken noodle soup because it’s nurturing to your soul in the winter. The next day you might choose to eat a cupcake because it tastes good. And later in the week, you may have a salad because you’re craving fresh produce.
Food is a great tool to practice and fuel radical self-love. Learning how to create more self-love around food has been an important part of my journey too, which is how I know that bringing these shifts in your life can be so helpful. Use these ideas to tune more deeply into your intuitive desires, learn to trust yourself, and finally see all food for what it is: an opportunity to nurture, love, and care for yourself, no matter what you’re craving.
If you have questions about the Keto Diet, well my friend, you’ve come to the right place!
We help our coaching clients completely overhaul their nutrition, including going low-carb, and today we’ll give you everything you need to start a Ketogenic Diet.
We’ve learned a lot by helping people begin the Keto Diet: there’s plenty of good, there’s plenty of bad, and there’s plenty of ugly.
Today, we share with you what we’ve discovered.
Here’s what we’ll cover in our GINORMOUS Guide to the Keto Diet (click to skip to that section):
Whew. It’s a lot to cover. Even just typing out the Table of Contents was exhausting.
But hang in there!
You’ll learn how to do Keto right, plus I’ll share cute animal gifs to make sure you’re still paying attention, like this one:
If you don’t have a lot of time, but do want an exact plan to follow, I got you. Since this is a MASSIVE article (the longest published on Nerd Fitness!), if you’d rather read it in a snazzy digital guide form, you can download our Beginner’s Guide to the Keto Dietfree when you sign up in the box below:
Download Our Beginner’s Guide to the Keto Diet
55-page Keto Diet guide: how to start today!
Learn the benefits and pitfalls of going Keto.
Keto recipes, snacks, resources, and more!
And yes, that is an egg wearing a cape of bacon.
Okay, let’s get into KETOOOOOOOO…
What is the keto diet or KetoGenic Diet?
The Ketogenic diet, or Keto diet, is a food strategy in which you drastically reduce your carbohydrate intake and replace it with fat in order to get your metabolism to a state called ketosis.
In ketosis, your body converts fat to fuel to burn for energy like Tony Stark burns Captain America for being uptight.
Don’t worry, the jokes will only get worse from here.
When you’re in ketosis, your body is burning fat for fuel, and this can help create a series of big wins for you in the “get healthy, lose weight, look good naked” department.
In order for ketosis to happen, the body needs to be absent its preferred fuel source: glucose (sugar!).
This can happen in one of TWO ways:
Fasting: by not eating at all, your body will burn through your glucose stores and be forced to start converting fat to ketones for fuel.
Eating in a “Keto” way: essentially, only fueling your body with fat and avoiding consumption of foods that can be readily converted to sugar.
Where does that sugar usually come from? Generally speaking, carbs.[2]
And boy do we love carbs.
A typical American diet is more than 50% carbs. And more than 60% of our country is overweight. Is one causing the other? Or are they just correlated?
I’d argue both.
And I’m the nerd writing this.
So, there.
Eat carbs, burn carbs, store sugars, lather, rinse, repeat. Very little fat-burning is taking place – and you’re adding to your body’s sugar storehouse, and that’s what eventually winds up packing the fat onto your body!
This is an overly simplified video explaining the process:
So what happens if you get rid of those carbs and replace them with another fuel source? That’s when you start burning fat.
Compare a typical carb-heavy American diet to somebody who is “Keto” – they eat a diet very high in fat, with moderate amounts of protein and minimal amounts of carbohydrates.
Still with me?
Great.
So if you do an extended fasted period, or only eat foods that line up with the Keto Diet, your body is going to be forced to burn fat for fuel.
Another thing to note: when you eat carbs, your body produces insulin to deal with the increase in sugar/glucose in your bloodstream. When you minimize carbohydrate consumption, this can result in less insulin production, and your body can become more insulin sensitive, which has a host of health benefits.
Depending on how strict you are choosing to be with Keto, you’ll probably pick one of the following strategies:
Less than 50g of carbs
Less than 20g of net carbs
5% of your total calorie intake
Which one is for you? We’ll get to that. Just know that everybody is a unique snowflake, and everybody will be different when it comes to entering ketosis and staying in ketosis.
There’s no hard and fast rule to which “Keto Diet” strategy you need to follow, but it helps to start with one to get the ball rolling.
In short, you’ll need to pick the one that puts you into ketosis, which requires you to pay attention, track your results, and act like a scientist.
When you’re in ketosis, this can lead to ramped-up weight loss for some, and increased physical potential, lower insulin levels, increased brain function, and other awesomeness for others.
Allow me to answer your next question.
What are ketones?
If you don’t care what ketones are and are just here for the weight-loss stuff, skip to the next section. If you do care about ketones, strap in and let’s get weird.
When your body doesn’t have carbs/glucose to burn for energy, you’ll need to dig into your body’s fat storehouse to get fuel.
Enter the hero of this story: your liver.
Yes, the same liver you abuse during dollar draft night at O’Houlihans.
In the absence of glucose, your liver takes your stored fat and breaks it down into usable compounds called ketone bodies, or ketones.
These ketones can be used by your body and your brain for fuel! In addition, “increased blood ketone levels may directly suppress appetite.”[3]
The reason many feel differently on a Keto Diet is that their brains are being fueled by a completely different source than at any point in the past.
There are three types of ketones, which is important to know if you want to sound pretentious at parties:
Acetoacetate
Beta-hydroxybutyrate
Acetone
It’s also important to note that ketones are different from a keytar, which is what Michelangelo used to defeat Shredder in the cinematic masterpiece, Ninja Turtles:
If you are wondering, “Steve did you write this entire section just so you could make a keytar joke?” you wouldn’t be wrong.
But let’s get back on track: There are two ways for your body to fuel itself off of ketones:
It can make the ketones itself during periods of fasting or due to the consumption of fat and the absence of glucose. Woot for home-cookin’.
Consume actual ketones – these are called “exogenous ketones,” which I’ll cover later in the article.
This concludes our boring sciencey section about ketones and allows us to get back to the real reason you’re here.
Will I lose Weight on the Keto Diet? What are the Other Benefits of Keto?
Great question.
The answer: Probably.
One of the tenets of the Nerd Fitness Rebellion is “You can’t outrun your fork,” which means we believe nutrition is 80-90% of the “lose weight” battle.
So let’s dig into how the Keto Diet factors in here.
When your body is consistently in the process of breaking down fat into ketones, you enter ketosis.
Imagine you have a pile of coal (stored fat) for the winter – when you shovel some of the pile into the furnace for heat (energy), your pile of coal gets smaller. In ketosis, YOU are getting smaller.
You can find study[4] after study [5] after study [6]in which people on a Keto Diet lost weight and improved tons of health markers.
There’s also another reason most people lose weight on the Keto Diet.
Thermodynamics.
I discuss this in great detail in my “The Perfect Diet” article, but I’ll give you the summary here:
When somebody eats a Keto Diet, they are nearly eliminating an entire macronutrient: carbohydrates.
And what foods are primarily made up of carbohydrates? Bread. Pasta. Candy. Soda. Chips. Bagels. Fruit smoothies. These are calorically dense, nutritionally deficient foods that people tend to overeat.
When you eliminate all of these bad foods in a restrictive diet like Keto, you’re going to consume fewer calories overall.
And when you burn more calories than you consume, day in day out, for weeks or months at a time, you’re likely to lose weight.
This is why most calorie-restricted diets result in weight loss regardless of the composition of the food consumed.
Note this ignores the concept of quality of food, muscle synthesis, body composition, etc. and JUST focuses on a smaller number on the scale.
Anecdotally, once some people become keto-adapted, they feel satiated on fewer calories – which results in easier weight loss.
And yes, the opposite is true: one can ALSO overeat on Keto in order to GAIN weight. So don’t expect to eat 6000 calories of butter, avocados, and bacon and lose weight.
In addition to helping with weight loss, the Keto Diet has been used to treat epilepsy[7], help with Type II diabetes[8], polycystic ovary syndrome [9], acne [10], potential improvement in neurological diseases (Parkinson’s[11] and multiple sclerosis[12]), certain types of cancer[13], and reduces the risk factors in both respiratory and cardiovascular diseases[14]. Emerging studies are digging into its effects on Alzheimer’s [15]and other conditions as well.
Here’s a video specifically related to Keto and cancer:
NOTE: I’m not a doctor. I don’t play one on TV. I did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
I am not advocating Keto as a panacea for all of your ailments.
I simply point out the above studies as STARTING points for you to conduct your own research and discuss with your doctor if switching to a Keto Diet is an experiment you should attempt.
What’s the Difference Between Keto, Atkins, and Paleo?
I’ll cover this quickly!
Keto, Paleo, and Atkins are all considered “low carb” diets, though “low carb” means different things to different people, different groups, and different studies.
They each have different things that are important as well:
Keto targets low carb (less than 5% of your total), and focuses on a very high-fat content – 70% of your diet. It eliminates grains, tubers, and most fruits due to the carb content. You need to be diligent in your tracking and can measure if you’re in ketosis.
Paleo targets low carb through focusing on protein and fats, eliminates dairy, but doesn’t limit fruit or sweet potato intake. In this diet, you don’t track but rather eat until you’re full.
Atkins has different tiers of adherence, focuses on low carb, high protein, high fat. You eventually add more nuts, low carb vegetables, and low carb fruits back into your diet.
I’ve written a monster guide on the Paleo Diet, which I recommend you read in addition to this article if you’re trying to decide which option works best for you. You can also check out our post specifically comparing Keto and Paleo.
Like every diet, you can absolutely do any of these diets and still gain weight and get unhealthier – so they each come with caveats, and require you to understand the food you’re putting in your body.
Deal? Deal. Here’s an otter with a baby otter, you’ve earned it:
How Do I Do the Keto Diet?
“Steve, I want all the potential benefits and potential good-looking side effects of going Keto. I also want a million dollars. But for now, I’ll settle for the benefits of Keto. How do I do it?“
In my opinion, there are two reasons why somebody wants to go Keto, and that should dictate your level of dedication to the Keto cause:
If you are just trying to lose weight, it doesn’t really matter whether or not you’re actually in ketosis – provided you are consuming fewer calories on average compared to how you were eating before. This can be aided by minimizing carbs and upping your fat intake.
If you are treating this as an experiment and are tracking your ketosis compliance, then you need to be more diligent in your tracking and actually make sure you’re in ketosis.
I imagine most people fall into Group A, but we’ll cover both Group A and Group B moving forward – and tracking your results is the best way to make progress.
So let’s say you’re “going Keto.” This can be a few different things depending on your situation:
Tracking net carbs: 20 net grams per day or less
Tracking regular carbs: 50 grams per day or less
As a percentage: 5% of daily calories
Although people adjust their ratio of protein and fats, the hard and fast rule tends to be around the severely restricted consumption of carbohydrates.
Ruled.Me has a fantastic Ketogenic Macro Calculator that simplifies the heck out of this process, but I’ll also show you the math if you want to nerd out:
#1: Determine your total calorie intake goal. Calculate your “basal metabolic rate” (how many calories you burn per day). I am 6’0″, 185 lbs, and my BMR is roughly 1814 calories. I am active, so I’m multiplying this number by 1.375 to get to my active daily calorie burn: 2814 – let’s make this an even 2800.
#2: Take 5% of that number for your total amount of carbs. Divide by 4 (there are 4 calories per gram of carbohydrate). Some people stick to a rule of “Less than 50 grams total” or “20 net carbs total.”
I have 140 calories for carbs, divided by 4, equals 35 grams of carbs. That’s a nice round number so we’ll stick to that.
#3: Next, calculate your protein requirements. If you are active, Target 0.8-1.2 g of protein per pound of weight. This is a simplified version of a complex calculation you can do, which is dependent on your lean body mass, how active you are, etc. If you have a lot of weight to lose, you’ll want to adjust this number down to more like 0.5-.6g per pound (consult the above calculator) You can multiply this by 4 to see how many calories total that would be.
I’ll again keep it simple and make it 180g for me. 180 x 4 = 720 cal. Which means so far I have used up roughly 860 calories of my 2800 calories, so I have 1940 calories remaining.
#4: What’s leftover? Fat! There are 9 calories per gram of fat. So divide your remaining calorie count by 9 to see how many grams of fat you should eat per day.
In my example, I have 1940 calories remaining, divided by 9, which means I need to consume 215g of fats per day. Yup. This is a lot of fat.
#5: Put it all together, write it down, start tracking your food, sucka! I’m sorry for calling you a sucka, I didn’t mean it. In my example, I’m looking at 215g of fat, 180g of protein, and 35g of carbs.
This should be a good STARTING point. You’ll need to adjust along the way based on how your body responds, but it can get you going.
Next, you’ll create a meal strategy of sorts – examples later in the article – that pick the foods in the previous section and combine them in a way that fits your particular strategy to enter ketosis.
And that means you gotta know your food!
For everything you eat, you want to know the following:
Number of calories
Grams of fat
Grams of protein
Grams of carbs
Grams of fiber
With carb intake requirements being very low, many ‘healthy’ foods would still be enough to knock you out of ketosis depending on how many of them you eat. Which means you need to be hyper-aware of your carb count.
Let’s quickly talk about the concept of “net carbs,” and why this is so important:
A vegetable that is 5 grams of carbs and has 3 grams of fiber will have a “net carb” total (subtract the fiber number from the carb number) would be 2.
Here are a few examples showing the ‘net carb’ effect:
Asparagus: 7g carbs, 4g fiber = 3g net carbs
Kale: 7.3g carbs, 2.6g fiber = 4.7g net carbs
Broccoli: 11g carbs, 5g fiber = 6g net carbs
WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT: Fiber is really good for your body, and oftentimes when somebody goes from eating hundreds of grams of carbs per day to less than 50g, they are eliminating a lot of high fiber foods they used to eat (bread, whole grains, etc.).
By consuming leafy greens like kale or veggies like broccoli, one can still get enough fiber and remain in ketosis.
Of course, no good healthy eating strategy goes unmarketed, why you’ll see plenty of “Keto-friendly” snacks that advertise “zero-net carbs” even though they have many grams of carbs in their nutritional breakdown – it’s countered by the fiber.
In addition, a lot of “high fiber” protein bars or “low carb snacks” often contain sugar or artificial sweeteners that could knock you out of ketosis.
Which means two things:
Consuming a pile of “Keto-friendly” processed snacks all day long could absolutely knock your body out of ketosis. Check the ingredients, and try to focus on eating REAL food.
If the occasional Keto snack keeps you from getting hangry (hungry plus angry) between meals, and keeps you from overeating during your regular meals – knocking you out of ketosis – then snacks are fine.
What Can I eat on the keto diet?
“Steve, I appreciate you talking to me like I’m 5 years old and walking me through this process step by step. I don’t care what everybody on the internet says about you, you’re an okay guy.
I now have my macros. What the heck do I get to eat on a Keto Diet?”
As I explained above, in order to be in Ketosis you need to eat a diet that has minimal carbs, high fat, and adequate amounts of protein.
Following this type of nutritional strategy can result in ketone body production and increased fat-burning. We talked about this in our Beginner’s Guide to the Paleo Diet. Although fat gets a bad rap, fat is an essential nutrient and it’s not actually the fat that’s making us fat.
Here’s a look at the things you should primarily be eating on Keto:
Meat. This includes red meat (like steak) as well as pork products (sausage and bacon and ham) and white meat (like chicken and turkey). Fatty meats can be helpful in a Keto Diet.
Fish. Look for high-fat fish, like tuna and salmon.
Eggs and dairy. If you think there’s nothing better than butter and cheese, you’re in luck! Eggs, butter, and cheese are all a big part of eating Keto. You’ll want to make sure your items are as unprocessed as possible, so stick to cheeses like cheddar, mozzarella, and blue, and look for butter and egg products that are organic or come from free-range animals.
Healthy fats. Nuts, seeds, and avocados are your keys here. Almonds, macadamia nuts, Brazil nuts, and nut butters.
Dressings and oils. Greek dressing, caesar dressing (though check the ingredients), ranch, aioli. When you need an oil, stick to extra-virgin olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil.
Veggies. Cruciferous greens like spinach, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, that sort of thing.[16]
Meatless proteins. Tempeh, tofu, and seitan can take the place of meats in a vegetarian or vegan Keto Diet. Not as optimal in this nerd’s opinion, but you do you, boo.
This is an overly simplified breakdown of what you can eat, but it will serve as the foundation for the rest of the article. And yes, I’ll get into specific meals soon.
Still here? I’m proud of you.
What foods Can’t I Eat on the Keto Diet?
We covered what you CAN eat.
Now let’s cover all of the foods you should avoid while eating Keto:
Sugars. This can include desserts like cake and ice cream and cookies. And don’t forget to watch out for hidden sugars in things like ketchup! Your body LOVES to burn sugars, and if it has those, it’s not going to create ketones out of fat to burn.
Liquid calories. Soda, juices, smoothies, and any beverages that contain carbs and sugar.
Starches. This means pasta, potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, bread, cereals, and anything made with wheat or cornflour. They’re big sources of carbs, and once again, they’ll stop your body from entering ketosis. It also means corn, which is a grain, not a vegetable.
Diet foods. We told you to avoid sugars, but “diet” foods are big red flags on Keto as well (and on most healthy eating plans!) They’re heavily processed and high in sugar and tend to wreak havoc on your body.
Fruits. What, no fruit? Fruits tend to be high in fructose (a sugar). High sugar = no ketosis. (I feel like maybe I’ve said that already). A few berries can be OK, but only if you’ve planned for their net-carb intake into your daily total.
Beans.Wait, what? Steve, I thought beans and legumes were healthy! You even eat them as part of your Paleo-ish diet! They can be, but they’re also higher in carbs and can potentially cause inflammation that works against weight loss.
Unhealthy fats. Healthy fats, like those in olive oil and nuts, are great. But that big glob of mayonnaise in your tuna, or the canola oil you’re frying in? Stay away from them on Keto.
