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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.

Well I got answers, sucka! And lots of LEGO photos.

In addition to helping people go paleo with our Online Coaching Program, we also create epic guides like this one that covers all the basics!

Is Paleo right for you? Maybe! Our coaches can help you decide:

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):

INTRODUCTION TO PALEO:

• What is the Paleo Diet and how does it work?
• Will I lose weight on the Paleo Diet?

WHAT CAN I EAT ON THE PALEO DIET?

• What can I eat on the Paleo Diet? (Paleo Diet Rules)
• What CAN’T I eat on the Paleo Diet?
• Can I eat grains on the Paleo Diet?
• Can I eat dairy on the Paleo Diet?
• Can I eat cheese on the Paleo Diet?

SHOPPING LIST AND EATING PLAN

• Paleo Diet Shopping Guide: List of foods on the Paleo Diet
• What does a typical day look like on the Paleo Diet?
• Paleo Recipes & Paleo Resources.

IS PALEO DANGEROUS?

• Is the Paleo Diet dangerous?
• Who shouldn’t do the Paleo Diet?
• How to do the Paleo Diet safely.

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:

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.

It’s also the most time-tested diet ever.

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:

1. Only eat foods a caveman would eat
2. 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.

It’s helped many people achieve jaw-dropping transformations, including my friend Saint, (whose story you can read here):

Or Staci from Team NF, a Senior Coach in our 1-on-1 Coaching Program):

The Paleo Diet will work for you, if you do it right.

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.

It comes down to science and thermodynamics.

As I point out in our article on How to Lose Weight: What’s the Perfect Diet (For me?), if you want to lose weight:

1. Eat fewer calories than you burn every day.
2. Want to also be healthy? Eat mostly real food.

Want to KEEP the weight off?

Add #3: Do those two things consistently for a decade.

Here’s WHY you’ll lose weight on the Paleo Diet: 

1. 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.
2. 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.

Let me share a really obvious example.

200 calories of broccoli gets you enough veggies to fill up an entire plate:

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.

I dig into this in even greater detail in “Why can’t I lose weight?” but it all comes down to “calories in, calories out.”

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.
• Oils – minimally processed, derived from plants: olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil.
• Fats: ghee, lard, or other animal fats.
• Fruits – apples, pears, bananas, grapes, strawberries.
• 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:

1. Avocados
2. Almond (and almond butter)
3. Fatty cuts of meat
4. Walnuts
5. Coconut oil
6. 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.

Personally, I function better on a higher carb, lower fat diet (which is how I lost 22 pounds in 6 months).

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.

We do cover “Paleo vs Keto: Which is Better” if you’re deciding between the two.

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!

In fact, people like you are the reason we created our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program!

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.

That doesn’t sound so bad, right?

Make sure you check out our Paleo Diet Recipes and Resources section too for more options.

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?

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So you’re trying to lose weight fast, eh?

I hear ya. It’s what most people are after!

There’s just one problem. 

There’s an ABSURD amount of horrible advice out there for quick weight loss.

I’m looking at you “Weight Loss Tea” and “Fat Burner Cookies.”

Fortunately, us nerds at Nerd Fitness actually help people get healthy with things like “science” and “proven strategies that last.” 

We have thousands of success stories from our community and 1 million+ people tune in each month for our advice on getting in shape.

Below, we’ll share with you our 9 strategies for safe, sustainable weight loss. We use these as part of our Online Coaching Program and today you’ll learn them too. 

Want to lose weight quickly and safely? We can help!

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• What is the fastest way to lose weight? (4 common methods)
• How much weight can I expect to lose?
• How do you maintain your weight loss? (Real talk)
• 9 habits for weight loss (that we use with our clients)
• How to lose weight fast (next steps)

We have a lot to cover, so let’s jump right in!

What Is the Fastest Way to Lose Weight? (4 Common Methods)

 

At some point in this guide, I’m going to try and talk you out of trying to lose weight as fast as possible. 

But now is not that time. 

If you are trying to lose weight quickly, there are 4 common ways of going about it. Each will have some pros and cons, so let’s discuss.

#1) Very Low-Calorie Dieting

This is probably the most common way to quickly lose weight: don’t eat much.

A very low-calorie diet (VLCD) is defined as any diet ranging from 450-800 calories a day.^[1]

For reference, there are about 550 calories in a McDonald’s Big Mac.

So we’re talking about a hamburger and maybe an apple to eat for a day. That’s it.

Unsurprisingly, starving oneself by going on a VLCD will create fast weight loss.^[2] However, these diets should only be done under medical supervision because you can run into some serious nutritional deficiencies and other health complications if you don’t know what you’re doing.^[3] Additionally, as you’ll soon learn: “temporary changes create temporary solutions.” So, following a VLCD to lose a few pounds will only work for as long as you eat in this fashion.

Not great!

Verdict: Talk to a doctor before trying this.

#2) Protein-Sparing Modified Fasts

A protein-sparing modified fast (PSMF) is much like a VLCD, but the calories you eat more or less come from protein sources.^[4] 

With a PSMF, you eat:

• About 0.68 grams of protein per pound you weigh (1.5g/kg). So if you weigh 250 pounds, you would target 170 grams of protein. 
• Typically a total of 12-17 oz in the form of lean meat, poultry, fish, seafood, eggs, low-fat cheese, or tofu.
• Less than 20g of carbohydrates a day (about 2 servings of low-starch vegetables, with unlimited lettuce salad).
• No fats outside of those in protein sources (no butter, oils, nuts, or seeds).
• A multivitamin and some other electrolyte supplements. 

That’s about it. 

Why the focus on protein?

As we discuss in our Protein 101 guide, eating plenty of protein is critical when you’re losing weight, to ensure you’re losing the right kind of weight.

When you’re in a caloric deficit, your body needs to pull from current stores to function, which means it might pull from both body fat AND muscle. 

Obviously, from a health and physique standpoint, that’s not good.

This explains why a PSMF prioritizes protein: it can help maintain muscle during a drastic calorie deficit.

I already know your next question: is this safe?

• In the short term? Probably.
• In the long term? Ehhhh.

A two-week study found the PSMF to result in safe and effective weight loss.^[5] 

However, a three-month study found nutritional deficiencies were developing in those following a PSMF, even with the added multivitamin and supplements.^[6]

Verdict: In the short term (a week or two), this is fine. In the long term, I would check in with a doctor.

#3) Ketogenic Diets

Low-carb diets are all the rage these days.

Your co-worker, their spouse, and their dog walker’s nephew have all (probably) tried a low-carb diet recently. 

Out of all the low-carb variations out there, the Ketogenic or Keto Diet is one of the more  strict versions, as you basically cut out all or most carbohydrates. 

While the exact prescription of a Keto Diet will vary depending on who you talk to, generally a Keto Diet has you:

• Keeping carbs to about less than 30-50 grams a day. For reference, a banana has about 27 grams of carbs.
• Consuming protein at about 0.6 grams for every pound you weigh (about 1.35g per kilogram).
• Eating the rest of your calories from fat.

If you’re interested in learning more, I recommend you check out our GIANT eBook, The Beginner’s Guide to the Keto Diet. Grab it for free when you sign up in the box below:

The short and gist of the Keto Diet:

• Low-carb diets are generally considered safe.^[7]
• Weight loss can occur on a low-carb diet (as long as you can stick with it), since you’re cutting out an entire macronutrient and most likely reducing total calories consumed.^[8]
• Your results may vary.

Verdict: If you want, go ahead and try the Keto Diet. Lots of people have had success with it. Just know that it’s pretty tough to stick with, which we’ll come back to later.

#4) Weight Loss from Dehydration

If an athlete needs to drop weight quickly for a match or competition, they’ll often do so by dropping water weight.

