Yash Vardhan Swami suggests ways to lose that fat and keep it off
Ever wondered why some people don’t lose fat or progress despite eating ‘healthy’ and exercising? First and foremost, let’s understand the basics of food and that of fat loss. Anything that is not ‘too processed’ and is nutritious which is high in vitamins and minerals is considered healthy. But when we aim is to lose fat/weight, just eating healthy is not enough.
Let’s understand why.
To lose fat, we need to ensure that we are eating lesser calories than what we are burning over time. Theoretically, to lose one kg of fat, we need to be in a caloric deficit of 7,000 calories. If we eat 7,000 calories less than what we burn (over time), we will lose one kg of weight.
Being in a caloric deficit is necessary to fat loss/weight loss. Now, back to healthy food.
Let me list out few food items, which are healthy but high in calories:
1. All nuts and nut butters
2. All oils (even olive oil)
3. Dark chocolate
4. Protein bars
5. Most protein bars and breakfast bars
6. Fruit juices (fruits are better as they are high in fibre and satiety)
7. Hummus and dressings
Again, does that mean that we should be eliminating these while dieting? Not really. We just need to be mindful of the quantities as a lot of these are easy to overeat (and can blow off our caloric balance)
In any nutrition plan, I would ensure that the plan has adequate protein, carbohydrates and fats to ensure adherence and sustainability. I would also add a variety of food sources that are healthy, nutritious, high in all essential vitamins, minerals and fibre. Now, talking about exercising.
A lot of us believe that exercising alone will make us lose fat/weight. Exercising is amazing for health, mobility, posture, wellbeing and longevity.
But, we cannot out-train a bad diet. It’s much easier (and quicker) to eat back the calories, we burn. Let me give you an example: For example, we exercise for an hour and burn 500 calories. Eating back those calories can be a matter of seconds and minutes if food sources are not correct. So, we need to ensure that we are eating in a caloric deficit (ie eating lesser calories than what we are burning over time) while taking care of all nutrients, exercising regularly, staying active and taking care of other lifestyle factors such as mindset, stress and sleep.
(The author is a health & fitness educator.)