If you want to lose weight, you might think counting calories and eating less is the way to go. But according to Terry Fairclough, a leading personal trainer and co-founder of Your Body Programme, that’s not always the case.
As a personal trainer, I’ve heard many different opinions about the best diet for weight loss. People often wonder if they should be counting calories, eating low-fat, low-carb, or high-protein diets, fasting, or eating small regular meals three times a day. However, one thing is clear: nobody should be under-eating.
We all know someone who starts counting calories and drastically limits their intake to get ready for the beach. Sure, they might lose weight, but not necessarily the kind of weight they want. A big calorie deficit can lead to weight loss, but not fat loss, which is usually the goal.
Many of us are eating more than we need and could benefit from a slight calorie reduction. But that doesn’t mean drastically cutting calories is the best approach. When we eat, our body converts carbohydrates into glucose, a type of sugar that fuels our cells. If we don’t need the glucose for energy right away, our muscles and liver store it as glycogen. Each glycogen molecule is made up of glucose and water. When we cut calories, we’re mostly losing stored carbs and water, not fat.
Cutting calories too much can make the body hold onto fat and start breaking down protein instead. Our body needs a balanced intake of macronutrients—fats, carbs, and protein. Protein, for example, is important for maintaining muscle, which helps burn fat even when we’re at rest. Fats are also essential since they provide more than twice the energy of carbs or proteins and are stored within our muscles for easy access during exercise.
Eliminating fats from your diet isn’t the answer. The body needs fats for long-lasting fuel and to exercise effectively. Cutting calories and macronutrients can lead to nutrient deficiencies, impacting the immune, liver, and digestive systems, and potentially causing health issues like fatigue, malnutrition, osteoporosis, anemia, hormone issues, and fertility problems.
Severe calorie reduction also stresses the body, causing it to release cortisol, a stress hormone. Short-term cortisol increases can lead to weight loss, but chronic high cortisol levels can slow down the metabolism, increase fat storage (especially around the belly), and cause thyroid problems.
Under-eating can affect our ability to digest and absorb vital nutrients, impacting our training and results. Poor sleep due to low blood sugar levels can further impact your health, including liver function, immunity, and weight.
Some bodybuilders restrict calories to get lean before competitions, then increase their intake again. However, this must be done carefully to avoid health problems. Constant calorie cutting can put your body in famine mode, making it store any extra calories as fat.
The key is to eat the right number of calories and balance your intake of carbs, fats, and proteins based on your specific needs. At Your Body Programme, we help people determine their calorie needs using their body type.
Make sure you eat plenty of lean proteins like beef, chicken, eggs, and fish, or pulses, legumes, tofu, and tempeh if you’re vegan. Include healthy carbs like fruits, vegetables, sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown rice, and whole wheat pasta, and consume healthy fats like avocados, nuts, seeds, olives, and olive oil.
You only have one body, so nourish it well and keep your metabolism running smoothly. Our program shows that increasing calories in a healthy manner can help you lose fat.
