Top 5 Weight Loss Tips for Cops

Weight loss is the same regardless of your occupation.  It is simple in that weight gain or weight loss is the sum of calories consumed and calories burned.  Calculating calories burned is far more complicated with exercise and non-exercise activity, the thermal effect of your food, and your resting metabolic rate going into that equation.  However, at the end of the day it’s CICO (Calories-in and calories-out).  With that being said, here are 5 tips to stack that equation in your favor for weight loss.  

1. Increase Activity Level (not necessarily exercise)

Most people would be surprised at how little calories you burn during exercise compared to non-exercise activity throughout the rest of the day.  Running 5-mile may use up somewhere around 500 calories while your body burns roughly 2000 to 3000 throughout the rest of the day.  Simply increasing how much you move around the day can dramatically impact how many calories you burn.  With that being said, consider setting a daily step goal.  With the popularity of step counters these days, it would be easy to track and progress your daily non-exercise activity.  

It may not seem like much and that’s the beauty of it.  You’ll burn more calories per day without really effecting your fatigue level.    

Action:  See what your average steps currently are and progressively increase this number from week to week.  

2. Read Nutritional Labels

Making informed decisions about what you eat is a critical step in the weight loss process.  You don’t need a degree in nutrition to get started.  Study the basic functions of the nutrients in food.  Use a macronutrient calculator, like the EFT Nutrition Template (linked above and below), to have a basic understanding of how much protein, carbohydrates, and fats you should be getting each day.  Review labels at the store before even purchasing the item.  If it aligns with your goals, buy-it.  If it does not align with your goals, leave it at the store.  

In general, in a weight loss diet, you should be consuming roughly 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight.  Fat intake should be at a minimum of 0.3 grams per pound of bodyweight.  Carbohydrate intake can make up the rest of your calorie intake so long as you remain in a calorie deficit (meaning you are burning more calories than you are consuming).  

If you aren’t reading nutritional labels or looking up the nutrient content of your food online, how will you know if you’re even close to these recommended numbers?  Furthermore, constantly check the nutrient content of your food will help you build a mental library of foods you can put into categories: high-protein, high-fat, high-carb, high-sugar, etc.  With that mental library you will be able to make better choices in the future.  

11 FREE TIPS for Dining Out on a Diet 

Action:  Set a goal to review the nutritional contents of all the food you want before you purchase it.  Only buy the items that will assist you towards your goals.  Leave the rest at the store.  

3. Meal Prep (but have a back-up plan)

Everyone says it and they’re right.  Meal prepping is the best method to stay on track toward your goals.  However, as you know, law enforcement hours are brutal.  You’ll have callouts or court on your pass days.  Staffing is down around the country leading to mandatory overtime.  You know the deal.  

Ideally, you prep all your meals for the week ahead of time.  If possible, do that.  If it’s not possible or perhaps you accidentally don’t make enough food or you forget your prep one day, this is what you need to do.  Have a plan!  Create a multi-step back-up plan for the days you don’t have your prepared meals.  This will create multiple layers of protection that you’ll need to get through before you go off the rails and away from your goals.  

Some layers of protection can include packing goal-specific snacks in your duty bag or patrol car, knowing what the healthier options are at the restaurants local to you, and knowing what the healthier options at the convenience store are.  

If you don’t have your prepared meal, you must work your plan.  No meal prep? No problem. I have protein bars packed in my bag.  Protein bars not doing it? No problem.  I can get a couple grilled chicken breasts from Wendy’s.  Not feeling chicken?  No problem.  I can get a couple burger patties from Burger King. 

This is all about having a plan to keep your calories down, while still getting the fuel you need to perform. 

Action:  Write down a specific multistep plan to prevent a high-calorie blunder.  

Example:

1. Quest bars, Turkey Chomps, and a Zevia drink in my patrol car. 
2. Two Subway chicken breasts with assorted vegetables on the side. 
3. Two McDonalds burger patties with a side salad.

*Note:  You can order just the meat from fast food restaurants.  You don’t have to order the full sandwich or cheeseburger.  

4. Set Rules

Establishing rules for yourself is a simple and easy-to-follow way to keep your calories down.  Below is a list of rules you could set for yourself with an explanation of the intent:

•  Only eat to 80% full at each meal – Portion Control
•  Do not consume any calorie-containing drinks – If you drink calorie containing beverages this will be an easy calorie cut. 
•  Only eat from your smaller sized plates – Portion Control
•  Only eat while sitting at the kitchen table – Prevents excessive snacking
•  Eat slower and put your utensils down between each bite – Eating slower allows your body more time to signal that you are full/satisfied and thus control your portions. 
•  Focus on your food while you’re eating.  No phone or television use while eating – More mindful eating will allow you to recognize fullness cues more readily and thus control your portions. 
•  Only eat while in the squad room – Prevents excessive snacking.
•  Only eat at certain times – Prevents excessive snacking. 

These are just examples.  Use them or create your own to create an environment conducive to weight loss.  

Action:  Write down specific rules to follow and, of course, follow them. 

 

 

 

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5. Monitor, adjust, and be patient.

You don’t need to measure and weigh all your food.  You likely don’t have time for that or, more likely, aren’t willing to dedicate the time needed.  While that would be the most effective method for systematically progressing down the weight loss journey, there is another way.  

Two to three times per week, weigh yourself at the same time of day.  Ideally, wake-up, hit the head, then weigh yourself.  Log your weight each time.  At the end of the week, calculate your average bodyweight from the week.  

Continue to do this from week-to-week.  You will have fluctuations, sometimes your weight will go up and sometimes it will go down, and this is why taking the average is important.  If your weekly average is not decreasing, simply take a mental note of that and adjust your plan.  Make some kind of adjustment, whether that be making different food choices, reducing your portion sizes, or having a better meal prep back-up plan.  Make some kind of positive change and then continue to track.  Monitor your progress and continue to adjust the plan until you see the changes you want.  

11 FREE TIPS for Dining Out on a Diet 

Finally, be patient.  Your aim should be to lose 0.5 to 1% of your bodyweight per week. That is a max of 2 lbs. for a 200 lbs. person per week and this number decreases as your weight goes down.  At this rate you will preserve more muscle mass while still losing fat.    

Clearly, if done properly, this process is going to take time.  Which isn’t a bad thing, especially if you’re seeking long-term lifestyle change.  Over time you will develop new, healthier habits.  You’ll get better at making healthier food choices.  Your operating system is going through an upgrade and working out all the bugs will take time.  This isn’t something to view as negative.  It’s a good thing.  Just don’t expect dramatic results overnight.  It may take months or even years to finally reach your goal weight.  And that’s okay. 

Action:  Log your bodyweight at least twice per week and compare the weekly averages over time.  If you’re not making progress, make an adjustment to your plan.  Continue to monitor your weight and continue to make adjustments until you are effectively heading towards your goal. 

Weight loss is not easy, but it is very simple.  Do not overcomplicate it or take on nutritional challenges that are unsustainable.  Keep it simple to increase adherence and promote long-term lifestyle change.  Most of all, do not give up on yourself when things aren’t going your way.  Simply pivot and keep moving forward.  You, as a rational human being, are more than capable of achieving your weight loss goal.