By fitlifemonthly 
If you’re trying to lose weight, you might think you just need to count calories and eat less. But that’s not always the case, says Terry Fairclough, a top personal trainer and co-founder of Your Body Programme.
As a personal trainer, I’ve heard all sorts of opinions and questions about the best diet for weight loss. Should we count calories? Go low fat, low carb, or high protein? Should we try fasting or eat small, regular meals?
While these methods might be appropriate depending on your body type, goals, and activity level, one thing for sure is that under-eating is never a good idea.
Everyone knows someone who starts severely restricting calories to get ready for the beach. The weight might come off quickly, but that’s not necessarily the best outcome. A calorie deficit leads to weight loss, but it doesn’t necessarily result in fat loss, which is what most people want.
Our Western diet tends to be bigger than it needs to be, causing some people to think under-eating is the solution. This simply isn’t true. When we eat, our body breaks down carbs into glucose, which is our cells’ main source of energy. Glucose not used for energy gets stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver, along with water. When calories are cut, what’s actually lost is stored carbohydrate and water, not fat.
In the long run, extreme calorie deficits can make your body hold onto fat and break down protein instead. Protein is crucial since it’s biologically active, meaning you burn more fat while at rest if you have more muscle. Therefore, you need enough calories from all three macronutrients: fats, carbs, and protein.
Contrary to what some believe, fat is an essential, long-lasting energy source. It provides more than twice the energy potential as carbs or protein. During exercise, stored fat is broken down into fatty acids, which fuel our muscles. If you cut fat completely, you won’t have the energy to burn off the fat you don’t want.
Cutting calories can also lead to nutrient deficiencies, affecting every bodily system, especially the immune, liver, and digestive systems, leading to health issues and a slower metabolism. Health problems from under-eating include fatigue, malnutrition, osteoporosis, anemia, depression, and other hormone-related conditions.
Severe calorie cutting stresses the body, leading to increased cortisol, a stress hormone. Short-term, this might cause weight loss, but long-term stress and elevated cortisol can cause the body to store fat, especially around the belly. This slows metabolism, increases fat storage, and can mess with thyroid function.
Eating too little reduces digestive efficiency, impacting nutrient absorption essential for health and training. It can also disrupt sleep, as low blood sugar triggers adrenaline, waking you up and impacting liver detox, immunity, exercise performance, and weight management.
While some bodybuilders restrict calories to lean down before competitions, this can cause health issues if not done correctly. Constant calorie cutting can break down the body, making weight loss seem impossible because the body enters famine mode, storing fat whenever possible.
The takeaway? It’s crucial to eat the right number of calories, carbs, fat, and protein suitable for your body type, goals, activity level, height, weight, and age. At Your Body Programme, we help people understand their specific calorie needs. Eating in a balanced, nourishing way is key to keeping your metabolism active and healthy.
Instead of restricting calories, focus on increasing lean proteins like beef, chicken, eggs, and fish, or plant-based proteins like pulses, legumes, tofu, and tempeh for vegans. Eat healthy carbs such as fruits, vegetables, sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown rice, and whole-wheat pasta. Also, include healthy fats like avocado, nuts, seeds, olives, and olive oil in your diet.
Terry Fairclough, co-founder of Your Body Programme, is a Personal Trainer and Nutritional Therapist. He emphasizes the importance of balanced, healthy eating while training for optimal body function and fitness.