How to lose weight simply: with and without fitness. The theory of calorie deficit and flexible dieting

Obesity has traditionally been thought to be a result of how a person processes calories, so a person's weight could be predicted by solving this simple equation:
Calories Intake - Calories Out = Fat

This equation represents what I call the “big calorie fallacy.” It is dangerous precisely because it seems simple and somewhat intuitive. The important thing is that such a simple example is followed by a whole series of misconceptions.

Misconception #1: Calories consumed and calories burned are independent of each other.

This assumption is a huge mistake. As we will see later in this chapter, experiments and trials have proven this statement to be false. Calorie intake and calorie expenditure are closely related: reduce your calorie intake and your expenditure will decrease. Reducing the caloric content of food consumed by 30% leads to a 30% reduction in the number of calories consumed. In this situation, weight loss is minimal.

We drive away excess weight

The truth, which is accepted as an axiom, is that to lose weight you need to spend more energy than you receive, that is, create a calorie deficit.

How to create it?

First, calculate how many kcal you need.

A little theory

To calculate, it is important to take into account not only the energy value of what you eat, but also where you need to spend your strength and energy during the day, respectively.

Why is this so important? In order not to disrupt the usual working rhythm, not to harm the body and maintain its vital functions at the proper level.

So, for the calculation it is necessary to take into account two important factors, namely that

During the day energy is consumed by:

Your Basal Metabolism

That is, it is spent on meeting your daily needs (sleep, brain function, maintaining body temperature, etc.). Basic metabolism depends on your gender, age and initial weight, and even height.

Your daily activities

This includes

Household activities – everyday activities, except sports. Going to the store to buy bread, cooking dinner, queuing at the cash register, etc. and so on.
Digestion of food - energy costs go to digesting soups, salads and hamburgers in your gastrointestinal tract.
Training is running, exercise equipment, fitness and any other sports activity.

Considering the above list of needs, you can think about where you can “take away” energy from in order to get the coveted deficit.

However, I note:

Nuances of mathematics

We are unlikely to be able to influence basic needs, and this is risky - the body takes as much as it needs, and trying to deprive it of this is dangerous to life and health.
If we talk about sports, then it’s worth considering which type of activity burns more and which burns less.

Practice shows that during training, fat begins to burn only 40-45 minutes after the start. Fat is burned most quickly during cardio training or 3 hours after the last dose.

Paths to success

You can achieve what you want in two ways:

Reduce the energy value of what you eat
Add physical activity.

The most effective option for creating a calorie deficit is to use both methods, combining them wisely. Unfortunately, not everyone does this and not always - sometimes people simply cut down their diet greatly, trying to get rid of those annoying pounds as quickly as possible. I strongly advise against doing this - you risk getting stress, depression, and at the same time losing your hair, elastic skin, and, well, your health.

Consequently, the main priority becomes to establish nutrition - the success of the whole business will depend on it.

And here one difficulty arises - how to know how many calories to cut off from your diet? 100? 200? Maybe 500? To answer this question, let's calculate the daily caloric intake.

Misconception #2: Basal metabolism is stable.

We drive ourselves crazy counting the calories we consume, but we rarely think about how many calories we burn (except when working out). It is easy to calculate how many calories we take in, but it is quite difficult to calculate how much energy the body expends. For this reason, the simple but erroneous idea has taken hold that the body's energy expenditure is stable, unless physical activity is taken into account. Total energy expenditure is the sum of basal metabolic rate, the thermogenic effect of food, non-workout activity, the workout itself, and excess oxygen consumption after exercise. The body's energy expenditure can rise and fall by up to 50% depending on the number of calories consumed and other factors.

How many calories do you need per day to lose weight?

Mifflin St. George formula for calculating calories.

Let's determine BMR (basic metabolism) using the Harris-Benedict or Muffin-Geor (Mifflin-San Geor) formula.