Does this sound like a lot to eliminate all at once? It’s because it is. This is where most people fall off the wagon.
They see that list and say “I could never give up (insert your favorite non-Keto food here).”
If you’re already overwhelmed and worried you can’t stick with this diet, I got ya. I made a free 10-level Diet Blueprint (think like leveling up in a video game) that walks you through eliminating many of these foods through a series of small changes you can make that won’t freak you out, and isn’t nearly as restrictive as the Keto Diet.
For a lot of members of the Rebellion, these incremental changes are a great place to start while you get your feet wet and start to learn about the food you’re cramming down your piehole. I’ll send it to you free when you sign up in the box below:
Download our free weight loss guide
THE NERD FITNESS DIET: 10 Levels to Change Your Life
Follow our 10-level nutrition system at your own pace
What you need to know about weight loss and healthy eating
3 Simple rules we follow every day to stay on target
How do I KNOW I’m in Ketosis?
If you’re going to follow a Keto Diet, you probably want to learn how to determine if you’re actually in ketosis, right?
I believe there is something more important here to consider:
Are you getting results?
Does it matter?
If you are aiming for a “look pretty good, feel pretty good” strategy – as laid out here – an 80% solution that results in a decent physique when combined with strength training and exercise.
So if you “go Keto” and you are losing weight and feeling better, does it REALLY matter if you’re in ketosis or not? I don’t want your success derailed because you panic about the exact amount of ketones in your bloodstream!
“Steve, I hear you. But I’m doing this Keto thing as an experiment, or I want to see if I get other benefits too. Tell me how I can measure my ketone levels!”
Okay okay okay, fine! We’ll do all the things that YOU wanna do.
There are three ways to determine whether or not you’re in Ketosis:
Test your breath
Test your urine
Test your blood
In my research, I found that testing one’s breath is the least popular of the options – I only found poorly reviewed expensive testers. So if you happen to LOVE this method and have an inexpensive testing option you want me to link here – put it in the comments!
Blood testing options are accurate but do require a blood sample (duh) and thus are less convenient than the next option…
I bought these Ketone Testing Strips and they seem to be getting the job done for testing the level of ketones my body is producing. I simply pee on the strip and then match the color at the end to the side of the bottle to determine the level of ketones in my urine.
For the first week or two of becoming keto-adapted, testing your ketone levels daily (or once in the morning and at night) is reasonable. Don’t test your levels multiple times throughout the day, especially after just eating, and then freak out if the number isn’t what you wanted it to be.
NOTE: Once your body becomes fat-adapted, it might use ketones more effectively which means fewer ketones are excreted through your urine/breath. For this reason, your tests could show lower ranges of ketone levels than the actual amount your body is producing. This is normal, expected, and not a problem.
“WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT RANGES FOR KETONES!?”
Ketones are measured in terms of millimoles per liter in your blood:
0-0.4 mmol/L = regular American diet (50%+ carbs)
0.5-7 mmol/L = prolonged fasting / ketogenic diet
15-25 mmol/L = Diabetic ketoacidosis = danger, Will Robinson!
When you’re in ketosis, you’ll hang out in the second range. Depending on what you’re eating, if you’re supplementing with exogenous ketones, if you fasted, and how long you’ve been in ketosis, where in that range might vary for you – but that’s okay!
My research also showed that there’s no particular benefit to having a higher ketone amount as long as you are in ketosis.[17]
Let’s quickly talk about ketoacidosis – it’s a condition in which the body produces too many ketones that can’t be used, rendering the bloodstream too acidic – it’s a concern, but for a small percentage of people.
Diabetics in particular are at risk for diabetic ketoacidosis, and they should work with their doctor before adjusting their medication or adopting a Keto Diet strategy.
If you are STILL panicked, speak with your doctor. And relax. Look at these sleeping puppies, calm yourself down, and then we can get back to work:
The Killer Combo: Fasting + Keto Diet
As previously stated (like, 5 minutes ago), there are two ways to ensure you get into ketosis:
Fasting
Eating in a way that induces ketosis (low carb).
As many will tell you in the Reddit’s /r/Keto – and even members of our own Team Nerd Fitness:
Eating Keto + Intermittent Fasting = a great combo for simple weight loss.
We actually have an amazing success story here on Nerd Fitness, Larry, who followed our strategies, decided to go Keto and start intermittent fasting. He ended up losing weight, getting stronger, AND overcoming the challenges of rheumatoid arthritis (click on the image for his story)!
Only eat during a certain window of the day. The most popular version (and the one I follow) is ‘skip breakfast’, and only consume calories between Noon and 8PM.
Occasionally do a 24 hour fast: eat dinner one night, and then don’t consume more calories until the following dinner. Some people actually do this every day, they call it OMAD (one meal per day).
Men and women are affected differently by intermittent fasting, and your results may vary.
As your body enters a fast period when there are no sources of glucose energy readily available, the liver begins the process of breaking down fat into ketones. Fasting itself can trigger ketosis.
Fasting for a period of time before kicking off a Keto-friendly eating plan COULD speed your transition into the metabolic state of ketosis, and fasting intermittently while in ketosis could help you maintain that state.
I personally love fasting for the simplicity: I skip breakfast every day and train in a fasted state. It’s one less decision I have to make, it’s one less opportunity to make a bad food choice, and it helps me reach my goals.
WHY KETO + IF WORKS = eating Keto can be really challenging. And every time you eat, it’s an opportunity to do it wrong and accidentally eat foods that knock you out of ketosis. You’re also tempted to overeat. So, by skipping a meal, you’re eliminating one meal, one decision, one chance to screw up.
Note: if you’re thinking “Steve, am I losing weight because I’m skipping 1/3rd of my meals for the day, AND eliminating an entire macronutrient?” – Yes. Now, both Keto and IF have secondary effects that could also be factoring in.
Your value may vary!
You need to decide what works for you: If going 24 hours without eating would make it hard for you to be successful on Keto, similar results have been seen when starting the diet without a fast, so don’t worry if that’s not doable right now!
Some people find success in eating ONE big meal a day, others do 16/8 fasting, and other people eat throughout the day.
It comes down to total calories consumed, total carbs consumed, and your level of misery while adjusting!
Keto needs to work for you, not the other way around. And if you want to try Intermittent Fasting, you can download our free IF Worksheet to track exactly when to eat and not to eat!
Download a free intermittent fasting guide and worksheet!
Complete outline of the Intermittent Fasting Protocol
Worksheets for tracking when you eat and how long you fasted
How to Avoid the “Keto Flu” and other negative side effects
So here’s the bad news: While ketosis is a great state for your body eventually, it can feel crappy at first.
Keto-induction, or the period where your body is entering ketosis, is a pretty big shock to the system, especially if you’ve been eating a lot of carbs. It can come with side effects that feel like the flu (fatigue, upset stomach, aching, insomnia and more), but it’s not caused by the ketosis itself.
Keto flu actually comes from carbohydrate withdrawal. That’s right; your body can basically be addicted to carbs, and have trouble dealing with a reduction in them!
It takes time for your body to become “Keto-adapted.”
Think of it this way: your body is a spoiled toddler who has been happily fueled by candy and soda for the past 3 years.
You suddenly tell the toddler: “no more soda, no more candy. You’re going to eat broccoli and grilled chicken like a big boy.”
How do you think this kid is going to respond?
Poorly.
Temper tantrums, mood swings, crying, and rage at the lack of delightful sugar. Eventually, this kid will be better off in the long term as a result…but it’s gonna take some time.
This ‘carb withdrawal’ can be so dramatic for some people that it ruins them for days or weeks, and they give up.
In these instances, the love affair with Keto ends prematurely, and the person goes crawling back to the comforting, delicious, but ultimately unfulfilling carb-heavy comfort foods.
Remember that list of ‘worst’ diets with Keto at the top? It’s for reasons like this: people give up on the diet quickly, and it’s tough to stick with long term.
“STEVE, HOW CAN I AVOID THE KETO FLU?”
For MOST people, the Keto flu and getting headaches comes down to the body adjusting to becoming fat-adapted, dehydration, and electrolyte imbalances. When you eliminate carbohydrates from your diet, you might also be removing the consumption of certain electrolytes:
Sodium
Magnesium
Potassium
When you specifically try to add these electrolytes back into your diet, you’ll be able to offset some of the chemical changes in your body and compensate for the lack of those electrolytes that you used to consume as part of your old diet.
How does one do that? For sodium, you can simply add salt to your food (heyyyy sodium!), and for potassium and magnesium, you can eat kale, other leafy greens, avocado, nuts.
And in BOTH instances, you can add electrolyte supplements to a bottle of water!
I have many friends who struggled through the first few weeks of Keto and found that electrolyte supplementation made the process significantly more bearable.
Which brings us to another important topic:
This momma dog and her puppies:
And THIS important topic…
Can I strength Train and Do Keto? Cardio and Keto? Crossfit and Keto?
“Steve, I’m down to try Keto. But I don’t just want to lose weight, I want to build a physique I’m proud of. Meaning I wanna look good nekked.”
We’re going to approach this section with three caveats:
I don’t care what the “optimal” way to eat or train is. Unless you are an elite-level athlete or trying to build a specific physique, being “good enough” will suffice. This is true for your nutrition, for your training. The OPTIMAL way for you to train and eat is whatever method you will actually stick with long enough to build the habit!
We’ll look at what happens to your body on both cardio and strength training. You’ll be covered no matter what kind of exercise you follow.
You might suck at everything for the first few weeks of Keto. As pointed out in The Ketogenic Bible: “Significant declines in physical performance after one week of following a Ketogenic Diet; however, performance levels are restored after about six weeks, although it sometimes takes longer.”
The jury is still out on all of this –studies have suggested that reducing carb consumption dramatically could impact performance negatively depending on the activity, and below I’ll show you studies that present the exact opposite conclusion.
#1) “Steve, I like Strength Training. What does Keto look like for me?”
Great. I do too. In fact, I train in a fasted state four days per week. When you strength train or train intensely, your body starts to use up the glycogen stored in your muscles.
And you’re probably wondering “Steve if I don’t consume carbs, which becomes sugar, which my muscles store as glycogen…am I gonna run out of glycogen and my strength training might suffer?” Good question. Maybe.
“Does eating in a Keto way alter your body’s reliance on glycogen stores in the muscles? Does it change how much glycogen your muscles use or how quickly these stores are replenished?” Maybe. We’re still learning.
I did find multiple studies in which strength training was either not impacted or positively impacted by a Keto Diet:
A 2012 study put 8 male gymnasts on a 30 day Keto Diet – they lost more fat mass and increased lean body mass while. Suggesting Keto can help with body composition, which is probably why you are strength training to begin with.
A 2016 study looking at CrossFit programming showed no significant difference in muscle mass or performance between a Keto group and a control group.
A 2017 study worked with 25 strength training men – both groups gained muscle mass, while the Keto group lost more fat.
Now, this isn’t law, more studies are being done as we speak, and your results may vary. What this simply means is that there have been studies done that show one can do resistance training or CrossFit while eating Keto and not lose gains or muscle mass. Other studies show the opposite. Which means…
Your results MAY vary. Make sure you give it enough time to push through the Keto flu, performance-suckage phase to get a true answer for your situation.
Also: unless you’re a competitive athlete or compete in powerlifting competitions, this might not matter as much! Athletic performance is often negatively impacted once somebody gets to a low enough body fat percentage, but it doesn’t stop people chasing that “ripped” six-pack abs look!
#2) “Steve, I’m a runner/biker/etc. and I always carb-load. Sounds like Keto isn’t for me, right?”
Maybe not. Your body can only store 1600-2000 calories worth of glucose at any time – but might have 40,000+ calories worth of fat stored in the body. So instead of having to consistently eat gels and goos and snacks to keep the glucose levels high, what happens if you switch to “Keto-adapted” and fuel yourself with fat?
Let’s go to the science:
Earlier studies had suggested that a moderate-carb diet provides better endurance by increasing the concentration of glycogen in your muscles, but newer research seems to be swinging more in the direction of Keto.
As it turns out, the Keto Diet has been tested in ultramarathoners, Iron Man trainees, and endurance athletes in multiple studies, and in all cases, ketosis resulted in enhanced body composition and some of the highest rates of fat-burning ever recorded!
A 2016 study looked at 20 ultra-marathoners and Ironman distance triathletes – half of which were instructed to be on a fat-adapted diet for at least 6 months and the other 10 were on a traditional carb-focused nutritional strategy. The results:
Both groups had the same perceived level of exertion during a 3-hour trial run.
The Keto group had a fat oxidation rate of 2.3 times higher than the carb group, at an average of 1.5 grams per minute.
There were no significant differences in pre- or post-exercise glycogen concentrations.
Just like with strength training, this MIGHT work for you – or you might better off as a carb-adapted runner and athlete. You have to do what works for you.
My above caveat still stands: unless you are an elite athlete, this should be less of a concern for you – follow the diet that makes you look and feel good, and then base your training progress off your previous day’s results!
#3) “Steve, I’m not a competition-level ANYTHING, but I like exercising and want to look good.”
While dietary changes make up at least 80% of your weight-loss efforts, exercise will help you stay healthy and build a body you’re proud to look at in the mirror.
So track your workouts, track your nutrition, and work on getting better with it – running one second faster, doing one more rep, lifting 5 more pounds, etc. Compare yourself to your past self.
#4) “Steve I read this study that says Keto + Athlete = good/bad/ugly.”
Fair. Do what works best for you! In my research, and in learning from people that I trust and admire in this space:
Studies are often focused on short term ketosis (a few days or weeks), which could result in adverse performance in athletes who have not become fully Keto-adapted yet.
We are all unique snowflakes and your mileage may vary depending on your physiology. So who cares if you lift 5 pounds less! If Keto works for you and makes you look better, keep doing that.
If you are going to try Keto + Strenuous Exercise, consider the following advice: Keto might work for you! It might not!
Eat enough protein to ensure your muscles are getting the tools they need to rebuild themselves.
See how your body responds – course-correct as necessary.
Elite performance chaser? Consider “targeted ketogenic dieting” – which we discuss in our guide on the Keto Diet and Exercise.
Supplements and Keto – Exogenous Ketones!
You’ve read this far, learning about how our body has to work hard to create Ketones for energy.
And you’re probably thinking what I’m thinking: “What’s the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?” “Can’t I just ingest ketones directly?”
They refer to these as “exogenous ketones,” if you were wondering.
You weren’t, but that’s okay.
Caveat: I have not consumed exogenous ketones, though I have heard they can taste like jet fuel. And they can be pricey – though coming down in price thanks to Keto’s popularity.
So, if you LOVE to drink expensive jet fuel for some potentially better results or higher athletic performance, best of luck to ya.
This 2017 study showed “exogenous ketone drinks are a practical, efficacious way to achieve ketosis.”
In addition, A 2018 study showed that consuming Ketones lowered ghrelin [18] and thus our appetite.
I would put exogenous ketones in the “only if are aiming for strict ketosis” category, if you’re an elite athlete, or seeking a specific outcome of a medical condition under professional supervision.
If you really want to nerd out about exogenous ketones, consider this article from somebody I respect and trust, Dr. Peter Attia, on his experiences with them.
I won’t delve too much deeper into the topic until I can experiment with them myself and report back!
“What about other supplements Steve? I can’t get enough fat in my diet!”
In the previous section we discussed electrolyte supplementation, and for somebody that’s an athlete or unable to get enough protein in their system, a high-quality protein powder can help – just note the carb content!
Many people struggle to get enough fat in their nutrition, and have found success fat supplementation with MCT (medium-chain triglyceride) oils and powders.
MCT oil can cause digestive challenges and make you immediately run to the bathroom, while the powder version might not cause as much of an issue. This was my experience.
Your mileage (to the bathroom) might vary! Start with small amounts of MCT before increasing the quantity.
Outside of these suggested supplements, the best “supplement” is a healthy eating plan. I know I know, a cop-out answer. If you need more sodium, first try adding a little salt to your meals. If you need more potassium, eat some spinach before you head to the supplement aisle at the grocery store.
Not only will these methods help you feel better, but you’ll be setting yourself up for better long-term eating habits.
Our overall stance on supplementation here at Nerd Fitness: supplements cannot replace the effects of a healthy diet and regular exercise. But for some people, these might be the right fit.
Homestretch! Now we just have delicious food and fun stuff to discuss. Yayyyyy!
Keto Meal Plans and Keto Recipes For the Wins!
“Steve I know I can eat things like meat, cheese, and vegetables, but I’m gonna go ahead and need you to do the heavy lifting for me. Give me a sample day on Keto and links to recipes.”
I considered saying “Let me google that for you” when it comes to “Keto recipes”, but I’m too nice of a guy.
CONDIMENTS: Ruled.Me has some great resources on what Keto condiments you can use to spice up your dishes without losing ketosis.
Here’s a quick list:
Coconut Oil
Olive Oil
Heavy whipping creme
Full fat cream cheese
Full-fat sour cream
Mayonnaise
Mustard
Full fat Ranch, Caesar, Bleu, Cheese, Italian
Depending on your macros, you might be adding butter, ghee, fatty dressings or oils, or supplementing with MCT/Coconut oil to hit your macros for the day.
This should at least get you started in thinking that you can still eat AMAZING food while eating Keto.
Everybody loves snacks. Unfortunately, most of the snacks you’ll encounter anywhere are definitely not Keto-friendly.
I’m firmly on Team No Snack, as I do practice intermittent fasting and try to eat BIG meals instead of lots of small ones – as I point out in the Intermittent Fasting article, the number of times you eat throughout the day won’t impact your waistline as much as the total quantity of calories.
That’s right, your metabolism isn’t “stoked” by eating small meals or grazing throughout the day. You can get in trouble if you eat big meals and then eat snacks between those big meals.
What matters is overall compliance – if snacking in between meals allows you to NOT overeat during your big meals, and ALSO you stay under your caloric intake goal for the day, then snacking is more than okay.
