The Low-Cal Approach to Weight Loss

Counting calories may seem old-fashioned today, given the
proliferation of low-carb and high protein diets. However, a
number of dieticians maintain that the low calorie approach is
actually the best approach to weight loss. While it may seem
trite, lowering the number of calories we consume can have a
marked effect on our waistlines.

The majority of diets offer dieters 1,000 to 1,500 calories
each day. Still, it would be wrong to assume that everyone who
needs to lose weight should be on a 1,000 calorie diet. In fact,
the amount of calories you need is a function of your current
weight, your metabolism, and the amount of exercise you do.
Diets recommended by doctors, as well as many of the meal
programs found in diet books, are based upon a low-calorie model.

When dieting, you should assume that you will lose only about a
pound a week. However, during the initial stages of your diet,
you may find that you are actually losing more weight than that
because you are losing water. While you can use a standardized
diet, it is perhaps best to work with a dietician in order to
fine-tune the diet to meet your individual needs.

Still, even if you are curbing your calorie count, you’ll need
to make sure that what you eat is nutritious. By paying close
attention to nutrition labels, you can determine the vitamin and
mineral count of much of what you consume. There are certain
general requirements for a healthy diet. For instance, you’ll
need to make sure that you are getting enough protein.

For the typical woman, this would amount to 50 grams per day;
for the typical man, 63 grams per day. Protein is vitally
important for strengthening your muscles and teeth and
maintaining good skin tone. Protein sources can include lean
meat, fish, chicken, eggs, beans, and nuts. Experts recommend
that you have at least two servings of protein a day.

While low carb diets may be all the rage, a number of
dieticians say you need as many as 100 grams of carbohydrates a
day. This means consuming as many as eleven servings of pasta,
cereal, and bread in order to maintain a healthy energy level.
You should also eat at least 20 grams of fiber each day to aid
your digestion.

Less than a third of your calories should come from fat in
order to enable you to keep the pounds off. Only about one-tenth
of your calories should be derived from saturated fat. Also,
keep your cholesterol count under control in order to keep heart
disease at bay.

An important aspect of good nutrition that many individuals
forget is water. This might be surprising, however, given the
fact that most of our body is made up of H20. Medical experts by
and large agree that you should drink at least eight glasses of
water everyday. Exercise, however, could make you yearn for
additional water. Water is often considered the secret weapon of
weight loss, enabling people to shed pounds more easily.

Although it may be tempting, you should not skip meals. This
only serves to decrease your metabolism, causing you to burn fat
more slowly. Even a small meal is better than no meal at all.
Weight loss experts, however, differ about the number of meals
you should eat each day.

Some recommend the standard three meals with a couple of snacks,
while others recommend five or six small meals each day. You
should probably check with your physician to see which approach
is appropriate for you.

Losing weight can be a difficult challenge, no matter what your
age. There are so many temptations around, so many opportunities
to boost your calorie count. Also, you might try to follow one
diet, only to find that it is difficult to sustain. As a result,
the low-calorie diet may be the best method around for
consistent weight loss. While you might not be able to lose
weight quickly, you can shed pounds eventually. By being patient
and committed to your weight loss program, you can ultimately
lose the weight you need to.

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