Is Chicken and Broccoli The Key To Fat Loss? It Wasn’t For Joe!
Joe has started working out 6 times per week and eating chicken and broccoli.
Now, he’s the heaviest he’s ever been.
My pal Joe and I go way back. The other day he sent me this text -
Hey John! Question for ya.
For the past 3 weeks I’ve been working for about 45+ about 5-6 times a week. Mainly I’ve been doing a virtual bike ride in the gym but I’ve also done long walks and played bball.
I also try to eat healthy and down a lot of chicken and rice and veggies and drink 3L of water a day.
I weighed myself for the first time during all this and am hitting 174! It’s the heaviest I’ve ever been and I’ve had some real lazy fat stages. I don’t feel fat so I was wondering what could be the reason I’m so heavy.
- Joe
Thanks for the question, Joe! I’m going to answer with a hypothetical, analogous scenario about money.
Hey Joe! Hope you’re doing well man!
I’ve been super strict with my spending these past 3 weeks. I’ve been packing my lunch instead of buying, and even picked up some extra shifts and have earned an extra $100/day, 5-6 days/week.
I’ve also limited my spending to the essentials - food, rent, gas, etc. - and put the rest of my paycheck toward savings.
I checked my bank account for the first time since I started budgeting and I have $72 in savings! The poorest I’ve been, and I’ve had some lean times. I don’t feel poor, so I was wondering what could be the reason I have so little in savings.
When you read that second scenario, you probably think, “Well how in tarnation am I supposed to know?” It lacks key details, like:
How much money are you making?
How much are you spending?
How much did you have in the bank account before you started tightening things up?
Just like my money question, your original question is missing crucial pieces of the puzzle:
What did you weigh before?
How many calories are you eating now?
How many calories were you eating before?
How many steps are you taking each day? Are you spending 10 hours sitting at your desk?
Have you been resistance training?
How are your clothes fitting (i.e. pants size, sleeves, etc.)
Fat loss is just like saving money. To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you eat. To save money, you need to save more than you spend.
You can do all of the so-called “right” things to lose fat:
Eat exclusively chicken and broccoli
Work out every day
Drink so much water you feel like you’re going to burst
Just like you can do all of the things that “should” lead to more money in savings:
Earning more
Spending less
Tracking your expenses in a spreadsheet
But at the end of the day, it comes down to math.
If I wanted to dial in my spending, I would start with tracking my income and expenses. After assessing my current situation and goals, I would adjust from there.
If you want to lose fat, I would suggest tracking your calories (or estimating, at the very least) and activity each day. From there, you can titrate either up or down to get where you want to be.
To make long term progress, focus on the big picture principles. Try not to get bogged down doing “should” work without first figuring out where you’re currently at and deciding what you need to change to reach your goal.
And please, understand me when I say this. Never, ever, let me catch you believing that chicken, rice, and veggies is the magic key to fat loss.
Is it possible to make healthy deviled eggs?
I received this response after last week’s newsletter:
I'd like a HEALTHY deviled egg recipe please...
Thanks signed
Son less in Durham (Dad)
I don’t have any revolutionary answers here, Dad. But I do have two options for you:
Replace the mayo with Greek yogurt (will NOT taste as good, will be a LOT healthier)
Replace the traditional mayo with this version, made with avocado oil instead of soybean oil: Primal Kitchen Mayo (will taste just as good and be significantly healthier. Will be higher calorie than version #1)
For most, eggs are one of the healthiest foods you can eat.
If you find a workaround for the mayo - which isn’t inherently “unhealthy”, but research indicates that it’d best to limit intake of highly refined vegetable oils like soybean oil - you’ll be good to go!
Quote of the week:
“The wise man doesn’t give the right answers, he poses the right questions.”
- Claude Levi-Strauss