As far as dessert goes, the same holds true: if you save room in your macros and calories for a low calorie, Keto-compliant dessert, go crazy. Just don’t delude yourself into thinking that eating 5,000 calories of “Keto cookies” and “Keto ice cream” is going to make you healthier.
Got it? These snacks and desserts need to fit into your macros/calorie goals in order for this whole “I went Keto” thing to actually work for you.
EASY KETO SNACK IDEAS. If you want a bunch of Keto Snack ideas, check out our MASSIVE 60-snack guide on the subject. However, go ahead and think about these for now:
You’re gonna need to be super diligent with your carb counting when it comes to your adult beverage choices.
A Sam Adams has almost 20g of carbs, enough to knock somebody out of ketosis after just one. As a Bostonian, this makes me sad.
This is even worse for mixed drinks! No more rum and Cokes. No more margaritas. No more old fashioneds with simple syrup. No more daiquiris or mai tais or piña coladas.
Instead, you need to do your research into the carb content and calorie count of your favorite alcoholic drinks:
If you’re drinking spirits, mix with club soda (NOT tonic, which is loaded with sugar) or learn to drink neat.
If you’re drinking beers, opt for the low-carb variety! Just Google the beer brand you’re considering and go from there.
Just like with desserts and snacks, you need to make alcohol work for your macros and your calorie counts for the day.
Other things to note about alcohol: you might get drunk much faster as a result of being in Ketosis, you might have a worse hangover, and you might wake up in a chicken costume covered in sriracha on the other side of town if you drink too many “Keto-friendly” whiskeys.
Not that I would know. Shut up.
Where can I Learn More About the Keto Diet?
Phew. This article was focused on telling you everything you need to know so that you can confidently get started with Keto.
I want to give a HUGE shout out to the book, The Ketogenic Bible, by Dr. Jacob Wilson and Ryan Lowery, which was my first stop in my Keto research.
If you’re a super nerd and want to learn about all of the science behind this stuff, or if you’re intrigued by the research into Keto + certain health conditions or improvements, it’s absolutely worth a read.
If you’re interested in going further with your Keto adventure, consider all of the following below!
OUR COACHING AND COURSES:
Pardon my shameless self-promotion, but we have helped a few hundred thousand people through Nerd Fitness over the past decade, and we have some key resources that can help people adapt or adopt a more Keto-friendly lifestyle:
1-on-1 Coaching with Nerd Fitness: partner with one of our trained coaches who will build you a custom workout program, and help you make better nutritional choices. We’ll have you take photos of each meal you consume, guide your decisions, and help you hit longer-term goals. Our average client stays 9-10 months!
The Nerd Fitness Prime: Learn the right mindset, be surrounded by a supportive online community, follow the workout programs, complete boss battles and quests, and level up your character as you level up your life. Although our courses, like the NF Academy, aren’t Keto-focused, we have a TON of NF Prime members doing Keto who would love to support you.
KETO RECIPE AND OTHER RESOURCES – In addition to simply googling “Keto recipes” which I know you can do because you’re a big boy or big girl, here are three of my favorite resources:
PODCASTS ABOUT KETO: If you love to listen instead of reading, I’m doubly proud of you for making it all this way. Here are three of my favorite podcast episodes on the subject, in order of complexity. The science versus is the most approachable:
Your First Week on the Keto Diet – Start With This
Okay, you’re here because you’ve committed to going Keto, and now there’s just one final step: actually doing it.
So how do you get started? What’s next for you between reading this article and 30 days of Keto success? A plan!
Fear not, for I have built a step-by-step plan for you right here:
#1) Take before photos and measurements.
Take front and profile photos of yourself. You don’t need to look at them or share them anywhere, but I PROMISE you’re going to want those.
Record your weight and take any measurements you want.
Write this stuff down and keep it secret, keep it safe.
#2) Calculate your calories and macros. You can do the math as I explained above, or simply use the calculator over on Ruled.Me. Know your number of goal:
Calories
Carbs
Fat
Protein
#3) Go shopping for your Keto foods, and order your Keto snacks on Amazon. Look at the recipes above and pick the ones that don’t scare you to make. Keep snacks readily available in case of “holy crap I am so hungry and I just want to eat a damn pizza and spaghetti and snort Pixy Stix.”
#4) Consider picking up an electrolyte supplement to help you through the first few days/weeks of grogginess/lethargy as you move through the Keto flu stage. You can also look into the urine test strips or blood testers – I find that knowing I’m in ketosis, it helps keep me accountable and motivated that all these changes are actually working!
#6) Tell somebody. The biggest problem with Keto is simply sticking with it. If you have roommates or a significant other or friends you can speak to and get them on your team to support you. In fact, send them this article and recruit them to try it with you! That way they’re not enabling you to slip up, they’re keeping you accountable!
Don’t have anybody to tell? NF Prime has the most supportive community on the internet.
7) Consider kickstarting your week with a fast. This is going to be a mental and physiological challenge. Consider skipping breakfast tomorrow – it’s one less meal you have to prepare, one less chance to knock yourself out of ketosis, and can help kickstart the Keto-adapted phase!
8) Throughout the week: Focus on big wins, allow yourself to be miserable – Keto flu is REAL, giving up carbs is hard, and your body is going to hate you:
Lean on your support group. Talk to others who have been where you are, ask questions, share your struggles!
Eat snacks when you are miserable. I’d rather you eat some snacks and slightly overeat on your calories than be so miserable that you give up.
Track your adherence. Use MyFitnessPal (though not their recommended macronutrient breakdown!) to track every meal you eat – this is very important in the first week as you’re educating yourself dramatically.
Do your best – you might slip up with one meal or realize you accidentally ate carbs. This is not the end of the world. Forgive yourself, learn the lesson, and get right back at it with the next meal.
9) Keep going, or adjust. Depending on your body, your environment, the way you used to eat, and your physiology, this first week will either be “hey, not too bad” or “Never again.”
Either way, you’ll learn something. I do hope you push through this for a full 30 days and see how your body responds once it’s out of the Keto Flu stage!
10) At the end of the month, take more photos and measurements and compare them to your starting “before” stats. Do you feel better? Do you look better? Did you enjoy the process? great! Keep going. Hated it? Great! You found a method that doesn’t work for you. Adjust and create your own strategy.
Other Frequently Asked Questions about The Keto Diet.
1) Who should NOT attempt the Keto Diet?
Very important question. We all know this article is NOT medical advice, and regardless of your health you should discuss your nutritional strategies with your doctor or dietitian.
As pointed out in The Ketogenic Bible, going into Ketosis is not recommended for:
Carnitine deficiency
CPT I/II deficiency
Beta oxidation defects
Impaired gastrointestinal motility
Pregnancy
Kidney failure
Type 1 Diabetes
Pancreatitis
Gallbladder disease
Impaired liver function
Impaired fat digestion
Gastric bypass surgery
Abdominal tumors
If you’re concerned about your health with regards to Keto, speak with your doctor and consider a Keto Diet under supervision.
2) Do I have to count calories on Keto?
Not necessarily, but it certainly helps when starting out. That is true whether you’re doing Keto or just trying to eat healthier. In fact, I would almost make it a requirement until you learn the basics about everything you eat.
The most important thing you’ll need to track is your carb and fiber intake. You’re trying to eat less than 20-50 grams of net carbs each day, and making your diet 70% fat. Not all calories are created equal when it comes to healthy eating and weight loss, so they’re not a focus on Keto.
3) Eating all of this fat and cholesterol is going to make me fat and block my arteries, right?
Wrong! Dietary cholesterol has been shown to not increase blood cholesterol – check this article here. And fat is healthy when consumed as part of a nutritious meal. As pointed out in this study, a Low Carbohydrate Diet resulted in decreased bodyweight, abdominal circumference, diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides, insulin, and an increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (the good stuff).
It’s when fat is combined with carbohydrates in diabolical combinations that we start to get into trouble.
4) I’ve heard my breath and my urine might smell funny on Keto. Is that true? What do I do about it?
Look, we don’t want you to be self-conscious about how your pee smells. But it’s true; as part of the byproducts produced through the creation of ketone bodies, you may notice a fruity smell in your urine and on your breath.
This is totally normal, and it comes from the acetone that’s produced through ketosis. Acetone isn’t used for energy, so it’s excreted in urine and breath.
Not only is this not bad, but it’s a sign that you are fully in a ketogenic state.
But you probably don’t want your breath to smell like a slightly weird fruit salad, right? The easiest answer is to brush your teeth often, and to wait it out. This effect usually goes away once you’re on the diet for a while as your body learns to use more ketones.
5) Can I eat Keto if I’m a vegetarian/vegan?
Yes. We mentioned above in our list of foods to eat that you can substitute meatless proteins for meat in a vegetarian Keto Diet.
If you also want to remove the dairy and eggs to make a vegan Keto plan, in addition to the vegan meat options, consider adding mushrooms and “vegan dairy,” such as full-fat vegan cheeses, as well as a larger quantity of healthy fats like coconut oil.
You can follow the low-carb principles of keto along with your vegetarian or vegan eating plan. Also, if you’re interested in following a Plant-Based Diet in general, make sure you check out our massive guide on the subject.
6) Does this mean no carbs forever and ever? How long am I supposed to go Keto for?
You will get results from Keto for as long as you stay Keto. If you go Keto and lose a bunch of weight, but then go back to how you were eating before…you’ll end up right back where you started.
So, our advice would be to give this a true attempt: stick with Keto for 30 days as an experiment. You might find that you LOVE how it makes you feel and want to stick with it.
Also, as your body learns to become keto-adapted, you can start to mix in sliiiightly higher carb days here and there with minimal adverse effects.
If you go Keto and decide that this is not the best strategy for you, that’s cool too. Pick the parts of it that work for you, take what you’ve learned, and start to experiment and build your own diet.
Should You Do the Keto Diet?
If you’ve read this far, congratulations! You get the Medal of Heroes, and you definitely know enough to get started on the Keto Diet.
You’ve unlocked this gif of a turtle eating a raspberry:
The Keto Diet COULD work for you…if you can stick with it. And even if you stick with it, it might not be the right diet for you. It isn’t for me.
I do think learning about the Keto Diet, learning your macros, and getting a better understanding of how you fuel your body is a good thing in the long term.
So here’s what I would recommend: Be less concerned about “staying in ketosis” and instead concern yourself with how to find a nutritional strategy that fits YOUR life.
If you’re adamant about going Keto, try it out for 30 days. If you have health concerns, discuss this with your doctor first. Take measurements and before and after photos, and then determine after 30 days if it works for you. And if it does or doesn’t, adjust and course correct.
The worst thing to do would be to go Keto for 30 days to try to lose weight quickly, just to go back to how you were eating before.
Instead, we want you to make permanent progress. So find a path that allows you to be pretty damn good, nearly all of the time.
Whether or not Keto is for you, keep looking around here at Nerd Fitness. Maybe Paleo or Intermittent Fasting is a better fit for you, or you’d prefer to work with a coach to help combine all of the above into a system that fits your exact lifestyle.
Whatever it is, I’m glad you’re here. And I’m glad you’re trying.
WHAT OTHER QUESTIONS DO YOU HAVE?
What other questions do you have about Keto?
Have you had a great experience with Keto?
Have you had a BAD experience with Keto?
Favorite snacks or resources?
Leave your experiences in the comments below!
-Steve
PS: If you liked this guide to Keto but need more guidance, check out our 1-on-1 coaching program and schedule a free consultation to see if we’re a good fit for each other!
PPS: I guarantee I probably pissed off half the internet for some reason with this article.
Whether it was a typo, the fact that I referenced a particular study that didn’t line up with your already deeply-held view on Keto, or because you don’t like my jokes. I hope we’re still cool.
If you want to rage and call me an idiot for whatever reason, email me at thatsnotnice@jkdontemailme.biz
PPPS: Feel free to download this article in good-lookin Digital Guide form. It’s free when you sign up in the box below, Cheers!
Download Our Beginner’s Guide to the Keto Diet
55-page Keto Diet guide: how to start today!
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Keto recipes, snacks, resources, and more!
###
ALL Photos Sources can be found in this footnote here[19]. Special shout outs to Clement127 and Black Zack who have two amazing streams you should check out!
Footnotes ( returns to text)
He’s also my hero, so BACK OFF
Yes, eating too much protein can knock you out of ketosis too, but I’ll address this later.
A Ketone Ester Drink Lowers Human Ghrelin and Appetite – a Study.
Long-term effects of a ketogenic diet in obese patients study
Metabolic impact of a ketogenic diet compared to a hypocaloric diet in obese children and adolescents: study
A low-carbohydrate as compared with a low-fat diet in severe obesity: study.
Ketogenic diet and other dietary treatments for epilepsy: study
Low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet to treat type 2 diabetes: study
The effects of a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet on the polycystic ovary syndrome:study
Alright buckeroo, let’s get ready to do this thing.
WHAT EXACTLY IS A PLANT-BASED DIET?
There are quite a few different versions of a Plant-Based Diet.
It’ll be good to start with some definitions so we land on the same page.
According to the Vegetarian Society, a vegetarian is someone who “does not eat foods that consist of, or have been produced with the aid of products consisting of or created from, any part of the body of a living or dead animal.”[4]
So NO eating:
Meat
Poultry
Fish
Shellfish
Insects
Instead, vegetarians DO eat:
Grains
Legumes
Nuts
Seeds
Vegetables (duh)
Fruits
Fungi
Plants, more or less.
“Vegetarian” can be a broader term for more specific examples of plant-based eating. Some examples would be:
Lacto-ovo-vegetarians is someone who doesn’t eat animal flesh but does eat dairy and eggs. This is the most common type of vegetarian.
Lacto vegetarians don’t eat eggs but do eat dairy.
Ovo vegetarians avoid all animal products, except eggs.
Vegans avoid all animal products, including dairy and eggs, and even things like honey. If it came from an animal, it’s not a part of a vegan diet. Some even take it one step further and eat only a “raw vegan” diet, where the plants consumed are not cooked before consumption.
The above are the most common forms of Plant-Based Diets, but there are others.
A pescatarian is someone who consumes no animal products except fish and shellfish.
A flexitarianis someone who follows a vegetarian diet a majority of the time, but who will occasionally eat meat.
Now granted, neither pescatarians nor flexitarians are technically vegetariansbecause both contain animal products on the menu.
However, they are mostly plant-based, so worth mentioning.
There are many more considerations and labels, which can tackle a lot of the ethical stances around being vegan: not wearing animal products, the treatment of animals, etc.
To be blunt, this is outside the scope of this guide.
I’m interested in “If you are going to avoid eating meat, and eat only plants, how do you do it?” So we’ll politely ignore clothing, testing, and captivity for this article.
Which brings us to…
WHAT DO YOU EAT ON A PLANT-BASED DIET? WHAT’S ON A VEGAN MENU?
What you can or cannot eat on a Plant-Based Diet depends a lot on what kind of vegetarianism you follow.
Eggs and dairy, for example, may or may not be included. It really comes down to what path you are choosing.
There are some general food groups we can consider as universal no matter what form of vegetarianism you follow.
A Plant-Based Diet will include the following foods:
Whole grains. Rice, oats, barley, and buckwheat would all be examples of whole grains. Most vegetarian diets include a sizable amount of whole grains as their base.
Vegetables. Of course, a vegetarian diet is going to include vegetables! And it should because vegetables are great for you! They’re packed full of nutrients, fiber, and generally low in calories. Most people could stand to eat more veggies. If you find yourself not being able to stomach greens, I got you. Check out this post for tips on how to turn around any vegetable hater.
Legumes. Beans, lentils, and soy make up the legume family. If you’re following a plant-based or vegan diet, legumes would be a great way to get protein (more on this to follow).
Fruit. Bananas, apples, and oranges all come from plants, so all are vegetarian-friendly. While high in fructose (sugar), they are also nutrient-dense. Our general stance on fruit around these parts is to eat “in moderation.”
Nuts and seeds. Again, they come from plants, so almonds, cashews, and pumpkin seeds are good to go on any vegetarian plan you pick. So is quinoa, which although is often thought of as a grain, is actually a seed. Mind=blown.
Nuts and seeds, although high in fat and calories, are another great way to get protein on a Plant-Based Diet.
No matter what type of vegetarian diet you pick, you’d be free to eat the above (provided they fit into your current nutrition goals – but I’ll get to that shortly).
The below will depend on what kind of vegetarianism you are trying. We may be stepping into controversial waters with the following:
Eggs. Eggs are a great source of vitamin B12 and protein, which will become important in a section further down.
Dairy. Whether or not you consume dairy will be determined by your specific strain of plant-based nutrition. On the one hand, it’s from an animal (moo). On the other hand, dairy can be full of nutrients that might be harder to source from only plants, like omega-3s and calcium.
Fish. Look, I get it. Fish are animals, so technically not allowed on a vegetarian diet. However, if you eat a mostly-Plant-Based Diet that includes a little fish, it wouldn’t be too different from a Mediterranean Diet. There are a lot of worse ways to eat than like the Mediterraneans. And as mentioned earlier, depending on who you talk to, being pescatarian could be a form of a Plant-Based Diet.
That’s a lot of the major food groups when it comes to plant-based eating.
So here’s all you need to remember:
Whatever form of vegetarianism you may pick, stick to REAL food whenever possible.
Pinto beans, asparagus, apples, and quinoa would all be examples of real food.
These are nutrient-dense foods that will keep you full and energized throughout your day. Deep-fried cheese balls, donuts, and candy bars are examples of “plant-based, but not real” food.
And I’ll give out a warning on processed vegan junk food in a moment.
For now, there may be a question you are thinking.
It’s one of the most common ones we get when it comes to eating a vegetarian or vegan diet.
WILL A plant-based DIET HELP ME LOSE WEIGHT?
…MAYBE!
