Day 2 - How to eat for weight loss - Ray Peat Inspired

Yeah calories do matter.

When a person starts this diet they are encouraged to eat way more calories than they normally would in the name of healing. Fair enough too because we’ve been brainwashed to think we should be having 1,000 calories a day to lose weight, or that 1,200 is sufficient for an adult woman to thrive.

Unfortunately these low numbers are not enough, they cause health problems like a sluggish thyroid and slow metabolism, and are the main reason that no-one can stick to it.

So not a lack of willpower at all.

If we overshoot the calorie mark though in the name of healing, we are not helping either because the body doesn’t heal any faster and it creates another problem to solve – how to lose the weight – and we feel miserable and out of control in the process.

Here is a really good guide:

With this approach, we’re aiming for weight loss as well as health and sustainability for the long term. So the start point is the minimum for women which is 1,800 calories. (2,400 for men.)

Now if you are eating way below this or above this, don’t make any sudden moves.

It’s a recipe for disaster.

Just move daily calories up or down by 100 calories and stay there for at least a week. Maybe two – see how you’re feeling. Then adjust again and keep going until you reach this number.

Find yourself an easy way to generally keep track of calories. Counting every day would drive me bonkers, so I plug things into www.cronometer.com like once a month to see how I am generally tracking. Then I keep meals simple, to stay about the same amount of food.