If you've struggled to lose weight by reducing your calories, it might not be your willpower that's the issue. When done incorrectly reducing calories can leave you feeling hungry, low on energy, and straight up miserable. This usually ends in one of the following ways:

• You reach your goal but you feel like garbage, people don't like being around you, and you question if it was even worth it
• You always feel hungry and you're controlled by obsessive thoughts around food. All you think about is the next time you're going to eat
• You see success for the first few weeks only to eventually binge out on everything in your sight. You feel guilt or shame about 'not having what it takes' to lose weight

The good news? There is a better way. It's possible to burn through body fat without being miserable along the way.

In my own experience easily cutting below 10% body fat, and in my experience helping clients transform their bodies, there is a better way to cut calories without feeling like you're starving yourself. Below are some simple ways to reduce calories and lose weight without feeling hungry all the time.

These strategies have worked for me personally and are strategies I regularly use to help clients easily cut calories (without feeling hungry all the time):

1) Prioritize Protein

Do you want to feel full for longer between meals? Focus on prioritizing protein at each meal (snacks included).

I've written in-depth about why everyone should prioritize protein. It will help you hang onto muscle mass as you lose weight (which is extremely important for your metabolism), it will keep you full for longer, and it will actually burn more calories than carbohydrates or fats. Whether your goal is fat loss, muscle building, or general health - protein should be a foundation of your diet.

Aim to consume 0.7-1.0 grams of protein per lb of bodyweight. If you're 200 lbs, this would be 140-200 g of protein per day spread out across your meals and snacks.

2) Eat Real Food

I've tried losing weight eating whole foods, and I've tried it through protein shakes/bars/smoothies. My results have always been better focusing on eating real, whole foods. And I've seen the same thing time and time again with clients.

Whole foods include meats, vegetables, fruits, dairy, potatoes, beans, oats, and healthy fats. When you make these the foundations of your diet, there are two main benefits when it comes to feeling full:

• You naturally consume more fiber. This helps you feel full for longer, helps improve digestion, and helps with blood sugar regulation (which minimizes post-meal crashes and hunger spikes).
• You're typically able to eat a higher volume of food, which can significantly increase satiety (I love this video that demonstrates what 100 calories looks like across different foods)

Aim to eat 1-2 servings of vegetables per meal and up to 1-2 servings of fruit per day. Focus on whole foods that don't come in packages, aiming for 14g of fiber per 1,000 calories consumed.

3) Stay Hydrated (Don't Just Drink More Water)

Staying properly hydrated is key to minimize hunger cravings throughout the day. However, when people think about staying hydrated, the first thing that comes to mind is drinking more water.

I'm actually not a fan of the common recommendation of 'drink half of your bodyweight in ounces of water'. Simply drinking more water does not mean you're more hydrated. And more often than not, you're simply peeing most of that water out without much other benefit. If your goal is to increase your step count by making more trips to the bathroom, then keep chugging your plain water. If your goal is to stay hydrated, you need to make sure you're getting the right electrolytes.

At a minimum, make sure you're adding a little bit of pink salt to your water. If cost isn't an issue, you should strongly consider supplementing with electrolytes. There are lots of great brands out there, our favorite in the Paczkowski household and a favorite of many of our client is LMNT. If you want to check out LMNT, use this link for a free sample pack to get added onto your order. Whichever brand you choose, make sure it has the proper blend of sodium, magnesium, and potassium (and doesn't have added sugars, calories, or other fillers).

4) Don't Fear Fat - But Be Aware

Contrary to popular dieting beliefs, eating lower carb or lower fat is not superior as long as you're eating the right amount of overall calories and protein. It comes down to personal preference and what you feel the best with. When starting with clients, we choose a balanced approach of carbs and fats and adjust accordingly based on several variables that we regularly track - such as hunger, performance (inside and outside of the gym), and rate of body fat loss.

Based on when you grew up and your experience with dieting, you might fall into the camp of 'fat is bad' or you might fall into the camp of 'eat all the fat, it's the carbs that are the enemy'. I ate high fat/low carb for many years, so learning that carbs were actually beneficial for weight loss and improving body composition was harder for me to break. Along with that though, I also had to realize that higher fat brings much higher calories.

If you eat too much fat? You're not going to feel like you're eating as much food.

If you eat too little fat? It will affect hormones and hunger, making it harder to stick to your diet long-term.

This will require a little bit of self-experimentation to find your sweet spot. As a starting point, aim for 0.4-0.6 g/lb of bodyweight.

If you're not into tracking calories that closely, just be aware of how much oil you are adding to your cooking, how quickly things like nuts or nut butters can add up in calories, and opt for leaner meats over fattier cuts of meats.

5) Try Fasting

Fasting isn't for everyone - but in my experience it is for a lot of people. This is a strategy I've used personally and with clients that has brought amazing results when it comes to getting fat loss results. It's not the physical benefits that sets intermittent fasting apart from other styles of eating - but it certainly is the psychological side of it for most people.

I've seen time and time again that people can easily fast 2 hours before going to bed and for 2-4 hours first thing in the morning (or longer for men) with minimal increases in hunger - especially as you get adapted to this style of eating.

Doing this allows you to enjoy more food in a smaller window of eating. Eating 2,000 calories over the course of 8 hours simply feels like you're eating significantly more calories than doing it over 12-14 hours. Your meals are bigger which feels like cheating when you're dieting.

Men tend to do better with longer fasting windows up to 16-18 hours per day. Women tend to do better with 10-12 hours of fasting, and sometimes up to 14 hours. If this type of eating style isn't for you, consider experimenting with higher and lower calorie days. Being a little stricter on lower calorie days, while allowing some higher calorie days (especially on the weekends) can allow you to enjoy social settings and feel less restricted.

6) Enjoy 10-20%

Believe it or not, you can cut calories and still really enjoy what you're eating. When I cut below 10% body fat, I genuinely enjoyed and looked forward to what I was eating every single day.

A big part of feeling satisfied, despite reducing calorie intake, is saving a little room for enjoyment. I recommend clients focus on protein, whole foods, and all the things discussed above for 80-90% of their day.

Saving 10-20% of your calories per day for enjoyment can go a long way in feeling more satisfied and feeling a lot less like dieting. By proactively enjoying certain foods on a regular basis, it also minimizes your cravings and your chances to binge out later on.

Foods that you enjoy - ice cream, chips, cookies, cereal, and even alcohol - can all fit into a fat loss plan when eaten in appropriate quantities.

If you're looking to lose weight, burn through fat, and actually enjoy the process - start implementing these strategies today.

If you need more help on your fat loss or muscle building goals, and you want to be personally coached through our fat loss protocol, click here to fill out an application form and we will reach out to set up a call to see if our coaching program is right for you.