Think of someone in MMA or bodybuilders, who need to reach a certain weight temporarily to stay in or make a certain weight class. 

If today they’re 160 pounds, but in three days they need to be 150, they’ll often dehydrate themselves to get there.

Some tricks to lose water weight include:

• Jogging around in full sweatsuits.
• Sitting in hot saunas.
• Removing all salt from the diet (since it helps you hold water).
• Going super low-carb (carbs also help with retaining water).
• Not drinking any water the day of the weigh-in.

While these tips might help someone qualify for a competition, we’re not talking about fat loss here, so avoid playing with dehydration to get in shape. Plus, many of these strategies could potentially impact your health if you’re not careful.^[9]

Verdict: Don’t bother.

If you’re wondering if there’s a better strategy for fast weight loss than these 4 protocols, we can help! If you’re interested, we’ll set you up with your very own NF Coach who will create a weight loss plan that isn’t so drastic (or soul-crushing):

Dieting sucks. Let us help you fix your nutrition and lose weight without being miserable:

How Much Weight Can I Expect to Lose?

We’ve all seen advertisements that say:

• Lose 5 pounds in a week.
• Ditch the stubborn “belly fat.”
• Get that bikini body by the summer!

Walk down any magazine aisle and you’ll see:

Flat abs in 28 days? 10 pounds lost easily? Wha…

It’s no wonder that many think weight loss can be done quickly .

Here’s the truth: no one can tell you exactly how much weight you’ll lose in any given time period.

It’ll depend on your energy balance (“calories in” compared to “calories out”), metabolism, physical activity, and body composition.

However, we can talk about some realistic expectations as pointed out below by my friends at Precision Nutrition:

By “pace,” we mean consistency:

• Extreme. You need to follow your program 100% of the time.
• Reasonable. This is about 70-80% consistent with the program.
• Comfortable. You’re consistent about 50-60% of the time.

More on this in our next section.

I should also say, your weight loss progress will not be linear.

You’ll lose fat faster when:

• You first begin your weight loss journey.
• You have more fat to lose.

Why?

Think of it this way: suppose you normally eat 3,000 calories per day and you maintain your current body weight.

Let’s imagine you bring this down to 2,000 calories, a deficit of 1,000 calories per day. With this new approach, you’ll start to lose weight.

But as you begin to lose weight, your calorie requirements will go down. 

Simply put, there is less of you that needs “fuel.”

Yep, the bigger you are, the more calories you need. The smaller you are, the fewer calories you need. 

In other words: your metabolism doesn’t have to work as hard to fuel all of your bodily functions, has less weight to carry, and thus it will burn fewer calories compared to when you were much bigger.

Here is the estimated daily resting calorie burn (“sit on your ass all day”) of a 35-year old male nerd at 3 very different weights – which you can learn from our Calorie Calculator:

• 300 lbs: 2,600 calories.
• 250 lbs: 2,300 calories.
• 200 lbs: 2,000 calories.  

WHAT THIS MEANS: Unless you adjust your calorie intake as your weight decreases… your previous calorie intake amount becomes less and less effective at losing weight, until you hit an equilibrium.

Another piece of the equation: your body will become more efficient at the exercise you do.^[9]

Here’s an example:  if you burn 100 calories running a mile, if you continue to run this same distance at the same speed, eventually you’ll only burn 95 calories running that same mile. Then 90. And so on. 

None of this is meant to freak you out, but it is important to understand if you can’t seem to lose weight. 

Alright, I told you this was coming. 

At this point, we need to talk about ALL the problems with “losing weight as fast as possible.”

How Do You Maintain Your Weight Loss? (Real Talk)

I’m going to make an assumption about you:

This probably isn’t your first rodeo, nor is it the first time you’ve looked into fast weight loss. 

How’d that turn out the last time you tried it?

I’m not asking this to be a jerk, but rather to make a point:

I like you, your friends like you, and the world needs you to be the healthiest superhero version of yourself you can be.

The problem with the four strategies we talked about earlier (and the other diets that you’ve probably tried), is they generally aren’t sustainable.

Can you live off 500 calories for a few days?

Probably.

Can you do it for a whole year? 

Nope.

As we mention in The 5 Rules of Weight Loss, any benefit you get from a diet is only going to last as long as you do the diet. 

Said another way:

• Temporary changes create temporary results.
• Permanent changes create permanent results.

Sure, it’s great when people try the Keto Diet and lose 20 pounds. But as soon as they ditch low-carb, they generally regain the weight back.

We want sustainable changes and permanent weight loss. 

It doesn’t really matter how much weight you lose in your first week or first month, but rather how much weight you have lost after 1 year, and how you feel after that year. 

That’s why in our Online Coaching Program, we don’t focus on losing weight as fast as possible. We focus on slowly developing 9 skills that help our clients level up permanently.

Although we focus on long-term behavior change and permanent progress, many of our clients end up losing weight pretty quickly, like Sarah the supermom here, who lost 30 pounds in six months. 

This might seem counterintuitive, but after years of running Nerd Fitness, I’ve learned it to be true:

Small changes, consistently taken, create the fastest path to lose weight.

Think of the classic story of the Tortoise and the Hare. 

The fast-starting hare becomes bored and decides to take a quick nap, while the slow-but-consistent tortoise keeps its pace. When the hare wakes up, it’s too late. The race has been won by the tortoise.

The morale here: the race is not always won by the swiftest.

Make a small change. Once it becomes a normal part of your life, make another. Then another.

That’s how the tortoise would do it. 

This is a message I really strike home in the video on “How to Get in Shape,” which is right here for you:

Now, let’s talk about what small changes you can make. 

9 Habits for Successful Weight Loss

Here are 9 skills to help you achieve fast and sustainable weight loss:

#1) Plan and Take Action

If you’re going to embark on a weight loss journey, you’re gonna need to do some preparation.

You can’t just open your fridge and expect there to be healthy food ready to go.

That would be a magic fridge.

 

Our first step in helping someone get healthy, whether through our Coaching Program or in NF Prime, is by outlining a plan.

Then, we need to act on it. 

There are two ways we go about this:

• Make time on your calendar. This can be a reminder to buy food, prep dinner, or go for a walk. It doesn’t have to be a huge block of time, but we need to get you in the habit of making space for your goals, otherwise they won’t happen. Step number here one is to make time. 
• Have “Daily Wins” in the direction of your goal. What we do every day will end up defining us, so daily adherence is important. However, this can be a small action, even just 5-minutes. We call this our “Daily Win.” It could be to drink a glass of water or go do some jumping jacks. The point here is to be able to crush this goal, no matter what it is. It’ll help us build momentum.

When you start a weight loss journey, take some time to plan and prepare. Don’t just say “I’m gonna start tomorrow.” Think of when you’re going to make a change, what you’re going to change, and why. 

Then create a path where you can take a step in that direction every single day, no matter how small it may seem.

This will add up quickly, I promise.

#2) Develop Healthier Eating Behavior

So many people ask us “what” to eat.

But we rarely get people asking us “how” to eat.

Both are super important for losing weight. 

There are a few things we can work on to develop this “how” skill:

• Eat mindfully and slowly. Your body takes a while to recognize it’s full, so slowing down and concentrating on your meal can help with overeating. Some of our Daily Wins here could include using a meal timer, putting your fork down between bites, and eating without the TV or your phone around (no distractions). 
• Recognize hunger and fullness cues. Sometimes, we eat just to eat. Maybe we’re actually more bored than hungry. To help fight this, a Daily Win could be to keep a “Hunger and Fullness Journal.” Here, you rate your hunger from 1 to 10 before you eat anything. If it’s less than 6 or 7, maybe pause for 30 minutes or so and check back in later. It’s the same idea for our fullness. Pause during the meal, and ask yourself “how hungry am I still?” If your hunger has subsided, maybe save the rest of your food for later. The goal here is to eat (and continue eating) only when you’re hungry.
• Create a schedule for meals. Most people do best with eating on some type of routine. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner at roughly the same time. Your body will pick up on this and naturally get hungry at the times you normally eat. Predictable meals can help with weight loss.

