By fitlifemonthly 
If you’re looking to lose weight, you might think counting calories and eating less is the way to go. But that’s not necessarily true, according to Terry Fairclough, a top personal trainer and co-founder of Your Body Programme. There are lots of opinions out there about the best way to diet for weight loss. Some people wonder if they should count calories, go on low-fat, low-carb, or high-protein diets, or even try fasting. Then there’s the question of whether small, regular meals three times a day are the right approach.
While creating a big calorie deficit can lead to weight loss, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re losing fat, which is often what people want. In today’s world, many of us eat more than we need, so cutting back on calories might be necessary if you’ve been overeating. But simply eating less isn’t always the best strategy.
Our bodies break down carbs into glucose, which fuels our cells. If we don’t use this glucose right away, our bodies store it as glycogen in the muscles and liver. When we cut calories, we’re losing this stored energy and water, not the fat we often aim to shed. Over time, depriving our bodies of calories can lead them to store fat while breaking down protein instead. That’s why it’s important to consume enough calories that include fats, carbs, and protein.
Despite what some may think, eating fat is essential when trying to lose it. Fat provides a long-lasting energy source, offering more than twice the potential energy of carbs or protein per gram. Our bodies even store fat in muscle fibers to use during exercise. Cutting fat completely might leave you too low on energy to burn the fat you want to lose.
Further, a strict diet lacking in calories, macronutrients, and micronutrients can lead to deficiencies, affecting bodily systems like the immune and digestive systems, and slowing down your metabolism. Health problems from undereating can include fatigue, osteoporosis, anemia, hormonal issues, and more.
Stressed bodies release cortisol, a hormone that initially might help in losing weight but will lead to weight gain if levels remain high over time. Long-term stress-induced by chronic calorie cutting can slow metabolism, increase belly fat, and potentially affect thyroid function. Stress also impacts digestion, affecting how well you absorb nutrients, which in turn affects your weight loss efforts.
Lack of calories might also disturb your sleep, as falling blood sugar levels trigger adrenalin release, waking you up. This lack of rest can impact liver function, immunity, exercise, and even work productivity, leading to weight gain. Even bodybuilders know they need to cycle calories wisely to stay healthy during competitions.
Eventually, limiting calories too much keeps the body in a “famine mode,” making it tough to lose weight and causing the body to store more fat. Therefore, it’s crucial to consume the right amount of calories, carbs, fats, and proteins based on your body type, goals, activity level, height, weight, and age.
The Your Body Programme, which Terry Fairclough co-founded, helps people determine their ideal calorie needs to boost their metabolism and lose fat efficiently. Increasing calories rather than restricting them has consistently proven effective in shedding fat. Eating a balanced diet with lean proteins, healthy carbohydrates, and fats will support your health and weight loss goals.