We will understand whether all diets are harmful, how to eat to lose weight and maintain results for a long time, and whether you need to count calories for this.
The desire to be thin can lead you to new, sometimes dangerous, practices. But in the end, even if the weight goes away, it quickly returns. Why is this happening?
As a rule, a radical reduction in daily calorie intake gives only a temporary effect when the cause of excess weight is in lifestyle and nutrition.
A professional nutritionist explains which 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 eating work in the long term and can even cause harm.
Every diet has a downside: for example, the keto diet can worsen existing liver disease, lead to kidney problems, and cause mood swings and irritability due to the lack of glucose contained in complex carbohydrates.
Besides, a diet in the popular sense is always about restrictions, and restrictions are about malnutrition and decay. As a result, even if you "sit" on it for a while and really lose weight, but do not change your eating habits, the weight will return. And this is a proven model.
The more varied the diet and the more flexible the meal plan, the easier it is to follow. This means not breaking down and achieving your goals without damaging the body. Therefore, a wholesome healthy diet is better than restrictive diets.
But maybe there is a diet that will help you lose weight without harming your health?
A short-term change to a "healthy" diet will not lead to sudden weight loss. Besides, 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 "Which diet will help you lose weight? " is better rephrased as "What is healthy food? "
What is healthy food?
A healthy diet is mainly balanced and varied. The diet should provide you with all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals necessary for the quality functioning of the body. The "healthy plate" principle will help with this.
- Eat fruits and vegetables of different colors. Fresh, boiled, dried - any.
- Include complex carbohydrates in your diet: they are rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber.
- Remember that dairy products and plant-based alternatives are an important source of calcium. Choose low-fat options with no added sugar.
- Try to eat fish and legumes at least twice a week.
- Use different vegetable oils.
Before you start your weight loss journey, think about the "healthy" foods you enjoy so you have more delicious options for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Remember, the best "diet" is the one you stick to.
Proper nutrition - without restrictions and the stress they provoke - can help not only lose weight, but also improve health. In many cases, even a simple switch to a balanced diet leads to weight loss.
However, even if you eat a nutritious and varied diet, it is important not to overdo it. In addition to internal guidance - the feeling of hunger and satiety - practice can help with this: 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:
- focusing on numbers related to the body - parameters, weight, kcal and so on - can cause neuroticism associated with the development of an eating disorder;
- Not all calories are created equal from a quality 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, gives a different amount of calories.
Therefore, calorie counting is more suitable for clinical practice when it comes to pathologies and/or hospital treatment.
At the same time, the calculation can still be used carefully to independently understand your nutritional standards and the level of protein, fat and carbohydrates consumed.
You can use an app or website to count calories - it makes life easier in so many ways. But often such methods are inaccurate: after all, something 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, then do it efficiently: take into account the various foods, drinks and additives for the main dishes - sauces and butter.
How to calculate your daily calorie intake
To calculate the correct daily calorie intake for 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 level of physical activity and is suitable for adult men and women:
- EER for men = 662 - (9. 53 x age in years) + PA x [(15. 91 x weight in kg) + (539. 6 x height in meters)]
- EER for women = 354 - (6. 91 x age in years) + PA x [(9. 36 x weight in kg) + (726 x height in meters)]
PA is a level of physical activity that can be assigned a value from the following parameters:
- sedentary lifestyle (practically no exercise) - PA = 1. 0;
- low activity (light exercise, sports 1–3 days per week) – PA = 1. 11–1. 25;
- moderate activity (moderate exercise, sports 3–5 days per week—PA = 1. 26–1. 48);
- increased activity (heavy exercise, sports 6–7 days a week) - PA = 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 BMR, taking into account your activity level, you can calculate 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 (practically no exercise) - BMR x 1. 2;
- light activity (light exercise, sport 1-3 days a week) - BMR x 1. 375;
- moderate activity (moderate exercise, sports 3-5 days a week) - BMR x 1. 55;
- increased activity (heavy training, sports 6-7 days a week) - BMR x 1, 725;
- overactivity (heavy exercises, sports and physical work) - BMR x 1. 9.
These methods have their disadvantages. For example, the Harris-Benedict equation, although it has been used for many years and serves as a standard guideline, does not take into account lean body mass, which can affect basal metabolic rate.
Furthermore, the equations provide only estimates, and individual variations and metabolism may affect actual energy requirements.
Therefore, you should not rely only on counting calories. Consider your practical experience and comfortable parts and listen to your feelings of hunger and satiety.
What is important to know when losing weight
Seven tips for those who want to lose weight.
- Trying to fit in is great until it becomes an obsession. Analyze why you want to lose weight. Your weight may be healthy, but non-environmental motivation, on the contrary, can cause harm.
- Fat performs an important function in the body: it protects against cold and hunger, surrounds the organs and protects them from injury, and provides the body with energy. Before you lose weight, assess how much you need. After all, being overweight and having fat are not the same thing.
- Any restrictive diet is an unhealthy practice for your health. If they do work, they are short-term, but can lead to neuroses and eating disorders. Remember that it is important for stars to lose weight "here and now", and therefore a beautiful appearance does not equal health and, perhaps, not the best example.
- Too much added sugar in the diet is one of the main causes of obesity. Adjusting your diet according to the principles of a "healthy plate" is the most effective diet.
- Weight is not only affected by food, 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, for weight loss. However, before you try a new meal plan, consider your dietary habits and preferences. And if it's not your thing, don't get it. Compulsive eating practices can lead to negative results and harm your health.
- And, of course, do not self-medicate. If excess weight has already brought health problems, seek help from specialists.