#3) Balance Energy Intake to Your Goals.

You’ll hear us talk about “energy balance” throughout Nerd Fitness.

As we point out in The 5 Rules of Weight Loss, study^[10] after study^[11] after study^[12] shows that our bodies obey the laws of thermodynamics and that to lose weight, we need to burn more calories than we consume regularly.

So it’s important to have a sense of how many calories you need to hit your goals.

Some actions we can take here:

• Calculate your calorie requirements. We don’t need you to be exact, but we need a rough ballpark on how many calories you need given your body composition, activity level, and goals.
• Determine the calories in the food you eat. Next, we need to figure out how many calories you’re actually eating. Apps can be helpful here, but you can also use the “Hand Portion” tool found in our ““How to Portion Control” Guide. 
• Track your progress. There’s a lot of educated guesswork in matching calories in to calories out, so the most important thing we can do is track the results. If you’re seeing progress, great! Keep going. Not seeing progress? No problem. We’ll take that information like a scientist would and adjust our experiment. 

This is one of the more difficult steps in our 9 Skills to Lose Weight, so if you want a Nerd Fitness Coach to give you a hand, we got you:

Your Nerd Fitness Coach can help create a sustainable plan for weight loss!

#4) Choose Higher-Quality Foods More Often.

Throughout our Guide to Healthy Eating, we promote two ideas:

• You don’t have to completely give up the food you love like pizza, cheeseburgers, or ice cream. These can be eaten “SOMETIMES.”
• Foods of “higher quality” should be prioritized and eaten more often. We place these in our “YES” category. 

We find this “eat more of” and “eat less of” stance to be less overwhelming to our coaching clients than providing hard and stringent rules about food. 

Less overwhelming = more sustainable = win. 

 

I’m sure you now have some questions:

• What foods should be “SOMETIMES”?
• How often is this?
• What foods should be “YES”?

The answer: it’s actually up to you to help figure that out!

That’s not meant to be a cop-out, so let me explain:

Our goal here is to move you to “higher-quality food” over time.

We can get there by working on the following:

• Set criteria for “better” or “worse.” If we’re going to adjust your eating habits, we need to define our goals. For example, whole wheat bread will typically contain more nutrients than white bread, so it would be “better.” French fries often have more calories than a boiled potato, so it would be “worse.” I put these in quotes because if you want french fries right now, it’s “better,” even if it contains more calories. This goes back to our “SOMETIMES” discussion. 
• Eat more whole, minimally processed food. You know the drill here: we’re after fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fresh meats, raw nuts, etc. These foods will generally have more nutrients intact. Plus, we want you to eat a variety of them (berries and oranges instead of only eating apples) so you get more nutrients that way. These foods are often “better” than their processed counterparts. 
• Eat less processed foods. While you can totally eat pizza and drink beer and still be healthy (I do and am), we want these to be “SOMETIMES” meals instead of “ALL THE TIME” meals. If you eat pizza twice a week, maybe we get it down to once a week.

If you’re interested in losing weight fast, a key skill will be to eat higher quality food more often.

#5) Obtain Proper Nutrients.

This one builds up from our last skill: choose higher-quality food more often.

That’s because higher-quality food will provide your body with more nutrients.

But we can get more specific than that.

Here are some actions to ensure you’re getting proper nutrients throughout your day.

• Eat lean protein at most meals. This would include lean cuts of beef or chicken, greek yogurt, or beans and lentils. Protein is one of the most critical macronutrients for your health, so it’s critical to prioritize it at every meal.
• Eat colorful fruits and vegetables. The color of produce generally signifies the nutrients it contains (green veggies will have vitamin K), so it’s important to eat the whole rainbow when it comes to your fruits and veggies.^[13] Try to include some colorful produce at most meals. 
• Choose high-fiber carbohydrates. Think fruits, tubers, legumes (beans/lentils), and whole grains here. The fiber will help slow digestion and provide long-lasting energy. 
• Pick healthy fats. Foods like avocados, nuts, and olive oil. These will help you stay full and help regulate inflammation.^[14]
• Stay hydrated. You need to be properly hydrated for all the nutrients you consume to work well.^[15] Plus, drinking plenty of water can help you stay full between meals. 

#6) Move Your Body.

Our bodies evolved to move regularly. Yet for those of us in industrialized countries, we often only move to get from our homes to our car, to an office where we sit all day, then back home.

That’s why we often need to plan regular movement.

While we’re big fans of strength training around these parts, it doesn’t have to be that intense to get started. At first, it can literally be anything that gets your body moving. Even just taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

You can even build your “workout” around movement that doesn’t feel like exercise, like playing with your kids.

The important thing: plan it! Schedule your movement, no matter how small, so that way it becomes habitual.

Yes, even if it’s just taking the stairs. It might seem small and insignificant, but if you do it regularly, it’ll start to add up quickly. 

#7) Get Good Rest and Sleep.

The other thing people often neglect in industrialized countries: sleep.

As a whole, we’re getting less shuteye than we used to, with about 35% of folks reporting they get less than 7 hours of sleep per night.^[16]

But it’s not just good quality sleep we’re after, it’s also rest.

That means not only days off from the gym to let your muscles heal and recover, but also downtime to let your mind relax. 

This matters for our discussion on weight loss:

• Sleep helps us regulate our metabolism, which partially explains the link between sleep deprivation and obesity.^[17]
• Stress, and the hormones that come with it, can influence weight gain.^[18]

If you want more help here, check out our 10 Tips for Improved Sleep. 

#8) Find a Supportive Environment.

Our environment can include a lot of things:

• Our home and work.
• The town or city we live in.
• Our friends and family.

Some of our environment is in our control. Some of it (like the weather) is not.

When possible, we want to change our environment to support our weight loss efforts, so we’re set up for success.

For our physical surroundings, we often call this “Building our Batcave.”

We want the things around us to promote our fitness goals.

This could include healthy snacks in the fridge or weights in the basement for our home gym.

However, it’s not just material things here, because we also need to look at the people we surround ourselves with or “our squad.” Having people who support your efforts, or are themselves working towards a similar goal, can be critical for weight loss.

So can having a coach in your corner who knows the path forward.

Any way that you can adapt your environment to match your weight loss goals, the better. 

#9) Balance Emotions without Food

It’s perfectly normal and okay to use food to match emotions.

• Celebrating a promotion? A dinner out can be the perfect reaction.
• Tough day at work? Maybe a glass of wine will help you relax.

As we point out in our Guide to Stress Eating, the problem arises when we are no longer in control of food because of our emotions. 

Coach Justin does a great job of explaining why here:

Food can be fine as a reward or as a relief, as long as it’s us controlling the behavior and not the food itself. Developing this skill will be important for sustainable weight loss.

If you find yourself  “stress eating,” know that you are not alone here.

One of the top issues faced by clients in our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program is emotional or stress eating. With the eruption of the pandemic, these episodes have only increased.

You’re not alone in this. Learn how a Nerd Fitness Coach can help.

How to Lose Weight Fast (Next Steps)

I’m going to be real with you: developing and mastering all 9 weight-loss skills is going to take a while.

And that’s okay!

This is the fastest way to lose weight permanently. 

Here’s the thing though: you don’t actually need to master all 9 skills to see progress.

