We'll figure out whether all diets are harmful, how to eat to lose weight and maintain the results for a long time, and whether you need to count calories for this.
The desire to be slim can push you to newfangled, sometimes even dangerous practices. But in the end, even if the weight goes away, it soon returns. Why is this happening?
As a rule, a radical reduction in daily caloric intake gives only a temporary effect when the cause of excess weight is in lifestyle and nutrition.
A professional nutritionist explains 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 you 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 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.
In addition, a diet in the popular understanding is always about restrictions, and restrictions are about malnutrition and breakdowns. As a result, even if you "sit" on it 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 is to follow. This means not to break down and achieve your goals without harm to the body. Therefore, a complete healthy diet is better than restrictive diets.
But maybe there is a diet that will help you lose weight without harm to your health?
A short-term change to a "healthy" diet will not lead to sudden weight loss. Besides, who said that this is what proper weight loss looks like? You can achieve the desired result smoothly by forming new eating habits.
Therefore, the question "What diet will help you lose weight? "better rephrased as "What is healthy eating? "
What is healthy eating
A healthy diet is primarily 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 whole grain 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 begin your weight loss journey, brainstorm about "healthy" foods that you enjoy so you'll 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 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 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:
- concentration on numbers associated with the body - parameters, weight, kcal and so on - can cause neuroticism associated with the development of eating disorder;
- Not all calories are the same from a qualitative point of view - a brownie and avocado toast have different nutritional values;
- Calorie content depends on the condition 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 own nutritional standards and the level of consumed proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
You can use an app or website to count calories - this makes life easier in 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 caloric intake of your diet, then do it efficiently: take into account snacks, drinks and various additives to 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, gender, weight, height and physical activity level 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 physical activity level that can be assigned a value from the following parameters:
- sedentary lifestyle (virtually no exercise) - PA = 1. 0;
- low activity (light exercise, sports 1–3 days a week) – PA = 1. 11–1. 25;
- moderate activity (moderate exercise, sports 3–5 days a 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 (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 (heavy exercise, sports 6-7 days a week) - BMR x 1. 725;
- overactivity (heavy exercise, sports and physical work) - BMR x 1. 9.
These methods have their disadvantages. For example, the Harris-Benedict equation, although used for many years and serves as a standard guideline, does not take into account lean body mass, which can affect basal metabolic rate.
Moreover, the equations provide only estimates, and individual variations and metabolism can affect actual energy requirements.
Therefore, you should not rely only on calorie counting. Consider your practical experience and comfortable portions 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.
- Striving to get fit is great until it becomes an obsession. Analyze why you want to lose weight. Your weight can be healthy, but non-environmental motivation can, on the contrary, cause harm.
- Fat performs an important function 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 having fat are not the same thing.
- Any restrictive diet is an unhealthy practice for your health. If they give results, they are short-term, but they can lead to neuroses and eating disorders. Remember that it is important for stars to lose weight "here and now, " and therefore a beautiful picture does not equal health and, perhaps, not the best example.
- Excess added sugar in the diet is one of the leading 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, level of physical activity and even psychological and mental state. If adjusting your diet does not produce the desired changes, there may be another reason.
- Some experts recommend Mediterranean and Scandinavian diets, as well as intermittent fasting, for weight loss. However, before trying a new meal plan, take stock of your dietary habits and preferences. And if it's not your thing, don't take it. Self-forced eating practices can lead to negative results and harm your health.
- And, of course, do not self-medicate. If excess weight has already led to health problems, seek help from specialists.