Yeah basically, It's just about balancing a healthy lifestyle socially and a good relationship with food without being too obsessive with calories at every meal time
Who cares about social life bro tf that has to do with making gains and achieving whatever goals lol😂. Y'all need to get off the internet and realise people are worthless.@@Skaterstee
Hey Tabby, What a load of crap, are you running out of ideas, always trying to show off instead of just producing good content, just get on with it, you are becoming a boring Aussie.
Your fat loss videos changed my life. I’ve lost 6-7 kg in 5 weeks without experiencing diet fatigue or additional stress. I still have 7-8 kg left to lose, but using the right method and seeing the big picture gives me the confidence that the battle is already won. Now, it's just a matter of time until I achieve my goal. The image of the money on the table, the barbell weights representing TDEE, and the whiteboard from the video about Beard Meats Food (making up during the week for the damage done during the weekend) will forever be ingrained in my mind. Big thanks for everything-your videos have made a world of difference in my journey!
Love it, I’ve had people literally stand there and argue with me that counting calories is stupid, then explain that they struggle with losing weight….when I don’t………
Dude. I have to say, I absolutely LOVE your videos. There's no pointless waffle. You get straight to the point. You simplify complex concepts. You're genuinely engaging and funny without trying too hard. I'm a fan.
Started counting calories 2 months ago. It's allowed me to realise how much food I actually eat, and think about how I can do things differently to lose weight without feeling miserable. I still get takeaways, I still eat junk food, I just eat less of them. Yesterday I felt like eating snacks after lunch. When dinner time came around, a normal meal would've been way too many calories on top of the snacks I'd already eaten, so I just decided to eat 2 yoghurts and a chocolate bar for dinner. 600 fewer calories than what I was going to eat, and I still went to bed without feeling hungry. I didn't feel like I'd missed out on proper food. I chose to eat the snacks, and as a result didn't need a full meal for dinner. I'm down 8kg in 10 weeks. I don't feel like I've missed out on enjoying food, my diet has barely changed, I just stopped eating full meals if I'm not actually hungry and don't need the calories.
@@samjoshi1812 It's sustainable for me. After a lifetime of being obese and multiple failed attempts to lose weight, this is what's finally working for me and I'm completely happy with it. I'm not starving myself. I'm not cutting out foods I crave or really enjoy. I'm not lacking nutrients. And it's certainly more healthy than staying obese. Down 8kg, still about 20kg to go. I'm the healthiest I've been in years.
@@samjoshi1812That makes no sense? "doesn't sound as healthy as eating more calories from healthier full meals" What does this mean? Counting and tracking everything doesn't make it unhealthy at all unless the person suffers from it mentally.
Congrats, awesome progress! Would you have any recommendations or opinion on best way of tracking/recording calories? Is there a specific App you get on or something?
I started tracking recently and have actually found it liberating not restrictive. I've discovered that my diet had basically been all over the place before, eating too little some days and way too much on others. I'm eating much more consistently now and am able to eat treat foods without feeling bad about it, and then just adjust other days accordingly. In this minefield of a food climate that we live in today I think tracking is a very useful tool to navigating it.
@@brandonlee7382 i have gotten to that level with months of tracking but most people are definitely not able to do that and will vastly under estimate
3 หลายเดือนก่อน +4
you need to at least do aproximation. What I do is to round it up (so it I think something is like 270 I will count as 300) while always gettin all the protein.
In retrospect I think this is also a lot of the reason why many ordinary people “inexplicably” gain weight in the first place (ie not super morbidly obese folks, but ordinary people who are overweight and don’t really know why). For most of the week, they’re eating at or close to maintenance, so they think they’re being good and healthy and not overeating, and they’re not lying, but then they go out on weekends and overeat because they feel like their diet is otherwise good so they’ve “earned” it. Lo and behold from their weekend antics they’re eating enough to put on about a pound a week.
It's not obsessive, it's necessary if you want to guarantee weight loss without becoming ravenously hungry and sluggish (undereating and crashing) or actually not even hitting deficit (overeating while thinking you didn't eat that much)
I wear a glucose monitor because I'm type 1 diabetic. I would say that a lot of people would find it interesting and possibly helpful to see how what they put in their mouths affects their body in real time.
This is definitely a question a lot of us ask. I know from experience that for me, fat loss was most effective when it was 7 days a week, hardcore, consistent. Was it sustainable? No. Did I binge and rebound? Yes. Finding something sustainable as James is saying is the key.
I’m newer to counting calories and quickly learnt how much I was over eating always causing any loss to creep back up eventually. Now that I’m tracking it all my new favorite thing to tell my husband is, “I’m not eating that, it’s too expensive.” I will still have things I enjoy, but I 100% pay attention to the cost now! This video with your example was is something everyone should watch!
I can CATEGORICALLY say without a shadow of a doubt that James is absolutely correct. This is because for the last 8 weeks I have been following what his macro calculator has been telling me and I have lost 11kg and gone from around 15% bf to 10% bf. James, I would like to thank you for the way your work has helped someone like me take my nutrition seriously and the results have made me believe in the process. I have the physique I have always wanted and now I’m using your calculator to get on my journey in my lean bulk. God bless you, James 🌟
For me if i have a cheat day and go wayyyy over… next day i just go about my usual diet and it sorts itself out in a day or two. Sometimes over stressing it can cause more problems. Just get back to how u train with lots of water and just look forward to another cheat day when u feel u need one 👊🏻👍🏻
I look my best at 87kg - but i feel my best at 90kg. So i just stay on 90kg. If im on 87kg i feel hungry all day and its annoying. My body works its best on 90kg. Im not overweight but being lean or that certain amount of body % my body doesnt like or perform its best on it.
Thankyou James, for the wise words i don't have to formulate myself when i talk to people about the food management topic=) i just show them your videos and thats it=) Great content, man! thanks so much for your work.
This is the cold and unfiltered Truth about weightloss, most people don't want to hear. With this exact method i managed to lose 25kg in 3 years. (in addition to working out 3-5times per week) For context, i had about 123kg in the middle of the pandemic, now i can maintain a stable 2 digit weight.