As we discussed earlier, even if you just develop 4 or 5 of them, you’ll see results. 

It’s something I discuss with Coach Matt in our video from Nerd Fitness Prime, on thinking of fitness as a “Dial,” not a “Light Switch.” 

Because we’ve found that even if people are only consistent with their goals 50% of the time, it’s enough to make some progress and build momentum..

So here’s your new mission: work on ONE of these skills by taking ONE action.

That’s it. Don’t overwhelm yourself, but do take action today.

Which one should you pick? 

Start with the first one, “Plan and Take Action.” 

Make some time on your calendar for a 5-minute Daily Win tomorrow. Go for a walk, or prepare ONE healthy meal.

Make it something that doesn’t overwhelm you.. 

The win isn’t as important as following through, because that will help us build momentum in the right direction.

If you want some help getting going, I got you.

Here are three ways to continue your journey with Nerd Fitness. 

#1) Our 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:

Our coaching program changes lives. Learn how!

#2) Check out NF Journey, our fun habit-building app that helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally). 

 

You gain access to this app through Nerd Fitness Prime.

Learn more about Nerd Fitness Prime!

Option #3) Join the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion.

Sign up in the box below to enlist and get our Rebel Starter Kit, which includes all of our “work out at home” guides, the Nerd Fitness Diet Cheat Sheet, and much more!

Alright, I want to hear from you:

Any skills for weight loss that I’m missing?

What have you had success with?

What are you still having trouble doing?

You’re not the only one trying to lose weight, so share with us your journey in the comments so we can support each other!

-Steve

PS: If you’re just starting your weight loss journey, make sure you check out:

• The 5 Rules of Weight Loss
• How Many Calories Should I Eat?
• Why Can’t I Lose Weight?

PPS: Shoutout to Precision Nutrition for helping to outline the skills needed for weight loss. 

###

Photo source: Olga Yastremska © 123RF.com, Ekaterina Minaeva © 123RF.com, Nattapol Sritongcom © 123RF.com, andersonrise © 123RF.com, Samo Trebizan © 123RF.com.

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So you’ve decided it’s time to learn about the Carnivore Diet?

Well my friend, you’ve arrived at the right place!

We dissect different nutritional strategies for our coaching clients and we are really freaking good at it!

Is an all-meat diet right for you? Let our coaches help you decide!

Here’s what we’ll cover in our guide to the Carnivore Diet:

• Question 1: What is the Carnivore Diet? 
• The history of the Carnivore Diet (Surviving on an all-meat diet)
• Question 2: What are the benefits of the Carnivore Diet? 
• Question 3: What do you eat on a Carnivore Diet? 
• Question 4: Is the Carnivore Diet safe? Is an all-meat diet healthy?
• Bowel movements on an all-meat diet (I know you’re curious)
• Question 5: How do I start the Carnivore Diet? (Magnesium and potassium recommendations)
• Next steps for adopting a healthy diet.

Alright, it’s time to fire up the grill. Let’s talk meat.

What Is The Carnivore Diet?

In simple terms, the Carnivore Diet is the following: Eat meat. Drink water. Consume nothing else.

If you like steak, and not much more, this could be the diet for you.

The Carnivore Diet—as the name implies—is eating only animal products. Meat, more meat, topped with meat.

An all-meat diet would avoid:

• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Grains
• Legumes
• Nuts
• Seeds

Again, you just eat meat.

Dairy MIGHT be included, depending on your interpretation of the diet. Yes, it’s from an animal. However, lactose is a sugar (carb), which might be frowned upon. It depends on who you talk to. We’ll touch on different versions of meat-eating later.

The big point of the Carnivore Diet is to eat no plant products.

The literal opposite of a vegan diet.

If you thought the Paleo or Keto Diet were restrictive with regards to carbs, welcome to the next level. Eating only one food group, meat, is about as restrictive as you can get. Right up there with the Potato Diet or the “30 Bananas a Day” Diet, which are both real things, but for another day.

You might have also heard of the Carnivore Diet as the “Zero Carb Diet.” However, this is a little bit of a misnomer, because there are actually some carbs in meat. They come in the form of glycogen. Although this could be nitpicking because the total carb content is minimal, but it’s worth noting.

No matter what you call it, this diet of only animal products has grown in popularity in the recent past.

But its history actually goes even farther back…

THE HISTORY OF THE CARNIVORE DIET (SURVIVING ON AN ALL MEAT DIET)

If you’re going to have a debate on the merits of eating only meat, we should probably discuss the Inuit.

The Inuit are an indigenous tribe inhabiting the Arctic. What’s important about the Inuit, for this article, is that they have traditionally eaten a diet high in meat.

There’s not a whole lot of fresh plants in the icy Arctic. Especially in the winter months, when sunlight becomes scarce. So in order to survive, the Inuit traditionally had to subsist on a diet of animal products like fish, walrus, and seal.

There just wasn’t much to eat outside of what you could hunt.

The interesting thing: the Inuit have traditionally held low rates of heart disease coupled with no nutritional deficiencies.^[1] That is until, sadly, they were introduced to a more Western diet: including pizza, chips, and soda. Then as you would predict, diabetes and obesity rates rose.

The health of the Inuit, despite their restricted nutritional choices, is often referred to as the “Inuit Paradox” of a high-meat, high-fat diet.

So let’s bring things into a more modern era and chat about Vilhjalmur Stefansson.

Stefansson was a Harvard-educated Arctic explorer born in 1879. If you’re imagining some type of wiley-Indiana-Jones-like character, you wouldn’t be wrong.

When exploring the Arctic, Stefansson lived off the land, by adopting the Inuit way of eating mostly meat. At first, Stefansson did it out of necessity. But then a Carnivore Diet became his preference. When he returned to his home, Stefansson commented on how an all-meat diet made him feel the leanest and healthiest.

Stefansson may be one of the first proponents of a “no-carb diet,” as he gave many interviews and reports on his experiences of eating like a carnivore.

He even wrote an article where he discussed his adventures in the Arctic, including why he adopted an all-meat diet.^[2]

An important point on Stefansson: he prized the fattiest cuts of meat he could find, and ate unconventional parts of an animal, just like the Inuit. Stefansson explained that he varied between, “steaks, chops, brains fried in bacon fat, boiled short-ribs, chicken, fish, liver, and bacon.” So yeah, not just ribeyes…

Why is the Carnivore Diet becoming popular now?

Simply put, a man named Shawn Baker.

Baker literally wrote the book The Carnivore Diet.

Now, before you send me an email explaining that Baker’s license to practice medicine in New Mexico has been revoked, let me say that I’m aware. And it is noteworthy.

However, I don’t want this fact to prevent us from looking at the ideas and evidence of an all-meat diet, especially considering the fact that you’re reading this to get the real story!

Despite the controversy surrounding Baker, there does seem to be anecdotal evidence on the benefits of eating only meat. There’s an entire subreddit of people consuming only animal products, claiming it’s helped them in all sorts of ways.^[3]

Folks report losing weight, curing autoimmune diseases, and raising testosterone. All by forgoing any kind of plant product.

Which is a good segway into our next section…

What Are The Benefits Of The Carnivore Diet?

The benefits of the Carnivore Diet rests on two points:

1. Potential for weight loss.
2. To identify food intolerances or allergies.

Let’s look at both of those:

To lose weight, you need to expend more calories than you consume. And if all you are consuming is meat, you’re cutting out most major food groups.

Like, all of them, except one.

And meat can be very satiating, meaning it’ll keep you feeling full and under your calorie intake goal for the day. So I imagine a lot of folks following the Carnivore Diet are just subconsciously eating fewer calories than they were in the past.

That’s why I believe a lot of the anecdotal evidence of people achieving weight loss success with this diet.

