In order to lose weight you need to burn more calories than you consume. This process will help you lose weight over time. Cutting calories can be a difficult process that many people struggle to do. Before I go on to explain how we can do this let me explain what a calorie cut is.
Simply put, a calorie cut is when you reduce the amount of calories you normally consume in a day. Many experts agree that a healthy calorie cut involves a reduction of 500-750kcal per day below your daily recommended calorie intake.
QUICK FACT: A pound of body fat may contain anywhere between 3,436 and 3,752 calories, roughly estimated.
How do you calculate your recommended daily calorie intake?
So why would you want to implement a calorie cut?
This completely depends on the individual and their goals.
Some common reasons are:
Losing Weight
Improving Health
Improving sporting performance
Making weight for sporting competition
Drop body fat to look better
How to effectively implement a calorie cut?
First of all your recommended daily calorie intake needs to be calculated (follow above). From this I would then generally expect the person to cut ~500 kcals off this target. Cutting 500 kcals is backed up by a number of studies which show decreases in fat mass but maintenance of muscle mass. Cutting anymore calories than this could result in unhealthy weight loss through losing lean muscle mass and causing a decrease in performance.
Now that you have figured out how many calories you should be eating in your calorie cut you need a method to count your calories. I would highly recommend the app called ‘MyFitnessPal’ as this will do all the counting and recording for you.
After this it is useful to figure out what foods you want to be eating regularly to help you keep to this calorie count and what foods will keep you fuller for longer.
Finally record your weight and body circumference at specific points every week. These measurements will allow us to check if the calorie cut is working or if it needs to be adjusted.
Calorie cutting Tips:
Use less sauce.
Adding ketchup or mayonnaise to your food can add more calories than you may realize. In fact, only 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of mayonnaise adds an extra 57 calories to your meal
Don’t drink your calories.
Drinks can be a forgotten source of calories in your diet. Sugar-sweetened drinks, such as soda, are also linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes.A single 16-ounce (475-ml) bottle of Coke packs nearly 200 calories and 44 grams of sugar
Don’t add sugar to tea and coffee.
Tea and coffee are healthy, low-calorie drinks, but spooning in just 1 teaspoon (4 grams) of sugar adds around 16 calories to your drink. Though this may not sound like much, the calories in a few cups or glasses of sugar-sweetened tea a day can add up.
Cook your own food
When you buy food prepared by someone else, you don’t always know what’s in it. Even meals you think are healthy or low-calorie can contain hidden sugars and fats, bumping up their calorie content. Cooking your own meals gives you better control over the number of calories you eat.
Don’t keep junk food in the house.
If you keep junk food within easy reach, it’s much easier to eat. It can be especially problematic if you tend to eat when you’re stressed or bored. To stop the urge to reach for unhealthy snacks, keep them out of the house.
Use smaller plates.
Today’s dinner plates are, on average, 44% larger than they were in the 1980s. Larger plates have been linked to larger serving sizes, which means people are more likely to overeat. In fact, one study found that people with larger dinner plates at a buffet ate 45% more food than those who used the smaller plate size
Bulk up meals with vegetables
Most people don’t eat enough vegetables. In fact, it’s estimated that around 87% of people in the United States don’t eat the recommended amount. Filling half your plate with vegetables is an excellent way to increase your vegetable intake while cutting back on higher-calorie foods.
Drink water before your meal.
Drinking water before a meal may help you feel more satisfied, causing you to eat fewer calories. As an example, one study found that drinking just 2 cups (500 ml) of water before a meal lowered calorie intake by around 13%. It may also help you lose weight
Include protein at every meal.
Eating more protein is considered a useful tool for weight loss and maintenance. One reason for this is that protein can fill you up more than other nutrients, and feeling full can stop you from overeating.
Summary:
Calorie cuts can be tricky but using some of the tips and methods above I hope it can be a successful method for you to lose weight in an effective and healthy manner.
I would also like the re emphasise that I do not condone drastic calorie cuts that involve eating less than 1000 calories per day as these are not sustainable in the long and can lead to long term health conditions.
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