I started counting calories in December, to gain some weight since I'd had trouble putting on any muscle. I gained about 2.5kg. I'd never tracked before so it was quite shocking how I was eating before. Right now I'm in a cut so 2300 down to 1600 calories and it's quite interesting of a change. At first I was super hungry but eventually figured out I should just eat smaller meals with some low calorie snacks between. Basically I just reduced how much I have with each meal, and like you said, if I want ice cream in the evening I have to plan my whole day. I used to think I was good at "intuitive eating" but I was definitely not. At this point I'd definitely recommend macro tracking. It's not as difficult as I'd always imagined.
James, starting my count on Friday is something I never thought about and had lots of excuses for not tracking due to some life challenges but this I know I can do successfully. Thank you sir and love your videos!
Nice one James! In order to stretch out the calories and to avoid stealing from yourself with ad hoc snacks, I also adopt the 'Big Hole - Little Hole' tactic; nothing goes into the big hole at the top of the alimentary canal (i.e. your mouth) until something has emerged from the small hole. Also known as the 'Nightclub Bouncer' tactic (one out, one in).
I agree with everything you’ve just said, other than a large Dominoes running your diet … yes, it’s 500kcal over your “savings” that week, but it’s also one of your meals, which is probably 800+ calories. So really, you’d still be in a deficit.
I always approach it very simple. If I know I'm going to have a cheat meal tomorrow, maybe I'm eating out with friends for example, I will lower my calories the day before and after the cheat and on the day I cheat, I only eat low calorie protein foods with some fruit and vegetables to cut my calories really low.
I do it even simpler. Don't count calories. Jus eat everything within a 4h window, lunch, dinner, snacks, all in. Occasionally have OMAD once a week. Stick to healthy whole foods as much as u can.
@@therodian96 his eyes are fine, you literally wrote that on the day you cheat, you eat low calorie protein foods with some fruit and vegetables. if that's actually what you meant, it's not a cheat day, it's a refeed.
Type 1 diabetic here. If you’re the sort of person considering getting a CGM please save yourself the money. You may have convinced yourself that the numbers on the screen mean something to you - but they don’t.
@@MultiGames4Youthey’re getting a little more accurate over time but yes they’re certainly not incredibly accurate. They don’t even test the actual blood, as such there is a delay between what the meter is saying and what your blood sugar actually is. That said they’re still of course extremely useful for those with diabetes , but outside of that cohort I see little to no use. I have seen a lot of nonsense interpretations of what the numbers mean coming from non-diabetics wearing CGMs.
I used a CGM for a while (type 2 with brittle blood sugars) I actually went hypoglycemic in the middle of the night. I passed out and it didn’t go off until my husband was trying to wake me up. They are okay but we are taught to check with a finger stick anyway. Mine was showing 100 and when I checked after passing out it was 42.
@@julesvlogs2222 that sucks. They can fail the other way as well, which is less problematic health wise , but can still be quite annoying. I’ve often been woken up in the middle of the night by an alarm but when checking with a finger stick I’m well within range. That said , overall they have immensely helped me manage my diabetes.
I did use a CGM for a bit one thing it did help with is understand what my bloodsugar was doing and when. Really allowed me to Dial in on with insulin. Still using the same numbers years after with great results
I tried something similar where i lay £20 a day in pound coins and each pound represents 100 calories at the end of every week i saved it aside. Kept me off drink watching the jar fill up over a few months. Helped me lose weight, kept me off the drink and gave me money to blow on crap when the jar filled. Keep up the free info James. 💪
As i dont work and are old, everyday is the same, no weekend stupidity. The thing you arent accounting for is better digestion when undereating or proper eating and poorer digestion when stuffing yourself. This effects calories out.
i counted calories 10 years ago when i had to loose 32kg, which i did in 1 year. now i can just eyeball food and guesstimate calories, i rarely look at the back of the foods to check calories i just know now, which is pretty neat, but it was a hell back then to track calories manually and by doing it i just learned pretty much how much is in which food, makes it easier if u know that 1 gram of food in carbs/protein is 4kcal and 1gram of food in fat is 9kcal
Fat loss is like one of those fairground side-by-side slides where you sit in a hessian mat and slide mostly downwards with 3 or 4 small level bits. As long as most of your days have a calorie defecit, the odd blip won't stop you reaching your goal.
The moment I got serious about reducing alcohol was the moment I realised a standard night out drinking beer was over 3000 calories. What's the point of eating well all week if I'm just going to undo it all with one night out?
I’ve tracked my calories for over 2 years. It has made my body what it is today because of that and the hard work I put in. I try to tell people just do it for a week, don’t rig it, and you will soon see what you’re consuming and it will give you a chance to change it. Doing it for a month, even more so. It’s not obsessive, it’s just practical for those who want to lose weight and those who want to gain like me.
I find that my basic calorie burn goes up if I have a cheat day once or twice a week. This will sound weird but if I stay at 1500 calories per day straight I lose less fat than if I do 1500 for 5 or 6 days and 2500 for one or two days. Your body will adjust if you stay in a restricted state consistently. I have done multi-day fasts and by day 3 I get really cold, because my body lowers its calorie burn to adjust to it. I think the same thing happens with a continued low calorie diet. I am 53 and around 12% body fat. Doesn't mean you have 4000 calories for two days, but bumping up occasionally will increase your basal metabolism.
I have started understanding the simplicity of calories budgeting last week, it's unbelievable how something this simple Is neglected by the majority of the population (me included for 30 years)
Recently found what works for me, i have breakfast at sub 300 calories, lunch and dinner are between 350 and 500 calories, hartleys 10cal jelly for pudding to satisfy my sweet tooth (these are actually between 4 and 7 calories) i dont feel hungry, if i fancy a treat like a chocolate bar. Im still well in a calorie deficet. I also go to the gym 6 out of 9 days (thats my work week) nearly 3 stone down and feeling healthier and more energectic than ever
I've tracked my calories for January + February religiously. Part of taking charge of my weight and getting rid of it. Together with just WALKING every day (not jogging, literally moving my ass 5-7k steps a day), it had an Immediaty and positive improvement. went from 152kg to 144kg in that timespan, so 8kg gone. Here is why tracking calories helped me: - counting the calories of what im eating made me realize just how bad all the pasta SAUCES are for kcal. - cooking massive amounts of pasta felt like a horrible idea, seeing the calories in it. I became more conscious about my choice. - looking at kcal in everything i buy in the supermarket. I realize, alot of products aren't that kcal heavy! There's plenty of alternatives especially in snacking produce with a dip instead of snacking chips and nuts. - keeping track made it my GOAL to not exceed my daily kcal number. It reinforced that I will say NO to the mcdonalds burger, or ordering takeout from home. - it also allowed me to see how big a difference my fitness made, in terms how much im allowed to consume and still lose weight. so now I'm allowed to reward myself with a Döner kebab here and there (using chicken meat, no cocktail sauce) and it's both a treat and a perfectly healthy alternative to cooking a meal that day. I've had fantastic process from january to march. In April i stopped, took a break, very little fitness, and regressed. But it just makes sense: You get out what you put in! So im very motivated to start again, and this time I can be more relaxed and less neurotic about it all. Because i know it works!
