Weight Loss

About Calories

Calorie counting is a hot topic in the weight loss community. There are people who count every last calorie, and there are people who prefer to not count them at all. Neither way is right or wrong. If you do not have a history of disordered eating, counting calories for the first few weeks or months of your fat loss journey can give you a lot of helpful information about your consumption habits. If you are prone to disordered eating, be careful with counting calories. It is not necessary in order to lose fat, and you can transition into a healthy diet and/or exercise routine without ever counting a single calorie.

While you don’t technically have to reduce your dietary fat intake to lose body fat, it is often recommended. This is because dietary fat has the most calories per gram. One gram of fat contains 9 calories, whereas one gram of protein or one gram of carbohydrate contains 4 calories. This means that you can eat twice as much protein as you can fat for the same amount of calories. Additionally, fatty foods like cheeseburgers and pizza contain very few nutrients, meaning you are eating more calories for less nutrition. 

Metabolism

Our ideal calorie intake is determined by our metabolism. Metabolism is a term that describes hundreds of different processes within the body, ranging from programmed cell death to the absorption of nutrients during digestion. Part of our metabolism is our activity level; exercise increases your metabolism, and being sedentary decreases it. Exercising regularly is important for losing fat because it burns calories; it also improves your cardiovascular health, reducing your risk for diseases like high blood pressure. Another part of our metabolism is BMR, which stays more or less the same regardless of activity level.

BMR

Your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is a rough measurement of how many calories your body burns each day just by staying alive. Everyone has a BMR, and it varies based on things like body size, activity level, genetic tendencies, thyroid function, and muscle mass. BMR takes into account breathing, heartbeat, blood circulation, brain activity, nutrient metabolism, and more. This number is typically used for calorie restricted diets. You can find out how to calculate BMR here, but keep in mind that it is not an exact number. On average, males have higher BMRs than females; that is why, on average, males need to eat more calories per day.

Safe Weight Loss

It’s important to lose fat safely. A lot of factors go into this. One myth is that BMI (Body Mass Index) is an indicator of health; this is often false. BMI only takes into account weight and height. It does not account for muscle mass, breast tissue, bone density, genetics, body fat percentage, cardiovascular health, or anything else - just weight and height. 

There are so many approaches to fat loss; note that most commercial methods are weight-based, not fat-based. Some of them only lead to loss of water weight, or even the loss of muscle mass. There are also many healthy ways to go about it. One suggestion is focusing on increasing fruit & veggie intake rather than on decreasing carb intake. 

It is extremely difficult to give up foods cold turkey, and expecting yourself to may set you up for failure. Focus on what you can add to your life to be healthier - a 20 minute walk, a plate full of stir fried vegetables, a bowl of grapes, etc. Another option is instead of putting a strict limit on all unhealthy foods, try choosing just one food to cut out, such as ice cream or soda. Perhaps choose another that you’ll mindfully limit, like pizza. 

A Note About Disordered Eating

At least 1.25 million people experience disordered eating in the U.K. An eating disorder is a mental illness that affects your relationship with food and your self-image. The most well-known symptom is calorie restriction, which is when a person strictly limits how much food they consume each day. Disordered eating can also manifest as binge-eating, or as intentionally throwing up after eating. Eating disorders affect people of all ages; they happen most often in teenagers. 

A main sign of disordered eating is obsessive or compulsive thoughts: thinking you are eating too much, thinking you need to exercise excessively, worrying about calorie counts, worrying about being too fat, etc. If you have obsessive or compulsive thoughts about food, talk to your GP or other healthcare provider. You can also contact Beat for eating disorder information and support; their helpline can be reached at 0808 801 0677.

The Eatwell Guide

Many regions have federal guidelines for balanced meals. In the U.K., this comes in the form of the eatwell guide. The NHS created these guidelines, and following them is one of the best ways to lose fat in a healthy way. The NHS eatwell guide states that adults should consume 5 or more servings of fruits & veggies each day, or greater than ⅓ of our diet. 

Another ⅓ of our diet should be high-fiber, whole-grain starches like brown rice, whole-wheat bread, quinoa, and potatoes. The full eatwell guide breaks down the rest of what a generic healthy diet looks like. Highlights include being sure to consume healthy fats like olive oil and avocado and limiting salt and sugar intake. Learning to read nutrition labels is a great skill to have when it comes to eating healthier.