There are plenty of examples of people losing weight on a Plant-Based Diet.[5]
However, there are also stories of the opposite where people gained body fat when going vegan.[6]
However, anecdotal evidence isn’t science.
What does the research say?
If you look at studies on the subject, there’s nothing here that will surprise us: plant-based calories count just as much as animal-based calories.[7]
There are some studies that show the success of veganism compared to omnivore diets for weight loss.[8] Then there are others showing that a diet including meat outperforms vegan diets for trimming body fat.[9]
Depending on who you’re trying to impress, you can find six studies that say vegans will lose more weight than meat-eaters, or half a dozen studies that show vegans will lose less weight.
It honestly doesn’t matter, because when it comes to weight loss, it comes down to calories, calories, calories.
Oh and calories. Did I mention calories?
Put bluntly, if you’re not losing weight, you’re consuming too many calories.
It doesn’t matter if they’re vegan or vegetarian or Paleo or certified organic. Check out our “Why can’t I lose weight?” article to learn the science behind why!
Let’s get to the point: You’re here, you’re eating plants, and you want to lose weight. So here’s how to do it.
If you typically ate a standard American diet filled with burgers and french fries, and then moved to salads? Yeah, I’d imagine that you would lose weight – simply because you’re now eating fewer calories than you were eating in the past.
However, if you go from scarfing down normal burgers to scarfing down an Impossible Burger or a vegan burger? Maybe not.[10]
Let’s take a look:
An Impossible Burger’s three-ounce patty has 220 calories.
A three-ounce regular beef patty has about 205 calories.
The Impossible Burger is made with wheat protein, coconut oil, potato protein, and heme (a molecule found in plants and animals). So it’s very calorically dense.
Moral of the story: don’t assume that food without any meat in it will have fewer calories in it.
While there are plenty of nuances, when it comes to weight loss, calories in and calories out plays a major role in whether or not you are successful.
Just because something is vegan doesn’t mean it’s necessarily healthy. As someone pointed out in our private NF Prime Facebook Group, “Oreos are vegan.”
If you don’t plan properly, you could be deluding yourself into thinking veganism will be a weight-loss strategy.
I know that adopting a new lifestyle can be challenging, especially if you’re really busy. Whether it’s veganism, a low-carb diet, or trying to build muscle, embarking on a new habit can be tough if you don’t know what to do.
Weight-loss, no matter which strategy you pick, can be a hard road to follow.
I want you to know that you’re not alone, we’re here to help. We offer a 1-on-1 Online Coaching Programto help busy people like you embark on complete life overhauls. We can help you with dietary changes, exercise, and accountability so you can create new healthy habits that fit into your chaotic day-to-day life!
If you’re thinking about a Plant-Based Diet for weight loss, we can help you switch to a less restrictive diet over time. Slow and steady is our preferred approach.
WILL I GET ENOUGH PROTEIN ON A PLANT–BASED DIET?
Contrary to popular belief, you CAN get enough protein when following a Plant-Based Diet.
However, protein consumption SHOULD be something that’s prioritized if you’re trying to lose weight, build muscle, and be healthier. What we call “protein” is actually a combination of different amino acids. There are 20 or so amino acids that we use to build muscle and keep our organs functioning.
Nine of these amino acids our bodies can’t produce themselves, so we need to get them through food.
Getting all nine is important, because these amino acids do everything from build and repair muscle tissue (which is HUGE for strength training), run our metabolism, and even help our genes function correctly.[11]
All nine are found together in all forms of meat. When you eat a piece of chicken, you are getting all nine.
When it comes to non-animal sources, most plants will generally be missing one or two of these nine essential amino acids.[12]
Soy might be the best way to get all nine together in one plant; however, soy doesn’t seem to provide the same biological functionality as dairy or eggs.[13]
You can overcome this small challenge easily by varying your dietary choices.
Let’s look at the most common example:
Beans are low in the amino acid methionine, while high in the amino acid lysine.
Conversely, rice is low in lysine but high in methionine.
Eat them together, and you’ve covered any amino acid deficiency![14]
To recap: if you eat some kind of unprocessed starch (rice, corn, potatoes, beans), combined with some fruits and vegetables during the day, you’ll be covered.[15]The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics explains “Protein from a variety of plant foods, eaten during the course of a day, supplies enough of all indispensable (essential) amino acids when caloric requirements are met.[16]
Did you catch that caveat?
As long as you are meeting your calorie requirements from “plant foods,” you’ll get all your necessary amino acids. But this only works if your calories are coming from plants, not cookies.
I’ll say it again: EAT REAL FOOD.
Eating a variety of foods will help build up a diversified nutrient profile, including amino acids. Oats with one meal, lentils with the next, and rice with dinner, for example.
This would be a better strategy than just living off soy.
And DEFINITELY better off than living off of Soylent Green…
To recap this section: vegetarians can get plenty of protein. It just really depends on what they are eating.
So why are we focusing so much on protein?
Because, muscles.
HOW TO BUILD MUSCLE ON A PLANT-BASED DIET
Look in the right places and have the right conversations, and you’ll be able to find uber-successful plant-based athletes that have built plenty of muscle.
For example, Danielle Sidell is a CrossFit athlete who follows a 100% Plant-Based Diet:
David Carter, a defensive lineman in the NFL, calls himself “The 300-Pound Vegan.”
Let’s not forget about Jeremy Reijnders, another CrossFit athlete and vegan proponent:
And one last example to round things out: Joe Venus, a vegan bodybuilder who gets anywhere from 80-180 grams of protein daily through big meals.[17]
Putting on muscle with a Plant-Based Diet is certainly not impossible.
If you analyze how these athletes eat, you’ll notice many similarities to other “omnivore” elite athletes, and a few places where they diverge:
Let’s look at a typical day for CrossFit athlete Danielle Sidell:[18]
“Typical breakfast is 2 slices of sprouted bread with vegan butter, half an avocado, mini fruit salad with strawberries, grapes and blackberries with peanut butter drizzled over the top and a cup of coffee.
My snack before lunch is some roasted chickpeas and plain popcorn – it’s a really filling snack.
For lunch I’ll do a serving of Beyond Meat’s chicken or beef crumbles with jasmine rice, a serving of veggies and another half of an avocado.
For afternoon snack I’m typically on my way to the gym so I’ll have a banana, spoonful of peanut butter and a glass of unsweetened soy milk. I like soy and pea milk the most because they have lots of protein.
After I workout I’ll do a shake with pea protein and dextrose. For dinner I’ll have a cup of some sort of beans, hummus for the extra fat, some sweet potato and another serving of something by Beyond Meat.
Then for a snack I’ll do a whole bell pepper with hummus or a serving of beet chips.”
Compare that to any other athlete, and you’ll find very similar strategies: get the correct amount of calories for your goals, and eat plenty of plants. The only difference is protein sources! And protein is how you build muscle.[19]
Again, it’s not impossible to get enough protein strictly from plants to build muscle, it simply takes foresight, some understanding of your macros, and planning. So although there is an observed correlation between muscle size and animal protein intake, we all know that correlation doesn’t equal causation.[20]
Just because someone doesn’t eat meat, doesn’t mean they will have less muscle or smaller muscles. To put it another way: eating meat doesn’t necessarily lead to bigger muscles, either!
HOW MUCH PROTEIN DO I NEED TO EAT EACH DAY ON A PLANT-BASED DIET?
At this point, you may be asking, “Steve, how much protein do these plant-based athletes have to eat? How much protein does it take to build muscle?”
Great questions. There’s some debate on this.
As we point out in our Protein 101 Guide, there are estimates that you need .8 of a gram to 1 full gram of protein for every pound (or 1.6-2g for every kg) you weigh.[21] Another study found it might be as high as 1.4 grams of protein for every pound you weigh.[22]
I’d say 1 gram of protein for every pound of lean body mass, is a good solid number to shoot for if you are trying to build muscle.
You can also play with THE NERD FITNESS PROTEIN CALCULATOR right here:
Let me get to a more important point here: As with EVERY athlete pointed out above (Danielle Sidell, David Carter, Jeremy Reijnders, and Joe Venus):
They all supplement with isolated plant protein for increasing protein intake without dramatically increasing calories or carbohydrates.
Here’s why: Dr. John Berardi from Precision Nutrition points out, “You just can’t avoid carbs in a vegan plan.”[23]
As you’ll recall, plants have less protein than animal sources:
100 grams of black beans: 8.5 grams of protein in it. 131 calories, 24 grams of carbohydrates (8.5 grams of which are fiber).
100 grams of chicken breast: 30 grams of protein. 165 calories, 0 grams of carbohydrates.
The same size serving of black beans has a third of the amount of protein for roughly the same calories. If your goal is weight loss, you need to be aware of your calorie intake.
If you try to get the same amount of protein from black beans as you would from chicken, you’re going to end up consuming 2-3x the number of calories and a decent number of carbohydrates.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially if you’re an athlete or strength train! After all, carbs aren’t evil HOWEVER…you could struggle with CERTAIN body fat percentage goals if you are going plant-based.
That’s not a judgment or a challenge or anything in between – it’s just reality.
Dr. Berardi highlights the biggest challenge of strength training on a Plant-Based Diet: It’s not that you can’t bulk up. It’s that due to the inherent nature of how plant-based protein-rich foods are structured, you are potentially more likely to increase your body fat through overconsumption of calories:
“I feel it’s actually going to be pretty easy to build muscle on a vegan plan – you just have to eat a lot of food. What’s probably difficult is getting super ripped.
These foods have a high percentage of carbs compared to proteins and fats. It’s not a problem getting lean on a vegan plan. But to actually preserve muscle mass and be bodybuilder-lean, that might be a challenge.”
The solution: if you consume more carbohydrates to hit your protein goals, then you’ll need to eat less fat to keep your calorie intake in balance.
One goes up, the other goes down.
This ensures total calories don’t increase to such a point that you start to put on fat.
Is there a preferred ratio of macros? Sure…though your results may vary! Some people do better on a low-fat diet, while others do better on a high-fat diet. This is true of a Plant-Based Diet or any other diet!
Hulda B. Waage, a vegan powerlifter, suggests those trying to strength train on a Plant-Based Diet aim for fat intake at around 15-20%, with protein at 20-30% and carbs at 55-60%.[24]
For comparison, the International Society of Sports Nutrition generally will recommend fat intake to be around 30%.[25]
The only consistent constant of successful athletes: Whether they’re high-carb or low-carb, high-fat or low-fat, they all prioritize adequate protein consumption. This can be aided by protein supplementation – covered in our next section!
Your results may vary, because you are a unique snowflake.
Our advice would be to track your macros and track your results – see how your body adapts and changes, and then adjust along the way!
Before we wrap up this section though, it should go without saying that not only will you have to eat right to build muscle, you’ll also have to actually work out and train.
We have a whole Strength Training 101 series on Nerd Fitness that can walk you through EVERY step of that process.
Want to take it with you? Download our free guide, Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know, which will give you an exact plan to follow to build muscle and gain strength.
Grab the guide free when you sign up in the box below and join the Rebellion!
Download our comprehensive guideSTRENGTH TRAINING 101!
Everything you need to know about getting strong.
Workout routines for bodyweight AND weight training.
How to find the right gym and train properly in one.
WHAT ARE SOME GOOD PLANT PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTS?
If you’re struggling to hit your protein intake goals for the day, it’s worth looking into a protein supplement.
My go-to protein powder is whey, easily the most popular and efficient protein supplements you can take.[26] When I can’t hit my protein goals with my regular meals, I drink a whey protein shake to fill the gaps.
Whey is a dairy product, so would fall into the menu of a vegetarian, but not a vegan. If you’re going 100% plant-based, these are not the powders you’re looking for.
You’ll have to forgo it.
Here are our recommendations and suggestions for plant protein powders:
Pea protein. A solid choice for vegan protein powder comes from peas, specifically the high protein yellow split pea. A quarter cup (28 grams) will get you about 21 grams of protein, and run you about 100 calories. There’s some evidence it might be comparable to whey in building muscle.[27] NAKED Nutrition offers a great 100% pea protein powder you can check out.
Rice protein. A quarter cup of rice protein will contain 22 grams of protein and run 107 calories. Not too shabby. Plus, when you combine it with pea protein, you’ll end up with a complete amino acid profile needed for human growth.[28] A good brand to look into would be Growing Naturals.
Hemp protein. While it doesn’t have as much protein as pea or rice (one cup will have 12 grams of protein and 108 calories), what it lacks in this department it makes up for in its nutrient profile. Hemp protein is derived from the seeds of the cannabis plant, but it’s bred in such a way that it won’t have any THC. What it will provide you with though is a decent source of iron, zinc, and omega-3s, which are all things vegans tend to be deficient in (we’ll touch on all three later in our section on supplementation). Nutivia sells a good hemp protein if you are interested.
If you want all three in a mixture (my recommendation), you can do it yourself or find a company like Vega that makes a blend of pea, rice, and hemp protein.
You can mix any or all of these powders with almond milk, some berries, and oats for an awesome vegan smoothie. My friend Matt Frazier over at No Meat Athlete has some great vegan smoothie recipes for you to check out.
Want some more recipes on how to prioritize protein on a Plant-Based Diet?
Let’s do it!
WHAT’S A PLANT-BASED DAY OF EATING LOOK LIKE? (A VEGAN MEAL PLAN)
So we’ve laid out a few key foundational pieces of a healthy Plant-Based Diet: :
Plants contain plenty of protein if you know where to look.
Plant-based strength trainers need to plan their protein intake.
Let’s break this all down and look at what a day of eating vegan – with adequate protein intake – looks like.
We’ll keep it at .75 gram of protein for every pound of lean body mass because it makes the math easy, and can help manage hunger/satiety.[29]
Let’s calculate for a 200-pound male, who is 5 foot 9, and just started strength training.
Let’s also pretend this person just turned 35.
If you’re keeping track at home, our newly created imaginary friend needs to eat 150 grams of protein per day.
How can we get to 150 grams of protein, using only plants? With the help of some recipes from Fit Men Cook and Minimalist Baker, I’ll show you how:
BOOM! 150 grams of protein, with no animal products whatsoever.
Total calories?
2,024.
If we calculate the needs of our imaginary 35-year-old male (who weighs 200 pounds and is “lightly active”), using our Total Daily Energy Expenditure Calculator, we know this comes in under the 2,522 calories recommended for weight maintenance:
Now, if this person was 145 pounds and wanted to bulk up, they would simply increase their calorie intake by following similar strategies as above. Not eating enough is an uber common mistake I see people make who are trying to bulk up.
This example daily menu was chosen to show you, that with a little bit of thought and preparation, eating adequate protein is possible when following a Plant-Based Diet.
You just have to plan carefully (that theme again).
Did you notice something about all the foods we recommended? Not a whole lot of junk food to be seen.
This was not an accident.
COMMON MISTAKES WHEN FOLLOWING A PLANT-BASED DIET
Throughout this article, I’ve been using the terms “vegan diet” or “veggie diet” and “Plant-Based Diet” interchangeably.
At this point though, we need to differentiate.
Pizza, fettuccine alfredo, bowls of sugary cereal, grilled cheese sandwiches, and calorie-bomb burritos can be vegetarian.
Donuts, pasta, and bread can be vegan.
Plant-based? Technically, sure.
Healthy? Wrong!
If your goal is weight loss and a healthy check-up at the doctor, eat plants. Full stop.
You know the drill: vegetables, fruits, tubers, etc.
Things that you can pluck from a tree or pull from the ground, clean, and then eat. Those are whole foods that will have a lot of fiber and nutrients intact.
Michael Pollan, the author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, sums it up well: “If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don’t.”
Now, I’m personally not saying to never eat pizza or donuts. Pizza and donuts are amazing. Just know that these processed, calorie-heavy foods are easy to overeat and are part of the reason for expanded waistlines.
In other words, if you treat them as a treat, and know your calorie goals, you can make it work.
I’ll say it again: if you’re gonna be a vegetarian, please eat vegetables. Some of the unhealthiest people I know are vegetarian, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen them eat a veggie.
This highlights one of the greatest mistakes people make when going vegetarian or vegan. They only think about what they are cutting out (meat), without actively considering what they are replacing those foods with.
Remember our example of protein in plants vs. animal products:
If you’re gonna cut out chicken, make sure you start eating black beans as a replacement.
Also, remember that your plant-based replacement will likely have less protein and more calories than meat.
If you are going to follow a Plant-Based Diet, you won’t have as much leeway as your omnivore friends. They can gobble down a serving of steak and receive 62 grams of protein from that piece of meat alone.
62 grams of protein is almost half of the requirements of our imaginary friend from earlier.
We had to figure out breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two snacks to get us to 150 grams of plant-based protein. Compare this to an omnivore who could eat some eggs, steak, and a chicken salad and be pretty much at 150 grams of protein (and a lower calorie count too).
That’s why the American Dietetic Association’s states “vegetarian or vegan diets” need to be “well planned.”[30]
In our sample day above, we ate 2,024 calories of plant-based food to get to our goal of 150 grams.
We calculated that our imaginary friend needed 2,522 calories per day to maintain his current weight. If he wanted to gain muscle and lose some body fat at the same time, he’d need to be in a caloric deficit to do so. Meaning less than 2,522 calories per day.
When you do the math, because a pound of body fat equals around 3,500 calories, a 500-calorie per day deficit would result in 1 pound of weight loss per week for this person.
Unless of course, he overeats on donuts and Oreos and vegan burgers and pizza.
So, minimize the vegan junk food and prioritize foods that will help you meet your goals.
Another mistake I see vegetarians specifically make is simply replacing meat with buckets of cheese.
Let’s go with another comparison:
100 grams of cheddar cheese: 25 grams of protein and 416 calories.
100 grams of chicken breast: 30 grams of protein and 165 calories.
So be careful of just swapping out meat for cheese, because you’ll end up with less protein intake and more calories overall.
Another common mistake we see over and over again is people just switching to “fake meat” when they start a Plant-Based Diet.
Let’s dive into this with its own section.
