Eating More to Lose Weight

If you ask many people who are struggling to lose weight, keeping away from food as much as possible is the solution to their challenges.

However, experts in nutrition and fitness seem to have a different opinion; eat more food to lose weight.

calorie counting
Counting calories; image source: healthiack.com

But how is this possible? According to an expert who runs a fitness webshop, nutrition holds answers to all food related challenges, including weight gain.

Why eating more to lose weight is important

As an example, we will look at a case study where one lady confessed to being on a diet to lose weight. She strictly uses a calorie calculator and barely goes above 1500 calories every day. According to expert recommendation, her body requires about 2000 calories for normal performance. Furthermore, she is active at the gym where she burns about 500 calories.

In the above analysis, the body is only left with 1000 calories after she hits the gym. This is a 1000 calorie deficit to the body on a daily basis if this pattern is maintained.

When the body is faced with this kind of deficit for too long, it leads to starvation mode resulting from a consistent deficit of calories. Unknown to many, the body quickly adapts by slowing down the metabolism rate to balance its activities.

Another danger is the breakdown of muscles to provide energy. The two main causes of this are eating little or no protein or the extreme reduction of calories suddenly. According to one study in weight loss, both fat and muscle loss can occur to dieters at the same time. So what is the best thing to do?

Eating more to lose weight

According to experts in nutrition, no one should stop eating in the name of losing weight. Below are some of the best insights that can help.

Do not drastically cut down on calories

It is a no brainer that burning more calories than the body is consuming helps in weight loss. However, putting the body into a deficiency of above 500 calories per day is not recommended.

Make sure you eat enough calories to cover what you burn, rather than eating less than you burn. Start with eating to satisfaction, then burn calories through activities, including exercise.

Eat enough to support body activities

An expert will advise you on the minimum number of calories your body requires for regular activities.

Anyone trying to lose weight must eat at least this number of calories to avoid lowering their metabolism or muscle breakdown, which can lead to other challenges in the body.

Increase the volume and lower calories

While maintaining the minimum number of calories your body requires, you can still pump up the volume of the food you eat. This is possible by carefully selecting the food you put on your plate.

Starchy foods are higher in calories than vegetables. Therefore, a smaller portion will give the number of calories equal to that of an enormous portion of vegetables. This helps you not feel deprived.

Eat a balanced diet

Now this is where the balancing comes in. Eating a balanced diet is one of the hardest parts for dieters.

They either want to do away with carbs, or they eat too little. While all food contains calories, the difference comes in numbers. Balance the food well to contain enough carbs, proteins, vitamins, and minerals as your body needs.

Conclusion

From the above insights, it is clear that emphasis on weight loss is more on eating the right food than reducing the portion. It should be a gradual process where the energy to facilitate all your activities is first maintained, before anything else.

About author:
The author carries several years of experience in nutrition and body science. He has helped publish numerous health and fitness publications, both on public and private web forums.

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