Low-Calorie Diet
Most of us understand intuitively that eating too much fat will
make us fat without really understanding the science behind this or the advantages of a low-calorie diet. To be successful in a weight loss program we need to understand the role fat
plays in our diet and why it does indeed make us fat.
The energy available from a food item will depend on the
relative proportions of fat, carbohydrates, and protein that are present. This energy is measured by a unit
called a calorie which has its origins and definitions in the amount of energy required to heat one liter of
water one degree centigrade at sea level.
This is of course not a lot of use when trying to lose weight. In weight loss or exercise a
calorie is a measure of energy expenditure and is more correctly a kilocalorie (one thousand calories) and is
calculated initially in a laboratory setting.
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As a guide a pound of fat (0.454 kg) stores 3500 calories of
energy. In order to lose just one pound per week from a low-calorie
diet a person would have to consume around 500
fewer calories per day than they use (500 calories per day for 7 days equals 3500 calories and one pound of
loss).
Most food items are now labeled with calorific content and so some calculations can be made.
There is a wide range of calorie use by our body depending on many factors, not the least of these being the
activity level and muscle composition.
Women use fewer calories than
men due, in the main, to the lower muscle percentage. If they are sitting around they may use 1700 calories per
day, an active man may use 2900 calories or higher with hard physical work. Normal walking could use around 100
calories per mile for a 150 pound (70kg) person. In order to get a 500 calorie deficit per day from a
low-calorie diet someone would have to walk 5 miles per day if no changes
were made to diet.
The
calorific content of a food item will depend on the proportions of fat, carbohydrates, and protein it contains. If a food item contains a lot
of fat it may have twice the calories as a food item that is mainly carbohydrates and/or protein. This is
because fat has 9 calories per gram whereas protein and carbohydrate only have 4 calories per gram. Many dairy
products have high fat percentages and a low fat option is a good way to cut some calories and move to a
low-calorie diet.
Studies have shown that lean men and fat men often consume a similar number of calories but
the obese men ate a higher proportion of fatty food which is more easily stored as fat than other food groups.
In addition the other food groups cause the body to use more energy (calories) just converting those food groups
to fat and may consume up to 25 percent of the calories in the process.
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By lowering the fat percentage of the diet without even reducing the total calories consumed
weight loss could be evident. However even with all the low fat food options popping up in our food stores we
still consume too much fat. It is found in a lot of those nice little additions we put on our food for taste
such as dressing and sauces, and of course in a lot of those little treats such as deserts, cakes, and
biscuits.
Trimming back on these or eliminating entirely will have a very big impact
on calorific intake and move us to a low-calorie diet. Just by lowering fat intake, even if total calorie
intake does not change much, a positive response will be seen. Remember that fat has just over twice the
number of calories as the other food groups and is a very good area to target in a weight loss
program.
In any weight loss program it is best to not be in a rush so that the body can adapt to the changes and a boom and
bust cycle of dieting and weight gain is avoided. Find some new low calorie foods to use on a low-calorie diet that you can really enjoy and which can be used to replace the high fat
snacks.
It can be difficult to give up on life’s little treats and indulgences when there are many opportunities, but
if you are to have a healthy and long life this is a very good place to start
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