We find out whether all diets are harmful, how to eat in order to lose weight and maintain the results in the long term, and whether you need to count calories.
The desire to be slim can lead to new, sometimes even dangerous, exercises. But in the end, even if the weight goes away, it will soon come back. Why is this happening?
A radical reduction in daily calorie intake usually only gives a temporary effect if the cause of the excess weight is lifestyle and nutrition.
A professional nutritionist explains the principles that help you lose weight without harming your health.
What diet helps you lose weight
So diets really help you lose weight. But before we rejoice, let's note an important detail: none of the restrictive eating methods work in the long term, and may even cause harm.
Every diet has a downside: for example, the keto diet can aggravate existing liver disease, lead to kidney problems, and cause mood swings and irritability due to the lack of glucose in complex carbohydrates.
Furthermore, the popular perception is that dieting is always about restriction, and restriction is about malnutrition and malfunction. As a result, if you "sit" on it for a while and actually lose weight, but don't change your eating habits, the weight will come back. 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 breaking down and achieving your goals without harming your body. Therefore, a wholesome healthy diet is better than a restrictive diet.
But maybe there is a diet that will help you lose weight without harming your health?
A short-term change to a "healthy" diet won't lead to sudden weight loss. After all, who said that's what proper weight loss looks like? By developing new eating habits, you can smoothly achieve the results you want.
Therefore, the question: "What kind of diet helps you lose weight? ", better rephrased: "What is a healthy diet? ""
What is a healthy diet
A healthy diet is primarily balanced and varied. The diet must provide all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals necessary for the quality functioning of the body. The "healthy plate" principle helps with this.
- Eat different colored fruits and vegetables. Fresh, cooked, dried - whatever.
- 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 important sources of calcium. Choose low-fat foods 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 to make them tastier for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Remember, the best "diet" is the one you stick to.
Proper nutrition - without restrictions and the stress they cause - can not only help you lose weight, but also improve your 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 eat too much. In addition to the internal guidelines - the feeling of hunger and satiety - practice can help with this: finding portions of food that are convenient for you.
Do you have to count calories when losing weight?
The method of calculating daily routine calories is not the best:
- focusing on numbers related to the body - parameters, weight, kcal and so on - can cause neuroticism related to the development of an eating disorder;
- Not all calories are created equal in terms of quality – brownies and avocado toast have different nutritional values;
- the calorie content depends on the state of the product, for example, whole or ground nuts of the same weight give different amounts of calories.
Therefore, calorie counting is more suitable for clinical practice when it comes to pathologies and/or hospitalization.
However, the calculation can still be used with caution to independently understand your own 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 many ways. But often such methods are inaccurate: after all, something eaten and drunk can be forgotten. This means that the tens or hundreds of kcal consumed will not be taken into account in the final numbers.
If you control the calorie intake of your diet, do it effectively: take into account snacks, drinks and various additions to main dishes - sauces and butter.
How to calculate your daily calorie intake
Use one of the methods below to calculate your appropriate daily calorie intake.
Method 1. Formula for calculating the energy requirement
This EER formula takes into account age, gender, weight, height and physical activity level and is suitable for both adult men and women:
- EER for men = 662 – (9. 53 x age in years) + PA x [(15. 91 x body 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 (practically 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 per week – PA = 1. 26–1. 48);
- increased activity (vigorous exercise, sports 6-7 days a week) - PA = 1. 49-1. 94.
Method 2. Harris-Benedict formula
This formula helps 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 consumption.
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 TDEE, multiply the show's BMR by the activity factor based on:
- sedentary lifestyle (practically no exercise) - BMR x 1, 2;
- light activity (light exercise, sports 1-3 days per week) - BMR x 1, 375;
- average activity (moderate exercise, sports 3-5 days a week) - BMR x 1. 55;
- increased activity (vigorous exercise, sports 6-7 days a week) - BMR x 1, 725;
- excessive activity (vigorous exercise, sports and physical work) - BMR x 1. 9.
These methods have their drawbacks. For example, the Harris-Benedict equation, although it has been used for years and serves as a standard guideline, does not take into account lean body mass, which can affect basal metabolic rate.
Additionally, the equations are only estimates, and individual variations and metabolism can affect actual energy requirements.
That's why you shouldn't just rely on calorie counting. Take into account your practical experience and comfortable portions and listen to your hunger and satiety.
What is important to know when losing weight
Seven tips for those who want to lose weight.
- Getting fit 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 be harmful.
- Fat performs an important function in the body: it protects against cold and hunger, surrounds the organs and protects them from damage, and supplies the body with energy. Before losing weight, assess how much you need. After all, obesity and fatness are not the same thing.
- Any restrictive diet is an unhealthy practice. If they give results, 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", so a beautiful image is not the same as health and may not be the best example.
- Excessive added sugar in the diet is one of the leading causes of obesity. The most effective diet is to adapt it to the principles of the "healthy plate".
- Weight is not only influenced by nutrition, but also by the quality of sleep, the level of physical activity, and even the psychological and mental state. If changing your diet doesn't bring about the changes you want, there may be another reason.
- Some experts recommend the Mediterranean and Scandinavian diets and intermittent fasting for weight loss. But before you try a new meal plan, take stock of your eating habits and preferences. And if it's not your thing, don't accept it. Compulsive eating practices can lead to negative results and harm health.
- And of course, don't self-medicate. If being overweight has already led to health problems, seek help from professionals.