We will find out whether all diets are harmful, how to eat to lose weight and maintain results for a long time, and whether you should count calories for this.
The desire to be thin can push you into newfangled, sometimes even dangerous, practices. But eventually, even if the weight goes away, it soon comes back. 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 eating work in the long term and can even 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 found in complex carbohydrates.
Also, dieting in the common sense is always about restrictions, and restrictions are about malnutrition and crashes. 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 pattern.
The more varied the diet and the more flexible the meal plan, the easier it is to follow. This means not crashing and achieving your goals without harming 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 that's what proper weight loss looks like? You can smoothly achieve the desired result by forming new eating habits.
Therefore, the question "What diet will help you lose weight? ""better paraphrased as "What is healthy eating? "
What is healthy eating?
A healthy diet is above all 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, cooked, dried - any kind.
- 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 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 "healthy" foods that you enjoy so you have better tasting 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 to lose weight, but also to improve health. In many cases, even simply switching 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 cues—feelings of hunger and satiety—practice can help with: finding portions of food that are comfortable for you.
Should you count calories when losing weight?
The method of calculating calories for everyday life is not the best:
- concentration on numbers related to the body - parameters, weight, kcal, etc. - can cause neuroticism associated with the development of an eating disorder;
- Not all calories are created equal from a quality perspective - brownies and avocado toast have different nutritional values;
- caloric 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 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 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 effectively: take into account snacks, drinks and various additions to the main dishes - sauces and butter.
How to calculate your daily calorie intake
To calculate the correct daily calorie intake for you, 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 level of physical activity that can be assigned a value from the following parameters:
- sedentary lifestyle (practically without movement) - 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 (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's BMR by your activity factor based on the following values:
- sedentary lifestyle (practically without movement) - BMR x 1, 2;
- light activity (light exercise, sports 1-3 days a week) - BMR x 1. 375;
- average activity (moderate physical activity, 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 drawbacks. 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.
Additionally, equations only provide approximations and individual variation and metabolism may affect actual energy requirements.
Therefore, you should not rely only on counting calories. Think about 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.
- The drive to get fit is great until it becomes an obsession. Analyze why you want to lose weight. Your weight may be healthy, but unhealthy motivation can, on the contrary, be harmful.
- Fats perform an important function in the body: protect against cold and hunger, surround organs and protect them from injury, and provide the body with energy. Before you lose weight, consider 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 work, they are short-lived, 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 photo does not equal health and may not be the best example.
- Excess added sugar in the diet is one of the leading causes of obesity. Adjusting your diet to 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 a Mediterranean and Scandinavian diet, as well as intermittent fasting for weight loss. However, before trying a new meal plan, take stock of your eating habits and preferences. And if that's not your thing, don't take it. Self-abusive 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.