If you feel confused about what diet is best for losing weight, welcome to the world of dietary nutrition, where there is conflicting advice and evidence from all sides! But what if a common denominator for fat loss was a low-calorie diet?
It doesn’t always matter what types of food you eat for fat loss because if you are overeating on any diet, you will gain weight, as the excess calories from food have to be stored somewhere. If you want to lose weight, you need to eat a hypocaloric diet regardless of what type of dietary pattern you are currently following.
In one 12-month weight loss study, there was no significant difference between a healthy low-fat diet and a healthy low-carbohydrate diet. Yet, depending on what information you have read, you may believe that one is superior to the other. (Yes, I have my biases, too, and I know what works best for me, but that may be different for you!)
It is also important to consider what type of diet is healthy for long-term weight loss, as long-term restrictive diets are likely to be deficient in essential nutrients or phytonutrients. Instead of following restrictive diets, try reducing your calorie intake to allow your body to tap into fat stores for energy. Over time, this will result in weight loss.
In today’s world, eating a low-calorie diet can be challenging because food is everywhere and often involved in social settings. It is easy to overeat if we are not mindful.
A year ago, during my first full winter living back in Canada, I put on some extra pounds. Even though I was eating a fairly healthy diet, I was eating more processed snacks, including crackers, bread, and feta cheese, which are full of saturated fats that increase insulin resistance. I consumed too much food as I was at home with my toddler and preparing all her food; thus, I was snacking way more than I normally did prior to motherhood.
Measuring blood sugar before meals for weight loss
With my low energy output during the cold winter months in Canada, I clearly did not need to eat three meals a day with snacks in between! Measuring your blood sugar prior to eating or having a snack is a great way to test whether your body is ready for food.
In nondiabetic people, your blood sugar should be between 80-100 before meals, which signifies that your body has returned to a fasting blood sugar state and is ready for more food. If your blood sugar is higher before meals, your body is still trying to store glucose from the previous meal and does not need any more food. Eating when your blood sugar is still in the post-meal blood glucose ranges adds more fuel that your body will need to convert to storage and fat, thus leading to weight gain.
Often, we are not truly hungry and are just bored or eating for pleasure! When I started to randomly check my blood sugar at times when I would have a light snack, it was interesting for me to note that my blood sugar had not yet fallen into a fasting range, and I clearly did not need to have a snack as I had just eaten a few hours prior! Maybe you can relate? Testing your blood sugar levels before meals is a great way to determine if your body is hungry for more food and glucose.
A year later, I have dropped all the excess weight without drastically changing my diet or exercise program, but I did focus on eating fewer calories. Now, I don’t ever count calories, but I can tell you with 100 percent certainty that a calorie deficit was part of my success, as I implemented low-calorie foods such as smoothies and salads and sometimes made my own homemade meal replacement shakes for one meal a day and cut out the excess snacks.
I also practiced intermittent fasting as I do better with a later breakfast and earlier dinner. If I eat a large breakfast, I am just as hungry for the rest of the day, yet I can easily skip breakfast or have a light smoothie and feel great!
A great way to find out your daily caloric intake is to track your weekly food intake using a Cronometer. This fantastic app lets you input your recipes and meals to calculate your caloric intake. It will also track your macronutrients and nutritional intake of vitamins and minerals.
Why you need to implement a low calorie diet for weight loss
Many diets can work for weight loss because one of the primary rules of weight loss is that you must be in a calorie deficit to tap into fat stores. Regardless of your dietary pattern, a fundamental rule for successful weight loss is to eat fewer calories than you are burning.
While reducing your caloric intake to be less than the number of calories you are burning is one of the most important factors for weight loss, the body can also make metabolic adaptations to reduce energy expenditure, making weight loss challenging or slowing down your weight loss goals.
Still, regardless of what diet you are currently on, such as low-fat, low-carb, high-protein, or eating more vegetables, these drastically different diets can all work for weight loss if you consume fewer calories than you are burning. By eating a hypocaloric diet, you allow the body to tap into stored fat within fat cells and also the highly dangerous fat that can build up in people’s livers, thus contributing to type 2 diabetes.
In order to lose one pound of body fat, you must create a calorie deficit of about 3,500 calories. To lose weight fast, you need to create a significant energy deficit to burn through a pound of body fat. For this reason, intermittent fasting or using a high-quality meal replacement shake for a main meal and not overeating later in the day or at another meal is a great way to eat fewer calories than you are burning.
