If you’ve ever tried to lose weight, you’ve heard of calorie counting. This method is one of the most common methods to reduce body fat. In calorie counting, you count the calories you get from the foods you eat. Your calorie intake from your diet should be less than the calories you need to lose weight.
In weight loss or weight gain, we are faced with a definition called weight maintenance calories. In this situation, your weight will not decrease or increase significantly. As we said, calorie intake should be less than weight maintenance calorie, which is called calorie deficit.
In the past, the only method offered for weight loss was this method, but recently it has also found opponents. Some experts are against the method of calorie deficit or calorie counting. In this article, we are going to talk about this topic in a completely professional and scientific way.
Does calorie counting lead to weight loss?
Before we answer the question “Is calorie counting bad?”, we need to talk about the effectiveness of this method. You should know that calorie counting is an effective way to lose weight. According to studies, reducing 500 to 700 calories per day has led to significant weight loss. In these articles, it is confirmed that calorie deficit is a very effective way to lose fat.
It is interesting to know that some studies have also confirmed that the only way to reduce fat is calorie deficit. It means that any method you implement and you can lose weight somehow follows this method and there is almost no other effective way. There may be some methods that lead to weight loss of one or two kilograms, but to lose significant fat, you must follow a calorie deficit diet.
Is calorie counting bad?
Now we want to go to the main topic. As we said, some experts believe that calorie counting method is bad. This belief can be true if some points are not observed. One of the disadvantages of wrong calorie counting is a reduction in metabolism or even a lack of nutrients. In some people, it also leads to severe hair loss.
But if you pay attention, we said that wrong calorie counting leads to these side effects. That means you can use this method and lose weight without any side effects. You just need to implement a series of important points.
Important tips of professional calorie counting
As we said in the previous section, calorie counting can be a destructive method if you don’t follow a few tips. Among the consequences of wrong calorie counting, we can mention the following:
- Decreased metabolism
- weight loss plateau
- Weakening of the immune system
- Osteoporosis
- Hair loss
- Muscle loss and body deformity etc.
But do not worry. With the tips provided in the rest of this article, you can easily avoid the mentioned side effects.
Adequate calorie intake
The first and most important tip for professional calorie counting is adequate calorie intake. Many people who want to lose weight fast, use bad diets. In these methods, the calorie intake is greatly reduced. You may see significant weight loss after a few days of using these diets, but not all of this weight loss is due to fat loss!
Sudden weight loss due to very low-calorie diets is due to the reduction of water stored in the body and even muscle loss. Of course, fat loss also occurs in the meantime, but this amount is not significant. Everyone’s goal should be fat loss, not just weight loss. You should prioritize fitness and health. So it is better to use good diets.
The calories needed by each person are adjusted according to their physical condition. This amount of calories depends on weight, height, age, gender, amount of activity, etc. You can use calculators to estimate these calories. Based on our experience and scientific rules, we have provided a calorie calculator that you can easily use for your convenience. Just enter your physical and training details to estimate the calories you need according to your goal.
Maintenance calories
As we said before, wrong calorie counting can lead to a weight loss plateau. In this case, no matter how hard you try, you will not experience weight loss. The reason for this is the decrease in metabolism. Many studies have confirmed that consuming too few calories or following a calorie deficit diet for a long time leads to a decrease in metabolism. According to one study, this decrease in metabolism can occur up to 23%.
But do not worry. There are effective solutions for this problem. One of the solutions we mentioned in the previous section is to get the right amount of calories. That means you should avoid very low calorie diets.
Another solution that is offered to prevent a decrease in metabolism is to eat maintenance calories. Studies have shown that a controlled increase in calories can prevent a decrease in metabolism.
Some experts suggest that you can increase your calorie intake after following a calorie deficit diet for some time. In our experience, it is best to increase your caloric intake for one month to caloric maintenance after two months of calorie deficit diet.
Be careful that the increase in calories should not be uncontrolled. Because after losing weight, you are still at risk of getting fat.
Cheat meal
As we said in the article “weight loss for women“, one of the ways to prevent a decrease in metabolism is cheat meal. The main philosophy of cheat meal is to increase the calorie intake in one day a week. Eating favorite foods in cheat meals can increase your motivation to some extent.
In relation to cheat meal, you should also observe a series of tips:
- Do not overeat in this meal under any circumstances.
- It is better to have only one cheat meal in a week and not more.
- You can use any food you like in cheat meal. Pizza, hot dog and ice cream are among your options, but the most important factor in choosing this food is your taste.
Eat more protein
When it comes to counting calories, everyone thinks that all calories are the same. But it is wrong. For high quality and easy weight loss, you need to differentiate between calories. In the calorie counting method, you should pay a lot of attention to the quality of the calories you consume. Some foods can keep you feeling full for a longer period of time. Some of them lead to increased metabolism and muscle protection. But some foods do not have high nutritional value. So it is better to focus on high quality foods.
Protein-rich foods lead to increased satiety and metabolism. On the other hand, studies have shown that high-protein diets lead to greater weight loss. So it’s better to focus on food sources that contain a lot of protein. Eggs, chicken breast, beans, nuts, broccoli, etc. are among the rich sources of protein that are excellent for weight loss.
In addition to protein-rich sources, foods containing a lot of fiber such as vegetables, fruits and legumes can also reduce the feeling of hunger.
Do resistance training
One of the major drawbacks of calorie counting is muscle loss. Muscle loss can slow your metabolism and ruin your body shape. To prevent muscle loss, in addition to getting enough protein and calories, resistance training is also very effective. Weight training or body weight training can be the best option to prevent muscle loss.
In this article, we addressed the question “Is calorie counting bad?” We tried to provide you with all the things you need to know in a scientific and experimental way to get the best result.
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