HCP Weight Loss Guide
(15 min read)
Working in Healthcare can make it really tough to lose weight, whether you work in veterinary, human medicine, dentistry or other allied healthcare areas!
In this guide, I’ll equip you with the fundamentals of weight loss, and provide you with key tips on successful loss as a Healthcare Professional (HCP).
Why This Guide Exists
If you’re reading this, you’ve likely tried to lose weight before—maybe even with some success.
But with long shifts, emotional exhaustion, and unpredictable routines, most typical plans don’t stick.
This guide is designed specifically for healthcare professionals like you.
It’s not about rapid transformations or extreme diet plans.
It’s about sustainable, science-backed strategies that work even when life is chaotic.
The Fundamentals
It’s important that you are clear on the core section below. You will see people online saying all kinds of things about nutrition - if it contradicts the below, they’re usually peddling a not very useful product claiming to be a silver bullet, or they’re just pushing misinformation (until science shows otherwise).
Let’s start with what actually causes weight loss:
Calories are units of energy. Every bite you eat contains them.
TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is the number of calories your body burns in a day—including routine body functions, sleep, movement, and workouts.
If you eat fewer calories than your TDEE = fat loss
If you eat more calories than your TDEE = weight gain
If you eat about the same calories as your TDEE = maintenance
Yes, food quality matters for health and satiety (we’ll get to this and why it’s important!), and gut health is certainly good to work on, but fat loss still primarily comes down to calories in vs calories out.
You can eat “clean” all day long, but if you’re eating more calories than you expend, your weight won’t reduce.
Common Pitfalls We See in Weight Loss
Below are some frequent things we hear and see when it comes to people struggling with weight loss and the reality of that struggle. Some of these might be hard to read, but you need to read them. There is no failure, only learning.
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This is incredibly common—and it’s usually a calorie awareness issue.
Healthy foods like nuts, oils, hummus, wraps, oats, and smoothies can still be calorie-dense. You might be in a surplus and not realise it.
A quick handful of nuts or a glug of olive oil can tip you over your daily needs without filling you up.
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Hormones can affect appetite, energy, cravings and more—but they don’t override thermodynamics.
With the right approach and consistency, fat loss is still possible, even with PCOS, perimenopause, or thyroid issues.
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You can lose weight eating carbs and sugar in moderation however I really don’t recommend this route, as this is not what your nutrition will be like longer term. Cutting them might reduce calorie intake, but it’s not the carbs themselves causing fat gain—it’s the overall calorie intake you have vs the calories you are burning. So I’d much rather we continue to eat carbs and sugar, but in a volume that is aligned to your calorie intake goals and therefore will help you into a consistent state of weight loss.
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It’s rarely about discipline. It’s more about environment, planning, habits, and fatigue. Willpower alone won’t get you results—but systems will.
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You don’t have to eat tiny amounts. But if you're not losing weight at your current intake, something has to change if you want to lose weight—either increase activity or reduce intake slightly. Often, it’s about recalibrating meals so you feel fuller on fewer calories. You will be surprised at how filling high quality nutrition can be at a lower calorie point vs lower quality nutrition but more calories!
Common Pitfalls Part 2
Some more common issues, myths and challenges we see.
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Carbs aren't inherently fattening. They're your body’s primary energy source and play a role in performance, recovery, and even satiety. It’s the total calories that determine fat gain—not whether you had rice or bread.
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It’s not the clock that matters—it’s the total intake. Eating late can affect digestion and sleep in some people, but it doesn’t automatically cause fat gain. Total daily calories are what count.
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Fasting can work for some, but it’s not a magic bullet. Its benefits come from helping people reduce overall calorie intake. But if you overeat during your eating window, you’ll still gain weight. IF can paste over the cracks of poor food habits, without helping you with long term success.
Additonally for many of you reading this, you often have awkward shift patterns which can clash poorly with an intermittent fasting eating window. -
This is more about perception and planning. Healthy meals don’t have to take hours—batch cooking, grab-and-go protein snacks, or smart supermarket choices can make eating well realistic even on shifts. How long do you spend scrolling each week? Could you shop online to reduce time taken going back and forth from the shops each week?
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Stress and cortisol can increase cravings and reduce sleep, which can lead to eating more. But they don’t override calories in vs calories out. Managing stress helps—but isn’t a substitute for nutritional awareness.