Muffin-Geor formula (Mifflin-San Geor)

For a woman: BMR = 9.99 * weight (kg) + 6.25 * height (cm) – 4.92 * age – 161
For a man: BMR (BMR) = 9.99 * weight (kg) + 6.25 * height (cm) – 4.92 * age + 5

Harris-Benedict formula

The original formula has become outdated, so we will not write it here.

1984 FORMULA (UPDATED)

for men: BMR = 88.362 + (13.397 x weight in kg) + (4.799 x height in centimeters) – (5.677 x age in years)

for women: BMR = 447.593 + (9.247 x weight in kg) + (3.098 x height in centimeters) – (4.330 x age in years)

Permissible deviations are in the range of ± 213 kcal/day for men, and ± 201 kcal/day for women. This energy is necessary to maintain processes in the body in a state of rest without activity.

Your actual metabolic rate is always significantly higher than your basal metabolic rate. Therefore, you need to choose the KAJ that is suitable for you - the life activity coefficient, taken equal to:
- 1.2 – for a sedentary lifestyle;
1.4 – for an average level of activity;
1.5 – for an active lifestyle;
1.75 – for extremely active,
1.9 – professional athlete.
Next, you need to multiply the VT and KAJ, thereby obtaining “Support Calories”. This is the amount of calories needed to maintain your current weight.
The next step is to create a deficit if you need to lose weight, or a surplus if you want to gain weight.

An example of calorie deficit calculation.

Initially we have: a 40-year-old woman, height 165, weight 65 kg, works in an office and wants to lose weight.
Using the new Harris-Benedict formula, we obtain BMR (BMR) = 1387 Kcal . This is the basic metabolism at rest, without taking into account activity and training.
KAJ - for our example is equal to 1.2 for a sedentary lifestyle or 1.3 if a woman walks 10,000 steps a day.
OOV * KAJ = 1387 Kcal * 1.3 = 1803 kcal. It is we who received the calorie support, i.e. consuming 1803 kcal daily a woman will not lose weight and will not gain weight.
Creating a deficit for weight loss. 1803 kcal – 15% = 1533 kcal.

So, we got the calories for weight loss.

Read also... Proper nutrition ✦ Menu, products and principles

The calorie deficit was 1803 – 1533 = 270 Kcal. If a woman further increases her activity, for example, 1-2 workouts, then this will additionally create a deficit of another 200-350 kcal. And the total deficit will already be 500Kcal.

Proteins/fats/carbohydrates – 105/55/154 = 1533 Kcal.

To calculate nutrients, you need to perform the following calculations:

The amount of protein the human body requires daily depends on many factors, including total energy intake and level of physical activity. It is often estimated based on body weight (0.8-1.8 g/kg body weight), as a percentage of total caloric intake (10-35%). How long do you need to diet to lose 10 kg? If the excess weight is no more than 10 kg, then for women to lose weight, 100 g of protein is enough, fat at the rate of 0.8-1 g per 1 kg of body weight, the rest is carbohydrates.

Don't forget that 1g of protein or carbohydrates is equal to 4 kcal, 1g of fat = 9 kcal.

To lose weight, a person needs to consume 1.5-2 grams of protein per 1 kg of weight daily. protein per meal should not exceed 30 grams, otherwise the excess protein will not be absorbed by the body. The maximum amount of protein for women is considered to be 120 g (for ordinary people, not professional athletes). If your weight is more than 100 kg, then do not consume more than 200 grams of protein per day .

To create a deficit, after calculating, you should first check your calorie intake for 10-14 days on support. Often many of us eat very little. If you have been on a diet of 800-1200 KK for a long time, your body needs time to get used to the new daily calorie content, because it has been under stress for a long time. And only after sitting on support you do not lose weight or gain weight can you create a deficit.

Misconception #3: We can control our calorie intake.

We consume food mindfully, so we think we can do it carefully, and we naively exclude the role of hunger from the equation. However, a huge number of intersecting hormonal systems influence the decision when to start eating and when to stop. We make decisions to eat in response to hunger signals controlled by hormones. We stop eating when the body sends us signals of satiety, which are also controlled by hormones.