Many people are overconsuming calories, and thus, over the years, weight keeps packing on slowly but surely. A crucial weight maintenance and weight loss tip is to eat slowly, savor your food, and do not overeat! How often are you feeling full yet still having dessert or taking that extra bite to finish all the food on your plate?
If you are eating the same amount of calories that you are burning and decide to reduce your calories by 500 calories daily, it would take a week to lose one pound. But that is only if your body doesn’t adapt to the caloric change and reduce your resting metabolic rate. A significant increase or decrease in the amount of calories being consumed or burned also affects the resting metabolic rate as the body adapts to external stressors.
Everyone has a different resting metabolic rate needed to maintain body temperature and the essential functions of the body, which takes up about 2/3 of the total calories burned every day. Physical movement greatly influences the amount of energy someone burns each day.
800 calorie a day diet for weight loss
Since weight loss can be slow going if you only reduce your caloric intake by a small amount and thus leaving people feeling frustrated and quitting their weight loss efforts, Professor Roy Taylor used a 800 calorie a day diet to help people lose weight and reverse fatty liver and type 2 diabetes in most participants. Implementing a very low-calorie diet is a great way to lose weight fast and keep you motivated to reach your weight loss goals.
Professor Roy Taylor’s 800-calorie-a-day diet, as described in his book Life Without Diabetes, is super simple and easy to follow. He used 3 liquid protein meal replacement shakes along with a 100-200-calorie serving of non-starchy vegetables. Once the desired weight loss was achieved, participants returned to a normal diet but were advised to eat smaller portions at each meal to maintain their past weight loss efforts.
He used this very low calorie diet for rapid weight loss that lasts for 8 weeks for most people with type 2 diabetes. Using an 800-calorie diet a day with meal-replacement shakes was easy and effective for people to follow.
Since people achieved weight loss quickly, this very low-calorie diet motivates them to continue until they return to a normal healthy BMI for their body. In his studies, weight loss was achieved with no extra physical activity, as increasing physical activity can also increase hunger. His very low-calorie diet plan was effective without additional exercise. In the participants, weight loss was maintained by eating a healthy, balanced diet and being extra mindful of portion sizes after losing weight.
Tips for weight maintenance after implementing a low calorie diet for weight loss
Weight gain will return if someone overeats daily thus it is important to watch portion sizes and only eat when you are hungry and not bored. For overall health it is best to choose unprocessed whole foods with lots of fiber rich and water rich foods that provide satiety and fill the stomach such as vegetables. This post has a list of healthy carbs for weight loss.
It is super easy to overeat hyperpalatable processed foods that are calorie-dense compared to unprocessed whole foods. If you’re full, you likely won’t overeat a raw carrot, but if there is a side of ice cream available, it is much harder to say no.
I don’t have the willpower to avoid all my food sensitivities that cause weight gain and unhealthy snacks if they are in my cupboards, so I don’t buy them! Instead, I have healthy alternatives, such as these black bean brownies for a healthy treat, and plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables to snack on or to make salads with. I also have my cupboards stocked with protein powder to make smoothies, beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.
Having a fridge full of healthy and minimally processed foods makes it much easier to maintain a healthy body weight long-term without constantly battling willpower to avoid hyper-palatable foods that are very easy to overeat. If you are truly hungry, whole foods become more appealing, and you will take the time to make food if you are really hungry with no option for junk food available.
So ditch all the processed, unhealthy foods that are full of calorie-dense oils and refined carbs and instead take the time to make real food. If you’re busy, meal replacement shakes are great to keep you fueled while also helping you reach your weight loss goals. Here are some of the low-calorie smoothie shakes I made to shed some of the excess weight I was carrying.
Also be sure to check out these must know fat loss tips to boosts your results fast!
Disclaimer
This post is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making any significant changes to your diet, especially if you have an existing health condition or are taking medication. Very low-calorie diets may not be suitable for everyone and should be undertaken only under medical supervision. Individual results may vary.
References:
Life Without Diabetes by Professor Roy Taylor
Optimal Diet Strategies for Weight Loss and Weight Loss Maintenance – PMC (nih.gov)
What is the Required Energy Deficit per unit Weight Loss? – PMC (nih.gov)
Checking your blood sugar before meals is a great idea. I think it is the piece of the puzzle that I’ve been missing. Thanks Amber!
Your welcome! Yes it can be very insightful to test before meals as well :)