If someone is pushing cortisol as the primary reason you can’t lose weight, you should stay well clear of them, that’s not evidence based nutrition/science. -
You can’t target fat loss in one area. Ab workouts won’t burn belly or thigh fat. Fat loss happens systemically, and where your body loses it first or last is mostly genetically driven.
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While digestion may be slightly impaired overnight, going 8+ hours without food can leave you ravenous and more likely to overeat later. The key is what and how much you eat—not just when.
I have an entire night shift guide you can read in the Learn section of my website.
How To Lose Weight and Our Top Tips
So now you understand the fundamentals and common pitfalls, let’s look at what actually works in practice.
Start Here: Building Awareness
When it comes to nutrition, most people think the first step is to “eat healthier” or “go on a diet.” But before you can make lasting changes, you need awareness—a clear picture of what’s actually happening right now.
The simplest way to build this awareness is by food journaling.
Food Journaling
What it is:
Food journaling is writing down what you eat and drink during the day. This can be done with pen and paper, in your phone notes, or even within simple apps designed for journaling.
Why it works:
It shines a light on your habits.
You start spotting patterns (skipping meals, grazing in the evening, multiple coffees with sugar, etc.).
It helps you notice “hidden calories” that add up without you realising (a splash of oil, snacks from the staff room, a few biscuits with tea).
How to do it:
Write down everything you eat and drink for 2–7 days.
Be honest. The point isn’t perfection—it’s awareness.
Note timing too, as that often reveals patterns (e.g. long gaps before eating, leading to overeating later).
What to look for when reviewing it:
Meal timing: Are you skipping meals and then getting ravenous later?
Protein intake: Is each meal built around protein, or are carbs and fats doing most of the heavy lifting?
Snacking triggers: Do you snack when stressed, tired, or bored?
Liquid calories: Fizzy drinks, juices, alcohol, milky coffees—all add up.
Even 2–3 days of honest journaling can give you powerful insights into your eating patterns.
Moving to Calorie Tracking
Once you’ve gained some awareness from journaling, the next step is to bring in data—calorie tracking.
What it is:
Every food and drink you consume contains energy (calories). Your body uses this energy every day to fuel movement, recovery, and basic functions like keeping your heart beating. If you consistently eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight. If you consistently eat fewer, you lose weight.
Why it helps:
Calorie tracking adds precision to your awareness. Instead of just seeing what you ate, you also see how much energy it provided. That comparison to your daily needs can be eye-opening.
How to do it:
Choose an app: Macrofactor is my top choice, but others like MyFitnessPal or Cronometer also work.
Establish your daily calorie needs: The app will calculate your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure)—the average amount of energy you burn per day.
Set your calorie target: For weight loss, aim for a moderate calorie deficit (usually 300–600 calories below your TDEE).
Track your intake: Log what you eat. At first, weigh food where possible rather than guessing—portion sizes are nearly always underestimated.
Review weekly: Look for trends, not perfection.
Modern apps are quick and user-friendly, a big improvement compared to older, clunky versions that made logging food frustrating.
How often should you track?
Daily tracking is the most accurate, especially for the first 2–3 weeks while you’re learning.
But you don’t have to track forever. Many people find that tracking 3–4 days a week works really well, as long as those days represent a mix of work shifts, nights, and days off. This way you capture a realistic spread of your eating habits without the need to log 7 days a week.
Another useful approach is cycling between periods of calorie tracking and food journaling—track for a week or two when you want more detail, then switch back to journaling for simplicity.
Ultimately, it’s about finding the rhythm that works best for you and your lifestyle.