For example, during lunch, the smell of fried food may make you feel hungry, but if you have just eaten a large meal, the same smell may make you feel nauseous. The smells are absolutely identical, and the decision to eat or not is under the control of hormones.

Our body has a complex system that helps us understand whether we need to eat or not. The body controls fat deposits automatically, just like breathing. We don't remind ourselves to breathe, we don't remind our heart that it needs to beat. The only way to achieve complete control is to acquire homeostatic mechanisms. Since hormones are responsible for the calories consumed and expended, obesity is a hormonal disorder, not a caloric one.

How can you control the calories burned?

Self-control comes to the fore, on which not only the process of losing weight, but also the expected result depends. It can be easy to forget how much you've already eaten during the day and how much you still have left to eat.

A food diary, which is an ordinary notebook, diary or notepad, helps to make accurate calculations, where you need to write down the foods of your daily diet.

For those who cannot imagine life without electronic gadgets, a food diary can be kept on a computer in the form of an Excel spreadsheet or a regular Word document. Any mobile application that reminds you of meals will be a good meal planner.

To properly use the diary, you will need to weigh all the foods and then add up the caloric values of each of them. Afterwards, calculate the calorie content of the eaten portion.

A special program called “Calorie Diary” will help simplify the calculations, which will automatically calculate the calorie content of a particular dish. All data about the products is already in the system of this program, which will allow you not only to save the results obtained, but also to create recipes with the required amount of calories.

Misconception #4: Fat deposition is not regulated by anything.

Every system in our body is regulated. Growth is regulated by growth hormone, blood sugar is regulated by the hormones insulin and glucagon. Puberty is regulated by testosterone and estrogen, and body temperature is regulated by thyroid-stimulating hormone and free thyroxine. This list can be continued endlessly.

However, we have been taught that the increase in the number of fat cells is not regulated in any way. The process of food consumption does not depend on hormones and itself leads to fat deposition. Excess calories will certainly turn into fat.

This claim has long been proven to be false. Researchers are discovering more and more ways hormones influence fat formation. The best known is leptin, a hormone that regulates fat cell formation, but adiponectin, hormone-sensitive lipase, lipoprotein lipase, and adipocyte triglyceride lipase are also thought to play important roles. If hormones regulate the growth of fat cells, then obesity is a hormonal disorder, not a caloric one.

How to calculate deficit

The calculation takes into account a forty-year-old woman who is trying to lose weight and works in an office, with a height of 165 cm and a weight of 65 kg.

According to the updated Harris-Benedict formula, the result is ROV = 1387 kcal. With the main metabolism at rest, without playing sports or taking into account activity.
In this case, the CFA is equal to 1.2 if there is physical inactivity, and 1.3 if the woman walks 10 thousand steps a day, which refers to low activity.
OOV x KAJ = 1387 kcal x 1.3 = 1803 kcal. This is caloric support, while the woman will have a stable body weight.
The deficit is calculated: 1803 – 15% = 1533 kcal.

This is the daily kcal requirement for weight loss. Shortage of calories: 1803 - 1533 = 270 kcal. With increased activity, if you at least include a couple of workouts per week, the additional deficit for weight loss will be 200-300 kcal, and the total deficit will be 500.

If we consider calories according to BZHU, we get the following indicator for calculating the calorie deficit:

Proteins/fat/carbohydrates - 105/55/154 = 1533 kcal.

The protein required by the body every day depends on several indicators: physical activity, total energy consumption. It is usually calculated based on normal weight (0.8–1.8 g/kg body weight) and expressed as a percentage of caloric intake (10–35%). If a woman’s obesity is insignificant, no more than 10 kg, then to lose weight using an energy deficit, 100 g of protein is enough, fat - 0.8-1 g per kg of weight, and the remaining calories should be supplemented with carbohydrates. You need to know that 1 g of protein or carbohydrates equals 4 kcal, and 1 g of fat equals 9 kcal, which is important for proper and safe weight loss.