However, as I point out in the “Which Diet is Right For Me?” article, any diet that results in calorie restriction will likely work when it comes to weight loss – at least in the short term.

You can lose weight on the Twinkie Diet, but that doesn’t necessarily make it sustainable or healthy!

So, whether it’s the Carnivore Diet or Intermittent Fasting or Paleo, if you have a plan and can sustain it indefinitely, permanent results will probably follow.

We’ll touch on this again later.

Onto Point #2: How about eating only meat to fix food allergies or intolerances?

If you have a food intolerance, it means you have some sort of negative reaction to a specific type of food. Gluten or dairy or nightshades, for example. Eliminating these potential causes for illness or discomfort in an attempt to see how your body responds makes logical sense.

And in fact, many scientific studies rely on some sort of elimination or oligoantigenic diet (another term for an elimination diet), to identify potential allergy issues in patients.^[4]

The big difference is, a lot of these elimination diets are designed to be temporary, with the goal being to reintroduce many safe food groups over time. Conversely, the Carnivore Diet aims to eliminate these permanently. In other words, there is no reintroduction stage. You just keep eating meat.

What’s so special about meat, and why eat only animals? The argument goes something like this:

#1) Meat protein is highly bioavailable. Animal protein has all the amino acids you need to live. And since you yourself are animal meat (weird to think about), the thought is your body doesn’t have to do many conversions for utilization.

Also, some nutrients like creatine, carnosine, and vitamin B12 are only found in meat. The argument goes, that eating meat is the easiest thing to support your own meaty body.

#2) Meat is a low allergen threat. Except for some seafood and shellfish, most people are not allergic to meat, especially red meat.^[5] That’s often why elimination diets okay red meat, as long as it hasn’t been processed and pumped full of additives (potential allergens).

However, it is worth noting there is a tick whose bite has been linked to creating an allergic reaction to red meat specifically.^[6] Nature can be cruel. However, for the most part, people are not very allergic to meat.

#3) Phytonutrients in plants can be pesticides. Since plants don’t have legs to run away from a hungry critter, they have to rely on other means to escape being eaten. Sometimes, it’s an outer barrier, like bark. However, it can also be chemical warfare, with plants producing toxins to poison, kill, or just bother whatever animal is eating them.^[7]

The theory goes that people can be allergic to these chemicals. Now, we’ve evolved to handle these phytonutrients, and they actually provide health benefits for most.^[8]

That’s why many health professionals encourage the consumption of vegetables, fruit, and grain. However, people can indeed be allergic to certain phytonutrients, so the argument from the pro-all-meat camp states to avoid them completely.

There’s a counterargument for each point above, which we will get to. However, the carnivore community does have some interesting objections to eating plants.

Okay, so we’ve discussed why people would eat only meat.

What’s this Carnivore Diet actually look like?

Is it as simple as it sounds? We’ll explore the ins and outs of an all-meat diet in just a moment.

First, if you are trying to lose weight and wondering if the Carnivore Diet is the solution, I’m proud of you for at least THINKING about different nutritional strategies that might align with your lifestyle and goals. 

Lots of our coaching clients come to us with all sorts of different fitness questions, like what to eat and how to exercise, proving we all start from unique situations. The important thing is that you’re beginning to ask questions and looking for answers. 

If you want help on your journey, we’re here for you. Our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program partners busy people just like you with a coach who will get to know you better than you know yourself.

A Nerd Fitness Coach can guide your weight loss and answer all your fitness questions! Learn more here.

WHAT DO YOU EAT ON A CARNIVORE DIET? WHAT’S ALLOWED ON A ZERO CARB DIET PLAN?

I thought about answering this section’s question with one word, “meat,” and moving on. However, there are some specifics and alternatives worth discussing for the Carnivore Diet meal plan.

First, if it’s an animal, it’s allowed on the Carnivore Diet:

• Beef. The primary meat of choice for those on the Carnivore Diet seems to be beef. Shawn Baker practically lives on ribeye steaks at home and ground beef patties when he’s out and about.
• Lamb. Another red meat often consumed on an all-meat diet.
• Pork. You have permission to eat bacon on the Carnivore Diet, or other pork products.
• Fowl. Our feathered friends are acceptable on an all-meat diet. Chicken, turkey, duck, etc.
• Fish. If it swam, go for it. Even if it didn’t (muscles, oysters), if it’s an animal from the sea it’s fair game.

A good rule of thumb: if a Tyrannosaurus rex that’s escaped from its pen would eat it, you can eat it too.

Just a little dino humor here. Though Triceratop Tri-Tip would also fit the menu.

I know your next question: “Steve, how about dairy? It’s an animal product. Yay or nay?”

Technically, dairy can be allowed, as it’s from a cow.

However, some advocates of the Carnivore Diet say skip it altogether, because of the possible concern of lactose intolerance.

It’s not the only gray area on an all-meat diet.

How about coffee or tea? Well, they aren’t from an animal, that’s for sure. But the calories they contain are practically zero.

Allowed? Eh, I’d say it depends on your goal.

• If you’re experimenting with a Carnivore Diet for weight loss, yeah, why not? Because again, there are almost no calories there.
• If you’re doing an all-meat diet to determine possible food intolerances, it should be noted that people can be allergic to coffee or tea. That’s why many elimination diets advise against them for a while.

The same argument could be made for spices or herbs to season your meat. No calories, but again, potential allergens. Outside of salt, any kind of seasoning allowance will depend on who’s advising you on the Carnivore Diet and why you’re doing it.  

And you might want to think about proper advice when following an all-meat diet.

IS THE CARNIVORE DIET SAFE?

Most dietitians would advise against eating a Carnivore Diet. Because, you know, the whole no fruits or veggies thing. And while here at Nerd Fitness, we believe in questioning everything (Rule # 8), the medical community might have a point on this one.

Now, I personally don’t put tremendous stock in the sensationalized headlines that state red meat is the most dangerous thing you can eat.^[9]

However, I don’t think this provides a giant green light to live on nothing but red meat either.

There are some things you really need plants and vegetables for. Some examples:

• Betaine is a vital nutrient needed for liver function. The best source? Spinach.
• Potassium is an electrolyte needed to help regulate blood pressure. Bananas, avocados, and leafy greens are great sources for potassium. While there is some potassium in meat, it’s debatable if it’s enough.
• Magnesium is a mineral that your body requires for literally hundreds of bodily functions. The best source? Greens, like spinach.
• Fermentable fiber is critical for our stomach’s microbiome. And in recent years, our knowledge of how important gut health is for overall wellbeing has grown.^[10] Eating an all-meat diet could have a big impact on gut health, because of the complete lack of fiber found in animal flesh.
• Phytonutrients found in plants can provide hormetic stress. I mentioned earlier that plant phytochemicals can act as pesticides. Well, we’ve actually evolved to handle these pesticides, and our cells become stronger after eating them.^[11] Sort of like how exercise stresses our body, but then we responded with more strength. Nature is clever like that.

And let’s circle back to both the Inuit and Harvard explorer examples from above. There are two things they did that most modern Carnivores probably aren’t doing:

1. They ate all sorts of different cuts and pieces of meat. The Inuit and Stefansson did not just eat lean pieces of caribou. They’d eat eyeballs, brains, and other organ meat, where a lot of extra nutrients can be hidden. They would also eat whale skin, which contains vitamin C.^[12] These “unconventional” cuts of meat hide a lot of extra nutrients the Inuit needed to thrive.
2. The Inuit traditionally did eat some plants. While granted, there’s not a lot of fresh greens up in the Arctic. There are some though, which the Inuit would eat when available.^[13] The Inuit would dine on berries, sea vegetables, and certain mosses when in season. While these plant products made up a small portion of their overall diet, it still provided them with additional vitamins and nutrients to complement their carnivore leaning ways. So it would be inaccurate to say they ate only meat.