Top Tactics & Tips
Here are some practical strategies to make food journaling and calorie tracking work for you:
Eat Breakfast (or at Least Something Protein-Rich)
Skipping breakfast often backfires—leading to overeating snacks mid-morning or afternoon. Even a quick protein yoghurt, boiled eggs, or a smoothie can stabilise energy and reduce cravings later.Always Have Protein on Hand
Protein helps keep you full and supports muscle. Keep portable options (protein bars, yoghurts, chicken, boiled eggs) handy at work or in your bag.Create a Go-To Snack Drawer
Stock up on smart snacks at work: edamame, popcorn, Babybel, rice cakes. If better options are nearby, you’ll rely less on biscuits or vending machines.Use the HALT+ Check-In
Before eating out of habit, pause: Am I Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired, Bored, Stressed? Drink some water, wait 10 minutes, and check if the craving passes. This builds mindful eating habits.Keep It Simple: Rotate 3–5 Meals
Choose a handful of go-to meals you like, are easy to prep, and fit your calories. Complexity kills consistency.Reduce Decision Fatigue
Plan your meals ahead, shop online, and keep things repeatable. Fewer daily food decisions = more consistency.Have Back-Ups
Busy days happen. Keep emergency options like Huel, protein shakes, or pre-cooked meals on standby.Build Systems, Not Motivation
Motivation dips. Systems (habits, meal prep, routines) keep you on track when you’re tired.Track Movement Too
Even if you can’t work out, pair movement with daily tasks—take stairs, walk during calls, or do bodyweight exercises between patients. It all adds up.Honesty Beats Perfection
Even 2–3 days of truly honest food tracking is more useful than weeks of half-tracking. Clarity is the win.Think Long-Term
Don’t aim for a temporary “diet.” Instead, gradually build a way of eating you enjoy, that fits your work and family life, and that you can maintain for years.
Food Quality, Satiety and Why Protein Matters
So far, we’ve covered that weight loss ultimately comes down to calories in vs calories out. But the type of food you eat still matters a great deal—especially for how you feel while dieting, and how easy it is to stick with your plan.
Food Quality
Not all calories feel the same in your body. Compare:
500 calories of crisps = small volume, little protein, easy to overeat.
500 calories of lean chicken, vegetables, and rice = much larger volume, higher protein, more filling.
Food quality is about more than “clean vs dirty foods.” It’s about choosing foods that keep you full, fuel your energy, and support your health. Processed or high-sugar foods aren’t “off limits,” but relying on them too much often leaves you hungrier, more tired, and more likely to snack later.
Satiety (How Full Food Keeps You)
Satiety is how satisfied and full you feel after eating. Some foods blunt hunger for hours, others barely touch the sides. Three key factors influence satiety:
Protein – keeps you fuller for longer, slows digestion, and supports muscle.
Food volume – how much space food takes up in your stomach. High-volume, lower-calorie foods (like vegetables, fruit, soups, and potatoes) provide bulk without excess calories.
Fibre & water content – found in wholegrains, legumes, fruit, and veg. These help regulate appetite and keep digestion steady.
The Importance of Protein (Especially When Dieting)
Protein is the single most important nutrient to focus on during weight loss. Here’s why:
Preserves muscle: When you’re in a calorie deficit, your body can break down both fat and muscle for energy. Eating enough protein helps protect your lean tissue.
Boosts satiety: Protein-rich meals help control appetite better than carb- or fat-heavy meals.
Supports recovery & performance: Essential if you’re training, lifting weights, or simply getting through long shifts.
Higher “thermic effect”: Protein takes more energy to digest compared to carbs or fats, meaning you burn slightly more calories processing it.
Aiming for 20–30g of protein per meal is a good target for most people. This could look like:
Greek yoghurt with fruit and oats
2–3 boiled eggs with wholegrain toast
Chicken or tofu stir fry
Salmon with potatoes and vegetables
Practical Takeaway
Prioritise protein at each meal.
Fill your plate with volume: vegetables, salads, fruits, soups, potatoes.
Choose minimally processed foods most of the time—they’ll keep you full, energised, and consistent.
Enjoy flexibility: nothing is “banned,” but structuring your diet around high-quality, filling foods makes sticking to your calorie target much easier.
The Importance of Fibre in Weight Loss
When most people think about weight loss, they focus on calories and protein. Fibre often gets overlooked, but it plays a huge role in helping you feel satisfied, healthy, and consistent while dieting.
What is Fibre?
Fibre is the part of plant-based foods (fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, beans, nuts, seeds) that your body can’t fully digest. Instead of being broken down into energy, it passes through the digestive system, providing bulk and supporting gut health.
There are two main types:
Soluble fibre: dissolves in water, forms a gel-like substance in your gut, and helps slow digestion (e.g. oats, apples, beans, lentils).
Insoluble fibre: adds bulk to stool and keeps digestion moving (e.g. wholegrains, nuts, leafy vegetables).
Both types are important, and most foods contain a mix of the two.
