Calorie-deficit diet, day 26/123: 956 kcal

I share my daily calorie intake from time to time to hopefully help others who are wondering how to approach it.

I count "by hand", but there are plenty of apps that can be useful if you don't have an obsessive personality (and the time and patience it requires).

I aim for about 1200 per day - this is what I *need to lose weight* (my metabolism is shite). How many calories you need every day for weight loss differs hugely per person!

This is from yesterday, when I ate:
Lunch 345 kcal: Salad with 110g salmon, broccoli (the stem, cut in cubes and steamed), cucumber and 1 tbsp of "red" pesto (made with sun-dried tomatoes). The spoon opesto adds a whopping 94 kcal to the dish, but really elevates it from "diet food" to "delicious food". I just wish I had tomatoes to add to the salad as well. (I will rectify that today - got some from the store last night.)

Dinner 422 kcal: Salad with 250g chicken thigh, 5 olives, tomatoes and roasted red peppers. I had bought tomatoes, but forgot that I finished the cucumber when making lunch. :facepalm:

3 coffees, 1 tea @ 30 kcal each (the calories come from the 50ml full-cream milk).

Today I was a bit under, which is fine, because I totally plan on having some pasta with Caruso sauce at some point this week...

Not everyone loses weight the same way - what works for one person, won't necessarily work for another. Some people prefer Keto, others do intermittent fasting or portion control. Find what works for you and stick to it.

Nonetheless, I very much recommend the following at least:

Eat (proper) food; not too much. Mostly plants.

Try and reach 30 different types of plants per week (or however many you can!), to stimulate the health of your microbiome. Coffee, or a herb used in cooking each counts as a plant.

SLEEP. Sleep well and sleep enough. Otherwise it completely messes with your hormones and will work against your weight loss efforts.

Resistance training is better for weight loss (compared to, say, cardio or endurance/stamina), because it improves your metabolism.

Eat pizza, drink beer. Just not often! And don't see it as "cheating", consider it as a sometimes treat - life is to be enjoyed, after all.