With all the fad diets out there, are you confused about what types of foods you should eat to lose weight? Well you are not alone. All of the BTF doctors get that question many times per week, so we thought we should address it in an article to help clear up the confusion.
The most important thing to remember regarding your diet and weight loss is this: EAT LESS FOOD. Period. The macronutrient composition of a diet (how many of your calories come from dietary fats, carbohydrates, protein, and alcohol) serves less of a role in weight loss attempts than does caloric intake overall. Therefore, spend less time worrying about what kind of food you are eating (carbohydrates, fats or proteins), and simply focus on eating less food than you do now and you should start losing weight. Many research studies support the concept that independent of the macronutrient composition of your diet, a net negative energy balance (consuming less calories than your body uses) is solely responsible for weight loss.
But I lost weight on a high protein diet?
Good for you! When people switch to a high protein diet (very low carbohydrate intake), the higher fat and protein levels naturally provide satiety and fill people up. People lose weight on a high protein diet because they eat less food on a day to day basis. Less food means less calories consumed. If this results in a negative calorie balance, you start to burn body fat and lose weight.
What about the Paleo diet?
Same deal as the high protein diet. The Paleo diet will have you eating foods that are naturally more filling (higher protein, fiber and/or water content) or have less calories for the amount of the food eaten. For example, a pound of broccoli has fewer calories than a pound of pasta.
What about Intermittent Fasting?
Now you might be on to a diet that is very effective! Diets that manipulate fasting such as Intermittent Fasting, Alternate Day Fasting or the Warrior Diet (you only get to eat for 4 hours after a workout) may have some benefits by creating a significant negative calorie balance. It is much harder to overeat in 4-8 hours than it is in 16. You can’t gain weight if you are not eating food! It should also be noted that what time you eat food and how many times you eat per day is irrelevant in weight loss.
Still need some guidance in your efforts to lose weight? Please do not hesitate to contact one of our BTF doctors at 310-534-1900 or by email at info@backtofunction.com.
