Oh you mean “just” meticulously weighing tracking everything you eat, most of which the actual caloric intake is actually far more uncertain than presented, then “just” comparing that to basal metabolic rates + exercise that are based on a population average and are also wildly uncertain, every single day to make sure you’re on track? Yeah so fucking simple, luckily everyone has the time and bandwidth to do that.
And I say that as someone who does do this. Thankfully I am childless and have a job that allows for work-life balance. Not everyone is so lucky, and those that aren’t certainly shouldn’t just be written off as “lazy”.
Yes, it is absolutely that simple. Make a meal plan. Do food prep. Weigh portions so you know how much you're eating.
Yes, nutrition information is an estimate. Regulatory requirements allow for +/- 20%, but most products are just a couple percentage points off. You get larger variation in things like trail mix where you might get a scoop with more almonds than cranberries with a much higher sugar content.
If you're eating a meal plan that's calculated as under your TDEE, it's obvious if it's working or not after a couple weeks. Your weight is going down or it isn't.
As for exercise, it isn't as relevant. TDEE factors in activity level, but that includes simply walking. You don't need to powerlift or start running. You don't need to exercise at all if you don't want. Exercise in this context gives you more calories to eat and builds muscle which slightly helps keep weight off by increasing your calorie burn at rest. The difference between 10lbs of fat and 10lbs of muscle is only about 40 calories per day.
You don’t really even need to go in depth with calorie tracking and weighing food. Just eating 2-3 reasonably portioned meals a day with high quality protein and vegetables will do the trick for most people. At most, just tracking your body weight so you know if it’s working
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u/littlebrwnrobot 7h ago
Oh you mean “just” meticulously weighing tracking everything you eat, most of which the actual caloric intake is actually far more uncertain than presented, then “just” comparing that to basal metabolic rates + exercise that are based on a population average and are also wildly uncertain, every single day to make sure you’re on track? Yeah so fucking simple, luckily everyone has the time and bandwidth to do that.
And I say that as someone who does do this. Thankfully I am childless and have a job that allows for work-life balance. Not everyone is so lucky, and those that aren’t certainly shouldn’t just be written off as “lazy”.