BE CAREFUL WITH “FAKE MEAT”
Throughout this article, we’ve encouraged the consumption of REAL food.
Vegetables, fruits, legumes, etc. As we mentioned, these are nutrient-dense, low-calorie foods that can help with a healthy life.
However, something we see time and time again over here at Nerd Fitness is Rebels just switching “real meat” to “fake meat” when starting a Plant-Based Diet.
This switch can be a big concern because some of these products are highly processed and full of additives and refined oils you want nothing to do with.
Sometimes you’ll find a veggie burger whose patty is just mashed up black beans with a little onion. That would be fine!
Most other times, you’ll find processed foods like tofurky, facon, and mock chicken nuggets that are quite unhealthy.
Not all imitation meat is created equal.
Here’s what you should be on the lookout for:
TONS of ingredients. This would be a good rule of thumb for most food: be wary of foods that have a long list of ingredients. Things like “modified corn starch” or “hydrolyzed wheat gluten” should raise some red flags. It means the foods have been processed and then processed again. This can strip a lot of the nutrient content out of the food.[31]
If they have to add “hydrolyzed wheat protein” to make a veggie sausage look and taste somewhere in the ballpark of a real sausage… eh, maybe skip it and just eat some lentils instead.
They might not be “vegan.” Many veggie meats will include things like egg whites and casein (a milk protein) as binding agents and to increase the protein content.
In my opinion, if you’re okay with this, perhaps you can just eat plain eggs without all the other added ingredients and preservatives.
Watch out for sodium (salt) content. Sodium is often used as a preservative, so lots of processed food will include a decent amount of salt. We should note, this is also true of processed meats too.
If you eat a lot of meat substitutes, you’ll likely be taking in a lot of salt too. Be aware of this and perhaps minimize salt intake with other foods to compensate.
I asked one of our NF coaches, Kerry (a pescatarian), about some trusted brands to source meat substitutes. Kerry is a brilliant coach and only occasionally eats fish, so I knew she’d be a great source of knowledge on the subject.
Here are some brands to consider when looking into a meat substitute:
Beyond Meat. Both Kerry and CrossFit athlete Danielle Sidell mention Beyond Meat as a good source of meat alternatives. Their burger substitute is made out of pea protein and not too much else. You can find their products at many grocery stores.
Hilary’s. Another brand with minimal ingredients in their products is Hilary’s. For example, one of their veggie burgers is beans, sweet potato, coconut oil, chilies, and a few other things. Not bad.
Again, you can find their products in grocery stores.
No Evil Foods. I’ve got to hand it to No Evil Foods. Their Comrade Cluck “No Chicken” only has seven ingredients, one of which is water.
It should be noted, that most of their foods rely on wheat and gluten for protein. If you can process both okay, No Evil Foods is a good option.
That should get you started on some meat substitutes to experiment with.
Also, we should discuss tofu and tempeh. They are both meat substitutes that are made from soy. These are generally minimally processed as well, so they’ll contain few ingredients outside of soy.
They are also time tested.
Folks in Asian cultures have been eating tofu and tempeh for centuries, providing them a good source of protein.[32]
If you’re looking for meat substitutes, tofu and tempeh would be worth looking into.
If you’re male and worried about soy disrupting your hormones and causing “moobs,” we dive into the science of that in our article “How to Get Rid of Man Boobs.”
Okay, that about does it for our warning on fake meat.
Let’s shift gears and start chatting about vitamins and minerals.
WHAT SUPPLEMENTS SHOULD A VEGAN TAKE
If you are moving forward with a plant-based or vegan diet, based on our research we would recommend supplementing your diet with a few key things.
I won’t get into it too much in detail here on whether people evolved to eat meat or not.[33] Trying to keep the inevitable amount of hate email to a minimum.
In my research, vitamins like B12 consistently comes up as a deficiency amongst vegans.[34] This is logical because plants don’t need B12, so they don’t store it.[35]
Vitamin B12 is critical for protein metabolization, meaning if you want your body running correctly, you really don’t want to be deficient in this essential nutrient.[36]
I would hedge my bets and take a B12 supplement. It would be my number one recommendation (outside of eating REAL food) if you’re going vegetarian or vegan. Taking B12 came up multiple times as a recommendation for a Plant-Based Diet from our vegan rebels in the private Academy group.
You could also consider taking an algae supplement, which is high in omega-3 fatty acids.
Why omega-3s?
Omega-3s have been shown to help fight depression.[37]
The consumption of omega-3s has been linked to greater heart health.[38]
Metabolic syndrome, which is tied to insulin resistance and obesity, is improved with the consumption of omega-3s.[39]
Vegetarian folks generally have lower levels of these types of acids, because meat (fish specifically) is a great source for omega-3s – a food that isn’t consumed on a Plant-Based Diet. However, animals are not the only source for omega-3s. Again, I’d look into an algae supplement, like this one.
Another supplement worth discussing: Vitamin D. We get it from the sun, and also by eating certain animal products. While some plants like algae do contain some Vitamin D, it’s most abundant in fish and dairy products.[40]
Vitamin D helps us absorb calcium and also plays a critical role in our immune system.[41]
However, because many of us spend time indoors, we can be deficient – though this is true of vegans and omnivores alike.[42]
Simple solution: go out in the sun more frequently, and consider a vitamin D supplement in the winter months.
Two other minerals worth discussing would be zinc and iron, because vegetarians are often low in both.[43]
Here’s why:
Most people get their source of zinc and iron through animal products.
Phytates found in whole grains and legumes can block the absorption of minerals, including zinc and iron.[44] If you are cutting out meat, you are probably eating a lot of grains and legumes for your protein. So yeah…
A supplement of both zinc and iron would be smart.
It should be noted, that all supplementation becomes more important the more strict you are about avoiding animal products. If you eat eggs and dairy, you’ll get most of the nutrients you need outside of those found in plants.
Eggs contain omega-3s, B12, and small amounts of vitamin D. And while this is for sure debatable, there might be some ethical ways to purchase eggs.[45]
That about does it for supplementation recommendations. If you want to do even more research, let’s turn you in the right direction.
WHERE CAN I GET EVEN MORE INFORMATION ON EATING A PLANT-BASED DIET?
There are all sorts of information for going vegan online.
However, you need to be careful about who you trust. Some of it is garbage (no, broccoli doesn’t have as much protein as steak).[46] Although some of it is well researched and backed by science.
Let’s point you to some respected advisors.
BLOGGERS:
No Meat Athlete – I mentioned my friend Matt Frazier earlier, but I would point him out as an authority on fueling an active lifestyle with plants. Check out his blog.
Rich Roll – Rich’s story on going from a stressed out, addicted businessman to an endurance athlete is incredible. Rich also fueled his entire transformation with nothing but plants. His posts and advice are interesting, popular, and inspiring.
Vegan Health – If you’re looking for well-researched articles, Vegan Health offers a lot of science-based advice on switching over to a Plant-Based Diet. I relied on their writing when researching this post.
RECIPES:
Minimalist Baker– The blog Minimalist Baker offers great vegan recipes, using whole foods, with minimal ingredients. I included one of their recipes above.
Thug Kitchen– The site Thug Kitchen has a lot going for it. It’s funny. The recipes they offer are delicious. Plus, all ingredients found in their meals are plant-based. I will warn you, the language on the site is crude, but also adds to its charm.
Vegan Richa– If you’re on the hunt for some vegan recipes, head to Vegan Richa. They are Indian inspired and very flavorful. Forgoing meat does not have to mean forgoing flavor.
That should help get you started with moving to a Plant-Based Diet.
GETTING STARTED WITH A PLANT–BASED DIET (NEXT STEPS)
So you’re gonna adopt a Plant-Based Diet!
Great. Good luck, soldier! Alright, let’s do this. I would encourage you to follow our recommendations here:
#1 Eat Real Food
If you’re going to be a vegetarian, eat actual vegetables. Don’t make it about what you are not eating (meat). Make it about what you are actually eating (plants).
That’s why I’ve been using the term Plant-Based Diet. I want you to actually eat plants. Don’t let the fact that an Oreo is technically vegan make you lose sight of the fact that it’s highly processed and full of sugar.
Eat a Plant-Based Diet.
#2 Calories and Macronutrients Still Count
Cutting out an entire major food group does not guarantee you will lose weight or be healthier. An Impossible Burger has more calories but less protein than a regular beef patty.
Vegan does not equal “fewer calories.”
Calculate how many calories you will need to make your goals (you can do so right here), and then make a plan on how to follow through.
Animal products are calorie for calorie the best sources of protein. You will have to put in extra effort to think about how you are getting your protein from plants.
Also, you will end up eating a lot more calories trying to match the same amount of protein as found in meat (remember there are more calories in beans but less protein than chicken).
Every meal you eat should have a solid source of protein: beans, lentils, oats, tempeh, etc. If you are strength training (which you should do), this is even more critical.
Consider a protein powder like pea, rice, or hemp to add protein with minimal calories attached.
If you’re trying to lose weight or just be healthy in general, knowing where your next meal is coming from is really important.
If you are going to cut out a major food group, this is hyper-OMG-please-be-careful-critical.
I will again mention that the American Dietetic Association states that Plant-Based Diets can be healthy if they are “well planned.”
#5 Add Variation
I mentioned earlier, that if you allow eggs and dairy, eating a Plant-Based Diet becomes much easier. You simply have more options to choose from when it comes to what to eat.
Perhaps allowing small concessions with a Plant-Based Diet – like eating eggs – will make your diet more manageable and sustainable. This could be better than going vegan for 30 days and then giving up.
#6 Supplement
Make sure you are getting all the nutrients you need. There are things like B12 that just don’t find their way into plants.
That’s why the Mayo Clinic advises those following a Plant-Based Diet to get checked for “vitamin B-12, iron, ferritin, calcium and vitamin D.”[46] Statistically, vegans come up often as deficient in these vitamins and minerals.
I believe that all of us should eat plants (sorry, Carnivores, you won’t get me endorsing you fully). Fruits and vegetables are packed full of nutrients your body needs to thrive. So no matter which way of life you pick, eat plants!
Debates on how we should eat can often get heated.
This can be understandable, because of the passion and ethical considerations driving people’s dietary choices.
However, I’d recommend acting curious towards the other side. I wouldn’t recommend tying your identity to a style of food, but rather tying your identity to “I’m a curious person that learns new stuff and tries new stuff all the time.”
No matter how someone else eats, don’t turn your nose up against them.
Be nice, and let them do their thing. This can be true for veganism, Paleo, Keto, or an Intermittent Fasting protocol. If someone is trying something new, don’t immediately put them down for it. You may legitimately learn something from someone else’s way of life.
Which hey, is a pillar of our philosophy here at Nerd Fitness: “Question everything.” Including the way you eat compared to others.
I think that about does it for my advice on eating a Plant-Based Diet. In summary, stick to REAL food and think about a supplement or two.
Want some help going forward from here? Well, since you’ve been nice this whole time, I’ll give you my top three recommendations for next steps:
#1) Our 1-on-1 Online Coaching program: we have many clients who consider themselves vegetarian/vegan and we’ve helped them make better food choices, stay accountable, and get healthier.
You can schedule a free call with our team so we can get to know you and see if our coaching program is right for you. Just click on the image below for more details:
#2) Check out NF Journey, our fun habit-building app that helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally).
#3) Join The Rebellion! We have a free email newsletter that we send out twice per week, full of tips and tricks to help you get healthy, get strong, and have fun doing so.
I’ll also send you tons of free guides that you can use to start leveling up your life too:
Download our free weight loss guide
THE NERD FITNESS DIET: 10 Levels to Change Your Life
Follow our 10-level nutrition system at your own pace
What you need to know about weight loss and healthy eating
3 Simple rules we follow every day to stay on target
Now, I really want to hear from you! I know there are many vegan and vegetarian folks in the Rebellion.
Can you share with us your experiences?
Tips and tricks you follow to make it work?
Any go-to plant-based recipes?
I’d love for the comments here to be a place where we can share honestly and openly.
For the Rebellion!
-Steve
PS: Seriously, be nice. The internet has enough people being mad at other people they’ve never met.
Check out this study done by the University of South Carolina.
Check out this study comparing an Atkins style diet to a vegan one.
Check out the nutrition info on an Impossible Burger right here.
Check out an interesting article on amino acids and gene expression right here.
Check out this article from Harvard on the subject.
Check out this study on soy containing all nine amino acids. And this one comparing the protein in soy to dairy and eggs.
Traditional cultures that subsisted on plants for protein may have figured this out, which is why they would often serve rice and beans together. Check out this article on the subject from Today’s Dietitian.
Check out a report on deficiencies in a Plant-Based Diet here.
Check out that write up from The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics here.
Check out an interview with Joe, where he walks you through a typical day of eating right here.
So you wanna learn about the Paleo Diet, aka “the Caveman Diet,” eh?
Paleo is one of the most popular diets on the planet (up there with the Keto Diet), and I bet you have questions.
Welp, I got answers, my friend!
In addition to helping people “go paleo correctly” with our Online Coaching Program, we also create epic guides like this one that cover all the basics.
Below in this guide, I’m going to give you the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to the Paleolithic Diet (click to go right to that section):
Now, this guide is SUPER long, so we took the liberty of converting it into a nicely designed guide for easy consumption (not literal consumption, unless you print it on bacon).
Grab your Beginner’s Guide to the Paleo Diet free when you sign up in the box below:
Get the FREE eBook! The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Paleo!
Discover if Paleo is for you
The one simple trick to know if your food is Paleo-friendly
Easy Paleo recipes for beginners to get you started
If you can actually apply the rules of the Paleo lifestyle, you can get some pretty solid results.
As the great Mr. Flintstone once said, “Yabadabadooooo!”
What is the Paleo Diet and How does it Work?
Oh lord, another “diet.”
I know, it sounds like a fad/marketing ploy, but The Paleo Diet isn’t really a “diet,” and it’s actually quite logical when you think about it.
Here’s the ENTIRE diet in a nutshell:
“If a cave person didn’t eat it, neither should you.”
As the theory goes, tens of thousands of years ago, before Nike, Cap’n Crunch, and Healthy Choice meals, our ancient ancestors thrived as hunter-gatherers.
Although it’s been a really long time, our genetics haven’t changed that much since then.
And yet…these days we’re overweight, out of shape, stressed out, unhappy, sleep-deprived, and dying from far too many preventable diseases due to lifestyle choices.
So what the hell happened?
Agriculture!
And then delivery and Netflix.
A few thousand years ago, humans discovered farming, the agricultural revolution took off, and we advanced from hunter-gatherers to farmers.
We settled down, formed societies, and the human race progressed to what we are today. Which is obviously great for a number of reasons:
Not getting eaten by wild animals
Electricity
Automobiles
Nintendo
The problem is that our bodies never adjusted properly to eating all the grains and sugar that we’re now consuming.
As paleo guru Robb Wolf puts it, think of a 100-yard football field:
The first 99.5 yards are how long Homo-Sapiens spent as hunter-gatherers. As they became REALLY good at hunting and gathering our bodies adapted to that lifestyle over thousands of years.
That last half-yard represents our species after the agricultural revolution, where our diet has shifted (but our genetics haven’t).
So, instead of loading up on meat, vegetables, and seasonal fruits, we’ve become a species “dependent” upon grains – bread, pasta, rice, corn, and so on.
66% of us are overweight, 33% are considered obese, and those numbers are only getting worse.[1]
Clearly, something’s not right, and we need to fix it.
The Paleo Diet is an effort to go back to our ancestral roots.
To start eating how we’re biologically designed to eat, allowing us to tap into our genetic potential and start living healthier immediately.
While this video is pretty hyperbolic, it does a pretty good job of explaining the Paleo Diet in a few minutes:
To recap the rules of the Paleo Diet:
Only eat foods a caveman would eat
See Rule #1
Note that it doesn’t mention calorie counting or meal timing or macro tracking.
That’s part of the popularity of this diet: eat paleo-approved foods when you’re hungry, and that’s it.
Will I Lose Weight on the Paleo Diet?
This is the question we get above all else:
“Will the Paleo Diet help me lose weight?”
Probably. If you can actually apply the rules of the Paleo lifestyle, you can get some pretty solid results.
The Paleo Diet will work for weight loss…provided you actually get into a caloric deficit.
You need to have the right mindset, you need to focus on the right foods, and you need to structure your environment so that you’re not tempted to backslide and abandon the Paleo Diet after a few days.
However, it has nothing to do with what Fred Flintstone ate or didn’t eat.
Add #3: Do those two things consistently for a decade.
Here’s WHY you’ll lose weight on the Paleo Diet:
You’re only eating meat, fish, veggies, fruits, and nuts. These are foods that are full of nutrients, will make you feel full, but don’t have nearly as many calories as junk food.
You are completely eliminating calorie-dense, often nutritionally deficient, unhealthy foods. This means no grains (pasta, bread, rice), no dairy, no beans. It also means no soda, no candy, no sugar.
And yup. When you only eat real food and avoid all unhealthy food, you’re more likely than not going to run a caloric deficit – and thus lose weight.
Or… 200 calories will get you exactly 1/2 a Snickers bar:
Look at that: nobody can eat that much broccoli, and nobody only eats half a candy bar!
My point is this: by eating Paleo-approved foods, you’re more likely than not to eat fewer calories than you did in the past automatically, which can lead to weight loss.
So YES, the Paleo Diet MIGHT help you lose weight.
You just need to eat fewer calories than you burn every day (Here’s how to calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure). And that is easier when you are eliminating foods that people tend to overeat:
Candy
Soda
Pasta
Bread
Dairy
But that’s all about what we’re eliminating. What are we keeping!?
what Can I eat on The Paleo diet?
In order to follow the Paleo Diet Lifestyle, here are the foods that are Paleo-approved:
Meat* – steak, ham, pork, bison, boar.
Organs – liver, kidneys, heart.
Marrows – seeing a theme here? Eat ALL parts of the animal!
