Caloric intake plays a pivotal role in weight loss. Eat the right number of calories from the proper sources for healthy weight loss. Incorporate calories from carbohydrates, fats and protein into your diet, because your body requires each nutrient to function properly. A diet with too few carbohydrates or fats may do more harm than good. Avoid fad diets restricting the consumption of an entire nutrient. Diets with too few calories may cause the body to go into starvation mode. If you reach a plateau in your weight loss journey, adjust your caloric intake.
Calories
Cut 3,500 calories from your weekly diet to lose 1 lb. per week. Celebrity fitness coach Bob Harper suggests eating 1,200 to 1,800 calories per day. He warns that consuming less than 1,200 calories per day puts your body into starvation mode, which causes your body to retain weight. Eliminate unnecessary calories by eating frequently. Eat every four hours for a total of three meals and two snacks. Skipping meals may make you hungry and susceptible to making poor food choices.
Protein, Fat and Carbodydrates
Healthful weight loss plans encourage a balanced diet. Diets with restricted carbohydrate intake aid in calorie reduction but limit energy resources. Limit your carbohydrate consumption, but do not totally remove carbs from your diet. According to the Mayo Clinic, carbohydrates serve as your primary source of energy. Although low-fat diets aid in weight loss, your body needs fat to function normally; for instance, fat helps the body absorb nutrients. Avoid saturated and trans fats, however, and instead eat primarily unsaturated fat. Maintain a diet with 45 to 65 percent of calories from carbohydrates and 20 to 35 percent of calories from fat. Obtain your remaining calories from protein. Consume lean protein such as beans, nuts and fish.
Plateaus
You may need to reduce caloric intake as you lose weight. Plateaus in weight loss occur when your body stops responding to your diet and stays at the same weight; that is because your daily caloric requirement decreases as you lose weight. The book "Counseling Overweight Adults: The Lifestyle Patterns Approach and Toolkit," by Dr. Robert F. Kushner and registered nurse Nancy Kushner, states that people commonly experience plateaus after losing 10 percent of body mass. Switch up your diet to get over a plateau. Reduce your caloric intake by an additional 200 to 500 calories per day to reinvigorate your weight loss.
References
- "Are You Ready!: To Take Charge, Lose Weight, Get in Shape, and Change Your Life Forever"; Bob Harper; 2008
- "The Protein Power Lifeplan"; Michael R. Eades, Mary Dan Eades; 2001
- Mayoclinic.com: Nutrition and Healthy Eating
- "Counseling Overweight Adults: The Lifestyle Patterns Approach and Toolkit"; Robert F. Kushner, Nancy Kushner; 2008
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