Low
Calorie Diets For
many years, before the advent of the Atkins and other low carbohydrate
diets, reducing the intake of calories was the traditional way to
lose weight. Many people still use low calorie diets for weight
loss.
Low calorie diets work on the simple principle that calories give
us fuel for all the activities and functions our bodies undertake.
Therefore, if you reduce calories to less than the body requires,
it will burn fat to replace them.
How to Start a Low Calorie Diet
Equip yourself with a calorie counter
Nowadays there are many books and publications with information
on the calories contained in all kinds of food, both natural and
ready meals. There is also extensive information online.
Work out how many calories you are going to eat each
day.
Usually this is around 1500 to 1800 for a woman per day with a
sedentary lifestyle, a similarly inactive man would probably need
around 2000-2200. If you are a very active person, though, you
would need to increase your calorie intake by as much as 600 to
800 calories per day.
Get into the habit of reading the labels on food
Many include the number of calories. Check whether the figure
quoted is per pack, or by weight, or per portion.
Work out which foods you can enjoy on your diet
Read your calorie counter and and stay within your calorie limits.
It might help to work out a menu for the first week or two.
Keep a food diary
It is so easy to say "Low calorie diets don't work for me"
or "I can't lose weight, it must be my metabolism (or glands)"
when the simple truth is that you forget to count the doughnut
you had for elevenses or the icecream you ate to cool down and
maybe the bar of chocolate you had because you were feeling a
bit depressed. Take your food diary around with you and write
down every single thing you eat, no matter how small or seemingly
insignificant. Then, at the end of the first week, examine it
carefully. Remember YOU are the one who wants or needs to lose
weight so, if you cheat, you are only cheating yourself.
Use a smaller plate than usual
It will make you feel less deprived and stop you putting too much
food on your plate when serving out meals.
Don't feel guilty if you don't 'clean your plate'
There are worse crimes than not eating everything you are served.
Staying on Your Diet
Don't go on a very low calorie diet. You won't stick to it and
if you eat less than 800 to 1000 calories a day your metabolism
will slow down and you will consume lean muscle not fat. When
you inevitably give up the diet, your body will react as if a
famine had come to an end and busily start storing all excess
calories as fat - this is how you get yo yo dieting. The only
exception to this is when you are put on a very low calorie diet
by your physician and you are under medical supervision.
If you are eating fewer calories than your body needs so forcing
it to burn fat, you are inevitably going to feel hungry. Additionally,
your stomach is probably accustomed to large portions. Eating
smaller amounts is not going to satisfy you until your stomach
becomes used to the new regime. You just have to grit your teeth
and live through the hunger pangs. If they are really unbearable,
eat some fruit. Just tell yourself that if you are hungry, your
body is being forced to burn some fat so you will
lose weight.
Don't make yourself a martyr, it's boring for other people and
you set yourself up for failure.
Make sure you eat a good variety of food from all the main food
groups but go easy on fats. Don't avoid bread and potatoes. Fibre
rich carbohydrates fill the stomach and take longer to digest
so delaying those hunger pangs.
Weigh your food and work out the calories, don't guess because
you will probably guess wrong and end up eating more calories
than your allowance.
Don't beat yourself up and then give up your diet when you succumb
to temptation. First of all, it is the total calories consumed
over a period of time - a week, a month - that determine whether
you lose weight. Second, if you come off the diet because you
ate a forbidden bar of chocolate or doughnut, you certainly won't
lose weight. Forgive yourself and take note of the circumstances
and try to avoid putting yourself in that situation again.
A calorie controlled diet is an ideal opportunity to reform
your eating habits. Because you can eat almost anything you like
as long as you don't exceed your calorie allowance, you can work
out a diet that you would be happy to continue, with somewhat
increased portions, when you reach your target weight. This is
essential because it was your old eating habits that led to weight
gain.
