If you’re looking to lose weight, the typical advice is to count calories and eat less, right? Not necessarily, says Terry Fairclough, a top personal trainer and co-founder of Your Body Programme.
As a personal trainer, I’ve heard countless opinions and questions about the best diet for weight loss. Should you count calories? How many should you eat? Should your diet be low-fat, low-carb, or high-protein? Should you fast or eat small meals regularly?
While all these methods might have a place depending on your body type, goals, and activity levels, one thing you shouldn’t do is undereat. We’ve all seen someone start calorie counting and drastically cut their intake to get “beach ready,” and yes, they might lose weight, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best approach.
A calorie deficit might result in weight loss, but it doesn’t necessarily lead to fat loss, which is what most people want. Our typical Western diet is often larger than necessary, so some people might need to cut back a bit, but the extreme approach of major calorie cuts isn’t effective long-term.
When you eat, your body breaks down carbs into glucose, the primary fuel for cells. If not used immediately, glucose is stored as glycogen in muscles and the liver. During energy needs, glycogen converts back to glucose. Cutting calories mainly reduces stored carbs and water, not fat. Long-term calorie reduction can trigger the body to hold onto fat and break down muscle instead.
Protein is critical because it helps you burn more fat at rest. That’s why it’s essential to eat enough calories with fats, carbs, and proteins. Despite popular belief, fat is a vital energy source, providing more than twice the energy per gram compared to carbs or protein. It’s stored within muscle fibers and can be easily accessed during exercise.
Cutting calories excessively can lead to nutrient deficiencies that impact our immune, liver, and digestive systems, causing fatigue, malnutrition, osteoporosis, and various hormone-related issues. Severe calorie deficits stress the body, leading to increased cortisol, which in the long run can prompt the body to conserve fat.
Under eating slows metabolism, causes digestive issues, and affects nutrient absorption, which can impair weight loss and training results. It also disrupts sleep since low blood sugar can trigger adrenaline release, waking you up. Poor sleep affects immunity, liver function, and weight management.
I’ve seen bodybuilders restrict calories to get lean and then increase them after competing. Improperly done, this can make them sick. Constant extreme calorie cuts push the body into “famine mode,” storing any extra calories as fat.
It’s crucial to find the right balance of calories, carbs, fats, and protein based on your body type, goals, activity level, height, weight, and age. I created the Your Body Programme to help people determine their specific calorie needs. Eating ample lean proteins, healthy carbs, and fats can help maintain a healthy metabolism and promote fat loss.
Remember, you have only one body, so nourish it properly to keep it functioning optimally. My program shows that increasing calories can actually help you lose fat. Include plenty of lean proteins (like beef, chicken, eggs, fish, pulses, legumes, tofu, and tempeh), healthy carbs (like fruits, vegetables, sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown rice, and wholewheat pasta), and healthy fats (like avocado, nuts, seeds, olives, and olive oil) in your diet.
Terry Fairclough, co-founder of Your Body Programme, is a Personal Trainer and Nutritional Therapist who enjoys fitness and strength training.