Please note: To lose weight, you need to eat 1.5-2 g of protein per kg of weight daily. But you don’t need to eat more than 30 g of protein in one sitting, otherwise it will not be absorbed by the body. For normal women, not professional athletes, the maximum protein intake should not exceed 120 g. If her weight is more than 100 kg, then the protein indicator should not exceed 200 g.

To make a calorie deficit without error, you need to spend 10-14 days on support, see how calorie intake affects your weight. Often, when women go on a diet, they eat very little.

Video

A long-term diet of 800-1200 kcal per day keeps the body in a stressful state, so it takes a lot of time for it to get used to a different calorie content. If, while on support, the weight is the same, that is, it does not fall or increase, then you can switch to eating at a calorie deficit.

[Calculator 2]

This calculator allows you to calculate your deficit online.

This is important: When you need to get rid of more than 5 kg of body weight, you need to recalculate your KBJU every time you lose 4-5 kg of weight.

Knowing what a calorie deficit is, you need to use it correctly so that the extra pounds go away forever. You need to burn more calories than you get from food. It's not that difficult to do. For example, you can increase physical activity at home, move more, and walk. You can develop a nutrition menu in such a way that 80% of the daily intake will consist of healthy foods, and the rest - from various sweets and unhealthy foods. If you achieve 80% healthy eating, your weight loss process will be smooth and sustainable, and being active will have a positive impact on your health.

Video

To be aware of the products you consume throughout the day, buy yourself a kitchen scale and weigh everything and record it in a journal or smartphone app. This will help you control yourself, especially since the price of the scale is quite affordable - 300-500 rubles. A daily calorie deficit or a deficit of an acceptable amount promotes proper weight loss without starvation and stress for the body.

Misconception #5: A calorie is just a calorie.

This kind of thought is more dangerous than all others. Of course it's true. Just like the fact that a dog is just a dog, and a table is just a table. There are many types of dogs and tables in the world, but the simple statement that a dog is a dog is certainly true. The problem is this: do all calories have the same risk of weight gain?

Saying that a calorie is just a calorie suggests that the total number of calories consumed is the only variable that affects weight gain, that is, any food is considered only in terms of its energy value. But can we then say that a calorie of olive oil will cause the same metabolic reaction as a calorie of sugar? Of course not. These two products have many differences. Thus, sugar will cause an increase in blood glucose, followed by the release of insulin from the pancreas. Due to olive oil entering the body, such a reaction will not occur. When olive oil is absorbed by the small intestine and transported to the liver, there is no significant increase in blood glucose or insulin. The two foods cause completely different metabolic and hormonal responses.

The five statements listed above—the key pitfalls of the calorie reduction theory for weight loss—have been proven false. Not all calories lead to weight gain equally. All the calorie hysteria of the last 50 years turned out to be a huge mistake.

So let's start from the beginning. What leads to weight gain?

What is a calorie deficit for weight loss?

Any product that enters the human body has its own energy value. It is usually indicated in kcal. If the calories received from food exceed those that a person expends per day, weight increases. When you need to lose weight, the opposite effect is required - you need to expend more calories than you consume. After your weight returns to normal, you just need to maintain it: consume as many calories as you burn.

When calculating the energy expended, you need to take into account that energy is spent on mental work and on the work of internal organs in the same way as during physical activity.

The percentage of muscle tissue in the body compared to fat tissue is much higher. Therefore, if a person’s diet decreases, then first of all the body begins to destroy muscle cells, as well as draw moisture reserves from the cells. To avoid this, as well as prevent weight gain again, it is important to create a calorie deficit correctly.

If you reduce the volume of food sharply, the percentage of fatty fiber may return in double volume after the diet returns to normal.