So they’re not just eating lean chicken breast and grass-fed fillets. They’re eating the organs and other portions of animals that are LOADED with nutrients.

If you want to learn how to eat the entire animal, this book might help. 

But let’s get back to the challenge at hand.

Who knows what a diet devoid of vegetables can do to the body? The scary thing about that question is the answer: no one knows. That’s because there are no clinical trials done on a long-term Carnivore Diet.

Some in the pro-all-meat camp will cite this as a defense. No one has studied eating only meat. Perhaps their potassium requirements are different?

While an interesting counterargument, I veer away from the extremes when it comes to diet, especially if you don’t plan on making the changes permanent. Double especially with diets as extreme as a Zero Carb Diet.

I try to keep things simple, and not vilify or deify certain foods.

• Carbs are not inherently evil.
• Fat is not a health food.
• Butter is not a superfood just because you put it in your coffee.
• Protein is just one piece of the equation.

Our stance: I would advise against the Carnivore Diet, especially in the long term. And no diet should be started if it’s only going to be done temporarily. This creates temporary results. And the idea of only eating meat seems incongruent with a healthy, long lifestyle.

Maybe one day, the anecdotal claims of the benefits of an all-meat diet will be verified. For now, I don’t think there’s enough evidence in support, but enough to be concerned about pinning one’s health future on it

You do you, but be careful.

Sigh, you’re gonna try it, aren’t you?

Welp, I’ll get to my advice in a moment.

But there’s no way we can’t talk about…

BOWEL MOVEMENTS ON AN ALL MEAT DIET

Eating only meat is going to impact how and when you go to the bathroom. There’s no way out of it. Every person who writes about their experiences on a Carnivore Diet addresses it.

For one, the lack of fiber means you are going to poop less frequently.

Poop is made out of mostly water (75%), but it’s also composed of bacteria, protein, and fiber.

If you eat no plants, you aren’t getting fiber, which means less poop.

Also, when you go #2, it will likely be mushier (gross). Again, the no fiber thing.

It should be noted, however, that followers of an all-meat diet claim that while they don’t go to the restroom as frequently, they do not feel constipated. They simply don’t have to go.

So, ah, yay, less bathroom time?

I’ll also add some confusion to this section, by addressing a study that demonstrated people actually eased constipation by reducing or eliminating dietary fiber.^[14]

My thoughts on this study come back to balances and extremes. You need some fiber, but with anything, you can have too much as well.

Okay, I think we talked about poop enough today. We had to do it though. You know in your heart this is true.

HOW DO I START THE CARNIVORE DIET?

If you don’t heed my warning and decide to try the Carnivore Diet anyway, there are some things to consider.

Mark Sisson from Mark’s Daily Apple^[15] has some great suggestions on ways to potentially make a Carnivore Diet more sustainable:

1. Take magnesium. As I said a little bit ago, it wouldn’t be a joke to say your body runs on magnesium. I would hedge my bets and take a supplement.
2. Consider a potassium supplement. If you start to experience light-headedness and cramps, you may be deficient in electrolytes. Outside of magnesium, potassium would be a likely culprit since there isn’t much in meat. Bone broth would be a good source, but you might have to make your own because it’s normally mixed with veggies.^[16]
3. Eat eggs. It’s an animal product. Plus, it’s got all the ingredients (and nutrients) to make a bird. This could help with some of your potential nutritional deficiencies.
4. Eat liver. The liver is one of the most nutrient-dense organs found in the body. Mark Sisson calls it “nature’s most bioavailable multivitamin.”

So think about a supplement or two and don’t just live off ground beef. Animal organs are very nutritious. And maybe sneak in some occasional greens as the Inuit did.

Lost?

No worries, we got your back. Whether you’re following an all-meat diet or heading the opposite direction and eating only plants, we can provide the support and guidance you need to make it work!

Have a Nerd Fitness Coach guide your nutrition and answer all your fitness questions!

EATING A HEALTHY DIET PERMANENTLY

I don’t advocate diets that are designed to be unsustainable or short term.

And don’t even get me started on cleanses.

In the fitness world, we call them “crash diets.” While they may indeed help followers lose weight, they are not designed for the long term. If you go back to your normal way of eating after your temporary change in diet, you’ll likely regain all the weight you lost. This can prove to be a frustrating step in the fitness journey.

That would be one of my main concerns on the Carnivore Diet. It just doesn’t seem sustainable to me, which means any benefits you derive from it would disappear as soon as you go back to how you formerly ate.

The other concern would be not eating vegetables.

Now, if you are trying the diet to identify food intolerances or allergies, that’s one thing. However, if you’re after weight loss, I would STRONGLY advise a different path.

Try one small incremental change. Something you can stick with. Not eliminating most food groups.

Here are some small changes you can consider, as we cover in the 5 Rules of Weight Loss:

1. Try drinking one less soda a day.
2. Grab a side salad instead of french fries.
3. Make it exercise-related and begin with just taking a five-minute walk at first.

If it’s something you can imagine doing continuously, it’s a great start. We can then work on building you a second healthy habit.

If your change seems like an impossible lifestyle for years and years, likely to be abandoned, maybe try something else.

If you are experimenting with the Carnivore Diet as a potential temporary elimination diet: track everything!

Track what you ate and how you felt each day. Even note bathroom behavior. Track it all. Then, once you have some data, you can start to reintroduce foods to see if they create an impact.

That about does it for my thoughts on the Carnivore Diet.

Want some more help from here? The perfect next step for your fitness journey? 

Okay, here are my top recommendations, but only because I like you:

#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:

Our coaching program changes lives.

#2) Check out NF Journey, our fun habit-building app that helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally). 

You gain access to this app through Nerd Fitness Prime.

Learn more about Nerd Fitness Prime!

#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:

Now, your turn:

• Am I way off on this one? Should we all be eating steak for every meal?
• Is this diet even crazier than I am alluding to?
• Have you tried it? Know someone who has?

Let me know in the comments!

-Steve

PS: Make sure to read the rest of our guides on maintaining a proper diet:

• How to Start Eating Healthy
• Which Diet is Right for Me?
• The 5 Rules of Weight Loss

###

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So you’re interested in eating only plants, eh?

Well, you’ve come to the right place to learn all about it. 

We’ve helped many of our clients embark on a plant-based diet and there is definitely a right way and a wrong way to go vegan or vegetarian. 

Is a Plant-Based Diet right for you? Maybe! Let our coaches help you decide.

Here’s what we’ll cover in our guide to removing animal products from your diet:

• What is a plant-based diet?
• What foods can you eat on a plant-based diet?
• Will a plant-based diet help me lose weight?
• Will I get enough protein on a plant-based diet?
• How to build muscle on a plant-based diet.
• Calculating protein requirements for a plant-based athlete. 
• What are some good plant protein supplements?
• What’s a plant-based day of eating look like? (A Vegan Meal Plan)
• Common mistakes when following a plant-based diet (Beware of “Fake Meat”)
• What supplements should a vegan take?
• Trusted resources for embarking on a plant-based diet.
• Getting started with a plant-based diet (Next Steps)

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 flexitarian is 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 vegetarians because 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 Program to 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.

Have a Nerd Fitness Coach guide your nutrition and weight loss!

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 body can’t produce itself, 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:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Danielle Sidell M.S. (@dani_sidell) on Jan 14, 2019 at 10:26am PST

David Carter, a defensive lineman in the NFL, calls himself “The 300-Pound Vegan.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by David Carter (@iamdavidhcarter) on Apr 30, 2018 at 7:22pm PDT

Let’s not forget about Jeremy Reijnders, another CrossFit athlete and vegan proponent:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Jeremy Reijnders (@jeremyreijnders) on Jan 29, 2018 at 11:08am PST

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]

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Jon Venus (@jonvenus) on Jan 31, 2019 at 12:40pm PST

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!

