If you’re trying to lose weight, you might think counting calories and eating less is the way to go, but that’s not necessarily true, according to Terry Fairclough, a leading personal trainer and co-founder of Your Body Programme. Many people debate the best diet for weight loss, pondering if we should be counting calories, eating low-fat or low-carb, following a high-protein diet, or eating small, regular meals. While all these approaches can play a role depending on individual goals, activity levels, and body types, one thing you shouldn’t do is under-eat.
Everyone knows someone who starts cutting calories dramatically to get in shape for summer, thinking the weight will just fall off. Sure, they might lose weight at first, but that doesn’t always mean they’re losing fat, which is usually the real goal. A big calorie deficit can cause the body to lose stored carbohydrates and water, not fat. This can lead to the body holding onto fat and breaking down protein instead.
Our modern Western diet often involves eating more calories than necessary, so people might need to cut back a little if they’ve been overeating. However, the idea that severe calorie cutting is required to lose weight is misguided. When we eat, our bodies convert carbohydrates into glucose, the main fuel for our cells. Excess glucose gets stored as glycogen in muscles and the liver, alongside water molecules. Cutting calories results in the loss of these stores, not fat.
In reality, we need to consume enough calories that include a balance of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. Protein is particularly important because it helps burn fat even when we’re at rest. Also, despite what some might think, cutting fat out entirely isn’t wise. Fat is a crucial long-term energy source, giving more than double the potential energy per gram compared to carbohydrates or protein. It’s stored in our muscle fibers for easy access during exercise.
Cutting calories excessively can also lead to nutrient deficiencies, affecting essential bodily functions and slowing metabolism. Health issues like fatigue, malnutrition, osteoporosis, anemia, and hormone-related problems can arise from not eating enough. When the body is under stress from low calorie intake, cortisol, a stress hormone, is released, sometimes causing short-term weight loss. However, long-term high cortisol can lead to the body breaking down essential protein stores, slowing metabolism, increasing fat storage, especially around the belly, and causing thyroid problems.
Undernourishment affects how well we digest food and absorb nutrients, impacting overall health and hindering weight or fat loss efforts. It can even disturb sleep by causing blood sugar drops, prompting stress hormones to wake you. Poor sleep further disrupts liver detoxification, immunity, and productivity, contributing to weight gain.
Even those who follow strict diets, like bodybuilders, may suffer health problems if they don’t balance calorie intake correctly. Constant dieting can lead the body into a state where it feels like it’s starving, making weight loss incredibly challenging, as it holds onto fat in anticipation of a future food shortage.
The key to healthy weight management is understanding your unique calorie and nutrient requirements based on your body type, goals, activity level, and other factors. Fairclough’s Your Body Programme helps individuals personalize their diet plans without drastic calorie restriction, focusing on balanced nutrition to support fat loss. Recommended foods include lean proteins, wholesome carbohydrates, and healthy fats, which maintain overall well-being and keep your metabolism active.
Terry Fairclough, as a personal trainer and nutritional therapist, advocates for balancing diet and exercise, supporting health and fitness goals without unnecessary restrictions.