Many people, when understanding what a calorie deficit is, only imagine reducing their diet. In fact, more loyal methods are often implied: it is enough to simply increase physical activity, thereby increasing calorie consumption. If you additionally give up at least 5-10% of food, you will be able to achieve significant results, which will then be maintained without harming your health.

Types of calorie deficit

Often when people think about how to create a calorie deficit, they first of all imagine significant food restrictions. In fact, this is not the only way. The alternative is to increase the level of physical activity, then the need for calories will increase and the usual diet may be lower than normal.

When reducing calories, the deficiency can be divided into 3 groups according to the degree of calorie deficiency:

small. The norm is reduced by no more than 15%. Adaptation of the body occurs after a couple of weeks. If you need to create a deficit of this level, then you don’t have to reduce the amount of food you consume – just increase your physical activity. Fat loss occurs slowly, so a person may not notice the results. But there is no harm to health. If you practice precisely reducing calorie consumption, then you need to periodically recalculate the norms, adjusting them in accordance with the changed weight;
stable (reduction of the norm by 15-30%). To prevent a slowdown in metabolism and keep weight loss in the active phase all the time, many recommend resorting to a total reduction in calories (on the first day the food is complete, and on the second day the deficit is 50-60%). This scheme is suitable for athletes during preparation for competitions. If you stick to a diet for 8 weeks, then after that the results are zero - the body manages to adapt to the new regime;
extreme. It is recommended to use it for 3-4 days, then the body is rebuilt and metabolism deteriorates. Further, the fat layer will remain, regardless of diet. At every opportunity, the body will try to replace the weight lost in a stressful situation. All this time, organ systems are working under wear and tear, which negatively affects their condition, so it is better not to abuse this type of deficiency.

HOW DO WE DIGEST FOOD?

What is a calorie? A calorie is simply a unit of energy. Various foods are burned in laboratories and the amount of heat released determines the calorie content of the product.

Everything we eat contains calories. Food first enters the stomach, where it is mixed with gastric juice, after which it slowly passes into the small intestine. Nutrients are extracted by the body all the way through the small and large intestines, and what remains leaves the body in the form of stool.

Proteins are broken down into amino acids, their building blocks. They are used to build and repair body tissues, and their excess goes into “reserve”. Fats are absorbed by the body directly, and carbohydrates are broken down into their building elements - sugars. Proteins, fats and carbohydrates provide the body with energy, but differ significantly in the process of absorption, which gives a difference in hormonal stimuli.

Example of calculation of consumption/receipt

In order to understand how to calculate a calorie deficit and calculate the required diet based on it, you need to correctly calculate your calorie consumption per day. Let's consider the consumption of a person weighing 95 kilograms, with body fat of about 30% of total body weight.

The net weight will be about 60 kilograms, from which we will calculate the body’s total need for energy. The man leads a sedentary lifestyle, which means he does not play sports. Because of this, his metabolism is slower than that of an athlete. Let's look at your daily routine and calculate your total calorie expenditure.

Basal flow – 24 hours. 720 kcal
Sleep – 8 hours – 170 kcal
Digestion of food – 2 hours – 150 kcal
Fermentation – 1 hour – 50 kcal
Creation of hormonal levels – 1 hour – 25 kcal
Recovery processes – 4-6 hours – 150 kcal
Walking – 1 hour – 300 kcal
Playing a musical instrument – 2 hours – 250 kcal
Memorizing information – 1 hour – 75 kcal
Long discussions – 2 hours – 100 kcal
Climbing stairs – 15 minutes – 35 kcal
Apartment cleaning – 1 hour – 200 kcal
Mental activity – 8 hours a day. – 150 kcal.

Let's calculate its daily consumption. In total, a man spends about 2300 kcal per day, while leading a rather relaxed pace of life. To get yourself in order and reduce body fat from 30 to 15%, you need to spend a total of 105,000 kcal.

With a moderate calorie deficit of 10 percent, he will need to reduce his total food intake to 2000-1900 kcal. In this case, his weight loss will take 262 days, during which he will lose 15-20 kilograms. In this case, this process will take place absolutely comfortably and unnoticed, since metabolic processes will take place in a standard mode.

