If you want to lose weight, many believe you should count calories and eat less. Not necessarily, according to Terry Fairclough, a personal trainer and co-founder of Your Body Programme. People often have different opinions on the best diet for weight loss. Should you count calories? Follow a low-fat, low-carb, or high-protein diet? Fast? Eat small, regular meals three times a day?
While achieving a massive calorie deficit can lead to weight loss, it doesn’t guarantee fat loss. Under-eating is something nobody should do. People often think that severely restricting calories will help them lose weight quickly, but this isn’t always true.
When we eat, the body converts carbohydrates into glucose, our main energy source. If glucose isn’t used immediately, it’s stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen, which also stores water. When you cut calories drastically, you lose stored carbohydrates and water, not fat. Over time, a long-term calorie deficit can make your body hold onto fat and break down protein instead. Protein is crucial because more protein can lead to more fat burning while at rest. This is why it’s important to have a balanced intake of calories from fats, carbs, and proteins.
Many people believe that to lose fat, you should avoid eating fat. However, fat is essential as it provides a long-lasting fuel source and supports exercise performance. Cutting out fats and other nutrients can lead to deficiencies that affect your health, including immune, liver, and digestive functions. Health problems from under-eating include fatigue, malnutrition, osteoporosis, and even fertility issues.
Severe calorie deficits also increase stress, releasing the hormone cortisol. In the short term, cortisol can cause weight loss, but chronic high levels lead to fat gain, especially around the belly, and can slow down metabolism. Long-term stress impairs digestive function, making it harder to absorb nutrients, which affects overall health.
Under-eating can also disrupt your sleep, leading to a cascade of other health issues, including poor liver function and weakened immunity. Some bodybuilders restrict calories to get lean for competitions but then increase their intake afterward. However, this can be risky if not done correctly.
Eventually, continuous calorie cutting can damage your metabolism, making weight loss even harder. Your body will go into “famine mode,” storing any extra calories as fat.
It’s essential to eat the right balance of calories, carbs, fats, and proteins suitable for your body type, goals, activity level, height, weight, and age. Your Body Programme (YBP) helps people determine their calorie needs based on their body type. Eating enough calories, including lean proteins, healthy carbs, and fats, will keep your metabolism active and support fat loss.
In summary, a balanced diet that doesn’t overly restrict calories is key to healthy weight loss.
