Project Zomboid has a complex weight control system, which is very similar to real life. Players cannot simply consume any food in unlimited amounts and suffer no consequences. If your character becomes overweight, you will suffer a loss of stamina and speed, and your general vulnerability to damage will be increased.
Our guide will provide you with all the essential tips for losing weight in Project Zomboid. Weight loss needs to be done with care, because you can't just starve your character. If you lose too much weight, the consequences will be even harsher than being overweight.
How to Lose Weight in Project Zomboid
Understanding Weight Traits
All Project Zomboid foods have a nutritional value, which is determined by the calories consumed from the three types of nutrients:
- Carbohydrates
- Protein
- Lipids
This means that every food you find in the world has these specific qualities, as well as calories, which can only be observed if you have the Nutritionist trait, available to all players who start the game with the Instructor profession. fitness by default.
Players must ensure that their weight remains between 70 and 95 kilos. Otherwise, you will be marked with the following traits in-game:
- Obese: more than 105 kilos
- Overweight: more than 95 kg
- Underweight: less than 70 kg
- Very thin: less than 60 kilos
- Lean: less than 50 kilos
Players need to make sure they eat a variety of foods to stay fit, otherwise one of these traits is inevitable. If your weight drops below 35 kilos, you will start receiving automatic damage.
Losing weight
Your default weight at the start of the game is 80 kilos if you don't choose any weight-related traits. From there, it starts to fluctuate according to your food consumption. This is why it is important to regularly check your weight on the information panel, which can be activated with the "J" key.
Below is a list of the top three weight loss methods in Project Zomboid, but if you want to focus on one simple thing, try avoiding high calorie foods. This way you will be safe and not have to worry about being overweight.
do physical exercises
If you happen to gain weight and now want to lose it, one of the best ways to achieve this is through physical exercise, including:
- Climb the fences
- Climb through the windows
- Constantly sprint
- Avoid sleeping
The latter can be used effectively with the Wakeful trait, which allows you to sleep 30% less than usual. This trait not only promotes weight loss but also increases your productivity.
Choose the right foods
If you take your time and learn the nutritional characteristics of various foods in Project Zomboid, you will never have weight problems. But if you become overweight, the following foods are considered the best for weight loss:
- Radishes
- Tomatoes
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Onions
- Strawberries
- berries
- Cherries
These specific fruits and vegetables contain almost no calories, but are very nutritious. They can quickly help you lose weight and give you enough energy to keep going.
Almost all of them can be grown in large quantities using their corresponding seeds. The only vegetable on the list that you cannot grow is onions, and the only two types of fruit are berries and cherries. But you can still find them in the desert and forests.
However, fruits and vegetables alone will not be enough for you, since they are mainly made up of carbohydrates, while you also need proteins and fats to function properly. Fortunately, there are also foods that are high in protein and fat and low in calories, such as:
- bacon bits
- Moon Fish
- To
- Insects
You definitely need to combine these different food types for all of your traits to work well, so keep that in mind.
Count calories
That said, losing weight can take a long time. This is why it is strongly recommended to control your weight from the start by knowing the number of calories contained in the foods you choose to consume.
The easiest way to count calories based on your weight gain is:
- If you do general physical exercise and sleep no more than 8 hours per night, you should gain about 1 pound per 500 calories and the same amount of protein and fat consumed in a day.
For example, if you ate a variety of foods including carbohydrates, proteins, and fats totaling about 3 calories, then you should be gaining about five to six pounds per day.
You can easily return to your default weight simply by eating fruits and vegetables the next day or two. After that, you can eat more high-calorie foods again.
If you didn't choose the Nutritionist trait at the start of the game, you'll never know how many calories you've consumed. So just use our cheat sheet below for a complete list of all Project Zomboid foods with their corresponding calorie counts.
