Health + Fitness
Derek From MorePlatesMoreDates.com Breaks Down How He Lost 75 Pounds With His Top Fat Loss Tips
Derek shared his top appetite hacks and dieting tips.
Derek from MorePlatesMoreDates.com is a fitness YouTuber who often posts about health optimization. Admittedly, as a newbie he too fell into the trap of doing the classic “dirty bulk” to gain muscle. Over the years he realized how counterproductive that can be and has since adopted a more strategic approach to gaining muscle or losing fat, which he often details in his diet and nutrition videos.
He posted a video explaining some of his top fat loss strategies to get lean again after letting his body fat get out of control in one of his first dirty bulks many years ago.
He elaborates on bodybuilding pharmacology as well in this video and details the truth about fat burning supplements.
“Sticking to a steep calorie deficit is typically unsustainable for most people because they choose foods that leave them hungry all day long. One of the most distracting things is hunger. Not only does being perpetually hungry take away from your focus on work and all other areas of life, but it is a miserable state to constantly be in. It typically causes yo-yo dieting that catastrophically ends in massive binge eating episodes,” he explains.
“Adhering to a strict diet actually isn’t very hard if you eat enjoyable low-calorie foods. By eating low-calorie, high volume foods, you can finish each meal feeling satiated and suppress the nagging hunger pangs that would otherwise derail you from your diet when the cravings get intolerable.”
He then dives into some of his diet manipulation strategies.
“Carbonated/sparkling water is a great drink to incorporate into your diet. It is especially useful when you wake up to help keep your appetite suppressed throughout the morning. It is calorie-free, but it is carbonated. The carbonation promotes satiety and will help you avoid binging in the morning,” he says.
He is also a big fan of coffee, but a very particular type.
“Coffee is one of the best ways to suppress your appetite and give you an energy boost in the morning when you are in a calorie deficit. The way most people mess up is by adding calorie-dense ingredients to their coffee to make it taste better. Some of the additives in popular coffee choices are so calorie-dense that you can easily end up consuming as many calories as a hamburger contains from McDonalds. These ingredients often go overlooked and can be a huge hindrance to getting into the calorie deficit you need to lose weight because liquid calories are by far the least satiating. Having a coffee full of junk to suppress your appetite defeats the whole purpose of drinking the morning coffee.”
After finishing off his first water bottle, Derek fills up a cup of black coffee sweetened with Stevia. Stevia is an all-natural sugar replacement that doesn’t induce an insulin spike in the body like regular sugar does, and it is calorie-free.
“I also think that chewing sugar-free gum is a great diet hack. Chewing it keeps your mouth busy and also promotes satiety. Each piece has less than 5 calories, is sugar-free, and can last for a while. I think this is a great hack that often goes overlooked and actually produces a noticeable difference in appetite suppression. This makes adherence to a calorie deficit much easier,” he says.
One of the main strategies he strongly encourages is eliminating all liquid forms of calories from your diet, and finding the lowest calorie, highest volume foods you can to promote satiety.
“Not replacing your protein shakes or other forms of liquid calories with solid food, or some variation of your liquid calories that equates to more overall volume relative to the calorie burden, can be a diet killer. Instead of drinking a protein shake post-workout, add a bunch of ice to your protein powder in a blender, add some Stevia and other low-calorie complementary ingredients, and make a giant pitcher of protein ice cream. This is just one example of many where you can take something otherwise unsatiating and turn it into one of the most filling things you could possibly eat.”
In the video he breaks down several more ways to hack your diet and swap out foods for more satiating alternatives that will help you adhere to your goal calorie deficit.
Many of them we have never even heard of before, so it is definitely worth a watch.