I eat. A lot.

So, how have I lost weight when I eat so much? How did I come up with a meal plan?

When I first started out, I found some professional accounts on Instagram that were both educating and encouraging. I learned a lot, and applied what I learned to create a meal plan that worked for me and included foods I liked and enjoyed.

Here are a few key things I picked up that got me started, and helped me keep going:

Calories are king.

I learned that to lose fat, you’ve got to be in a caloric deficit. Sure, there are nuances to that. There are several ways to accomplish that. But the foundational, bottom line is that your body needs to expend more calories than consumed, if your goal is to lose fat.

Eat enough protein.

Because #muscles

But seriously, when you’re talking about weight loss, a lot of things can contribute to your overall weight, so if your goal is truly fat loss, protein intake will help support your efforts to build and hang on to that muscle.

Protein also helps keep you fuller longer, which helps when you’re in a caloric deficit.

Once I figured out how much protein I needed, the rest of my caloric “budget” was distributed between carbohydrates and fat.

Focusing on these three key macronutrients didn’t necessarily make things easier, but it did make them simpler, which made achieving my goals feel attainable. It helped me create a balanced plan that’s sustainable, allows me to be flexible, and fuels my body well.

Turn up the volume.

Once I nailed down how many calories to consume, and grams of protein, carbs, and fats to aim for, I had to fill in the pieces of what I was actually going to eat.

And while calories are king, nutrients are important.

Just like a budget, as I figured out how to “spend” my calories, I learned it’s best to fill up on lower calorie, nutritious foods than choosing higher calorie options that wouldn’t fill me up as much.

That doesn’t mean higher calorie foods are completely off limits, but rather that my focus remains on quality and quantity when it comes to creating a plan.

Consistency beats perfection.

I learned it’s a lot harder to stick to an eating plan if I felt like I was depriving myself or had to be perfect 100% of the time, and anything less was failure.

As simple as it is, it felt life changing when I learned about the 80/20 rule. Meaning, what I do 80% of the time matters most. If I had a moment where I felt like I messed up, or I intentionally planned on a treat, that didn’t mean I failed, and I could still make progress.

I could get right back on track and keep going, and that mindset has taken me a lot further than focusing on perfection.

Treat yo’self.

Because I’m human and have a life to live and people to live it with. And sometimes I just need some chocolate or pizza or ice cream or a chocolate almond croissant.

Allowing myself room for treats may have slowed my progress to a degree, but it’s made the journey more enjoyable. And, I’d argue, has also helped me better stick with my goals in the long run, versus trying to be perfect 100% of the time–which brings us back to the value of consistency.

You Can’t Mess Up (Unless You Quit)

While I’ve gleaned lots of practical information, the most valuable lesson was that I couldn’t mess up–unless I quit.

It took time and effort and learning what did and didn’t work for me to be able to turn habits into a lifestyle.

All in all, it’s a balance act, and it’s a process. You learn what works for you as you go, and if your approach is to make changes that become a lifestyle, versus feeling like you’re in a race, then you’ve got time to figure it out and make mistakes and learn and grow.

Take it a step at a time and be patient. You’ll get there before you know it.