The key to real weight loss – and keeping it off – is to find a diet that you can follow throughout your life, whether it's based on carbs, fat or protein.
Daily calories for weight loss
A calorie is a unit of energy provided by food. The calories in the food you eat come from the carbohydrate, protein and fat content: 1 gram of carbohydrate or protein provides 4 calories and 1 gram of fat provides 9 calories. Each of these nutrients has a different role in the body, but what is important when losing weight and gaining weight is the total intake of calories.
In order to lose weight, the total intake of calories should be less than the amount that your body needs; this encourages your body to burn fat for energy. If you reduce your calorie intake by 3.500 per week, or 500 per day, you can burn about half a kilogram of fat per week. For example, if you need 2.000 calories per day to maintain your current body weight, you should reduce your intake to 1.500 calories to lose weight.
Carbohydrates and weight loss
When it comes to weight loss, carbohydrates are often on the list of banned nutrients. But they can actually make up a large portion of your calorie intake -- 45 to 65 percent -- according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines published by the U.S. Department of Health. However, not all carbohydrates are a good choice if you're on a weight loss diet. You'll be more successful in losing weight and keeping it off if you include healthy, unprocessed carbohydrates like whole grains, fruits and vegetables in your diet instead of processed carbs like white bread and pasta, sweets and fizzy drinks, according to the claims. Harvard School of Public Health.
A study published in 2011 in the "New England Journal of Medicine" found that weight gain is associated with the intake of unhealthy carbohydrates, and weight loss is associated with the intake of healthy carbohydrates. In a 1.500-calorie diet, 675 to 975 calories should come from carbohydrates, which is about 170 to 245 grams per day. This range allows you to determine a healthy diet that suits your taste.
Proteins and weight loss
Many popular weight loss diets encourage you to eat less protein in order to lose weight. However, a 2011 study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association found that people on a high-protein, high-fat, low-carb diet lost more weight than those on a low-fat diet. But the long-term effects of a low-carb diet aren't known, so it's not certain whether it should be recommended. For good health, the Dietary Guidelines recommend that 10 to 35 percent of calories come from protein. On a 1.500-calorie diet, 150 to 525 calories should come from protein, which is 38 to 131 grams of protein per day, but it's better to be closer to the upper limit, because most women need at least 46 grams of protein per day, even with diet with fewer calories.
When it comes to foods rich in protein and weight loss, quality is also important. Protein should come from healthy sources such as lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, legumes, soy and low-fat dairy if you're on a weight loss diet.
Fats and weight loss
Like carbohydrates, fats are often excluded from the diet if the goal is to lose weight. Part of the rationale is that fat is a concentrated source of calories. However, fat is an important part of your diet, and as with the other two macronutrients, the Dietary Guidelines offer a range of calories that should come from fat: 20 to 35 percent, or 300 to 525 calories for a 1.500-calorie diet, for general good. health. That's 33 to 58 grams of fat per day. The fats you eat should come from healthy sources when you're on a weight loss diet, such as vegetable oils, avocados, and stone fruits.
In any case, consult a doctor or nutritionist who will help you determine the best diet regimen that suits your needs and lifestyle, reports Danas.
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