When creating additional physical activity, he will spend an additional 700-1000 kcal per day, which will speed up weight loss and slightly speed up metabolism. In this case, his caloric intake should be 2500, with a total deficit of 700 kcal. Taking into account the removal of toxins and the launch of mechanisms, losing 15 kilograms of weight will take about 4-5 months.

With more extreme diets, with a sharp restriction of nutrition, or carbohydrate alternation, it is important to understand that such experiments are carried out exclusively over short-term distances. For example, by creating extreme conditions of carbohydrate cycling combined with long-term aerobic exercise, he can create a total deficit of 1800 kcal per day. In this case, in a week he can get rid of up to 10-20% of the presented goal, after which he will need to return to the level of the previous deficit (10-15% of total receipts and expenses).

Note: For extreme methods investigators. Even if you are a follower of therapeutic fasting and sincerely believe that you will not break your metabolism, remember that you should not lower your caloric intake below your basal metabolism. Since in this case, any diet can not only cause potential harm to your health, but will also begin to threaten your life in the long run.

REDUCING CALORIES IS NOT THE MAIN FACTOR FOR WEIGHT LOSS

Why do we gain weight? The most common belief is that excess calories lead to obesity. But while the increase in obesity in the United States from 1971 to 2000 was associated with a 200 to 300 calorie increase in daily food intake, it is important to understand that this relationship is not a direct consequence.

Moreover, this connection between weight gain and increased calorie intake has recently been proven to be untenable. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in the United States from 1990 to 2010 show no relationship between increased caloric intake and weight gain. While the number of obese people increased by 0.37% per year, the number of calories consumed actually remained stable. Women's daily caloric intake increased from 1,761 to 1,781, while men's daily calorie intake decreased slightly, from 2,616 to 2,511 calories.

In the UK, the obesity epidemic has progressed at a similar rate to North America, but the relationship between weight gain and increased caloric intake has not been confirmed. Based on the British experience, it can be concluded that increasing calorie intake or dietary fat has no effect on obesity, which is contrary to popular belief. In fact, even when caloric intake decreased, obesity rates still increased. Various factors have changed, including the nature of those calories.

We think of our bodies as calorie scales and think that a calorie imbalance over time will inevitably lead to fat storage.

Calories Intake – Calories Out = Fat

If calorie expenditure remains essentially the same over time, then reducing the number of calories consumed should result in weight loss. According to the first law of thermodynamics, energy remains constant during any processes occurring in an isolated system. This law is often invoked to support a model of the interaction between calories consumed and calories expended. Renowned obesity researcher Dr. Jules Hersh, who was published in the New York Times in 2012, explained:

“There is such a flexible law of physics: the energy consumed must be exactly equal to the number of calories burned to maintain the percentage of fat. Calories are burned when food is consumed to provide energy to the body. In order to reduce the percentage of body fat and thereby reduce obesity, you need to reduce the number of calories consumed or increase physical activity, or both. This method works regardless of where the calories come from: pumpkins and peanuts or foie gras.”

However, the laws of thermodynamics have little in common with human biology, if only for the reason that the human body is not an isolated system. Energy constantly enters and leaves the body. In fact, the action that you and I worry about so much - eating food - supplies the body with energy. The energy supplied by food leaves the body during bowel movements. I took a year-long thermodynamics course at university back in the day and I can assure you that no one ever mentioned weight gain or caloric intake.

If we eat an extra 200 calories today, there is nothing stopping our body from burning that amount for warmth. However, these 200 calories can leave the body in the form of stool. Maybe the liver will even use them up. We go crazy about how many calories we consume, when calorie expenditure is much more important.

What determines the amount of energy consumed by the body? Let's say we consume 2000 calories of chemical energy (food) during the day.

