With all the new fad diets out there, it can be hard to figure out which diet is best for you. High carb, low carb, high protein, low fat. You can find a diet based on anything nowadays. What they all seem to have in common is calorie restriction. Many diet ‘gurus’ believe that a low-calorie diet is the only way to lose weight.
Here are 3 reasons why lowering your calories is a bad idea:
1.Metabolism
When you start eating less food, your body notices. It sounds an alarm that there is a dangerous situation and that it doesn’t know when the next nutritious meal will arrive. The body responds by cooling your metabolism so it doesn’t burn all the available energy too quickly. A cool metabolism is exactly what we don’t want when trying to lose weight. This will put us in a fight against our body, trying to eat small amounts of food and work out extra hard.
What we should be doing is working with our body, feeding it the energy it needs so it can learn how to burn calories at a high level. We usually refer to this as having a “fast metabolism.” A steady increase in calories, rather than a drastic decrease, will heat up your metabolism getting you closer to your dream body.
2.Body Composition
Most people don’t just want to lose weight, they want a fit and toned body to feel confident in. This is hard to attain when on a low-calorie diet. You may lose some fat, but you will also lose lots of muscle. This can make you feel weak and sluggish, leaving you with no energy for your workouts.
A good meal plan is not restrictive in calories. It contains a balance of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins specific to your body type. This allows your body to lose fat while also preserving and even gaining muscle tissue, making it easier to hit your body goals sooner.
3.Basic Nutrition
On a low-calorie diet, it is nearly impossible to get the required amounts of both macronutrients and micronutrients. For a quick refresher, macronutrients are nutrients you need in large quantities: carbs, fats, proteins. Micronutrients are nutrients you need in smaller quantities: vitamins and minerals like calcium, iron, vitamin C, etc.
When you are restricted to how much food you can eat, you also cut yourself off from these important nutrients. The result can be deficiencies that make you feel tired and depressed, making the road to weight loss that much harder.
Choose a diet plan that allows you to eat all the calories and nutrients your body needs. You will have a much higher chance of success and you may actually enjoy the journey!
Take the quiz below to figure out what metabolic type you are and start eating for your body.