For anyone wanting to lose weight and keep it off in the long term low calorie or controlled-calorie diets are the worst possible choices. Its so obvious when we examine the assumptions behind the concept of low calorie diets that the idea just cant work. So before you embark on the latest low calorie diet that promises a thinner you who will live longer, read on!
1. To lose weight you have to reduce the number of calories you are eating to a point where the calories you eat are less than the calories you consume. That much is obvious. This deficit of calories will force the body to use its stored energy reserves (fat) and you will lose weight.
2. To achieve this your calorie intake must be less than your maintenance calorie intake. There are useful websites that you can find that supply this. Just type in calorie counter for maintenance and choose the first on the page. Using an example I created an imaginary female friend aged 25 years of age, 5 feet 4 inches and weighs 110 pounds. She exercises moderately 3 times a week. The calorie counter tells me she needs 1760 calories per day for maintaining her existing weight and should reduce this to 1408 calories a day to reduce weight. This works out to be about 20% fewer calories. The site suggests 1056 calories for extreme weight loss, but well ignore that for now. At 1760 calories a day, she can eat well, wont feel hungry and wont be tempted to snack between meals. There are plenty of meal planners available which she can use to work out her 1760 calories per day.
3. Of course the type of calories matter. If I fill up on empty calories like processed foods full of sugar, I might lose weight but I will be starving my body of essential nutrients and I will end up with cravings because my body needs these. When I fill up on low GI food, proteins, fruits and vegetables I will feel fuller for longer and this will work in my favor.
4. Now what happens if he uses the low figure of 1300 calories or even less? Some extreme weight loss sites recommend 1200 calories a day foe men and 1000 calories for women. At those levels he will feel perpetually hungry, his temptation to fall off the diet bandwagon will be huge and he will probably fail. In addition a second problem kicks in.
4. Your body senses it is being starved of calories and slows down you metabolism. Your ability to exercise is reduced as you become more lethargic, muscle mass is lost through lack of exercise and because the body cannibalizes your unnecessary muscle mass. It also releases less of certain hormones that control your bodys metabolism and which burn fat. Look up T3 from the thyroid and leptin if you are interested in the actual mechanism. Finally your appetite goes feral and you are perpetually hungry. Until your calorie intake rises again all these changes will stay in play. Not surprisingly you are more likely to overeat, gain any weight back you lost initially and actually add to your weight overall. This is the infamous yo yo effect.
Starving for weight loss is simply a disaster, whereas going with a simple figure like the 1733 calories would have kick started your weight loss program adequately. Remember the 1733 calories were for me. You have to customize your calorie intake to suit the type of person you are. You didnt get fat overnight and you wont get thin overnight either. Extremely low calorie diets dont work. So what does work?
a. Avoid low calorie diets at all costs. Find out your optimum maintenance calorie intake then reduce this by 20% and no more. So a man like me would need to eat around 1700 calories a day if my maintenance calorie intake is 2150.
b. Add at least 3 sessions of exercise a week into your lifestyle. They should be at least 30 minutes at a time and should include moderate to vigorous cardiovascular exercise as your fitness improves. Start slow and build up. See a doctor first if your health is poor or your obesity morbid. Exercise burns calories. It also releases hormones that make you feel good about yourself (endorphins) and moderates your diet as well as your metabolism.
c. Use free weights exercises daily. Free weight build muscle faster than exercise like walking and the more muscle the faster your body burns fat. Also using free weights help protect you from osteoporosis and helps build better posture, balance and general strength and sense of well-being. Weights are essential for weight loss and toning your body. Nothing else comes close.
d. Join a sporting club, association or some other group where you can add to your exercise load. I sail racing skiffs with my son and do body board surfing which I find very demanding and which burns off the pounds. Its also really good fun. Find something you enjoy and exercise never needs to be hard work again! The social network also assists in achieving your weight loss goals.
To lose fat, reduce your calorie intake and increase your exercise load. Simple! When the ledger of calories in is less than the number of calories being used, weight loss is guaranteed. Rather than a set of scales, buy a full length mirror and a tape measure. Use them before you start out and regularly measure yourself in the mirror and with the tape. Keep a record and you will see a new person begin to emerge from under the fat. This is the real you! Burn off the fat and build up the muscle and life will be sweet! Remember you are building a lifestyle, not just losing weight.