To recap: if you are looking to strength train and build muscle on a Plant-Based Diet, it comes down to protein consumption, total calorie count, and training regiment!

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 but more carbohydrates and more calories than animal sources:

• 100 grams of black beans: 22 grams of protein in it. 339 calories, 63 grams of carbohydrates (16 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 less protein, twice as many calories, and more carbs compared to chicken. 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 tremendous 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!

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: :

1. Plants contain plenty of protein if you know where to look.
2. 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:

Breakfast:

• Apple Pie Smoothie
• Calorie: 485
• Protein: 36g
• Fat: 14g
• Carbohydrates: 54g

Lunch:

• Spicy Peanut Butter Tempeh
• Calorie: 608
• Protein: 43g
• Fat: 24g
• Carbohydrates: 42g

Afternoon Snack

• Green Protein Snack Pack
• Calorie: 117
• Protein: 11g
• Fat: 8g
• Carbohydrates: 16g

Dinner

• Italian Veggie “Meatballs” & Spaghetti
• Calorie: 498
• Protein: 36g
• Fat: 12g
• Carbohydrates: 61g

Late Night Snack

• Hummus and Toast
• Calorie: 316
• Protein: 19g
• Fat: 16g
• Carbohydrates: 24g

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:

 

Which means if this person eats like the above, he’ll build muscle and lose weight like a champ.

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 addition to the massive protein supplement section above, these are the supplements I would recommend:

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.

This B12 supplement is a good option.

It’s not the only supplement worth considering.

You could also consider taking an algae supplement, which is high in omega-3 fatty acids.

Why omega-3s?

1. Omega-3s have been shown to help fight depression.^[37]
2. The consumption of omega-3s has been linked to greater heart health.^[38]
3. 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:

1. Most people get their source of zinc and iron through animal products.
2. 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.

#3 Prioritize Protein

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.

#4 Meal Planning For the Win!

Everyone should meal plan.

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!

Do some push-ups.

And, ah, be nice to each other?

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:

Our coaching program changes lives.

#2) Check out NF Journey, our fun habit-building app that helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally). 

You gain access to this app through Nerd Fitness Prime.

Learn more about Nerd Fitness Prime!

#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:

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.

###

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Want to know how fruit fits into a healthy diet?

It’s a valid question! After all, it’s absolutely possible to lose weight eating fruit…and GAIN weight eating fruit! 

This is an area of focus for our 1-on-1 Coaching clients, but we’re gonna tell you everything you need to know below too.

How much fruit should you be eating? Let us help you decide!

Today we’ll help you determine how much fruit, and what kind of fruit, you should be eating. 

Here’s what we’ll cover to answer the question, “Is eating Fruit healthy?”

• Is fruit good for you?
• Is the sugar in fruit bad for you?
• Is eating fruit good for weight loss?
• Is fruit juice healthy? 
• Should I eat dried fruit?
• Is canned fruit healthy?
• Calorie content of the most popular fruit.
• Building a healthy plate (next steps). 

If you’re curious about where fruits and other foods such as potatoes fall on the “healthy eating” spectrum, you should check out the Nerd Fitness Diet guide and cheat sheet. It’s a level up system designed for you to adopt new healthy habits that will stick, by slowly progressing you from a newbie to an expert.

You can check it out for free when you join the Rebellion!

Is Fruit Good for you?

As we lay out in our “Healthy Eating” guide, fruit is absolutely healthy and can help you reach your goals – in the right quantities.^[1] 

Eating fruit is great because it’s:

• Full of nutrients.^[2]
• Packed with fiber.^[3]
• A great snack option or it can be part of a protein-focused breakfast!

That’s why eating fruit is “universally promoted” as being good for you.^[4]

Which makes inquiries of “is fruit healthy?” perplexing. 

What’s with the controversy?

For that, we need to talk about the calorie and sugar content of fruit.

Is the Sugar in Fruit Bad for You?

If anyone tells you not to eat fruit, it’s most likely because they’re afraid of the sugar content of the produce.

With the rise of low-carb diets like Keto, many people are turning away from fruit entirely.

So what’s going on here?

A couple of things:

1. There is A LOT of evidence that the excessive intake of added sugar is indeed harmful to human health. Study^[5] after study^[6] after study^[7] shows the adverse effects of added sugar into the diet. Fruit contains fructose, which is a sugar. 
2. Sugar is a carbohydrate. If you’re following the Keto Diet, the Paleo Diet, or any other low-carb plan, you need to limit the number of carbs you eat – which includes sugar.

If you’re not doing Keto, you don’t need to worry about that second point, because you aren’t eliminating carbs.

But how about the first one? Is the sugar in fruit harmful for us?

In one word: no.

Fruits are loaded with fiber and water, so it’s not strictly composed of fructose. 

It also takes a decent amount of effort to chew an actual piece of fruit. 

All of this slows down the absorption of fructose from the fruit. 

According to Dr. Ludwig of Harvard Medical School, if you eat a whole fruit, it’s difficult to consume enough fructose to be harmful.^[8]

Notice that caveat “whole fruit.” This is critical and deserves its own section.

But first…

Is Eating Fruit Good for Weight Loss?

We’ve established that fruit is good for you. 

That news shocks exactly no one. 

But is fruit good for weight loss?

To answer that question, let’s consider two points:

#1) Fruit can be generally low in calories.

Here is 200 calories worth of an apple (thanks to WiseGEEK): 

Compare that to 200 calories worth of a bagel:

#2) Fruit can be satiating.

Fruit can help kill hunger or scratch that “I WANT SUGAR” itch. When you eat 200 calories worth of an apple, it can help make you feel fairly full. 

When you eat 200 calories worth of bread, you haven’t even finished a single bagel yet.

Studies done on the satiating power of different foods have shown fruit to be some of the most satisfying food studied. People feel more full from eating an apple or an orange than from eating beef or eggs.^[9]

In summary: Fruit can be high in nutrients, low in calories, and can help us feel full.

As we discuss in our Guide to Healthy Eating, this is a great recipe for successful weight loss. 

So yes, fruit can indeed be part of a meal plan to lose weight.

We need to stop and make a point here: fruit, like every other food, obeys the laws of thermodynamics. Meaning the calories in fruit will still contribute to your total daily calorie goal. 

Why does this matter?

Weight loss comes down to eating fewer calories than you burn. 

Yes, there’s nuance, hormones messing with our hunger signals, and so on. But successful weight loss depends on consuming fewer calories than you expend consistently. 

If you’re trying to lose weight, you need to establish calorie goals. Fruit can factor into those goals and the calories should be accounted for.

This means that even with all the nutrients and fiber, eating all of your meals along with 30 bananas a day will result in you wondering “Why can’t I lose weight?” 

Save that for Donkey Kong:

Where fruit can really get you into trouble is if you start to move in the direction of “fruit-like.” We’ll jump to that with our next section.

First, if you are trying to lose weight and wondering where fruit fits into the equation, I want you to know you’re on the right track. 

Lots of our coaching clients come to us with all sorts of different fitness questions, like what to eat and how to exercise, proving we all start from unique situations. The important thing is that you’re beginning to ask questions and looking for answers. 

If you want help on your journey, we’re here for you. Our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program partners busy people just like you with a coach who will get to know you better than you know yourself.

 

A Nerd Fitness Coach can guide your weight loss and answer all your fitness questions! Learn more here.

Is Fruit Juice Healthy?