Project Zomboid Calories Cheat Sheet
Carbohydrate foods
Fruits
- Apple: 95
- Banana: 105
- Bay: 8-23
- Cherry: 5
- Raisins : 62
- Lemon: 17
- Orange : 65
- Fishing: 58
- Ananas: 452
- Strawberries: 4
- Watermelon: 1355
- Piece of watermelon: 271
- Slice of watermelon: 135,5
Vegetables
- Lawyer: 227
- Pepper: 30
- Broccoli: 11
- Chou : 178
- Carrots: 25
- Carrots (canned): 10,5
- Chilli (canned): 260
- Corn: 88
- Corn (canned): 315
- Eggplant: 114
- leek: 54
- Lettuce: 54
- Mushroom: 36-38
- Onion: 28
- Yeah: 119
- Well (canned): 280
- Pickles: 5
- Potato: 70
- Potatoes (canned): 175
- Radish: 1
- Tomato: 14
- Tomatoes (canned): 90
- Zucchini: 33
Cereals
- Bolognese (canned): 540
- Pain : 532
- Bread dough: 532
- Slices of bread: 137
- Cereal: 2306
- Box of oats: 1500
- Instant Popcorn: 120
- Ramen noodles: 52
- Pasta: 3360
- Rice: 2880
Protein and fat foods
Lean meat
- Lard : 160
- Bacon pieces: 10
- Bacon slices: 40
- Corned Beef (canned): 720
- Mouse dead: 30
- Dead rabbit: 373
- Dead rat: 50
- Dead squirrel: 161
- Ham: 1560
- Slice of ham: 260
- Meat patty: 380
- Mutton chop: 234
- Pork chop: 150
- Rabbit meat: 323
- Meat from small animals: 161
- Steak: 220
Poultry
- Chicken: 150
- Dead bird: 161
- Small bird meat: 261
Fish and seafood
- Small baitfish: 30
- Bass: 184
- Catfish: 181
- Crappie : 111
- Fish fillet: 205
- Frog meat: 66
- Why: 111
- Pike: 207
- Salmon: 270
- Sardines (canned): 150
- Sunfish: 11
- Trout: 219
- Tuna (canned): 270
eggs
Nuts and seeds
- Peanuts: 161
- Sunflower seeds: 155
Legumes and Beans
- Beans (canned): 170
- Tofu : 30
Insects
- Cricket : 20
- Grasshopper: 25
- Cockroach: 30
- View : 3
Dairy products (mainly fat)
- Butter: 3200
- Cheese: 113
- Ice cream: 1680
- Milk: 110
- Processed cheese: 170
- Yogurt: 30
Confectionery (mainly carbohydrates and lipids)
- Slice of cake: 70
- Candy Bundle: 500
- Tokens: 720
- Chocolate: 850
- Cookie (Chocolate): 160
- Corndog : 180
- Cupcake: 305
- Fried chicken: 260
- Fries: 203
- Hot-dog : 100
- Juice Box: 60
- Pacifier: 40
- Mints: 60
- Modejeska: 60
- Pancakes: 210
- Pizza: 990
- Orange soda: 400
- Pie slice: 404
- Soda Pop : 140
- Raspberry Shortbread: 160
- Sandwich (peanut butter): 250
- Sandwich (cheese): 135
- Waffles: 80
Alcohol
- White wine: 481
- Red wine: 510
- Whisky: 1500
Herbs, spices and sauces
- Vine leaves: 73
- Honey: 660
- Ketchup : 1480
- Mustard: 510
- Marinara : 350
- Mayonnaise : 3000
- Peanut butter: 2660
- Cynorrhodons : 81
- Violets: 27
cooked foods
- Soup (canned): 125
- Soup (Pot): 125
- Dog food (canned): 498
- Soup (Mushroom) (Canned): 160
- Rolled oats: 300
- Cereal Bowl: 300
- TV dinner: 670
- Cake batter: 800
- Pie Dough: 800
Related Guides
Now you know exactly how to lose weight in Project Zomboid. If you're looking for more articles on Project Zomboid tips and tricks, be sure to check out our dedicated hub page.
