With weight-loss plans promising a range of strategies, and specialty "health" foods advertised as low-carb or low-calorie, the best means of losing weight can become confusing. In its basic terms, weight loss occurs when the body takes in less energy than it burns up. Energy is measured in calories, so a high-calorie food fuels the body for more work than a low-calorie food. If you're overweight, you have lots of available energy already stored as fat. You can burn up that energy, and thereby shed pounds, by reducing your intake of calories. A low-carb diet may help to burn stored fat even more efficiently.
Calories and Pounds
One pound of fat, stored in your body, is equivalent to about 3,500 calories of energy. If you burn up to 3,500 more calories than you consume, your body will tap into your stored fat reserves to power the extra energy expenditure, and you will lose 1 lb. Likewise, if you reduce your usual diet by 3,500 calories and keep your energy expenditure constant, you will lose 1 lb. If you wish to lose a pound a week, you need to burn about 500 extra calories each day. You can make up the difference with about an hour a day of fairly vigorous exercise, such as swimming laps or playing racquetball. Alternately, you can reduce your diet by about 500 calories a day, readily achieved by cutting out any fatty or sugary foods and eating fruits or vegetables instead.
Carbs and Weight Loss
Reducing your intake of carbohydrates can help you lose weight faster, especially if combined with a regular exercise routine. Carbohydrates such as bread, pasta and starchy vegetables produce sugars when digested, which raise the body's insulin levels and may interfere with the efficient burning of stored fat for energy. If you follow a low-carb diet, check that it still provides a balanced mix of food groups and all your necessary nutrients, consulting with a dietitian as necessary. You will also still need to burn more calories than you consume in order to lose weight.
Choosing Carbs Wisely
Instead of completely cutting carbohydrates out of your diet, you can lose weight by eating whole grains instead of foods containing bleached flours and other processed grains. Eating brown rice instead of white provides far more nutrients and fiber per servings, making it a worthwhile source of calories. The higher content of fiber and water makes whole grains a low energy-dense food, meaning that they have relatively few calories for their volume. As a result, you feel full after eating fewer calories. By contrast, a small piece of fatty meat or chocolate dessert can contain the same number of calories as an entire plate of brown rice.
Overall Balance
For a simple and lasting weight loss plan, manage your caloric intake based on relative serving sizes of different foods. For each meal, fill your plate about half-full of fruits and veggies. Add lean protein to fill just under one-quarter of your plate. Fill the remainder with whole grains. Use fats and sweets sparingly when preparing foods.
References
- MayoClinic.com; Counting Calories: Get Back to Weight-Loss Basics; December 2009
- MayoClinic.com; Exercise for Weight Loss: Calories Burned in 1 Hour; December 2009
- MayoClinic.com; Energy-Density and Weight-Loss: Feel Full on Fewer Calories; January 2011
- MayoClinic.com: Low-Carb Diet; May 2010
- United States Department of Agriculture: ChooseMyPlate.gov
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