Why Fibre Helps With Weight Loss
Satiety (Fullness):
Fibre-rich foods take longer to chew, digest, and move through your gut. That means you feel fuller on fewer calories. For example, compare a glass of apple juice to a whole apple—the same calories, but the apple’s fibre keeps you full much longer.Food Volume Without Calories:
Fibre adds bulk to your diet without adding extra energy. A big bowl of vegetables might only have 200 calories but will physically fill your stomach more than 200 calories of chocolate.Blood Sugar Control:
Fibre slows the absorption of carbohydrates into your bloodstream. This helps prevent energy crashes, cravings, and “rollercoaster hunger” that can make dieting harder.Gut Health:
Fibre feeds the “good bacteria” in your gut (your microbiome), which plays a role in digestion, inflammation, and even appetite regulation. A healthier gut often makes weight loss smoother.Consistency & Long-Term Health:
Diets that lack fibre feel less satisfying, are harder to stick to, and can lead to constipation and low energy. Hitting your fibre target supports both short-term success and long-term health.
How Much Fibre Do You Need?
The UK government recommends 30g of fibre per day for adults.
Most people currently get only around 15–18g.
Hitting 25–35g daily is a realistic and effective goal for weight loss.
Practical Ways to Increase Fibre
Swap refined carbs for wholegrain options: wholemeal bread, brown rice, oats, wholegrain pasta.
Add vegetables to every meal: even a handful of spinach in your omelette or some frozen veg with dinner adds up.
Snack smarter: fruit, nuts, seeds, or popcorn instead of biscuits or crisps.
Use beans and lentils: add them to soups, stews, salads, or even pasta dishes.
Mix it up: aim for variety—different fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes give you different types of fibre.
Our Approach to Weight Loss
You don’t need to cut out carbs. Or fast until midday. Or fear chocolate.
And yes—you can still eat dessert.
The real key is finding a way to consistently eat fewer calories than your body needs—without feeling miserable in the process.
That’s where restraint comes in:
Smaller portions, not banned foods.
Thoughtful swaps, not total overhauls.
Recognising when to say “not now” instead of “never.”
Restraint not Restriction: We don’t believe in cutting out everything you enjoy. Weight loss works best when you can still live your life. That might mean having dessert after dinner, a biscuit with your tea, or a glass of wine on a Friday night—while keeping the bigger picture in balance. Instead of rigid food rules, we focus on restraint—smarter choices, smaller portions, and swaps that feel manageable long-term.
Developing Awareness: Mindless eating adds up quickly. We coach you to build awareness of what, when, and why you eat—without judgment. Whether it’s a shift snack, a working lunch, or a Friday night meal out, you’ll learn to stay in control without feeling restricted.
Systems & Environment: Willpower isn’t the problem—your environment is. That’s why we help you shape your surroundings: prepping ahead, keeping better options in reach, and reducing friction around healthy decisions. It isn’t always easy in the workplace, but with the right systems—back-up snacks in your bag, quick shop choices, prepped meals when possible—you’ll always have a strategy that works, no matter how chaotic the day gets.
Holistic: We also keep hydration, sleep, and recovery front and centre. Dehydration can masquerade as hunger. Poor sleep can increase cravings. Skipping movement makes energy levels worse. By tackling these foundations alongside nutrition, weight loss becomes more manageable and sustainable.
There’s no magic trick—just solid habits done consistently. Sleep, steps, protein, training, portion control—and yes, room for desserts too. Do the fundamentals well, keep doing them, and the results will follow.
The HCP Protocol
This guide is a starting point—but real transformation takes more than information. It takes support, accountability, and a plan that works around your reality as a healthcare professional.
This is exactly what I built the HCP Protocol for: a coaching program designed specifically for healthcare professionals.
It gives you:
A clear, pragmatic plan that fits around long shifts, nights, and family life.
Nutrition systems that work in your environment—canteens, break rooms, on-the-go.
Accountability and support from someone who understands the realities of HCP life.
The confidence that you don’t need to overhaul your world—you just need a smarter approach that sticks.
The freedom to still enjoy desserts, social meals, and the foods you love—without derailing your progress.
If you’re ready to stop starting over, and instead build a system that works around your job and your life—let’s do this together.
🔗 Find out more at: www.becomeathletic.com/work-with-me
Let’s make sustainable progress—together.