I noticed this when I was losing weight at the start of the year. From Jan 1st to the Superbowl I went from 15 stone 4 to 14 stone 7, which was roughly half way to my goal of 13 and a half stone, so was really happy with my progress. I decided to have a cheat day for the superbowl but wanted to log my calories anyway just to see how much I ate. I was shocked that I actually ate 5300 calories that day, just from going out for lunch, having some beers, then some snacks and a takeaway at night. I've not been as strict with my diet since then and put on a bit of weight but I'm down to 14 stone 3 at the moment and have had the occasional cheat day, but it tends to be once every 2-3 weeks, and I still make sure I log it regardless so I can see the impact it has. The worst thing I find is takeaways. Some big chains like Dominoes will tell you the calories, but where I live it's mostly smaller, local places that don't bother with calorie counts, so you have no idea if that kebab on a Friday night is 500 calories, 1500 or a lot more.
This is the method that I have always applied to live a normal life, you eat a little less monday - thursday, so you can bank up your calories and use them on the weekend while still hitting your weekly calorie intake. I do not know why more people don't scream this message from the rooftoops, is the way to have a regular existence.
I'm a Type 2 Diabetic and I use a CGM due to various reasons such as not being able to cope with the finger pricking. I also find it extremely useful when my blood glucose have gone astray. It is useful in monitoring biologically what goes it and out. Like how long it takes to digest certain carbs, the affect it has sitting in my stomach, when I am constipated, observing my blood glucose going high before a bowl movement. I can see in almost real time how insulin works on my body as the tablets medication isn't as effective on my body anymore. I've known I'm a diabetic since 2006, and for the past 7 years I have been using a CGM device. February 2024 my HBA1C was at 84 mmols and today it is at 69 mmols thanks to the CGM. I exercise every day achieving over 11,110 steps every day and I try to walk fast but is very hard with physical disabilities in my forties, and arthritis affecting my joints. I express all this due to the comments about Type 1 implied as the only people that need CGM devices to monitor blood glucose monitors, and I wonder how much of James Smith speed reading, where he doesn't quite now his stuff.
Honestly using a calorie tracker really makes me eat less . If not I just keep a rough running tally in my head and I always under estimate. For those of us old enough to remember not having internet access to your bank balance it is a similar concept. If you diligently tracked your balance you were less likely to be frivolous.
I actually use this same analogy. I’m big on budgeting and it is pretty comparable to dieting and tracking calories. I’m glad someone else said it 😄 Save a little now, spend a little later ☺️
I resisted tracking calories for years cos quite frankly i couldn't be arsed... When i did finally start doing it i learnt so much it explained perfectly why i was still fat! I'm still fat but i'm less fat and getting less and less fat each day so i can definitely recommend doing it.
For me at least, maintaining a calorie deficit uses the same willpower as trying to save up. Doing one is fine, both together, and I'm struggling to stay on track.
As always, good info James - hoping your message is getting across to those who think it's as easy as taking the latest fat loss pill or magic powder. For those that criticise counting calories as somehow detrimental to your mental health, I'd argue it's actually a great learning tool for a healthy lifestyle. I was in a calorie deficit for 3 months at the end of last year, lost around 8kgs. I came out of the defecit in January and haven't needed to count since as I can simply monitor my weight to see if I'm eating above/below my maintenance calories and adjust as necessary. I also now know what 300 or 400 calories looks like after counting for a number of months, so can easily avoid high calorie snacks or meals during the day, so don't really need to constantly count.
Great video, nice visual aid. I do a bit of all. I eat one meal a day, low calorie high volume foods most of the week, 1 or 2 days I eat shiritake noodle stirFry (about 700cal all in) then on my day off work I just eat “normal” still sim to eat good food but don’t worry too much. I’m down 4 stone (27.9kg) so it’s definitely working for me, it’s all about finding your own balance
Yeah, back when I was drinking and smoking and doing blow like crazy nobody said anything. But when I started to try and do elimination diets, with which I did learn a lot about myself. For instance. I had anxiety for years and I didn’t realize that it was brought on by all the sugar I ate. I stopped eating the sugar and the anxiety went away completely. And if I wanted to give myself an anxiety attack later today or tomorrow all I have to do is eat a bunch of sugar right now. But I digress, yeah, those same people who wouldn’t say anything about me killing myself got all uppity about me doing these diets. Now I’m eating a completely healthy single ingredient, whole food diet. And it’s working great. And I track calories.
Love ur dog and ur sense of humour , from a fellow Brit I’ve got a serious world changing, important must be answered questions for u James , ready? Why do Americans not pronounce the h when they’re saying herbs? They don’t say appy, ello, appy or I do they
Could you publish condensed versions of these videos as well? I feel like there’s a lot of fluff probably to get the 2nd ad roll. So why not release another short video so you can benefit from that too?
It's a good trick. As a fat 'powerbuilder' who is currently losing weight, about 1kg a week unless on diet break week (in which case I still seem to lose 0.5kg lol)... it's about cheat items, not cheat meals. Got a bottle of Kofola to drink, was supposed to be last weekend but I still have it. Gf & I gonna have some gin & OJ tonight, but the dinner will be clean. We might have pizza tomorrow, though it will be from an Italian not fn Dominos 😂 If being in a deficit means less than 2000 calories then I think it can be quite hard, but truth is 2800-3000 is a deficit for many guys watching this channel and it's not that hard.