Fowl – chicken, duck, hen, turkey…things with wings that (try to) fly.
Fish – cod, tuna, salmon, and so on.
Eggs – Look for omega-3 enriched cage-free eggs.
Vegetables –spinach, broccoli, kale, carrots, peppers, zucchini, onions, etc.
Nuts – almonds, walnuts, cashews, and their respective butters (almond butter is so good!)
Tubers – Sweet potatoes and yams.
*If you can, aim for grass-fed beef and organic fruits and vegetables. But don’t go break the bank with your food purchases. Just do the best you can.
As the Paleo Diet explains: Pick any of the foods from that list and eat as much as you want of them.
You might have noticed that a lot of the foods above are loaded with fat. And depending on what your mom told you growing up, you might think fat is the devil.
So let me address that right away…
Does Eating Fat Make You Fat?
If you’re cutting back on carbs, that means you’ll need to fill the void in your diet with the most controversial macronutrient:
Fat!
It’s gotten a bad rap over the past number of decades, so companies have been doing everything possible to make everything low fat and “healthy!” (while adding all sorts of preservatives, chemicals, and sugar).
Yup…cut out the fat, increase the carbs….and look where THAT has gotten us.
Why has fat been vilified? Rather than get into the politics of it myself, I’ll let Gary Taubes, author of the incredibly thorough and well-researched Good Calories, Bad Calories take over.
As he discusses in an article he wrote for the New York Times a decade ago:[2]
These researchers point out that there are plenty of reasons to suggest that the low-fat-is-good-health hypothesis has now effectively failed the test of time.
In particular, that we are in the midst of an obesity epidemic that started around the early 1980’s, and that this was coincident with the rise of the low-fat dogma. (Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease, also rose significantly through this period.)
They say that low-fat weight-loss diets have proved in clinical trials and real life to be dismal failures, and that on top of it all, the percentage of fat in the American diet has been decreasing for two decades.
Our cholesterol levels have been declining, and we have been smoking less, and yet the incidence of heart disease has not declined as would be expected. ”That is very disconcerting,” Willett says. ”It suggests that something else bad is happening.”
“Low fat” foods were created to follow conventional wisdom that fat made you fat (which as stated in the above article doesn’t stand up to scrutiny).
When a company makes a low-fat food, they remove the fat and have to replace the flavor with something.
That “something” is usually sugar (and often more calories).
Crap.
So, according to Taubes and Paleo folks, fat has been vilified and the real focus should have been on sugar and carbs all along.
Because healthy fats are valuable additions to our diet.
Here are some examples of Paleo-Approved Healthy Fats:
Avocados
Almond (and almond butter)
Fatty cuts of meat
Walnuts
Coconut oil
Olive oil
In the Paleo Diet, fat makes up a large portion of one’s diet.
If you’re worried about consuming fat and how it will affect your cholesterol, read our Full Guide to Cholesterol.
WhAT Foods Can’t I eat On the Paleo Diet?
If you are looking to strictly follow the Paleo Diet, then you can’t eat foods that did not exist back in “Caveman times.”
Why?
Because – as advocates of the diet point out – cavemen couldn’t eat those foods because they didn’t exist. There was no way to create cereal and candy – you could only eat what you found or hunted.
So, that’s what the Paleo Diet advocates as the reason for avoiding these foods. And it serves as a good mental model to check with yourself: “Could a caveman have eaten this meal?”
And when you start to answer this question, you identify the foods that you’re not allowed to eat on the Paleo Diet:
Grains like pasta, cereal bread, and rice
Dairy like milk and cheese
Candy, cookies, ice cream, and other processed foods
The Paleo Diet also almost completely eliminates sugar outside of fruit. No candy. No soda. No powdered donuts. Yup, even the mini white ones from the grocery store where you can eat like 100 of them (accidentally, of course).
Many studies have shown that an incredible number of diseases and lifestyle issues can be reversed by cutting out sugar and processed foods.[3]
But I understand grains and dairy are a bit more complex.
Let me explain:
Can I Eat Grains on the Paleo Diet?
Unfortunately, nope.
The Caveman reason why: Grains require some amount of processing, and thus Cavemen would not have eaten them.
The science and psychological reason why: we have a tendency to overeat grains and the other “no-no” foods on the Paleo Diet. They are calorically dense, nutrient deficient, and they can wreak havoc on some people’s blood sugar levels.
This leads to a sugar rush followed by a crash, which can lead to more emotional or hungry overeating…and the process starts again.
Rather than me explain that part with thousands of words, just watch this three-minute video – “Why You Got Fat:”
Let’s get into some more reasons Paleo advocates suggest avoiding grains: most contain gluten and lectins.
What are they and what’s wrong with them? I’m so glad you asked:
Gluten is a protein found in things like rye, wheat, and barley. It’s now being said that much of our population may be gluten-intolerant (hence all the new “gluten-free!” items popping up everywhere). Over time, those who are gluten intolerant can develop a dismal array of medical conditions from consuming gluten: dermatitis, joint pain, reproductive problems, acid reflux, and more.[4]
Lectins are natural toxins that exist in grains to defend against consumption! Yup. Grains have evolved to keep themselves from being eaten by us. These lectins are not a fan of our gastrointestinal tract, and they prevent the tract from repairing itself from normal wear and tear. This can cause all kinds of damage.
Long story short: many people cannot process grains properly, and they are usually the food that causes people to eat too many calories. So by eliminating grains from your diet, you’re more likely than not going to eat fewer calories without counting calories.
That’s a Paleo win!
Do I Need to Avoid Carbs on the Paleo Diet?
Not necessarily.
That depends on your goals and your body – you are a special snowflake!
Some people function well on a high fat, low carb diet.
Others function better on a high-carb, low-fat diet.
I will say the Paleo Diet is USUALLY a Low Carb diet, and large quantities of carbs are not required for somebody to be healthy on a regular diet.[5]
After all, carbs aren’t evil – they’re just…carbs.
Here is the logic and psychology behind why the Paleo Diet is low carb:
On a typical Western diet, we consume plenty o’ carbs, and our bodies convert those carbs to a sugar called “glucose.” This is our body’s preferred method of fueling itself.
In the absence of carbs to create glucose to fuel our bodies, we have to do a few other things instead:
Transform stored fat into glycerol and fatty acids (this process is called lipolysis).
Burn fatty acids for energy or transform the fatty acids into glucose for energy (this is called gluconeogenesis)
In the absence of glucose (through fasting or following a Keto Diet), your body can create ketones for fuel (called “ketogenesis”).
We’re going to focus on the forms of weight loss NOT related to “ketogenesis.” Unless you are avoiding all carbohydrates while going Paleo, or you are doing long fasts, you most likely won’t be in ketosis while going Paleo.
Back to weight loss and Paleo: when you cut back on carbs, and thus most likely ALSO cut back on total calories consumed, you are creating a caloric deficit in your body.
And eat a consistent deficit over a long enough time period, BOOM caveman weight loss.
So, fewer carbs = less glucose in your system, less sugar crashes, less “hangry” moments, and smaller chance of overeating = fewer calories consumed on average.
If you’re worried about adherence to the diet, I understand – it’s the toughest part of Paleo – sticking with it!
Knowing what to eat is part of it, but following this fairly restrictive lifestyle in a modern environment surrounded by cookies and candy and bagels and pasta is really difficult!
If this whole “Paleo, Carbs, and Weight Loss” thing is stressing you out, you’re not alone!
We work with busy people like you to structure a complete life overhaul: handcrafted workout routines, accountability, mindset changes, and nutritional strategies.
Can I eat Dairy on the Paleo Diet? Can I eat Cheese On the Paleo Diet?
This also depends. Strict Paleo folks tend to stay away from it – a portion of the world is lactose intolerant, and those that aren’t usually have at least some type of an aversion to it.
Why? Because hunter-gatherers didn’t lug cows around with them while traveling – milk was consumed as a baby through breast milk from their mother, and that was it.
So as Paleo-stans will tell ya, our bodies weren’t designed for massive dairy consumption.
There is evidence that some adaptation to dairy has taken place throughout the years, specifically with people with ancestry in herding cultures, but this is not the majority of the population.[6]
Paleo purists will avoid dairy like the plague, while other paleo-ish people have found that consuming dairy in its various forms work for their genetics, goals, and lifestyle.
“What about Cheese? Can I eat cheese on the Paleo Diet?”
You do you, boo. But if you’re going Strict Paleo, then unfortunately cheese is OUT too.
If you’re just looking to lose some weight while following a “mostly Paleo” lifestyle, then adding some high-quality cheese into some of your meals can be okay.
Some cheeses will tend to have lower amounts of lactose or casein – the parts of dairy that can cause digestion challenges.
So, if you’re not sure your body is processing dairy properly, remove dairy from your diet and only introduce it back in when you’re ready to see how your body responds.
If you’re not losing weight while eating a “Paleo + Dairy” Diet, you’re still eating too many calories.
Consider cutting out dairy and see how your body responds.
For reference, this is a portion of cheddar cheese (116 calories):
Paleo Diet Shopping Guide: List of Foods on the Paleo Diet
Because I like you as a person, I’ve created a printable Paleo Diet Shopping List PDF you can bring with you to the grocery store to help you decide what to buy and what to avoid.
Simply right-click on the image below and save as:
Feel free to print this out and bring it with you to the grocery store. If you happen to run into somebody else who has ALSO printed out this sheet, feel free to high-five each other while singing Baltimora!
What is a Typical Day Like on the Paleo Diet?
Here is an example of a typical day on “The Paleo Diet”:
Breakfast: Omelet with spinach with fresh fruit.
Lunch: Grilled chicken, kale, and avocado salad with vinegar and olive oil.
Snack: Apple slices and almond butter.
Dinner: Steak with asparagus and sweet potato fries.
Dessert: Strawberries and a piece of 85% dark chocolate.
Start with a good protein source with each meal (eggs, steak, chicken, fish, pork), and then add a vegetable or fruit.
That’s it.
If you feel hungry constantly, understand that changing up a diet can cause a body a few weeks of adjustment.
Remember, your body is learning to operate on both fewer calories AND fewer carbs – depending on how low carb you go this could be a DRAMATIC change.
And this is often referred to as “carb flu,” and it can be miserable! Your body might take multiple weeks to adjust to these new habits.
Going from a processed, high sodium diet to a paleo diet you will very often end up eating too little sodium, which is an essential nutrient.
So if you’re feeling tired all the time, try adding some salt to your food or consider an electrolyte supplement – this is what we recommend with our Keto readers too.
Is the Paleo Diet Dangerous?
The dismissive criticisms of the Paleo Diet generally fall into one of three categories:
Cavemen had short lifespans. So there.
A recent article said that cavemen ate grains. So there.
Eating that much meat is unhealthy. So there.
As I said at the beginning of this article, it doesn’t matter what cavemen or cavewomen ACTUALLY ate.
The reason this diet works has nothing to do with what our bodies are designed to eat or what cavemen ate 1,000s of years ago.
The Paleo Diet CAN help you lose weight because it gets you to cut out junk food, focus on eating real food, and gives you a framework to evaluate quickly every food choice:
“Did a caveman eat this? Yes or no.”
That’s it!
By following this ONE rule, you’re likely to eat fewer calories than you used to, and thus you’re likely to end up healthier than before.
I personally don’t follow a Paleo Diet, but I do appreciate the fact that it’s easy to comprehend and gets people to take a more active approach in their food!
So, disregarding the fear-mongering, dogma, and anthropological criticisms of what cavemen actually ate, what are the ACTUAL critiques of the Paleo Diet?
#1) “Why is the Paleo Diet expensive?”
Admittedly, while I recommend eating organic fruits and veggies, free-range chicken, and grass-fed beef whenever possible, these products can be more expensive in conventional stores due to the processes needed to get them there.
However, farmers’ markets often have well-priced meats, eggs, fruits, and vegetables that are locally grown and incredibly healthy.
Even if you’re spending a little more money than before, when you factor in your overall health, spending a few extra bucks on healthier food now is a wiser investment than thousands later on costly medical expenses.
Also, if you’re really short on cash, eating the non-organic or grain-fed version of meat, vegetable, or eggs is still better than eating breads, pasta, fast food, and the like.
Most people simply compare the cost of a paleo meal with ramen noodles or pasta and bread and determine Paleo is prohibitively expensive.
Sure, it’s more expensive than those foods, but if you are smart with your money you can eat a much healthier meal and do so pretty inexpensively. Check out this guide on “How to Eat Healthy Without Breaking the Bank” for some tips and tricks.
(This doesn’t even factor in the whole “if you eat cheap unhealthy food now, you’ll pay thousands in medical bills and hospital visits and medications later” argument, which is valid too).
#2) “But cavemen had short lifespans! Of course they don’t have the diseases we do. We live way longer now.”
I agree with you here, but only because you don’t have to deal with the dangers of living back then.
Again we don’t really care to live like cave people!
This is SIMPLY a construct that can help many make more informed food choices.
#3) “Plenty of societies around the world consume grains and aren’t fat and unhealthy like us.”
Awesome – it seems like those people have found a solution that works for them. Have you read our big ass guide to eating a Plant-Based Diet?
The China Study is frequently cited when criticizing the Paleo Diet – focusing on a vegetarian diet and consuming rice is healthier than the Paleo Diet. I respectfully disagree with the conclusions drawn from that book but that’s awesome if you want to go plant-based! [7] I’ll leave you to make your own conclusions based on your own self-experimentation.
You’re here to learn about the Paleo Diet though, so let’s keep the focus there.
#4) “But this is just a meat diet, and eating all meat is bad!”
First of all, consider your sources and do your research before jumping to the conclusions.
Every meal in a true Paleo diet has a moderate amount of healthy (properly raised chicken, grass-fed beef, hormone free, etc.) meat combined with nutritious veggies or a moderate amount of fruit.
#5) “The Paleo Diet is too restrictive and I can’t live like this.”
This is the most valid criticism I personally have of the diet, as the best diet plan is the one you actually stick with and follow through on! The goal shouldn’t be to go “full paleo” for a few weeks only to go back to how you were eating before.
Instead, the goal here should be to rethink your relationship with food and develop a strategy that you can live with permanently.
There’s nothing worse than going on diets and gaining and losing the same 20 pounds over and over. The Paleo Diet, like other diets, WORKS ONLY IF YOU STICK WITH IT PERMANENTLY!
This makes sense after all: make temporary changes, get temporary results, right?
#6) “Steve, I hate vegetables. How do you make vegetables taste better? HALP.”
We know this all too well, and we have helped thousands of people slowwwwly transition their diet over a long period of time to make change less scary, more permanent, and thus make the weight loss permanent too!
If you’re overwhelmed or scared of changing too much, or maybe you’re just sick of dieting and want to find a solution that works for your busy lifestyle and situation, schedule a call with us to learn more about our 1-on-1 coaching program:
I’ve also compiled a list of my favorite sites and recipe books around the internet that can help you get started:
#1) Nom Nom Paleo – Michelle Tam and her husband Henry are amazing people, and their Paleo Blog is absolutely phenomenal. Great photos. Well written. Organized intelligently.
Their “Nom Nom Paleo” cookbook is a fun resource too, and a great place to get started with cooking for your Paleo lifestyle. Oh, what’s that? You have kids and a spouse and you’re all trying to eat healthier too? This book is perfect for that as well!
#2) Mark’s Daily Apple – Easily the most comprehensive resource on the internet for the Paleo Diet – Mark writes an article every weekday about everything Paleo, and it usually blows me away. Some of the posts can get overwhelming, so I suggest starting with his Primal Blueprint 101.
The Primal Blueprint – If you want to read about this stuff in a book rather than on a computer screen, Mark’s book The Primal Blueprint is a great place to get started on not only what to eat, but why you should be eating it.
It’s educational, funny, real-world applicable, and teaches you how to primalize (just made that up) the rest of your life too.
#3) Robb Wolf– Another great resource, and a guy I’ve already referenced in this article multiple times. Check out his site for a comprehensive FAQ on all things Paleo, a shopping list pdf (right-click and save), and plenty of humor.
The Paleo Solution – This article would have been finished 3 hours earlier, but before I wrote it, I read ALL of Robb’s new book. It seriously had me laughing out loud at certain points – not bad for a book on diet!
This book is a little less forgiving than Mark’s book above, but it’s still a great read.
#4) Loren Cordain – Loren is considered the leading expert on the Paleo Diet – Robb is actually one of his students/disciples/Padawans.
Dr. Cordain is probably the foremost authority on this type of eating, which is why I really enjoyed reading both of his books.
MORE RECIPE RESOURCES:
Ready or Not! 150 Make Now Recipes – The newer book from Michelle Tam of Nom Nom Paleo. It’s super fun. Plus she’s wearing a Nerd FItness t-shirt in some of her photos in the book, so I might be sliiiightly biased 🙂
Mark’s Daily Apple – Although he sells the cookbook on Amazon, Mark also lists over 100 free primal recipes on his site. Pick something on the list, go buy the ingredients, and follow the instructions! So easy even a caveman can do it.
Everyday Paleo – Great pictures, easy to follow recipes, and pretty interesting combinations. Click on FOOD in the Nav bar, and the meals are broken down into breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
If you’re curious about The Paleo Diet’s recent popularity and thus it’s criticisms, we’ve written two other pieces on Nerd Fitness that might be of interest:
“The Paleo Diet Debunked??” where I address a few of the more recent criticisms that have popped up.
“In Defense of a Paleo-Ish Diet” where I cover how to live a mostly Paleo lifestyle but still enjoy the modern benefits of society.
Who Should and Who Shouldn’t Do the Paleo Diet?
I’m a fan of the Paleo Diet for the RIGHT person:
I love mental models that help us make sense of the world, and I think for SOME people, the Paleo Diet will really help them cut down on overeating.
Do whatever makes you happy and fits in your schedule. I like this kind of stress-free eating.
