Reducing weight is a lot easier said than done. If weight-loss was simple, thousands of people in the
supplement and fitness industry would not be cashing in on our desire to slim down quickly. Nevertheless, shedding extra weight is a result of three very simple, tried-and-true principles. Stick to these, and you’ll ultimately reach your weight-loss goals.
Advocates of supplements and fad diets may tell you differently, but your body weight is primarily a result of your energy balance, or the amount of calories you take in each day versus the amount your body expends through activity. Calories provide energy and your body requires a certain number of calories each day to support its basic vital functions, as well as any additional physical activity. If your body does not receive enough calories through food, it will ultimately burn its own carbohydrate, fat and protein stores. Achieving a negative energy balance, or a state in which you burn more calories than you eat, is the only way to lose weight. You need to achieve a negative energy balance of 3,500 calories to burn 1 lb. of fat.
While cutting calories can help you reach a negative energy balance, you can enhance this state by increasing your physical activity level. Physical activity burns calories, builds muscle and increases your basal metabolic rate, or the rate at which your body metabolizes the calories you consume. Exercising for 30 minutes each day at a moderate intensity can burn 200 or more calories. Exercising at a high intensity can result in even greater caloric expenditures.
3. Balance Your Diet
While your body’s weight is primarily a result of your energy balance — regardless of the type of food you eat– a balanced diet can indirectly influence body weight. For example, fat contains 9 calories per 1 g while the other two macronutrients (carbohydrates and protein) each contain just 4. If you consume foods that are high in fat, it is much easier to consume unnecessary calories than if you overeat foods that are high in carbohydrates and protein. The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine recommends consuming 45 to 65 percent of your calories from carbohydrates, 20 to 35 percent from fat and 10 to 35 percent from protein. Even if you cut your overall calories, you should still follow these guidelines.
Carbohydrates are essential for our overall health and are the key fuel source for our body’s cells. Much debate has occurred over the efficacy of low-carb diets in promoting weight-loss. According to the Mayo Clinic, low-carb diets are likely effective because they have an impact the body’s energy balance — regardless of the type of nutrients being consumed. Low-carb diets also advocate restricting fruits and vegetables, which are chocked full of essential vitamins and minerals. Such diets increase the risk of nutrient deficiencies.
While low-carb diets are not advisable, limiting simple carbohydrates, or sugars, can help you lose weight. Simple sugars are carbohydrates that consist of just one or two saccharide molecules. When eaten, they are broken down quickly and provide a sudden burst of energy followed by a crash. This crash can leave you craving more simple sugars shortly after eating, causing you to consume extra calories.
Complex carbohydrates are broken down slowly, causing a more gradual — but lasting– effect on blood sugar levels. Complex carbohydrates provide a prolonged state of fullness and can prevent you from craving more calories. Fiber is a complex carbohydrate that cannot be digested, and as it passes through your body, can help cleanse the intestinal tract. Fiber has also been demonstrated to reduce blood cholesterol and help manage blood sugar levels, thus helping to prevent type 2 diabetes.
Fruits and vegetables are key components of a healthy weight-loss diet for two reasons. First, they have a low energy density. Because much of their weight consists of water, they contain relatively few calories compared to their overall weight. Foods with a low energy density can help provide a feeling of fullness without adding a lot of calories. Second, fruits and vegetables have a high nutrient density. Fruits and vegetables are loaded with vitamins and minerals, without contributing many calories. You can meet many of your daily nutrient needs through consuming fruits and vegetables without all the calories of many other types of foods.
Rapid weight-loss programs, or those which suggest cutting more than a few lbs. a week, are dangerous and you should avoid them at all costs. Cutting more than about 500 calories from your daily diet can place your body at risk of severe nutrient deficiency, losses in muscle rather than fat, dehydration and, in extreme cases, organ damage and death. A realistic goal for weight-loss is about 1 to 2 lbs. per week. Give yourself plenty of time to reach your weight-loss goal, eat a balanced diet, increase your activity level and you will shed that extra weight.
Losing weight gradually also has a positive psychological effect. Whereas rapid weight-loss diets focus on solely the outcome (i.e., reaching a certain body weight), gradual weight-loss programs allow you the time to change your lifestyle and develop the behavior patterns consistent with maintaining your weight after your diet is complete. Many people who aim to lose weight quickly find themselves right back where they started shortly after they’ve reached their goal. Those who focus on losing weight slowly generally have a better toolset for maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle.
Graham is a writer, coach, personal trainer and avid sports and fitness enthusiast. With a M.S. in Exercise Science, a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and years of practical experience coaching and training, including with the Army's Center for Enhanced Performance and the United States Olympic Training Center, Graham is well-equipped to write on high-performance training issues, as well as nutrition and fitness for the average Joe or Jane.
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