The 3 + 1 Structure for fat loss made easier
If tracking calories isn’t for you, but you still like (need!) a plan for fat loss (and who doesn’t!) this is probably for you.
This structure will work for you if
Your evening meals tend to be the more sociable ones.
Your want to lose fat but don’t want to track calories.
You tend to mindlessly snack a lot
You want sensible and realistic fat loss and have realistic expectations.
Make sure that over the course of the day you are only having 3 meals + 1 snack maximum.
I recommend that these meals take the form of breakfast, lunch, a snack and your tea.
These meals will be made up using the Plate Method and the 80/20 Principle..
Your breakfast, lunch and snack will usually be pretty similar. This will remove decision fatigue. Find 2 or 3 meals you can eat on rotation. Your tea is the meal you eat with family/ friends so is likely to vary more.
Menu ideas could be
Breakfast - Overnight oats, baked oats, Greek yoghurt and fruit, protein porridge
Lunch- Protein salad, baked potato and tuna or cottage cheese and salad, bagel with turkey/ chicken and sliced raw veg on the side.
Snack- Babybels, protein yog, Greek yoghurt and fruit.
Tea- Any meal made up using the Plate Method.
Try to give yourself a ballpark time that you’ll eat so that you don’t get overly hungry. Obviously this will vary depending on your work patterns and may change at a weekend, but you’ll be surprised how much stress it relieves knowing when / what you're going to eat.
For example, Breakfast 7.30-9, Lunch 12.30-1.30, Snack 3-4, Tea 6-7.
It can be helpful to push your breakfast back a little if you normally eat very early. Perhaps try it at your desk/ in the carpark at work. Likewise, it can be very helpful to pull your evening meal forwards so you’re not eating too late, as this can negatively affect digestion and sleep.