The biggest problem with low-calorie diets is that they generally lead to muscle wastage which reduces metabolism and increases the likelihood of accumulating fat. A healthy low-calorie diet has to be carefully planned to avoid this.
OK, first off we need to look at weight loss and how it is possible to lose weight by dieting. Many people make the classic mistake of thinking that to lose weight all you have to do it reduce calories.
Very low calorie diets (nutritionists called them VLCDs) are when a person consumes less than 1000 Calories a day, sometimes as little as 500 Calories a day.
It is almost impossible to get a well-balanced diet when consuming such a small amount of calories each day. A well-balanced diet is vital for two reasons:
- Your body needs the right nutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals and vitamins) to develop and remain healthy.
- A balanced diet actually helps you to manage your appetite better and so avoid in between meal snacks and the associated weight gain.
For many people who adopt a low-calorie diet the biggest mistake is that they eat too much carbohydrate and not enough protein of fat. For too many years health departments have encouraged low-fat diets. This is healthy in principle but for many people it means that they sacrifice lean protein and healthy fats also and instead over consume sugar.
The key elements of diet that aid weight loss are:
- To lose 1 pound of fat a week you need to consume 500 Calories a day less than your body needs.
- To lose 2 pounds of fat a week you need to consume 1000 Calories a day less than your body needs.
- Maintaining a low-calorie diet requires that you adjust your food balance and lifestyle to help to avoid feeling hungry, which is done by:
- Eat protein with each meal as this releases the PYY hormone that suppresses hunger
- Eat soup every day as soup fills your stomach and helps you to fill full for longer
- Eat more healthy proteins, such as eggs, fish, chicken and tofu. Avoid too much fatty red meat.
- Exercise every day if possible. Each time you exercise your body releases more PYY hormones, which again suppress hunger.
- Drink plenty of water throughout the day – thirst often makes people also think about food!
- Try to workout a little harder every day. The fitter you are, the more fat you burn.
- More protein = less hunger + less muscle wastage which maintains your basal metabolic rate to prevent weight gain at the end of the weight loss program.
Those 8 quick tips will really help you to lose weight and get flat stomach too. Remember that the key to losing weight is just maintain a weight loss plan. Most people fail to lose weight not because of a flaw in the weight loss plan, but because they simply give up too soon.
Weight loss support groups are a great way to find people who will provide some excellent advice and moral support. You can learn so much from other people who have already lost some weight.