The plate method: how to lose fat without counting calories

Most people quit diets because counting is exhausting. The plate method replaces counting with proportions. You still eat the foods you like; you just change how much space each one takes on the plate.

How to build the plate

• Half the plate: vegetables or salad.

• A quarter: protein, about one to two palm-sized portions (chicken, fish, eggs, Greek yoghurt, lean beef, lentils).

• A quarter: carbs, about a cupped hand (rice, bread, pasta, potato, oats, fruit).

• A thumb of healthy fat: olive oil, nuts, avocado, tahini.

Easy swaps that add up

• A big plate of pasta: half the pasta, add chicken or prawns, salad on the side.

• Sweet coffee-shop drinks: black coffee or a small flat white.

• Takeaway burger and fries: grilled chicken burger or wrap with salad.

• Late-night snacking: Greek yoghurt with berries, or a handful of nuts.

The habit that matters most

Protein at every meal. It keeps you full for longer and helps your muscles recover from training.

Put it together with a 20-minute plan

The plate method is one half of our 21-Day Home Body Reset (Global Edition). The other half is a 20-minute daily home workout plan. Together they're the simplest way we know to see change in three weeks.

This article is general information for healthy adults, not medical advice.