By fitlifemonthly 
If you’re aiming to lose weight, you might think the solution is simply to count calories and eat less, right? Well, not exactly, according to Terry Fairclough, a well-known personal trainer and co-founder of Your Body Programme.
In the fitness world, there are countless opinions on the best diet for weight loss. Should we track calories? What about reducing fat, carbs, or going high-protein? Is fasting a good idea? Or should we eat small meals multiple times a day?
While cutting calories can lead to weight loss, it doesn’t automatically translate to fat loss, which is what most people desire. Cutting calories might result in losing stored carbohydrates and water, but not necessarily fat. The common western diet often involves consuming more calories than needed, so a slight deficit might be beneficial. However, drastically reducing your calorie intake and skipping meals is not the solution.
Our body uses carbohydrates we eat by turning them into glucose, a sugar that fuels our cells. When we consume more than needed, glucose is stored in muscles and liver as glycogen, which can later be converted back to glucose for energy. When you significantly reduce calorie intake, you’re not losing fat but stored carbohydrates and water.
Depriving your body of calories over a long period signals it to conserve fat and potentially break down protein for fuel. Proteins are crucial because they help burn fat when we’re not active. It’s important to maintain a diet balanced in fats, carbs, and protein.
Many believe cutting fat helps lose weight, but fat is actually a significant energy source, offering more energy per gram than carbohydrates or proteins. During exercises, the body taps into fat reserves for energy. Removing fats entirely from the diet can lead to insufficient energy and nutrient deficiencies, impacting overall health by slowing metabolism and possibly leading to issues like malnutrition, fatigue, and hormonal imbalances.
When the body experiences extreme calorie restriction, it releases cortisol, a stress hormone that can lead to further negative effects, including weight gain. Persistently high cortisol levels can slow your metabolism, especially around the belly, and interfere with thyroid function, affecting how efficiently you burn calories. Additionally, during stress, your body might prioritize immediate energy needs over processes like digestion, impacting how effectively you digest and absorb nutrients.
Under-eating can also result in poor sleep since low blood sugar can cause adrenaline spikes, waking you up during the night. Insufficient sleep can affect everything from immunity to exercise performance and even contribute to weight gain.
While some bodybuilders manage their calories strictly to achieve a lean physique for competitions, doing it wrong can make people ill. Constant calorie cutting can seriously damage metabolism, making it difficult to maintain weight once calorie intake is increased.
The key is to eat the right amount of calories, carbs, fats, and protein based on your body type, goals, activity level, and other personal factors. Terry developed the Your Body Programme to help people calculate their specific calorie needs.
In terms of nutrition, eat plenty of lean proteins from sources like beef, chicken, fish, and options like tofu for vegans. Include healthy carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables, sweet potatoes, quinoa, and brown rice. Don’t forget healthy fats like avocados, nuts, and olive oil.
Terry Fairclough co-founded Your Body Programme and works as a Personal Trainer and Nutritional Therapist. In his spare time, he loves strength training and focuses on building muscle without unnecessary calorie restriction.