“No one that’s overweight has died of starvation…” Thank you for that. That’s gonna be my mantra now when I’m fasting and start getting hungry 😂 Seriously, thank you ❤
What i find difficult is sticking to a calory deficit and excercising for gains.. im cycling 10hrs a week and lifting once a week. I fuel well during workouts and try to restrict calories when off the bike however sometimes the body just urges me to eat, find it hard getting down another 5-10kg. Bodys quite happy around 100KG (6'5 195cm). maybe around 16% body fat.
Sometimes it's just not worth worrying about if you're not gaining weight or anything. I do understand wanting to be slimmer though but i just try and not be too greedy and i work out all the time. I could be like 5-10lbs slimmer with calorie deficit but i just don't care anymore and it's fine
I spent a week tracking my protein intake. I of course kept track of calories and carbs but the focus was protein. By the time I hit my goal at dinner. My total calories were at or just below 2000. My maintenance is 2700.
Facts. Tracking my calories and weight lifting is the reason I went from 300 pounds to 189 pounds. I like to cook my meals so for me is easy. I prepare all the meals I will be eating throughout the week. I use fat secret app to keep track of the foods I eat. It only takes like a few minutes out of my day to track it. I don't understand what is so hard about it.I eat a cheat meal at the end of each month to reward myself. It sucks but hey no one said is easy to get the body you want.
The misnomer in the video is that the 2,300 calorie pizza kills a 1,700 calorie deficit. It doesn't, only the excess calories nibble away at the balance. If the only thing I eat today is that pizza and my TDEE is 2,200, I only nibble 100 calories off my gain. Now obviously, because it's a pizza my water retention etc. will be all over the place for a day, but other than that, tracking over the week will show you the pattern.
I can confirm the answer is no. Dropped 17 lbs from 12st 7 to 11st 4 in 3 months and i binge eat and drink on a Saturday. Not healthy but it hasnt stopped the cut!
I've got the complete opposite problem man. I have no idea what's wrong with me. When I was a teenager I lifted weights everyday for 4 years and ate easily 5000-8000 calories a day, I'm 5 6 and at my peak I weighed 150 lbs. I've fallen off over the years since there and got complacent and lazy, I now weigh 128 lbs and I can't seem to put weight on while eating around 3500 calories daily with some mild calisthenics exercises. 100 squats, 100 pushups, 100 situps and 5 mins of planking. Any advice James or comment section?
I exceed my daily calories at least one day a week, by 1000 to 2000 calories, and usually by close to 3000 calories once every two weeks (game night with friends, so poutine is involved), but since I'm usually in a 300 to 500 deficit the rest of the week, I lose about 0.5 pounds per week... Soo, while this is anecdotal, it does work for some, as long as your overall calories "in" are lower than your calories "out" overall...
Thanks for a great video as always. I find it hard to hit my protein target and not go over my calorie intake. Feels like I have to live on proteinshakes for the rest of the week after i go bananas on the weekends :) However, I really like your approach, so thanks again!
I’ve been tracking loosely for years…. This week I started using my fit bit app to track. I have to fudge it a bit to get the actual amounts correct, because it likes to undershoot or do the math wrong if I convert to grams
I have been weighing and measuring things for years. Just part of my routine now. Admittedly get a little anxious going out to eat if they don’t have nutritional values on menu.
Started tracking 2 weeks ago and made good progress already. I wasnt't able to do so months before with good training routine. Always ate much more calories, because I was hungry. Now i focus on calories and protein intake. My favourite carrot cake at starbucks has over 800 calories. already startet looking for some alternative receipes her on youtube.
I was the bird in this video. I am fine.
See you in court James
I specialize in Bird Law, I’d love to take you on as a client pro-bono!
😂
Hahha ffs
I know a guy, he speaks a little bit of pigeon. Name is Charlie Kelly.
😂😂😂legend
So to conclude, it’s about your total weekly calorie intake, not your single meals.
Yeah basically, It's just about balancing a healthy lifestyle socially and a good relationship with food without being too obsessive with calories at every meal time
needed you on the end of the video really
Who cares about social life bro tf that has to do with making gains and achieving whatever goals lol😂.
Y'all need to get off the internet and realise people are worthless.@@Skaterstee
@@fazer12779 average daily intake matters most. Could be across a week, a month, or a year.
I appreciate you keeping the term "bell end" alive. It's important work.
And very British 😂
Is that what he was saying, haha. I was trying to figure it out. Thank you! 😂
appreciate the sympathy towards us type 1 diabetics, its rare hearing someone who actually understands the difference between a hypo and a hyper
Ya at least he's not like the movies, "o no his blood sugar is low he needs insulin straight away" 💀💀💀😂😂
@@TommyEvans100 exactly! 😂
Rip that bird, gone but never forgotten 🕊️
It’s everyone’s responsibility to speak out against oppression and gen oh cide 🫠
Especially yt people (coming from a white person 🤓)
Hey Tabby, What a load of crap, are you running out of ideas, always trying to show off instead of just producing good content, just get on with it, you are becoming a boring Aussie.
I will lose weight for that bird for my wedding thats in 6 months.
Hope it wasn’t a bin chicken.
Your fat loss videos changed my life. I’ve lost 6-7 kg in 5 weeks without experiencing diet fatigue or additional stress. I still have 7-8 kg left to lose, but using the right method and seeing the big picture gives me the confidence that the battle is already won. Now, it's just a matter of time until I achieve my goal. The image of the money on the table, the barbell weights representing TDEE, and the whiteboard from the video about Beard Meats Food (making up during the week for the damage done during the weekend) will forever be ingrained in my mind.
Big thanks for everything-your videos have made a world of difference in my journey!
Love it, I’ve had people literally stand there and argue with me that counting calories is stupid, then explain that they struggle with losing weight….when I don’t………
Thought James was flexing big time, but then remembered the exchange rate for 14,000 Australian ding-dong-dollaroonies is about £3GBP.
“Ding-dong-dollaroonies” 😅😅
Dollarydoos
Dude. I have to say, I absolutely LOVE your videos. There's no pointless waffle. You get straight to the point. You simplify complex concepts. You're genuinely engaging and funny without trying too hard. I'm a fan.
Started counting calories 2 months ago.
It's allowed me to realise how much food I actually eat, and think about how I can do things differently to lose weight without feeling miserable.
I still get takeaways, I still eat junk food, I just eat less of them.
