Dieting technique that 'controls overeating' – and it will help 'achieve goals' quicker – Express

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When it comes to losing weight, a key factor in that process is to reduce the amount of calories consumed and increase the amount of physical activity that is done. If people ingest fewer calories than they need to, the body then looks for energy from its fat reserves, thus promoting fat burning.
According to Healthline, a deficit of around 500 calories is “healthy, effective, and sustainable.”
But for those wanting a quick fix, or to drastically lose weight and then keep it off, it’s not just a numbers game.
There are many fad diets out there that can encourage followers to try calorie deficits that aren’t feasible to stick to, and also don’t guide them on what essential nutrients the body still needs to consume to function effectively.
So while calorie counting has long been an essential aspect of a weight loss programme, Dr Aleksandra Zając revealed it “isn’t always important”.
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But she explained it is “helpful” if it makes people make more conscious healthy food choices and therefore speed up weight loss.
She told Express.co.uk: “It’s more of a method to achieve your goal.
“If your goal is to work somehow on your fitness and form, you can use calorie counting to gain control over your eating.
“Counting calories is the only truly objective method to measure your energy intake.”
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She revealed what’s more important is knowing a person’s own maintenance calories and how they have a big impact on their weight loss goals.
Alongside dietitian Joanna Michałowska, the pair created a new tool that encourages people to focus on nutrition as well – the calorie counter.
Dr Zając explained: “Most people struggle with their weight at some point in their life. And for some people, the simple ‘eat less, move more’ rule won’t work.
“That’s the moment when knowing your maintenance calories can cast an entirely new light on the weight loss process.”
READ MORE: Michael Mosley weight loss: Remove three foods to stay slimShe went on to reveal that overeating on a person’s maintenance calories for some time is a “common reason” behind weight gain.
She said: “It’s pure physics – if you deliver more energy than you can spend, your body will store it.
“And the human body stores energy as fat tissue. Therefore, you’ll gain weight.
“If you perform intense strength-training while eating more than maintenance calories, you’ll also gain some muscles simultaneously.”Their maintenance calorie calculator allows people to calculate how many calories their body needs to maintain their current weight.
From this, a person is able to work out how many they need to be eating in order to lose or gain a few pounds.
It also helps distribute these calories healthily throughout a diet plan, with carb, protein and fat intake calculators available to users.
It’s important for people to know their maintenance calories so that they can make conscious food choices, ensuring they consume enough of each macronutrient, and know their baseline if they want to reduce or gain some body mass.
By understanding the body’s needs, people are then able to plan their weight loss at a healthy pace and still provide the body with the energy that it needs.
The calorie counting tool has a rating of 4.3/5 from 659 users and is available to try today.
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