If you want to lose weight, you might think it’s all about counting calories and eating less. But that’s not necessarily the case, says Terry Fairclough, a leading personal trainer and co-founder of Your Body Programme.
As a personal trainer, Terry has heard many opinions on what the best diet for weight loss is. Should we count calories? Should we eat low fat, low carb, or high protein? Should we fast or eat small, regular meals three times a day?
Well, while different diets can work for different body types, goals, and activity levels, one thing everyone should avoid is under-eating. People often cut calories drastically to lose weight quickly. Sure, they might drop pounds, but it’s not always fat they’re losing.
Here’s the deal: a big calorie deficit can make you lose weight, but it doesn’t necessarily lead to fat loss, which is usually the goal. The Western diet often has us eating more than we need. Yes, many could benefit from a slight calorie deficit because they’re overeating, to begin with. But eating too little isn’t the answer.
When we eat, our body converts carbohydrates into glucose, which fuels our cells. If we don’t need immediate energy, our muscles and liver store glucose as glycogen, which carries water. When we cut calories, we lose this glycogen and the water attached to it, but not necessarily fat.
Long-term calorie deficits can even make our bodies cling to fat or break down protein instead. Since protein is active in our bodies, having more of it helps us burn fat even at rest. Hence, it’s important to consume enough calories that include all three macronutrients: fats, carbs, and protein.
People avoiding fat to lose weight are missing the point. Fat is a vital fuel source, offering more than double the energy of carbs or protein. It’s stored in muscles for easy access during exercise and acts as a nearly unlimited energy source in the body. During physical activity, fat breaks down into fatty acids, which our muscles use for fuel. So, cutting fat from your diet entirely means you won’t have enough energy to lose the fat you want to get rid of.
Moreover, restricting calories and certain nutrients can lead to nutrient deficiencies, affecting the immune, liver, and digestive systems, which can cascade into health problems. Such health issues might include fatigue, malnutrition, osteoporosis, anemia, hormonal imbalances, and fertility issues. Chronic under-eating causes stress, releasing cortisol, a hormone that in the long run makes the body store more fat.
When cortisol levels stay high, it slows metabolism, increases fat around the belly, and can even trigger thyroid issues, further affecting metabolism. Plus, stress reduces digestive efficiency, meaning we might not absorb all the nutrients we need, impacting our workouts and results.
Sleep can also suffer from under-eating. Low blood sugar levels release adrenaline to stabilize them, which can wake you up. Poor sleep then affects your liver function, immune system, and overall productivity, leading to more weight gain.
Bodybuilders often reduce calories to get lean but increase them again post-competition. Many, however, get sick if they don’t do it correctly. Constantly cutting calories is unsustainable and can make weight loss seem impossible because the body stores whatever little you eat as fat, preparing for a ‘famine’.
The key is to eat the right number of calories, carbs, fats, and proteins for your unique body type and lifestyle. Terry’s Your Body Programme helps people determine their calorie needs based on their body types. It emphasizes healthy, balanced eating rather than calorie restriction.
Terry’s approach shows that increasing calories can help in losing fat. It’s crucial to eat plenty of lean proteins like chicken, eggs, and fish, healthy carbs from fruits, vegetables, and grains, and healthy fats from avocados, nuts, and seeds.
By nourishing your body correctly, you keep your metabolism active and support overall health.