Yesterday I felt like eating snacks after lunch.
When dinner time came around, a normal meal would've been way too many calories on top of the snacks I'd already eaten, so I just decided to eat 2 yoghurts and a chocolate bar for dinner. 600 fewer calories than what I was going to eat, and I still went to bed without feeling hungry.
I didn't feel like I'd missed out on proper food. I chose to eat the snacks, and as a result didn't need a full meal for dinner.
I'm down 8kg in 10 weeks. I don't feel like I've missed out on enjoying food, my diet has barely changed, I just stopped eating full meals if I'm not actually hungry and don't need the calories.
I mean doesn't sound as healthy as eating more calories from healthier full meals but if it works for you then fair play
@@samjoshi1812 It's sustainable for me.
After a lifetime of being obese and multiple failed attempts to lose weight, this is what's finally working for me and I'm completely happy with it.
I'm not starving myself. I'm not cutting out foods I crave or really enjoy. I'm not lacking nutrients.
And it's certainly more healthy than staying obese.
Down 8kg, still about 20kg to go. I'm the healthiest I've been in years.
@@samjoshi1812That makes no sense? "doesn't sound as healthy as eating more calories from healthier full meals"
What does this mean? Counting and tracking everything doesn't make it unhealthy at all unless the person suffers from it mentally.
@IssaMeZane he is exactly what is wrong with people sticking their noses in other people's lives l. Total bro science 😂
Congrats, awesome progress!
Would you have any recommendations or opinion on best way of tracking/recording calories? Is there a specific App you get on or something?
I started tracking recently and have actually found it liberating not restrictive. I've discovered that my diet had basically been all over the place before, eating too little some days and way too much on others. I'm eating much more consistently now and am able to eat treat foods without feeling bad about it, and then just adjust other days accordingly.
In this minefield of a food climate that we live in today I think tracking is a very useful tool to navigating it.
I'm the same, I feel less guilty eating treats when I track because I know I've got the calories to spare and it's never as bad as I think anyway
Changed my life 7 years ago when I first came across your channel.
Just straight up common sense
Which is why so many people struggle to lose weight. They don't have common sense.
As a Type 1 Diabetic for 14 years.. I loved hearing what you had to say 😂 made me laugh but it was very true & spot on! Cheers dude 🤙🏻😝
"no one thats overweight has died of starvation" might be the best thing ever said when it comes to weightloss
Diahorrea of a CEO is hilarious 😂
Anyone who has ever said you don’t need to track calories to me is not in good shape
True, I count calories in my head. I look at food and know roundabout how much calories are in it.
@@brandonlee7382 i have gotten to that level with months of tracking but most people are definitely not able to do that and will vastly under estimate
you need to at least do aproximation. What I do is to round it up (so it I think something is like 270 I will count as 300) while always gettin all the protein.
round up calories, round down protein for sure.
I feel like you can track calories without it having to write it down. You should know how much ground meat it takes for a burger patty or chicken etc
In retrospect I think this is also a lot of the reason why many ordinary people “inexplicably” gain weight in the first place (ie not super morbidly obese folks, but ordinary people who are overweight and don’t really know why). For most of the week, they’re eating at or close to maintenance, so they think they’re being good and healthy and not overeating, and they’re not lying, but then they go out on weekends and overeat because they feel like their diet is otherwise good so they’ve “earned” it. Lo and behold from their weekend antics they’re eating enough to put on about a pound a week.
It's not obsessive, it's necessary if you want to guarantee weight loss without becoming ravenously hungry and sluggish (undereating and crashing) or actually not even hitting deficit (overeating while thinking you didn't eat that much)
I wear a glucose monitor because I'm type 1 diabetic. I would say that a lot of people would find it interesting and possibly helpful to see how what they put in their mouths affects their body in real time.
This is definitely a question a lot of us ask.
I know from experience that for me, fat loss was most effective when it was 7 days a week, hardcore, consistent. Was it sustainable? No. Did I binge and rebound? Yes.
Finding something sustainable as James is saying is the key.
I’m newer to counting calories and quickly learnt how much I was over eating always causing any loss to creep back up eventually. Now that I’m tracking it all my new favorite thing to tell my husband is, “I’m not eating that, it’s too expensive.” I will still have things I enjoy, but I 100% pay attention to the cost now! This video with your example was is something everyone should watch!
I can CATEGORICALLY say without a shadow of a doubt that James is absolutely correct.
This is because for the last 8 weeks I have been following what his macro calculator has been telling me and I have lost 11kg and gone from around 15% bf to 10% bf.
James, I would like to thank you for the way your work has helped someone like me take my nutrition seriously and the results have made me believe in the process. I have the physique I have always wanted and now I’m using your calculator to get on my journey in my lean bulk.
God bless you, James 🌟
love these videos, your whole way of speaking just cracks me up, but its still informative :) nicely done!
For me if i have a cheat day and go wayyyy over… next day i just go about my usual diet and it sorts itself out in a day or two. Sometimes over stressing it can cause more problems. Just get back to how u train with lots of water and just look forward to another cheat day when u feel u need one 👊🏻👍🏻
I look my best at 87kg - but i feel my best at 90kg. So i just stay on 90kg. If im on 87kg i feel hungry all day and its annoying.
My body works its best on 90kg. Im not overweight but being lean or that certain amount of body % my body doesnt like or perform its best on it.
Thankyou James, for the wise words i don't have to formulate myself when i talk to people about the food management topic=) i just show them your videos and thats it=)
Great content, man! thanks so much for your work.
This is the cold and unfiltered Truth about weightloss, most people don't want to hear. With this exact method i managed to lose 25kg in 3 years. (in addition to working out 3-5times per week)
For context, i had about 123kg in the middle of the pandemic, now i can maintain a stable 2 digit weight.
99kg?
@ekroizm even if 99kg's, it is a real change when you can lose weight whenever you decide to do so.
@@ekroizm 97-99kg
@@cybermantis Thats very heavy lol
@@a.c.slater573what a silly thing to say lol. You have no idea of there height or fitness.
Best video I've ever seen in my life thank you for all the information and the sense you've put in to my brain!