Regardless of whether or not grains should be vilified, I love this diet because I know it WORKS. I know people that have lost incredible amounts of weight and changed their lives within a matter of months.
If you want to lose weight and keep it off, you need to make permanent adjustments to your nutrition.
If you don’t see yourself being able to permanently follow a Paleo Diet, I would advise a more ‘wade in from the shallow end‘ approach to dietary change!
How to Do the Paleo Diet Safely
Maybe you’re ready to try out this Paleo lifestyle, but you can’t commit fully. There are certain foods you refuse to give up, or you can’t afford to buy grass-fed beef at the moment.
That’s okay!
If you can even make a few small changes here and there (cut out liquid calories, switch out your rice for steamed vegetables, cut back on bread, etc.) you’ll start to see some changes.
Remember, 20% healthier is better than 0% healthier – as you get more comfortable with the changes you can increase that percentage.
After all, I know how tough it is to stay loyal to a strict diet, especially without a plan to follow. It’s why we created free resources that can help you reach your goals faster without you also going crazy.
Get rid of the temptation: if you’re gonna go at this thing with a full head of steam, remove all the junk food from your house.
It’s going to take a few weeks for your body to adjust to burning fat instead of glucose, and you might want to eat poorly here and there. If there’s no food in your house to tempt you, it will be much easier to stay on target.
Now, it’s your turn.
Have you tried the Paleo Diet yet?
What was your experience like?
Have a criticism of the diet that I didn’t cover before?
I hope this article gives you some food for thought (terrible pun, I know), and gives you permission to question conventional wisdom and start addressing the issues in your diet!
In addition to this Beginner Paleo Guide, I hope you consider checking our 1-on-1 Coaching Program as well.
We have designed this program from the ground up to help people like you change their lives and fix their nutrition in a way that doesn’t suck.
Now, go forth. And eat like a caveman.
-Steve
PS: If you want to continue your adventures with us, check out NF Journey, our fun habit-building app that helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally).
It’s time to learn about The CICO (“calories in, calories out”) Diet!
You probably have questions like:
Steve, does CICO work?
Will counting calories help me lose weight?
Okay, what the hell IS a calorie?
Well my friend, you’ve arrived at the right place!
I’ve been writing about this stuff for 13 years, and our team of nerdy experts help our Online Coaching clients with all types of diets (including CICO). We are really flippin’ good at it!
Here’s what we’ll cover to answer the question: “What is CICO?”
The CICO Diet is a weight-loss strategy where the participant tries to tip the balance of what they eat (calories in) against what they burn (calories out).
That’s pretty much it.
It doesn’t really matter what food you eat, because there are no restrictions on any specific food groups with CICO.
It also doesn’t matter what exercise you do (if any).
As long as you get the equation right, and the calories you eat are lower than the calories you burn on a daily basis, you’re good to go.
To lose weight, we need to burn more calories than we consume regularly.
With this knowledge, it makes sense to design a diet specifically around this principle: match the calories you eat (in), with the calories you expend (out).
As long as you meet your calorie goal, you can forget about the rules of any specific diet.
This appeals to me personally, because I’ve created my own guidelines for how to eat, and I don’t pledge allegiance to any particular dieting strategy.
Because I’m a mind-reader, I know your next question is likely…
Does Calorie Counting Work? (CICO and Weight Loss)
In principle, CICO works.
In practice, it becomes a little more complicated.
Okay, fine, A LOT more complicated.
That’s because a lot of things influence “calories in.”
Ditto for “calories out.”
Let’s break some of this down.
Here are some of the things that impact “Calories In:”
Appetite: how hungry we are is going to drastically affect how many calories we consume. Hormones, body composition, and our tastes and preferences will all impact our appetite.[2]
Calories absorbed: the preparation of food will affect the bioavailability of calories. For example, cooking starches (like potatoes) generally increases the calories available.[3] Your own individual gut microbe can also influence the amount of energy extracted during digestion.[4] So will the macronutrient content of the food you eat.
Psychological considerations:your stress levels, sleep quality, and certain conditions like PCOS can all impact the regulation of hormones, which can influence your metabolism and appetite.[5]
Oh, and all of the above assumes we’re actually tracking calories accurately. Which pretty much nobody does. Ever. But I’ll get to that shortly.
And remember, this is only half of the equation.
Here are some of the things that impact “Calories Out:”
Energy burned while resting: your Basal Metabolic Rate is a count of how many calories you burn at rest and will be controlled by your age, weight, height, biological sex, muscle composition, etc.
Energy burned through Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT): do you fidget a lot? That increases your NEAT, or the energy you burn doing stuff other than exercising. Think tapping your feet, twirling your hair, using your hands when speaking, etc. Even just an hour of this kind of movement can accumulate an extra 300 calories burned.[6]
Exercise:of course, how much you intentionally exercise will impact your calories out, although perhaps not as much as most people think (more on this later).
This is only scratching the surface on what determines “calories in, calories out.”[7]
The important thing to consider here is that none of the above invalidate the basic premise of an energy deficit being necessary for weight loss.
These factors will just influence one end of the equation or the other.
For example, let’s chat about protein and CICO:
Eating plenty of protein has been shown to help keep people feeling full and satiated.[8] So lots of protein can help folks lose weight, not because it changes the requirements for weight loss, but because it might allow them to get through the day less hungry (lowering their “calories in.”)
Adequate dietary protein can help with building and maintaining muscle.[9] The more muscle someone has, the more calories they’ll need to maintain it (raising their “calories out.”)[10]
To recap this section: from a biological perspective, eating fewer calories than you burn is 100% necessary for weight loss.
But all sorts of things impact the number of calories we eat and the number of calories we expend.
This is going to lead us to…
The Problem With CICO (Humans Are Bad Estimators)
The majority of the problems people have with CICO is that it allows nutrient-deficient food to enter the diet, only limiting “how much.”
They’ll argue that people should be eating fruits and vegetables, lean protein, avoiding processed foods, and blah blah blah…
We all know this.
You don’t need someone else telling you to eat your veggies.
This isn’t the problem with CICO.
The problem with CICO is it’s really hard to estimate “calories in” and “calories out.”
Like, REALLY hard. We humans are TERRIBLE at it.
Take “calories in” or how much we eat: people generally UNDERestimate how many calories they consume by about 30-40%.[11] Even dieticians, who are specifically trained in nutrition science, underestimated how much they eat.[12]
“That may be true Steve, but don’t worry about me. I read the label on everything I buy so I know exactly how many calories I’m eating.”
Well, are you aware that the FDA allows a 20% leeway on total calories identified on packages?[13] Meaning that 100 calorie drink of Orange Juice might actually be 120?
If you’re a food manufacturer, which way are you going to lean towards? Especially when you know people might scrutinize the calories of your nutrition label in an effort to lose weight.
This isn’t just paranoia: this study found that packaged snack food generally contains MORE calories in it than advertised.[14]
Yeah…and remember, this is only half of the equation.
It’s about to get even worse.
People are also really bad at estimating “calories out.”
When folks self-assess how many calories they burned by exercising, they’re generally WAY OFF, by as much as 50%![15]
Oh, and those fitness trackers we wear?
They’ve been shown to be inaccurate, some by up to 90%![16]
That’s why we made this infographic on tracking “calories out”:
This is the main problem with CICO: we’re stuck with educated guesses for “calories in” and “calories out.”
So we underestimate the calories we eat by 40%. And then we overestimate how many calories we burn by 50%.
No WONDER we think our metabolism is broken if we can’t lose weight! The truth is we’re unknowingly eating too much, and/or moving too little.
Ugh.
Heck, even how many calories you need a day (your baseline or Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is an estimate, something we acknowledge in our calorie calculator, which you can play with right here:
THE NERD FITNESS CALORIE CALCULATOR
In summary: balancing “calories in against calories out” is really all quite messy when you get right down to it.
This post is not made to dissuade you from trying The CICO Diet.
I actually encourage everyone to track their food and calories for one week, because it’s often an eye-opening experience on how much they’re truly eating.
If possible, take a few days and use a cheap food scale instead of just eyeballing it. You’ll be shocked about the actual portion sizes of some foods!
When it comes to sustainable weight loss, here at Nerd Fitness, we encourage two paths:
Make small tiny changes towards “real food” (like the Nerd Fitness Healthy Plate above).
Make small tiny changes towards a strength training practice.
Both of these strategies can dramatically – and positively – influence “calories in” and “calories out” respectively.
In our Guide to Healthy Eating, we explain why every website tells you to eat vegetables (which we also tell you): vegetables are full of nutrients, contain lots of fiber to keep you full, and are generally low in calories.
Eating lots of vegetables, or “real food,” will help you naturally lower “calories in.”
How about another example to think about? Here are 200 calories of a blueberry muffin:
Compare it to 200 calories of broccoli (Thanks to wiseGEEK):
Which one do you think you’re likely to accidentally overeat for your calorie allotment?
Right.
For our other strategy, the Strength Training 101 series explains why growing strong is important for fat loss:
Building muscle takes a lot of calories (and so does maintaining it).
In other words, a stronger version of yourself will require more calories.
And will be able to escape from jail easier.
This will naturally raise your “calories out.”
The trick with it all is the “make small tiny changes” bit.
We’ve seen over and over that small steps (eating one new vegetable a week, a simple bodyweight workout) create momentum. Over time, these small changes are the keys to permanently getting healthy.
The exact “small tiny change” doesn’t matter so much, just pick one you feel comfortable with and get going! Once that habit becomes sustainable, pick a new one! And so on and so on…
Still here? Want some more guidance? An exact plan to follow on where to go next?
Alright, you got it, but only because you’ve been nice this whole time.
Here’s how Nerd Fitness can help:
#1) Our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program: a coaching program for busy people to help them make better food choices, stay accountable, and get healthier, permanently.
You can schedule a free call with our team so we can get to know you and see if our coaching program is right for you. Just click on the image below for more details:
#2) If you want a roadmap for getting in shape, check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app will help you exercise and eat better, all while you build your very own superhero.
Interested?
Try your free trial right here:
#3) Join The Rebellion! We have a free email newsletter that we send out twice per week, full of tips and tricks to help you get healthy, get strong, and have fun doing so.
I’ll also send you tons of free guides that you can use to start leveling up your life too:
Download our free weight loss guide
THE NERD FITNESS DIET: 10 Levels to Change Your Life
Follow our 10-level nutrition system at your own pace
What you need to know about weight loss and healthy eating
3 Simple rules we follow every day to stay on target
Alright, I think that about does it for this article.
Now, your turn:
What are your thoughts on The CICO Diet?
Do you have a strategy for balancing “calories in” and “calories out”?
Think I’ve got it all totally wrong?
Let me know in the comments!
-Steve
PS: Make sure you read the rest of our content on sustainable weight loss:
Read, “Food Label Accuracy of Common Snack Foods.” Source, PubMed.
Read, “Individuals Underestimate Moderate and Vigorous Intensity Physical Activity.” Source, PLOS. This study and this study came up with similar results.
Read, “Accuracy in Wrist-Worn, Sensor-Based Measurements of Heart Rate and Energy Expenditure in a Diverse Cohort.” Source, PubMed.
Navigating family mealtimes can be stressful. Everyone has their own ideas of what they want to eat. Kids can be selective, and families are often frazzled by the end of the day when dinner rolls around.
Rachel Rothman helps families have less stress at mealtimes. She uses her extensive experience as a registered dietitian to work with families to alleviate food worries. Rachel and I had such an illuminating conversation that we had to split it into two parts. This is the second part of our insightful discussion. Join us to learn how to work through mealtime battles, how to handle teen food issues, how to approach vitamin deficiencies, and the answers to many more questions.
You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in…
How to work through mealtime battles [1:22]
How to navigate eating well in the teenage years [8:06]
What to do when kids fully refuse to eat or throw a fit [12:45]
How to expand kids’ palates [15:50]
How to approach vitamin deficiencies in selective eaters [21:51]
Teen body issues [23:48]
Rachel’s favorite snack options [26:19]
A Bedtime Hunger Tip
We’ve all been there. We prepare a healthy dinner that the kids don’t eat and when bedtime rolls around suddenly they’re hungry. Now you have to decide–are they stalling bedtime or actually hungry?
Rachel offers a tip: the bedtime snack. Try offering one more opportunity to eat by implementing a bedtime snack time. You decide what’s on the menu. It could be dessert, a piece of fruit, cheese and crackers, or a small veggie tray.
Set a reminder or an alarm that lets them know this is their last opportunity to eat before bedtime. With this regular routine, you’ll put them to bed with the comfort of knowing they had one last chance to satisfy their hunger.
How to Handle Teen Food Rebellion
Older kids come with a whole range of other issues around food. Oftentimes they revert back to toddlerhood with their own version of tantrums in the form of teen rebellion. This rebellion could spill over into their eating habits.
As kids get older, continue to gather for meals a few times a week. We can apply the same principles that we learned in the first part of this interview: parents provide the what, when, and where. The kids get to decide whether to eat or how much to eat.
Another way to get teens to eat better is to get them into the kitchen to show them how to create great tasting food. Teach them how flavors can change by experimenting together in the kitchen.
Our kids learn the most by watching us, so what we model is even more important than what we say.
Show Don’t Tell
Kids learn from the example you set. The more you develop a healthy relationship with food and movement in your own body, the more you will help your children.
If you’re not a member of Lindywell yet, check us out. Lindywell is based on three pillars: Pilates at the core, nourishment, not restriction, and a thriving mindset.
Pilates is at our core. We use movement to connect to our minds and bodies. We have a library of delicious recipes focusing on nourishment, not restriction. A healthy breathwork practice can relieve stress, improve sleep, and reset your nervous system. Be the model that you want your kids to emulate. Join Lindywell today!
I’ve seen lots of people asking for tips when planning their adventures cycling on Isle of Wight (IoW), a small island off the south coast of England, and it kinda piqued my interest. However, I’m not the biggest fan of…
I know what it’s like to hate exercise, and ALSO want to lose weight and see results. Ugh.
We’ve built an entire company and community around helping people overcome these obstacles – our Online Coaching Program helps people find exercises they love, and also how to make the right nutritional choices.
We are all on a unique journey and we’d love to help you with yours!
ExercIse Sucks. Do This Instead.
“But Steve, I don’t like to exercise!”
While some are like Odie and love to run around all day, others are like Garfield and feel like they must be allergic to exercise.
Exercise is merely a supporting actor, which is why we don’t ever NEED to spend time doing exercise we hate.
We’ve already talked extensively on Nerd Fitness on how to eat nutritiously, so I won’t hash that out here.
So let’s talk about exercise.
Sure, it would be great if we all strength trained 5 days a week and got super strong, but the reality is most of us don’t have that time – or the desire – to hit the gym.
Overweight people have a tendency to sit, while lean ones have trouble holding still and spend two hours more a day on their feet, pacing around and fidgeting, researchers are reporting in findings published today.
The difference translates into about 350 calories a day…
350 extra calories burned per day ain’t no joke!
As we cover in our “How many calories should I eat every day?” guide, burning an extra 350 calories per day can result in sustainable weight loss and maintenance over time for many.
Not only that, but when you factor in inertia (an object at rest tends to stay at rest, and object in motion tends to stay in motion), it paints a pretty interesting picture:
We spend our lives trying to be more “efficient.” What if the key to weight loss is to be LESS efficient?
From standing up more frequently to parking FARTHER away from the grocery store, every additional step or movement counts. Today’s guide shares TONS of ways to get yourself used to moving more frequently.
I’m actually air drumming and shuffling my feet as we speak!
From dancing to yoga to climbing to roughhousing with your kids, it all counts.
This brings me to today’s point:
Exercise is a bonus. Exercise helps your heart get stronger, can help build muscle, usually gets you outside the house and absorbing vitamin D, and brings you a litany of other health benefits. Also, any additional calories burned is a bonus!
Exercise can help us make fewer unhealthy food choices. Instead of “I earned this” you can start telling yourself: “If I’m going to exercise regularly, I might as well make it worth it by eating right too.”
Daily exercise is a constant reminder that we are leveling up our lives – that we should continue to make other good choices or we’re practically wasting our time.
This is the type of stuff we focus on – with personalized instruction, with each of our online coaching clients.
Some clients are learning Olympic lifting, while others are simply focusing on taking the stairs more and tracking their food.
We are all on a unique journey and we’d love to help you with yours!
40 Ways to Exercise Without Exercising
#1) Hiking, especially with friends – Strap on a pair of shoes, get out of the comfy confines of your hobbit-hole, and go explore the world around you!
Make sure you follow our Beginner Hiking Guide on how to find a hiking spot near you, what shoes to wear, what to bring with you, and more.
#2) Walking – No time to hike? Go for a simple walk. Even a 15-minute brisk walk is enough time to get close to a mile walked, which gets you one step closer to Mordor.
Do you have a 30-minute meeting at work? Have a walking meeting instead. Steve Jobs was known for doing this.
You should know Tim, a member of our Nerd Fitness community who lost 50 pounds – while injured – just by fixing his nutrition and going for long walks every day!
I’m proud that Tim used the philosophies laid out in our online courses under Nerd Fitness Prime to get his results!
#3) LARP – Live Action Role Playing. Might seem silly to those on the outside, but to those playing, it’s an amazing adventure that reminds us how awesome our imaginations are.
Also, depending on the game, you could be wearing a heavy costume, swinging heavy weaponry, and running for your life!
#4) Rock Climbing – I love rock climbing. It’s one of the best arm/back/forearm workouts in existence, you get to feel like a badass when you reach the top of the wall, and all climbing routes are graded so you can level up the challenge as you get stronger/fitter/better.
It’s a fit nerd’s dream!
#5) Geocaching – If rock climbing is a fit-nerd’s dream, then geocaching is an adventure nerd’s dream brought to life. Become a real-life treasure-hunter (Lara Croft? Nathan Drake? You decide!), and get a great workout in while you’re at it.
Or, if you’re truly nerdy, you can do some Digital Geocaching with Pokemon Go or Harry Potter: Wizards Unite.