What is the metabolic fate of these 2000 calories? Possibilities for their consumption include:

heat production;
construction of new protein;
bone tissue renewal;
building muscle tissue;
thinking (brain);
increased heart rate;
increased stroke volume of the heart;
training/physical activity;
detoxification (liver);
detoxification (kidneys);
digestion (pancreas and intestines);
breathing (lungs);
bowel movements (intestines);
fat production.

We don't have anything against spending calories to produce heat or build proteins, but we don't want calories being converted into fat. There is an almost endless list of ways the body uses energy that does not include storing fat.

Using the common equation model I presented above, we think that weight gain or weight loss is essentially unregulated and independent of conscious control. But there is not a single system in the body that is so unregulated.

Hormones control every system in the body. The thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, respiratory, circulatory, urinary, adrenal systems, as well as the liver portal system are under hormonal control. Among the hormone-controlled systems is adipose tissue. In fact, the body has several mechanisms to control fat production.

The problem of fat deposition is essentially a problem of energy distribution. Excess energy is redirected to fat production as opposed to, say, heat production. The main amount of energy is consumed by the body automatically, which leaves a person with only one way of energy consumption under his control - physical activity and exercise. For example, we do not decide how much energy to devote to the formation of fat instead of renewing bone tissue. Since we cannot measure these metabolic processes, we consider them to be relatively stable. Specifically, we think that caloric expenditure does not change due to caloric intake. We believe that these two indicators are independent of each other.

Here's an analogy for you. Imagine the amount of money you earn per year and the amount of money you spend per year. Let's say you usually earn and spend 500 thousand rubles a year. If your earnings decrease to 100 thousand rubles per year, what will you do with expenses? Continue to spend the usual 500 thousand rubles a year? I think you are not that stupid, otherwise you would quickly go broke. Most likely, you would reduce the amount of expenses to 100 thousand rubles per year to balance the budget. Earnings and expenses are variables dependent on each other, since a decrease in one of them entails a decrease in the other.

Now let’s transfer this example to the situation with obesity.

Reducing your calorie intake only works if your calorie expenditure remains the same. Instead, we find that sharply reducing the number of calories consumed leads to a reduction in the number of calories burned and zero weight loss as the body tries to balance its “energy budget.” In the next article I will talk about the fact that in history there have been several experiments to reduce the calorie content of food consumed, which confirmed this.

Andrey Pavlov, figure correction specialist. The article was written based on materials from foreign press

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Mechanics of Weight Loss

Weight loss, due to a reduction in overall nutritional levels, is a purely catabolic process. This is the main myth of bodybuilding. In particular, it is impossible to simultaneously build muscle mass and lose fat (at least without using AAS).

At the same time, it is worth understanding how weight loss works. The body has certain needs on which it spends total energy. If he has an excess of calories, he can store it in reserve (in the form of glycogen or fat), while at the same time, if he experiences a lack of nutrition, he will use up reserves. But there are a few clarifications that should be mentioned before you start counting calories.

The deficit for loss must be moderate. The thing is that any sudden change in the nutrition plan is perceived by the body as serious stress, and it will do everything to resist this stress. In particular, a strong reduction in calories will be perceived as hunger, and instead of energy carriers (fat tissue), the body will kill energy consumers (muscle layer), which will lead to a slowdown in metabolism, weight loss, but maintaining fat as much as possible.

After caloric intake returns to normal, the body will strive to prepare for the next phase of hunger, and, therefore, will not restore muscle, instead it will create additional fat depot in reserve.

This is all determined by evolution, which determined the survival of our species at the cellular level. Therefore, the whole task of cutting calories depends only on whether a particular person can deceive his body in order to get the desired result.

Author: Plato

Author of articles.
View all posts by Plato Tags: adiponectin, adipocytic triglyceride lipase, hormone-sensitive lipase, Calorie deficit, calorie surplus, Calorie content, Calorie, lipoprotein lipase, Obesity, Fat deposition, calorie intake counting, Calorie intake, Why do we gain weight, calorie expenditure, Calorie reduction , What is a calorie