I started counting calories in December, to gain some weight since I'd had trouble putting on any muscle. I gained about 2.5kg. I'd never tracked before so it was quite shocking how I was eating before. Right now I'm in a cut so 2300 down to 1600 calories and it's quite interesting of a change. At first I was super hungry but eventually figured out I should just eat smaller meals with some low calorie snacks between. Basically I just reduced how much I have with each meal, and like you said, if I want ice cream in the evening I have to plan my whole day.
I used to think I was good at "intuitive eating" but I was definitely not. At this point I'd definitely recommend macro tracking. It's not as difficult as I'd always imagined.
James, starting my count on Friday is something I never thought about and had lots of excuses for not tracking due to some life challenges but this I know I can do successfully. Thank you sir and love your videos!
The only place I come to for sense about fitness, and the added comedy.
Nice one James! In order to stretch out the calories and to avoid stealing from yourself with ad hoc snacks, I also adopt the 'Big Hole - Little Hole' tactic; nothing goes into the big hole at the top of the alimentary canal (i.e. your mouth) until something has emerged from the small hole. Also known as the 'Nightclub Bouncer' tactic (one out, one in).
I agree with everything you’ve just said, other than a large Dominoes running your diet … yes, it’s 500kcal over your “savings” that week, but it’s also one of your meals, which is probably 800+ calories. So really, you’d still be in a deficit.
I always approach it very simple. If I know I'm going to have a cheat meal tomorrow, maybe I'm eating out with friends for example, I will lower my calories the day before and after the cheat and on the day I cheat, I only eat low calorie protein foods with some fruit and vegetables to cut my calories really low.
simple but effective
So on the day you cheat you don't actually cheat? Lol wut
@@_Amit_Sunil everything alright with your vision mate?
I do it even simpler. Don't count calories. Jus eat everything within a 4h window, lunch, dinner, snacks, all in. Occasionally have OMAD once a week. Stick to healthy whole foods as much as u can.
@@therodian96 his eyes are fine, you literally wrote that on the day you cheat, you eat low calorie protein foods with some fruit and vegetables. if that's actually what you meant, it's not a cheat day, it's a refeed.
Love all your videos man. Could you do one for us skinny guys looking to gain weight? So much conflicting info online
For me the key was to make my deficit really small, the smaller it is the less painful dieting was and the more consistent it was every day.
Type 1 diabetic here. If you’re the sort of person considering getting a CGM please save yourself the money. You may have convinced yourself that the numbers on the screen mean something to you - but they don’t.
Funny thing is sometimes they are not even close to the actual blood sugar.
@@MultiGames4Youthey’re getting a little more accurate over time but yes they’re certainly not incredibly accurate. They don’t even test the actual blood, as such there is a delay between what the meter is saying and what your blood sugar actually is.
That said they’re still of course extremely useful for those with diabetes , but outside of that cohort I see little to no use. I have seen a lot of nonsense interpretations of what the numbers mean coming from non-diabetics wearing CGMs.
I used a CGM for a while (type 2 with brittle blood sugars) I actually went hypoglycemic in the middle of the night. I passed out and it didn’t go off until my husband was trying to wake me up. They are okay but we are taught to check with a finger stick anyway. Mine was showing 100 and when I checked after passing out it was 42.
@@julesvlogs2222 that sucks. They can fail the other way as well, which is less problematic health wise , but can still be quite annoying. I’ve often been woken up in the middle of the night by an alarm but when checking with a finger stick I’m well within range.
That said , overall they have immensely helped me manage my diabetes.
I did use a CGM for a bit one thing it did help with is understand what my bloodsugar was doing and when. Really allowed me to
Dial in on with insulin. Still using the same numbers years after with great results
I tried something similar where i lay £20 a day in pound coins and each pound represents 100 calories at the end of every week i saved it aside. Kept me off drink watching the jar fill up over a few months. Helped me lose weight, kept me off the drink and gave me money to blow on crap when the jar filled. Keep up the free info James. 💪
As i dont work and are old, everyday is the same, no weekend stupidity. The thing you arent accounting for is better digestion when undereating or proper eating and poorer digestion when stuffing yourself. This effects calories out.
Brilliant and entertaining advice as always.
i counted calories 10 years ago when i had to loose 32kg, which i did in 1 year. now i can just eyeball food and guesstimate calories, i rarely look at the back of the foods to check calories i just know now, which is pretty neat, but it was a hell back then to track calories manually and by doing it i just learned pretty much how much is in which food, makes it easier if u know that 1 gram of food in carbs/protein is 4kcal and 1gram of food in fat is 9kcal
A Sainsbury's pizza is 750-800kcal. You can still eat pizza if you don't buy Dominos.
Fat loss is like one of those fairground side-by-side slides where you sit in a hessian mat and slide mostly downwards with 3 or 4 small level bits. As long as most of your days have a calorie defecit, the odd blip won't stop you reaching your goal.
That's the best example of saying it like it is I've ever come across. Superb 😂👍
The moment I got serious about reducing alcohol was the moment I realised a standard night out drinking beer was over 3000 calories. What's the point of eating well all week if I'm just going to undo it all with one night out?
I’ve tracked my calories for over 2 years. It has made my body what it is today because of that and the hard work I put in. I try to tell people just do it for a week, don’t rig it, and you will soon see what you’re consuming and it will give you a chance to change it. Doing it for a month, even more so. It’s not obsessive, it’s just practical for those who want to lose weight and those who want to gain like me.
it's good for losing and gaining weight
I am surprised of how great of an advice this start-friday-counting method is. I will do it for my financing budget.
I really enjoyed this man, so simple really . Well done.
I find that my basic calorie burn goes up if I have a cheat day once or twice a week. This will sound weird but if I stay at 1500 calories per day straight I lose less fat than if I do 1500 for 5 or 6 days and 2500 for one or two days. Your body will adjust if you stay in a restricted state consistently. I have done multi-day fasts and by day 3 I get really cold, because my body lowers its calorie burn to adjust to it. I think the same thing happens with a continued low calorie diet. I am 53 and around 12% body fat. Doesn't mean you have 4000 calories for two days, but bumping up occasionally will increase your basal metabolism.
Love your videos, and I also love the sound of the car's engine, thing of beauty.
I have started understanding the simplicity of calories budgeting last week, it's unbelievable how something this simple Is neglected by the majority of the population (me included for 30 years)
When can we get Neutonic here in Aus? I ain’t paying $100 for shipping bro
Recommend eating high fiber foods, too. Feeing full will stop you from getting those mad cravings. At the very least, it will make them manageable.
