What to eat to lose weight: a plate that works, with no miracle foods

The honest answer to "what to eat to lose weight" is a bit boring. No single food makes you lose fat or gain it. Total energy intake over the day and the week decides. The good news: once you know a few rules for building a plate, fat loss stops being a fight with hunger and becomes almost too simple.

Short answer: No single food makes you lose fat, so your total energy intake and a moderate, sustainable calorie deficit decide. Build your plate from about a quarter protein, a quarter quality carbs and half vegetables. Treat fat as seasoning and drink water instead of sweet drinks.

The truth nobody sells: total intake decides

Fat loss stands and falls with one thing: a calorie deficit. Over a longer time you take in a little less energy than your body burns. Whatever you eat, without a deficit the scale does not move. And "healthy" food will not make you lose weight if you are in a surplus. That is why there are no foods for weight loss in the sense that fat melts away on its own. There is only a cleverly built diet that makes life in a deficit easier.

The deficit should not be drastic, though. Extreme starving leads to yo-yo dieting, loss of muscle and the simple fact that you will not last. The aim is a sustainable, moderate deficit you can live with. If you want to know roughly where you are, work out your intake in the calculator. It is a better start than guessing.

More about how the deficit works is in calorie deficit: how much to eat.

Protein: the base of fullness and keeping muscle

If you could fix only one thing, make it protein. Of all nutrients it fills you up the most, so at the same calories you are less hungry. And in a deficit your body takes from muscle, not only from fat. Enough protein, together with strength training, helps you keep your muscle. You lose fat and keep your shape, instead of becoming a smaller, softer version of yourself.

Good sources, no science needed:

• lean meat (chicken, turkey, lean beef) and fish
• eggs and egg whites
• quark (a fresh cheese, similar to strained Greek yogurt), Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, skyr, lower-fat cheeses
• beans, lentils and tofu as plant sources
• protein powder, if you cannot get there otherwise

To see which foods give you the most protein for the calories, use the protein tool. Details (how much, when, quality of sources) are in how much protein you need, and why it works in a deficit is in build muscle in a calorie deficit.

Vegetables and fibre: volume that fills the plate and the stomach

Vegetables are the easiest way to deal with hunger. They have lots of volume and few calories, so the plate looks full, your stomach is happy, and little energy comes in. If you wonder what to eat when you want to lose weight and you do not want to be hungry all the time, the answer is: add a big portion of vegetables to your meal.

Then fibre. It helps with fullness and digestion. You find it in vegetables, fruit, beans and whole grains. You do not need to count it in grams. Just have it in every main meal.

Eat fruit too. It is a normal food, and it counts into your total intake like everything else.

Carbs and fats: keep them, measure them

Carbs are fine. You do not need to cut them out. They are the main fuel for training and for your brain. Go for the quality, more filling ones: potatoes, rice, oats, wholegrain bread, beans and lentils, fruit. You do not need to ban sweets, just fit them into your daily frame.

Your body needs fat too (hormones, absorbing vitamins), but fat packs a lot of calories into a small volume, so watch the amount. Good sources like olive oil, nuts, avocado and fatty fish are great. Just do not pour them by eye, because the calories add up fast.

That you do not have to ban anything for life is the whole idea of flexible dieting: you look at your calories and macros (protein, carbs, fat) and drop the lists of "allowed" and "forbidden" foods.

Drinks: calories you do not notice

Drinks can smuggle a lot of energy into your day, and you do not feel it as fullness. Sweet sodas, juices, flavoured coffees with cream, energy drinks, and alcohol too. It all counts, it just does not fill you like food. When you think about what to eat to lose weight, think just as carefully about what you drink.

• the base of your drinks is water, unsweetened tea and coffee without calorie add-ons
• sweet drinks and juices are an occasional exception
• with alcohol, count it as extra calories, and it often triggers overeating

How alcohol fits into fat loss (and that it does not have to be completely off limits) is in alcohol and weight loss.

How to build a plate: a simple template for every meal

You do not need to weigh every bite. A simple visual template is enough to start. Build the plate so that it fills you up and does not overshoot your calories:

• about a quarter of the plate is protein: meat, fish, eggs, quark, beans and lentils
• about a quarter is quality carbs: potatoes, rice, a wholegrain side, fruit
• about half is vegetables: volume and fibre that fill you up
• fat is seasoning: a little oil, nuts or avocado, in measure
• water to drink instead of sweet drinks

This template works for lunch, dinner and breakfast, and you do not need an app for it. It works when you eat out too: look for the protein on the menu first, then the vegetables. If you want to be sure you hit your calories, plan your meals ahead, or get your starting numbers in the calculator.

Frequently asked questions

Are there foods that make you lose weight?

No. No single food makes you lose or gain fat. Total energy intake over the day and the week decides. Protein and vegetables make fat loss easier because they fill you up better, but even they do not burn fat on their own.

Do I have to ban sweets and sides when I lose weight?

No. Carbs and sweets are fine. Fit them into your daily calories. Lifelong bans often end with falling off the diet and yo-yo dieting. A flexible approach lasts longer.

How much protein should I eat to lose weight?

The exact number depends on your weight and your goal. In general, a higher protein intake helps with fullness and with keeping muscle in a deficit. Ranges and sources are in how much protein you need. If you take medication or have a health condition, talk to your doctor.

Sources, so you can check:

1) This article comes from my coaching practice and cites no studies of its own. The research behind protein and the calorie deficit is listed in the linked articles on those topics.

Martin Barna

Online nutrition and fitness coach. Since 2013 I have helped 600+ people lose fat and keep the result. Science, not crash diets.

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This article is for information only. It is not medical advice. If you have a health condition, talk to your doctor.