If you’re looking to lose weight, you might think it’s all about counting calories and eating less. But that’s not always the case, says Terry Fairclough, a personal trainer and co-founder of Your Body Programme. As a PT, I’ve heard all sorts of opinions and questions about the best diet for weight loss, like whether we should count calories, go low-fat, low-carb, high-protein, or try fasting. Should we eat small, regular meals throughout the day?
While creating a big calorie deficit can lead to weight loss, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll lose fat. And isn’t that what most of us aim for? While some diets might be appropriate depending on your body type, goals, and activity levels, nobody should resort to under-eating. We’ve all seen someone who starts counting calories drastically to get into shape, thinking the weight will simply vanish. And yes, it might, but it may not deliver the results you’re hoping for.
The thing is, the typical Western diet tends to be bigger than necessary, and while some people might need to slightly cut their calorie intake, they’re often overeating to begin with. However, I’ve seen many people believe that under-eating is the only way to lose weight, and that’s just not true.
When you eat, your body breaks down carbs into glucose, which acts as fuel for your cells. If you don’t use the glucose for energy or exercise, it’s stored in your muscles and liver as glycogen. Each glucose molecule is stored with two to three water molecules. When your body needs a quick energy boost or isn’t getting enough glucose from your diet, glycogen breaks down and releases glucose into your bloodstream for energy.
So, what happens when you cut calories? You’re mostly losing stored carbs and water, not fat. Long-term calorie deficits can make your body cling to fat while breaking down protein instead. Protein is crucial because it helps burn fat when your muscles are resting. That’s why it’s important to consume enough calories, including all three macronutrients: fats, carbs, and protein.
If you’re avoiding fat to lose it, think again. Fat is an essential, long-lasting energy source, providing more than double the energy of carbs or protein. Fat is stored within muscle fibers and is readily available during exercise, unlike glycogen, which is limited. So, cutting out fat means you won’t have the energy needed to burn fat effectively.
Moreover, excessively cutting calories and restricting nutrients can lead to deficiencies, affecting the body’s systems, especially the immune, liver, and digestive systems. This can also slow down your metabolism and lead to health problems like fatigue, malnutrition, osteoporosis, anemia, and more. Extreme calorie restriction stresses the body and raises cortisol, a stress hormone that can initially cause weight loss, but prolonged high cortisol can lead the body to store fat, especially around the belly.
Three main things can happen, causing weight gain: the metabolism slows due to protein breakdown, cortisol increases fat storage especially around the belly, and it also impairs thyroid function, impacting metabolism. Stress also hinders digestion because energy is redirected to cope with ‘fight-or-flight’ situations.
Under-eating can mean you’re not getting enough nutrients for basic health, which impacts training and results when trying to lose weight or fat. Your sleep can suffer too, since low blood sugar triggers adrenaline, waking you up. Poor sleep affects liver detox, immune function, exercise, and work productivity, and can cause weight gain.
Bodybuilders may restrict calories to get lean for competitions but risk falling ill if done incorrectly. Chronic calorie cutting can lead to a point where the body breaks down, and losing weight feels impossible as it stores food as fat due to being in ‘famine mode.’
The key is to eat the right amount of calories, carbs, fats, and protein based on your body type, goals, activity level, height, weight, and age. I founded Your Body Programme to help people determine their nutritional needs according to their body type. Remember, your body thrives when it’s well-nourished and healthy, keeping your metabolism active.
Interestingly, my program has shown that increasing calories can actually help with fat loss. Make sure you consume plenty of lean proteins like beef, chicken, eggs, fish, or plant-based options like pulses, legumes, tofu, and tempeh. Also, eat healthy carbs such as fruits, vegetables, sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown rice, and wholewheat pasta, as well as healthy fats like avocados, nuts, seeds, olives, and olive oil.
Terry Fairclough is a founder of Your Body Programme, a personal trainer, and a nutritional therapist who loves pumping iron and is passionate about promoting healthy eating habits.