You are honestly the best fitness professional out there in the social media and influencer space. Straight talker and actually real!
Recently found what works for me, i have breakfast at sub 300 calories, lunch and dinner are between 350 and 500 calories, hartleys 10cal jelly for pudding to satisfy my sweet tooth (these are actually between 4 and 7 calories) i dont feel hungry, if i fancy a treat like a chocolate bar. Im still well in a calorie deficet. I also go to the gym 6 out of 9 days (thats my work week) nearly 3 stone down and feeling healthier and more energectic than ever
I've tracked my calories for January + February religiously. Part of taking charge of my weight and getting rid of it.
Together with just WALKING every day (not jogging, literally moving my ass 5-7k steps a day), it had an Immediaty and positive improvement. went from 152kg to 144kg in that timespan, so 8kg gone.
Here is why tracking calories helped me:
- counting the calories of what im eating made me realize just how bad all the pasta SAUCES are for kcal.
- cooking massive amounts of pasta felt like a horrible idea, seeing the calories in it. I became more conscious about my choice.
- looking at kcal in everything i buy in the supermarket. I realize, alot of products aren't that kcal heavy! There's plenty of alternatives especially in snacking produce with a dip instead of snacking chips and nuts.
- keeping track made it my GOAL to not exceed my daily kcal number. It reinforced that I will say NO to the mcdonalds burger, or ordering takeout from home.
- it also allowed me to see how big a difference my fitness made, in terms how much im allowed to consume and still lose weight. so now I'm allowed to reward myself with a Döner kebab here and there (using chicken meat, no cocktail sauce) and it's both a treat and a perfectly healthy alternative to cooking a meal that day.
I've had fantastic process from january to march. In April i stopped, took a break, very little fitness, and regressed. But it just makes sense: You get out what you put in! So im very motivated to start again, and this time I can be more relaxed and less neurotic about it all. Because i know it works!
I noticed this when I was losing weight at the start of the year. From Jan 1st to the Superbowl I went from 15 stone 4 to 14 stone 7, which was roughly half way to my goal of 13 and a half stone, so was really happy with my progress. I decided to have a cheat day for the superbowl but wanted to log my calories anyway just to see how much I ate.
I was shocked that I actually ate 5300 calories that day, just from going out for lunch, having some beers, then some snacks and a takeaway at night.
I've not been as strict with my diet since then and put on a bit of weight but I'm down to 14 stone 3 at the moment and have had the occasional cheat day, but it tends to be once every 2-3 weeks, and I still make sure I log it regardless so I can see the impact it has.
The worst thing I find is takeaways. Some big chains like Dominoes will tell you the calories, but where I live it's mostly smaller, local places that don't bother with calorie counts, so you have no idea if that kebab on a Friday night is 500 calories, 1500 or a lot more.
This is the method that I have always applied to live a normal life, you eat a little less monday - thursday, so you can bank up your calories and use them on the weekend while still hitting your weekly calorie intake. I do not know why more people don't scream this message from the rooftoops, is the way to have a regular existence.
I'm a Type 2 Diabetic and I use a CGM due to various reasons such as not being able to cope with the finger pricking. I also find it extremely useful when my blood glucose have gone astray. It is useful in monitoring biologically what goes it and out. Like how long it takes to digest certain carbs, the affect it has sitting in my stomach, when I am constipated, observing my blood glucose going high before a bowl movement. I can see in almost real time how insulin works on my body as the tablets medication isn't as effective on my body anymore. I've known I'm a diabetic since 2006, and for the past 7 years I have been using a CGM device. February 2024 my HBA1C was at 84 mmols and today it is at 69 mmols thanks to the CGM.
I exercise every day achieving over 11,110 steps every day and I try to walk fast but is very hard with physical disabilities in my forties, and arthritis affecting my joints.
I express all this due to the comments about Type 1 implied as the only people that need CGM devices to monitor blood glucose monitors, and I wonder how much of James Smith speed reading, where he doesn't quite now his stuff.
Honestly using a calorie tracker really makes me eat less . If not I just keep a rough running tally in my head and I always under estimate. For those of us old enough to remember not having internet access to your bank balance it is a similar concept. If you diligently tracked your balance you were less likely to be frivolous.
I actually use this same analogy. I’m big on budgeting and it is pretty comparable to dieting and tracking calories. I’m glad someone else said it 😄 Save a little now, spend a little later ☺️
Wish he could make the same faces he did during his Q&A on Instagram taking about “meal replacement” from Huel 😂😂
Time to get back onto tracking my intake. Thanks for the pep talk 🤘
I resisted tracking calories for years cos quite frankly i couldn't be arsed... When i did finally start doing it i learnt so much it explained perfectly why i was still fat! I'm still fat but i'm less fat and getting less and less fat each day so i can definitely recommend doing it.
For me at least, maintaining a calorie deficit uses the same willpower as trying to save up. Doing one is fine, both together, and I'm struggling to stay on track.
As always, good info James - hoping your message is getting across to those who think it's as easy as taking the latest fat loss pill or magic powder.
For those that criticise counting calories as somehow detrimental to your mental health, I'd argue it's actually a great learning tool for a healthy lifestyle. I was in a calorie deficit for 3 months at the end of last year, lost around 8kgs. I came out of the defecit in January and haven't needed to count since as I can simply monitor my weight to see if I'm eating above/below my maintenance calories and adjust as necessary. I also now know what 300 or 400 calories looks like after counting for a number of months, so can easily avoid high calorie snacks or meals during the day, so don't really need to constantly count.
Social media really is full of bell ends
Great video, nice visual aid. I do a bit of all. I eat one meal a day, low calorie high volume foods most of the week, 1 or 2 days I eat shiritake noodle stirFry (about 700cal all in) then on my day off work I just eat “normal” still sim to eat good food but don’t worry too much. I’m down 4 stone (27.9kg) so it’s definitely working for me, it’s all about finding your own balance
Yeah, back when I was drinking and smoking and doing blow like crazy nobody said anything. But when I started to try and do elimination diets, with which I did learn a lot about myself. For instance. I had anxiety for years and I didn’t realize that it was brought on by all the sugar I ate. I stopped eating the sugar and the anxiety went away completely. And if I wanted to give myself an anxiety attack later today or tomorrow all I have to do is eat a bunch of sugar right now. But I digress, yeah, those same people who wouldn’t say anything about me killing myself got all uppity about me doing these diets. Now I’m eating a completely healthy single ingredient, whole food diet. And it’s working great. And I track calories.
