We will find out if all diets are harmful, how to eat to lose weight and maintain the results for a long time and whether it is necessary to count calories for this.
The desire to be thin can push you to adopt novel and sometimes even dangerous practices. But in the end, even if the weight disappears, it soon returns. Why is this happening?
As a rule, a radical reduction in daily caloric intake produces only a temporary effect when the cause of excess weight is in lifestyle and nutrition.
A professional nutritionist explains to you what principles help you lose weight without harming your health.
What diet will help you lose weight?
So, diets really help you lose weight. But before we rejoice, let's note an important detail: none of the restrictive types of nutrition work in the long term and can even cause harm.
Every diet has its disadvantages: for example, the ketogenic diet can worsen existing liver disease, cause kidney problems, and cause mood swings and irritability due to the lack of glucose contained in complex carbohydrates.
Furthermore, in the popular sense, a diet is always about restrictions, and restrictions are about malnutrition and nervous breakdowns. As a result, even if you "sit" for some time and really lose weight, but do not change your eating habits, the weight will return. And this is a proven pattern.
The more varied the diet and the more flexible the nutrition plan, the easier it will be to follow. This means not falling apart and achieving your goals without harm to the body. Therefore, a complete and healthy diet is better than restrictive diets.
But maybe there is a diet that helps you lose weight without harming your health?
A short-term switch to a "healthy" diet will not lead to sudden weight loss. Plus, who said this is what proper weight loss looks like? You can achieve the desired result without problems by forming new eating habits.
Therefore, the question "What diet will help you lose weight? " is best rephrased as "What is healthy eating? "
What is healthy eating?
A healthy diet is above all balanced and varied. The diet must provide you with all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals necessary for the proper functioning of the body. The "healthy plate" principle will help with this.
- Eat fruits and vegetables of different colors. Fresh, boiled, dried, whatever.
- Include whole complex carbohydrates in your diet: they are rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber.
- Remember that dairy products and plant alternatives are an important source of calcium. Choose low-fat, no-added-sugar options.
- Try to eat fish and legumes at least twice a week.
- Use different vegetable oils.
Before you start your weight loss journey, think about "healthy" foods you like so you have more delicious options for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Remember, the best "diet" is the one you follow.
Proper nutrition, without restrictions or the stress they cause, can help not only lose weight, but also improve health. In many cases, even a simple transition to a balanced diet leads to weight loss.
However, even if you eat a nutritious and varied diet, it is important not to overeat. In addition to internal guidelines (feelings of hunger and fullness), practice can help here: finding portions of food that are comfortable for you.
Should you count calories when losing weight?
The method of calculating calories for a daily routine is not the best:
- concentration on numbers associated with the body (parameters, weight, kcal, etc. ) can cause neuroticism associated with the development of eating disorders;
- Not all calories are equal from a qualitative point of view: a brownie and avocado toast have different nutritional values;
- The calorie content depends on the state of the product, for example, the same mass of nuts, whole or ground, provides a different amount of calories.
Therefore, calorie counting is more suitable for clinical practice when it comes to pathologies and/or hospital treatments.
At the same time, the calculation can still be used carefully to independently understand your own nutritional standards and the level of proteins, fats and carbohydrates consumed.
You can use a calorie counting app or website; This makes life easier in many ways. But often these methods are inaccurate: after all, something that is eaten and drunk can be forgotten. This means that tens or hundreds of kcal consumed will not be taken into account in the final figures.
If you control the calorie intake of your diet, do it efficiently: take into account snacks, drinks and various additives for main dishes: sauces and butter.
How to calculate your daily calorie intake
To calculate the correct daily calorie intake yourself, use one of the following methods.
Method 1. Formula for calculating energy needs.
This EER formula takes into account age, sex, weight, height, and physical activity level and is suitable for adult men and women:
- EER for men = 662 – (9. 53 x age in years) + BP x [(15. 91 x weight in kg) + (539. 6 x height in meters)]
- EER for women = 354 – (6. 91 x age in years) + BP x [(9. 36 x weight in kg) + (726 x height in meters)]
BP is a level of physical activity to which a value can be assigned based on the following parameters:
- sedentary lifestyle (virtually no exercise) - PA = 1, 0;
- low activity (light exercise, sports 1 to 3 days a week) – PA = 1. 11–1. 25;
- moderate activity (moderate exercise, sports 3 to 5 days a week; AF = 1. 26 to 1. 48);
- increased activity (intense exercise, sports 6 to 7 days a week) - BP = 1. 49–1. 94.
Method 2. Harris-Benedict formula
This formula will help you estimate your BMR: your basal metabolic rate, or the number of calories your body needs at rest. From the BMR, taking into account your activity level, you can calculate the TDEE (total daily energy expenditure).
For men:
- BMR = 66. 5 + (13. 75 x weight in kg) + (5. 003 x height in cm) – (6. 755 x age in years).
For women:
- BMR = 655. 1 + (9, 563 x weight in kg) + (1, 850 x height in cm) – (4, 676 x age in years).
To calculate your TDEE, multiply your show BMR by your activity factor, based on the following values:
- sedentary lifestyle (virtually no exercise) - BMR x 1, 2;
- light activity (light exercise, sports 1-3 days a week) - BMR x 1, 375;
- average activity (moderate exercise, sports 3-5 days a week) - BMR x 1. 55;
- increased activity (intense exercise, sports 6-7 days a week) - BMR x 1, 725;
- hyperactivity (intense exercise, sports and physical work) - TMB x 1, 9.
These methods have their disadvantages. For example, the Harris-Benedict equation, although used for many years and serves as a standard guide, does not take into account lean body mass, which can affect basal metabolic rate.
Additionally, the equations provide only estimates, and individual variations and metabolism can affect actual energy needs.
Therefore, you should not rely solely on calorie counting. Consider your practical experience and your comfortable portions and listen to your feelings of hunger and fullness.
What is important to know when losing weight?
Seven tips for those who want to lose weight.
- Striving to get in shape is great until it becomes an obsession. Analyze why you want to lose weight. Your weight may be healthy, but non-environmental motivation can instead cause harm.
- Fat plays an important role in the body: it protects against cold and hunger, surrounds organs and protects them from injury, and provides the body with energy. Before losing weight, evaluate how much you need it. After all, obesity and obesity are not the same.
- Any restrictive diet is an unhealthy practice for your health. If they give results, they are short-term, but they can cause neuroses and eating disorders. Remember that for stars it is important to lose weight "here and now", so a pretty image is not synonymous with health and, perhaps, is not the best example.
- Excess added sugar in the diet is one of the main causes of obesity. Adjusting your diet towards the principles of a "healthy plate" is the most effective diet.
- Weight is affected not only by nutrition, but also by the quality of sleep, the level of physical activity and even the psychological and mental state. If adjusting your diet doesn't produce the desired changes, there may be another reason.
- Some experts recommend the Mediterranean and Scandinavian diets, as well as intermittent fasting, to lose weight. However, before trying a new eating plan, take stock of your dietary habits and preferences. And if it's not your thing, don't accept it. Self-forced eating practices can have negative results and harm health.
- And, of course, don't self-medicate. If excess weight has already caused you health problems, seek help from specialists.