#6) Dancing – Ever tried serious swing dancing? You’ll be sweating within ten minutes. How about hip-hop? Drenched in sweat, and sore as hell the next day.
Zumba? Tango? Flamenco? You’d be surprised at what you can sign up for and what will elevate your heart rate.
#7) Roughhousing with your kids. I don’t have kids, but when I do, you can bet your ass I’ll be the dad out rolling around in the backyard with them. Don’t forget what it’s like to be a kid – it keeps you young.
#8) Climbing on stuff – A few years back, I attended a great conference, Midoricon, and I was walking through the woods with NF Rebel Joe (No, not THAT Joe).
It was awesome to see this guy, having lost 100 pounds since finding Nerd Fitness, explore the woods like it was no problem: climbing on stumps, balancing on fallen trees, climbing trees, and more.
We work with LOTS of Coaching Clients to get them outdoors and help build them “fun climbing programs” that burn tons of calories but don’t really feel like exercise.
Whether it’s Kung Fu, Muay Thai, Tae Kwon Do, Karate, or Capoeira (breakdance fighting, seriously), there’s a martial art out there that will make you feel like a badass.
And might help you defeat your archenemy.
#10 Consider a standing desk – Although we all know that correlation does not prove causation, it’s no surprise that there’s a strong correlation between sitting all day and an unhealthy lifestyle.
Why not fix your posture, strengthen your legs, get more “fidget time” in, and spend the day being more productive with a standing desk? I have THIS desk and it allows me to switch between sitting and standing.
#11) Have an active meeting – Hat tip to Charlie Hoehn on this one. If somebody wants to meet up with you for coffee, suggest something active: throwing a baseball, tossing a frisbee, going for a hike – anything that gets you up and moving.
I say yes to pretty much anybody that invites me to play golf. Wink wink.
#12) You know… that thing that consenting adults do?
Yeah. Do that.
Self-explanatory.
Moving on…
#13) Clean! – Ugh, nobody likes to clean the house/apartment. It’s not my favorite thing to do. So I instead make a game out of it.
I see how much I can accomplish with a single song blasting at max volume, while probably also dancing. I also CRUSH podcasts while doing the dishes.
Of course, after getting through one song, I figure “welp, I’ve already started, might as well keep going.”
#14) Try handstands – This is a fun activity that builds up some serious arm and core strength and will leave you sweating bullets after even a few minutes.
So go find a park, go do handstands, cartwheels, somersaults, and whatever else makes you feel young again.
#15) Parkour – Our Beginner’s Guide to Parkour is one of the most popular on Nerd Fitness. I don’t care how old you are, there’s no reason you can’t get started with rolling around in your yard and vaulting over picnic tables and bike racks.
Or, you can do it in your office:
#16) Playout – Is Parkour too serious for you? Try a playout! Spiderman was on to something – climbing walls, swinging from skyscrapers, and popping flips around the bad guys.
You might not be able to swing between buildings, but you can definitely visit a playground in your area and get creative!
#17) Adult gymnastics – In the same vein as parkour, gymnastics will help you build some of the BEST real-world strength you can get with any type of exercise, and it’s all done in a playful way without a single weight being picked up.
Swing from rings, somersault, flip onto pads, and more.
There are gyms all over the country.
#18) Yoga – Build flexibility and strength, plus learn to freaking relax.
There are a million kinds of Yoga, including awesome stuff like Acro-Yoga, baby goat Yoga (not kidding), and Yoga with beer.
Sign up for a few different kinds and see which one lines up the best with what you’re looking for.
#19) Play video games that make you active – Beat Saber. DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) counts too. Just Move. Anything that gets you off your ass and moving!
Oh, what’s that? You’re playing a normal game like Grand Theft Auto V? Make a rule that you can only play while standing up, or that you have to do 10 push-ups every time you die.
That’s what I do to keep myself from spending twelve hours on the couch in marathon gaming sessions!
#20) Play on a playground – Go down the slide, swing across the monkey bars, climb the rope all, balance on the balance beam.
Create an obstacle course for yourself and see how quickly you can get through it.
Full guide to the most effective diet and why it works.
Complete and track your first workout today, no gym required.
#23) Bike to work – I know there are a lot of Rebels in our community who dropped a bunch of weight by making one change: they biked to work, or biked to their friend’s house, or started biking generally.
You get from Point A to Point B, you save money on gas, and you get a workout.
Plus, you can do it with friends!
Here’s our Guide to Biking if you want some help getting started.
#24) Play a childhood game – What games did you play as a child? Capture the flag? Kick the can? Simple tag?
Get a few friends together and give it a try – it will be the most fun you’ve had in a while!
#25) Park at the far end of the parking lot – Every step counts.
Every tiny decision that is slightly different than the “OLD you” counts.
#26) Take the stairs. It’s only two flights! And we are designed to move. You can do this.
Sure, you’ll get winded the first handful of times. But it eventually becomes routine.
And it all counts! Make a game out of it.
#27) Crush audiobooks while “exercising.” This is called ‘temptation bundling.‘ Pair something you love with an activity you’re trying to do more of.
But I bet if you could only listen to Harry Potter (for the 600th time) while walking on a treadmill, you’d be more likely to get to the gym.
#28) Build stuff. Whether you’re building a fort with your kid in the backyard, or trying to figure out why you have 5 extra screws in that IKEA dresser you’re putting together, building stuff involves lots of moving and bending and picking up and maneuvering.
Warning: you’ll swear no less than 100 times building furniture. Earmuffs!
#29) Sit in a squat, or pike position on the floor while watching TV. No, not leaning against the couch. Sitting up actively engaging your core!
You can also do some sort of stretch or movement like these bodyweight exercises during commercials (or in the 15 seconds between Netflix episodes!)
#30) Impromptu dance parties. Kids or no kids, I find that great Disney songs are fantastic for bringing out your inner child.
Blast the tunes, dance around the house, and be absurd. WHO CARES! As a wise woman once said…”Let it gooooooo.”
#31) Go for a walk while on the phone. What if you just decided you had to stand for all of your phone calls?
For starters, I know many people who do phone interviews while standing because it makes them more alert and a better guest.
Next: you’re gonna get so many steps in while on the phone without realizing it!
#32) Having an impromptu picnic. Instead of sitting and gorging yourself at the dining room table, why not eat on the floor?
Grab a blanket or a towel, eat in your living room or head out into the backyard, and make it a picnic!
You’ll need to adjust your posture and seating style constantly.
#33) Sit in a squat. We cover this in our “How to squat” guide, but sitting in a deep squat – often for long timeframes – is built into us as a species! We’ve just become soft from sitting in chairs all day long.
I try to accumulate 15 minutes of “squat time” each day – sitting in a squat while reading a chapter in a book, or journaling, or answering an email with my laptop on the ground.
Here I am sitting in a squat while reading Level Up Your Life(available online and in bookstores nationwide!)
#34) The “Pull-up bar Tax”. Get yourself a door-frame pull-up bar. Put it on a door that you have to cross through regularly.
And every time you go through, you have to do either 1 pull-up, 1 negative pull-up, or 10 seconds of hanging from the bar.
#35) Lasers around the house. Set up colored string pulled tightly across your kid’s rooms or in certain hallways, and you have to go over and under the lasers each time you traverse the hallway.
Don’t touch the lasers!
#36) Climb a tree. Your level of safety and ability on this will be dependent on your experience here, but I remember climbing trees like a monkey as a kid and loving every minute of it.
Even if it’s just hanging from a tree branch or trying to scramble up to a low branch, it can be a great way to “exercise.”
#37) The floor is lava. This is both great for exercising around your apartment, for a fun date night or night with the kids, and for playing True American. Though one is slightly more healthy than the other.
#38) Casual Parkour. From avoiding cracks on the sidewalk to balancing on curbs, or jumping from tile to tile, or hopping up onto a bench and then back down, it all counts!
Just get yourself to move differently than you would have otherwise! We are currently working with a woman who has lost 100-pounds through our Coaching Program, and her exercise is all “fun parkour in the woods behind the house!”
#39) Literally fidget more! Yes, from tapping your toes to music and twitching your legs to the beat of the music. Getting up and sitting back down. Doing laps around your office.
You don’t need to get a standing desk or treadmill desk, but there’s a definite correlation between those that can’t sit still and body composition.[1]
#40) Your kid is a backpack! From piggyback rides to playing horsey, staying active with your kids is really powerful in instilling a love of fitness in them.
If you’re a badass mom like Brownwyn – a success story from Nerd Fitness Prime, you can even do pull-ups while your kid holds on!
Full guide to the most effective diet and why it works.
Complete and track your first workout today, no gym required.
Challenge yourself to Have fun: Next Steps!
If you are looking for more guidance beyond the 40 Fun Exercise Suggestions above, we have three options to continue your journey:
1) Join our epic Online Coaching Program! We create personalized programs for each customer based on their lifestyle, goals, and personality. From parkour in the park to just walking more with your children, or even “becoming a badass powerlifter,” we cater each experience to each person.
2) If you’re looking for a bunch of fun ways to exercise, check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app helps you move more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally).
We assign fun missions daily to get you to exercise in a way that doesn’t feel like exercise…because it’ll feel like a side quest instead.
Try your free trial (no credit card needed) right here:
3) Enlist in The Rebellion (it’s free)! Sign up for our biweekly newsletter and join the Nerd Fitness Rebellion!
I’ll send you tons of free guides and bonuses to help you get started on your journey today.
Sign up below:
Get your Nerd Fitness Starter Kit
The 15 mistakes you don’t want to make.
Full guide to the most effective diet and why it works.
Complete and track your first workout today, no gym required.
No matter which path you pick above, I want you to commit to trying something new, or doing something different, at some point in the next week:
Say yes before you can say no. Stop saying “I don’t have time” and realize you do. Stop saying “I can’t afford it” and find a way to make it a priority. Do all of this before you can talk yourself out of it. The best way to do that?
Commit in advance. Put down a deposit and make an investment in yourself. I pre-paid 6 weeks of swing dance lessons. Having already paid for it, I knew I’d be just throwing my money away if I didn’t attend.
Go with a friend. I went to my swing classes alone, which forced me to further develop my social skills, but if you happen to be TOO afraid to attend a class, get a friend to drag you there.
Expect to suck. If you are learning a new skill, expect to suck at it. You’ll get better as long as you remember to…
Have fun. Remember, we could get hit by a bus tomorrow. Every day above ground is a blessing, so enjoy it!
When in doubt, move more.
That one thing you always wanted to try but have been putting off?
Today’s a good day to get started. Just take that FIRST step.
Google classes in your city. Find a site that focuses on beginners, and read about it. If there’s a place to pre-pay or make a deposit, do it.
Balancing hormones naturally is not only possible, but it’s also one of the best ways to help bring your body back into balance. If you’re wondering how to do this, you’re not alone. In fact, nearly 50 percent of women in the U.S. experience hormonal imbalance, according to a recent survey from Dr. Anna Cabeca, certified OB/GYB and author of The Hormone Fix.
In addition, 43 percent of women also report negative effects on their health due to hormonal imbalance, which is a reminder that resolving this issue is so important.
My hormone diagnosis came 1.5 years ago when I discovered that adrenal insufficiency led me to have extremely low levels of estrogen, progesterone, and cortisol. My key symptoms were exhaustion, irritability, weight fluctuations, and inability to relax.
While I’m still working to improve my levels, I feel much better than I did a year ago. I am still very much on this healing journey and have to work really hard to mitigate and reduce the stressors of daily life (even when they don’t feel like stress, they are still stressors).
For me, the natural lifestyle changes have been so impactful, which is why I want to share some of them here with you. In addition, I’m sharing a little bit about hormones and hormone imbalance because this education is so important for women.
This article is not to be substituted for medical advice. Please seek the support of a professional if you’re struggling to balance your hormones or if symptoms persist.
Hormones and Hormone Imbalance: An Overview
Hormones are chemical signals in the body that help regulate a variety of internal processes that contribute to your mental, emotional, and physical wellness. A hormonal imbalance means there is either too much or not enough of a certain hormone in your bloodstream.
Because hormones influence such a wide scope of physiological functions, even the smallest imbalance can have serious health implications. For example, all of the following issues are commonly associated with a chronic, untreated hormonal imbalance:
Abnormal metabolism
Irregular menstruation
Sexual dysfunction
Insomnia
Adult acne
Infertility
Diabetes
Thyroid problems
Gastrointestinal issues
Anxiety or depression
Chronic fatigue
High cholesterol
Unexplained weight fluctuations
Possible Causes of Hormonal Imbalance
If you notice one or more of the previous symptoms on a consistent basis, but can’t seem to figure out the cause, it could mean there’s a hormonal imbalance. Figuring out what’s at the root of this is key to finally finding the relief you’re craving.
According to the journal Endotext, any stimulus that disrupts the endocrine system (the network of organs that manufacture and release hormones) could result in an imbalance. That means there are a lot of potential causes and these are some of the most common:
Chronic stress
Insufficient diet
Excessive alcohol or caffeine
Electronic overstimulation
Viral or bacterial infections
Not enough sleep
Head trauma
Pregnancy
Menopause
Autoimmune diseases
Abnormal skin growths
Too much or too little exercise
Certain medications
Tips for Balancing Hormones Naturally
In some cases, hormone replacement therapy or other medical intervention is recommended to rebalance the hormones. While HRT can be necessary at times, here are some key lifestyle changes you can make to support the healing journey of rebalancing your hormones.
1. Consume Enough Protein
Protein is a vital nutrient because it contains essential amino acids, which the human body cannot produce on its own. The endocrine system uses those amino acids to create peptide hormones, which are needed for:
Brain function
Physical development
Energy metabolism
Appetite
Mood stabilization
Reproduction
Cardiovascular health
Stress management
Some nutritious sources of protein include fish, lean poultry, nuts or seeds, chickpeas, lentils, eggs, and kale or spinach. My favorite ways to get more protein are quick and easy egg scrambles (sometimes I add extra egg whites to my two scrambled eggs for additional protein) and smoothies with protein powder or collagen powder that is also high in protein.
Log into the Lindywell app to find a wide variety of recipes packed with protein that can help rebalance your hormones.
2. Make Time for Regular Exercise
Insulin is a hormone that helps your cells convert sugar to burnable energy in the bloodstream. If the cells lose sensitivity to insulin, you can develop insulin resistance which puts you at risk for metabolic syndrome, diabetes, unexpected weight gain, or heart disease. Fortunately, exercise boosts insulin sensitivity for up to 72 hours, so the more often you move, the more you’ll prolong this benefit and help rebalance this hormone.
I know I’m a Pilates instructor (so just a little biased!), but Pilates truly is one form of exercise that can help you reap all of these benefits, while not over-taxing your system. This is so important if you’re in a state of hormonal imbalance.
If you want to experience the power of Pilates, try a 14-day free trial of Lindywell. In our app, you’ll find hundreds of Pilates workouts, along with recipes and guided breathwork sessions!
3. Eat Foods That Support a Healthy Gut
Another way to regulate insulin and balance your hormones is to maintain a diverse gut microbiome. Your intestines are home to trillions of microorganisms that boost immunity and metabolism and the goal is to have a diverse and appropriate level of microbiome in the gut.
To optimize gut health, consume a diet rich in antioxidants, fiber, probiotics, and prebiotics. Think: leafy greens, berries, cacao, legumes, almonds, whole grains, or fermented foods.
4. Integrate Mindfulness in Your Routine
When you feel stressed, the adrenal glands release cortisol, which is also known as the stress hormone. When chronic stress is present and cortisol levels stay elevated, you may experience brain fog, anxiety, depression, overeating, hypertension, or heart issues.
This is why stress management plays a crucial role in balancing hormones and was critical for the shifts I’ve experienced and how I’m feeling as well. There are many ways to reduce your stress with lifestyle changes. For me, it was important to get more intentional about my schedule and practice breathwork regularly.
If this resonates for you, learn more about the benefits of breathwork for reducing stress in our podcast episode, Using Breathwork as a Path to Wellness.
5. Moderate Alcohol and Caffeine Intake
In most cases, it’s not problematic to consume alcohol and caffeine in moderation (unless you have an intolerance or dependence on them). In excess, however, both substances wreak havoc on your hormones, specifically the pituitary hormones estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone.
Enjoying a moderate intake of alcohol and caffeine, or letting it go altogether, is a simple way to promote hormonal balance. Note that this is a lifestyle shift that may take time. If you’re used to multiple cups of coffee or a few glasses of wine a day, you can slowly wean yourself down to just one or none over the course of a few weeks to give your body time to adjust.
6. Get Adequate Sleep
While sleep deprivation wasn’t an issue for me, it is the culprit for many women experiencing hormonal imbalances. Here are a few reasons why this is such an important lifestyle factor to consider as you heal:
Your brain requires uninterrupted sleep to release the growth hormone, which in turn promotes muscle and bone density.
Sleep deprivation affects melatonin secretion, which can impair the sleep-wake cycle and cause issues such as fatigue or insomnia.
While it can be challenging to get adequate sleep for many reasons (hello hectic work schedules and parenting), it’s best to aim for at least seven hours each night as often as possible.
For me, the challenge was calming my mind in the evening and unplugging from work to reduce stimulus and unwind. Allowing my cortisol levels to lower and my melatonin levels to rise was (and is) a very important part of my journey and something that may be supportive for you to focus on as well.
Learn More About My Experience
If you’ve been diagnosed with a hormonal imbalance, it can be supportive to hear from others who have as well. That’s why I regularly share my story and talk about hormones on the Balanced Life Podcast. Here are a few episodes to check out if you want to learn more about my experience and this topic:
If your health feels “off,” but it’s hard to put your finger on the exact cause, consider whether there’s a hormonal imbalance at play. If so, understanding the root and then balancing hormones naturally with these simple, but important shifts can be just what you need to get back to feeling like yourself again.
If you don’t care what ketones are and are just here for the weight-loss stuff, 