Great video as usual James. Metaphor or analogy on point as always, Thank you! However, just one burning question. Why so close to the steering wheel?
Love ur dog and ur sense of humour , from a fellow Brit I’ve got a serious world changing, important must be answered questions for u James , ready? Why do Americans not pronounce the h when they’re saying herbs? They don’t say appy, ello, appy or I do they
You don't need to track calories if you just eat standardized meals most of the time.
Could you publish condensed versions of these videos as well? I feel like there’s a lot of fluff probably to get the 2nd ad roll. So why not release another short video so you can benefit from that too?
This is a really effective video! Thank you!
Love the videos ! on a side note.. my guy looks like the British version of Dean Winchester and i will die on that hill
I mean you can diet on beer and sausages as long as your under your daily caloric intake via deficit you won’t put on fat it’s simple thermodynamics
It's a good trick.
As a fat 'powerbuilder' who is currently losing weight, about 1kg a week unless on diet break week (in which case I still seem to lose 0.5kg lol)... it's about cheat items, not cheat meals. Got a bottle of Kofola to drink, was supposed to be last weekend but I still have it. Gf & I gonna have some gin & OJ tonight, but the dinner will be clean. We might have pizza tomorrow, though it will be from an Italian not fn Dominos 😂
If being in a deficit means less than 2000 calories then I think it can be quite hard, but truth is 2800-3000 is a deficit for many guys watching this channel and it's not that hard.
Making funny sense of things always wins 💪🏻
Yet again talking pure sense!
Hang on.!! Maxibon.?!!! Is maxibon available in Australia.?😮
“No one that’s overweight has died of starvation…”
Thank you for that. That’s gonna be my mantra now when I’m fasting and start getting hungry 😂 Seriously, thank you ❤
What i find difficult is sticking to a calory deficit and excercising for gains.. im cycling 10hrs a week and lifting once a week. I fuel well during workouts and try to restrict calories when off the bike however sometimes the body just urges me to eat, find it hard getting down another 5-10kg. Bodys quite happy around 100KG (6'5 195cm). maybe around 16% body fat.
How intense Is the cycling you are doing? I just ask because intense cardio can make hunger skyrocket and I have experienced this first hand
Sometimes it's just not worth worrying about if you're not gaining weight or anything. I do understand wanting to be slimmer though but i just try and not be too greedy and i work out all the time. I could be like 5-10lbs slimmer with calorie deficit but i just don't care anymore and it's fine
@@Yuffie777 when your climbing mountains 5kg in weight is not something you can out train.
@@sadboi88 training plan, all kinds of sessions. 80% zone 2 and 20 all else. Sprints, some races.
I spent a week tracking my protein intake. I of course kept track of calories and carbs but the focus was protein. By the time I hit my goal at dinner. My total calories were at or just below 2000. My maintenance is 2700.
and what if i walk 10k steps everyday, should i add these calories burned to my calorie defificit?
Facts. Tracking my calories and weight lifting is the reason I went from 300 pounds to 189 pounds. I like to cook my meals so for me is easy. I prepare all the meals I will be eating throughout the week. I use fat secret app to keep track of the foods I eat. It only takes like a few minutes out of my day to track it. I don't understand what is so hard about it.I eat a cheat meal at the end of each month to reward myself. It sucks but hey no one said is easy to get the body you want.
The misnomer in the video is that the 2,300 calorie pizza kills a 1,700 calorie deficit.
It doesn't, only the excess calories nibble away at the balance.
If the only thing I eat today is that pizza and my TDEE is 2,200, I only nibble 100 calories off my gain.
Now obviously, because it's a pizza my water retention etc. will be all over the place for a day, but other than that, tracking over the week will show you the pattern.
it doesnt no, just sets you back a few days
This content is 🔥
I can confirm the answer is no. Dropped 17 lbs from 12st 7 to 11st 4 in 3 months and i binge eat and drink on a Saturday. Not healthy but it hasnt stopped the cut!
I've got the complete opposite problem man. I have no idea what's wrong with me. When I was a teenager I lifted weights everyday for 4 years and ate easily 5000-8000 calories a day, I'm 5 6 and at my peak I weighed 150 lbs. I've fallen off over the years since there and got complacent and lazy, I now weigh 128 lbs and I can't seem to put weight on while eating around 3500 calories daily with some mild calisthenics exercises. 100 squats, 100 pushups, 100 situps and 5 mins of planking. Any advice James or comment section?
Another good video James respect!
I exceed my daily calories at least one day a week, by 1000 to 2000 calories, and usually by close to 3000 calories once every two weeks (game night with friends, so poutine is involved), but since I'm usually in a 300 to 500 deficit the rest of the week, I lose about 0.5 pounds per week... Soo, while this is anecdotal, it does work for some, as long as your overall calories "in" are lower than your calories "out" overall...
Thanks for a great video as always. I find it hard to hit my protein target and not go over my calorie intake. Feels like I have to live on proteinshakes for the rest of the week after i go bananas on the weekends :) However, I really like your approach, so thanks again!
I’ve been tracking loosely for years…. This week I started using my fit bit app to track. I have to fudge it a bit to get the actual amounts correct, because it likes to undershoot or do the math wrong if I convert to grams
What happened to the vw golf James... enjoy the new audi though, good stuff.
Maxibons are the goat, shame you cant get them in the UK anymore 😢
I have been weighing and measuring things for years. Just part of my routine now. Admittedly get a little anxious going out to eat if they don’t have nutritional values on menu.
James are you fully natty just now? I only ask as you're looking in much better shape compared to maybe 6 months or so.
Great, frank, helpful, well meaning, and also funny content. As per usual.
Started tracking 2 weeks ago and made good progress already. I wasnt't able to do so months before with good training routine. Always ate much more calories, because I was hungry. Now i focus on calories and protein intake. My favourite carrot cake at starbucks has over 800 calories. already startet looking for some alternative receipes her on youtube.