So, as you may or may not know, calories in are very important to consider when wanting to lose or maintain a specific weight. Calories in constitute calories that you ingest through eating. Calories out would correspond to the calories that you burn while exercising (or those your body uses to keep your heart beating, your lungs breathing, and your stomach digesting). When attempting to maintain a specific weight, calories in need to equal calories out or calories in = calories out. When attempting to lose weight, you must have fewer calories in than calories out or calories in < calories out. However, NEVER severely restrict your calories! If you restrict your calories too much, your body will enter a starvation mode and will stop following the 3,500 calorie per pound rule! Although there is some debate about how much of a deficit will result in the “starvation mode”, it is safe to say that you should definitely not exceed 500-1000 calories, barring special circumstances. In the online weight loss tools section of my blog, you can find some calculators that will help you determine your own caloric needs and potential weight loss levels based on your gender, height, weight, age, and activity level.
Besides calories, however, one must also consider an appropriate balance of nutrients. Although some diets have proposed eliminating certain categories of nutrients, the more general approach should be to find a balance of nutrients that works well for you. As much as people may hate to admit it, our bodies need some fat. Now, that fat should be coming from nuts, oils such as olive oil, fish, and other healthier places. Similarly, carbohydrates should come from complex sources such as whole wheat, brown rice, spelt flour (as opposed to white, processed carbohydrates and sugar), fruits, and vegetables. When it comes to protein, chicken and fish tend to be the lower calorie meats. However, beef can provide a higher level of iron than the lighter colored meats (iron is what our body uses in our hemoglobin cells to transport oxygen; not having enough iron can result in anemia and hypoxia). Alternatively, protein can also be found in nuts, legumes, soy, and many other products (obviously many alternatives exist for vegetarians/vegans).
My general theory is that it is best to get a variety of foods from these various categories. Besides the cliched “balanced, vitamin-rich diet” angle, it also provides for a wide range of antioxidants and phytochemicals (there are many, many different categories of antioxidants & phytochemicals that I will post about later; some types can only be found in a small number of foods). For example, often times when I eat out at the local health food store, I get a small piece of fish and a small amount of beef product as well as some unprocessed, brown rice. Therefore, I am getting the omega fatty acids found exclusively in the fish, as well as the iron in the beef. Similarly, when it comes to my vegetables, I often try new/different vegetables. Generally, I try to choose at least one food during one meal per day that include at least 3-4 types of vegetables (which is not so hard considering how many soups, scrambles, lasagnas, meatloaves, casseroles, salads, and other delicious goodies can easily pack in several types of vegetables). One favorite food I like to make at home is made simply in the microwave with slices of eggplant, frozen broccoli, garlic, soy sauce, olive oil (gets in the healthy fat), oregano, rosemary, and thyme (you can also throw in whatever other seasonings you enjoy and consider adding in squash, yams, or other veggies). It is amazingly tasty, and pretty low calorie, assuming you are going light on the olive oil. A couple easy filler foods I really enjoy are canned spinach, popcorn, jello, and pickles (not very nutritious, but low calorie for when you simply need to bite into something).
Dairy is also an important factor in any diet. Calcium and vitamin D (and potentially vitamin K, as well) are very important to a person’s health, and can be especially overlooked when dieting. The best way to get in your dairy and still be wary of calories is to use nonfat or low-fat diary products. Nonfat milk and cottage cheese are two of my favorite forms of diary that are both delicious, relatively filling, and low in calories.
Furthermore, although I’m sure no other diet person in the world would say this, I think it is important to indulge in a little fast food once in a while (excluding any major health concerns, of course). I have actually noticed on occasion, that if my weight loss has stopped for a few days, eating a McDonald’s cheeseburger and small fries (SMALL and therefore fitting into my daily calorie balance) seems to help my numbers start falling again. I have no idea why this is, but I imagine it has to do with our bodies really liking fat (especially when we are losing weight and therefore restricting our calories). It is almost like that sudden input of fat makes our body go, “wow, I guess I’m not starving after all”. Of course, I do not recommend eating at McDonald’s or other such fast food places more than once/week (after all, you may be able to fit in the calories once in a while, but it would be really hard to budget enough calories to eat at McDonald’s all the time).
This reaction does not occur with sugary indulgences, however. Also, processed sugar tends to cause a “crash” reaction that makes you tired after eating it (sometimes after a brief “hyper” period). Processed sugars are also a huge problem for overweight persons because they can easily lead to diabetes, not to mention headaches, nausea, and other reactions caused both by having too much in the first place and by trying to stop eating it and having withdrawal reactions.
So, to sum up the most important points I have found to be true.
1. Calories in = Calories out for maintenance or Calories in < Calories Out for weight loss.
2. NEVER restrict your calories beyond 500-1000 calories below your maintenance level unless you are absolutely certain that doing so will not put your body into “starvation mode”.
3. Ratio your fats, carbohydrates, and proteins (various guides list exact numbers, but I believe everyone’s body is going to function best with different ratios, depending on age, gender, activity level, etc.)
4. Eat as many varieties of healthy fats (olive oil, fish, nuts), carbohydrates (whole wheat, brown rice, fruits, vegetables), and proteins (fish, chicken, beef) as possible every day; antioxidant & phytochemical diversity!
5. Consider adding nonfat diary products to your diet - fullness and vitamins/minerals!
6. If you tend to not follow the above rules, please supplement your diet with a good multivitamin and/or other such health supplements (they aren’t quite as good as eating healthy food, but they’ll help).