While fruit can 100% be part of a healthy diet, “fruit like things” don’t get our stamp of approval.

Without the fiber, water, and intact cell walls of the fruit, your body will absorb the fructose very quickly.^[10]

Not good.

Let’s chat specifically about “drinkable” fruit first:

#1) Fruit juices (cranberry juice, orange juice, grape juice): these are high calorie, sugar-filled beverages. 

For example, here are the calories in one 8 oz  serving of: 

• Apple Juice: 103 calories, 22 g of sugar
• Orange Juice: 103 calories, 18 g of sugar
• Grape Juice: 136 calories, 32 g of sugar

For reference, an 8 ounce glass of Coca-Cola would have about 26 grams of sugar.

2) Fruit Smoothies: Just because it’s a fruit smoothie doesn’t mean it won’t make you fat! Have you seen the calorie count and sugar content of smoothies and ‘green drinks’? Yikes.

• Green Machine Naked Juice (15.2 oz or 450 ml bottle): 270 calories, 53 g of sugar.
• Smoothie King Banana Boat (20 oz or 591 ml smoothie): 450 calories, 70 g of sugar.

Yeah…which is why we made this:

We have a full guide “Is Drinking Fruit Juice Healthy?” if you’d like to learn more. 

Should I Eat Dried Fruit?

Another “fruit like thing” we need to talk about is dried fruit.

Dried fruits are notoriously easy to overeat because they are so small. Since the water has been taken out, all that’s left is the sugar and fiber. 

Here’s 1 serving of raisins, which is 108 calories and 21 g of sugar:

If you are saying “oh man, I eat 5x that many raisins when I eat them…” then multiply those calorie and sugar numbers by 5!

Per weight, all dried fruit will be higher in calories and sugar than its “whole fruit” counterpart.

The other thing to consider is that sugar is often ADDED to dried fruit to make it even sweeter. 

Consider these banana chips:

Second ingredient after dried banana? “Organic sugar.”

An ounce of these banana chips is going to run you about 147 calories and 10 grams of sugar (17g for total carbs).

For comparison, an ounce of a regular banana is about 25 calories.

You really have to be careful with dried fruit because it’s so easy to overeat.

However, this isn’t the only place where sugar is added to fruit.

Is Canned Fruit Healthy?

The big concern with canned fruit is the syrup that is often included with it.

What’s in the syrup? Sugar. Of course it’s sugar. 

Let’s take a look at Del Monte’s canned peaches:

The syrup here is composed of “high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, and sugar.”

Let’s compare the canned fruit to a normal peach you’d pick from a tree:

Del Monte’s Canned Peaches (in heavy syrup):

• Serving size: 256g
• Calories: 200
• Total Sugar: 42g
• Total Carbohydrates: 50g

Extra Large Peach

• Serving size: 224g
• Calories: 88 
• Total Sugar: 19g
• Total Carbohydrates: 21g

When you package peaches this way you DOUBLE the calories and the sugar content.

This is why you should always read the nutrition label when purchasing canned fruit (although it’s a good habit in general).

To summarize the last few sections: fruit is healthy, provided you stick to fresh or frozen and not fruit-like food, dried fruit, or canned fruit packed in syrup. 

If you enjoy a small glass of orange juice occasionally, or you pack a serving of raisins in your lunch and it makes life worth living, by all means! 

Just don’t chug OJ by the gallon, drink a 64 oz “real fruit smoothie,” and eat raisins by the handful and then wonder why you’re not losing weight.

AVERAGE CALORIE AND SUGAR CONTENT of popular FRUIT

The best way to paint a picture of sugar and calorie content of fruit is with some actual serving sizes.

So let’s do that.

We’ll also share carb content and fiber content, in case you are following a ketogenic or low-carb diet.

APPLES

• Serving size: 1 medium-size apple (182g)
• Calories: 95
• Protein: .5g
• Total Carbohydrates: 25g
  • Dietary Fiber: 4.4g
  • Sugar: 19g
  • Net Carbs 20.6g

BANANAS

• Serving size: 1 medium-size banana (118g)
• Calories: 105
• Protein: 1.3g
• Total Carbohydrates: 27g
  • Dietary Fiber: 3.1g
  • Sugar: 14g
  • Net Carbs 23.9g

BLUEBERRIES

• Serving size: 1 cup (148g)
• Calories: 85
• Protein: 1.1g
• Total Carbohydrates: 21g
  • Dietary Fiber: 3.6g
  • Sugar: 15g
  • Net Carbs 17.4g

GRAPES

• Serving size: 1 cup (92g)
• Calories: 62
• Protein: .6g
• Total Carbohydrates: 16g
  • Dietary Fiber: .8g
  • Sugar: 15g
  • Net Carbs 15.2g

ORANGES

• Serving size: 1 small orange (96g)
• Calories: 45
• Protein: .9g
• Total Carbohydrates: 11g
  • Dietary Fiber: 2.3g
  • Sugar: 9g
  • Net Carbs 8.7g

RASPBERRIES

• Serving size: 1 cup (123g)
• Calories: 65
• Protein: 1.5g
• Total Carbohydrates: 15g
  • Dietary Fiber: 8g
  • Sugar: 5g
  • Net Carbs: 7g

WATERMELON

• Serving size: 280g
• Calories: 85
• Protein: 1.7g
• Total Carbohydrates: 21g
  • Dietary Fiber: 1.1g
  • Sugar: 17g
  • Net Carbs: 20.9g

As we mentioned earlier, understanding how many calories you’re consuming is a key component of weight loss.

If you’re targeting 2,500 calories a day, and your meals are bringing you up to about 2,300 calories, you know you can fit in a couple of bananas for a snack.

If you’re following a low-carb diet, and you have about 10 net carbs left in your daily allowance, you know you can eat a handful of raspberries and still meet your goals.

Building a Healthy Plate (Next Steps)

Like anything else, Nerd Fitness recommends fresh fruit in moderation.

Except for awesomeness.

You can have as much of that as you want.

Back to fruit! We recommend eating a healthy combination of vegetables, protein, and healthy fats.

It ends up looking like this Healthy Plate (taken from our Healthy Eating guide):

Your “healthy carb” could 100% be a serving of fruit.

Of any type of fruit!

The different colors of fruit will correspond to different nutrients, so go wild!^[11] Try different fruits and experiment with new kinds. Keep rotating to ensure you give lots of different vitamins and minerals. 

If you’re trying to lose weight, just remember to watch your overall calorie intake (fruit included).

You got this!

Still here? Want some more help starting your fitness journey?

Alright, I’ll give you my favorite next steps. But only caused you asked nicely.

#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:

Our Coaching program changes lives. Learn more here!

#2) Join Nerd Fitness Prime!

Nerd Fitness Prime is our premium membership program that contains live-streamed workouts with NF Coaches, a supportive online community group challenges, and much more!

Learn more about Nerd Fitness Prime!

#3) Enlist in 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:

Okay enough about me, let’s talk about you: 

• Do you LOVE fruit?
• How do you compose a healthy plate?
• Any great snack or recipe ideas?

For the Rebellion!

-Steve

PS: Make sure you read our Full Guide on Healthy Eating if you are just starting to level up your nutrition game. 

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Photo source: Fruit Ninja, Mandarin, Berry Hard Work, Watermelon Dude, Juice Boxes, Raspberry Harvesting Squad, Breakfast Fruit Plate, Watermelon, Raspberries, Oranges, Grapes, Blueberries, Bananas, Apple, Raisins, Dried Mango Spears, Banana Chips, Canned Peaches, Plate of Peaches. 

GIF Source: Dancing Watermelon, Belle, Thumbs Up, Donkey Kong, Spit, Cat on Carpet, Wayne, Batman.

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