Low-Carbohydrate Diet

Now for the controversial diet plan, the low-carb diet! It typically allows only 5% to 10% of carb to be consumed. The Atkins diet is probably one of the most well known low-carb diet.

 

The recommended intake of carb is 57%, protein is 13% while fat is 30% of your total daily calories intake. Cutting back on carb means you have to take in more protein or fat (or even both). Going with this diet typically means you restrict on foods high in carbohydrate which also means you will lose out on some vital vitamins that your body requires.

 

Results can be very positive in just a few weeks for low-carb diet (up to approx 20kg in a month) but in the long run, the weight loss is almost the same as low-fat diet. Comparing against low-fat diet, low-carb diet can reduce almost the same amount weight but loses out big time in fat burning.

 

It is important to consult a doctor before commencing on this diet. I will personally not recommend this as carbohydrate plays a huge part in fuelling our brain, nerves and lungs. As our goal is still to burn off the fats rather than reducing the weight, I will recommend either the low-calorie diet or the low-fat diet instead.

 

Some people will choose to eat according to the recommended intake while taking note of the types of carbs and fats they consume (rather than saturated fats, substitute with nonsaturated fats). This way, you can stay healthy and also burn that extra kilo of fat away. Next, I will start to share about hawker food and the amount of fats and calories they contain so stay tuned to FatsOff!!!

Low-Fat Diet

And here is the diet that everyone is waiting for! Low-fat diet! Comparing low-fat diet and low-calorie diet, the low-fat diet controls cholesterol more, it also contains less foods from animal sources.

 

A low-fat diet should generally contain about 20% to 30% of calories from fat. You should also try to get healthy variety of fat (polyunsaturated and monounsaturated) while also taking in foods low in saturated fat.

 

So now, what kind of food falls under polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and foods low in saturated fat?

 

Polyunsaturated fat

Corn, sunflower seeds, walnut, sesame seeds, soybeans, tuna, sardine

 

Monounsaturated fat

Olive oil, peanut oil, avocado oil, almond oil, whole grain wheat, oatmeal, cereal

 

Low in saturated fat

Yogurt, lean meats, fish, poultry

All in all, not only the food chosen are important, the cooking method is important too. Try to look out for items that are non-fat or low-fat when you buy your groceries if you are on this diet.

The next diet I'll talk about is the Low-Carbohydrate Diet. Till next time! Cya!

Low-Calorie Diet

There are so many diet plans out there and its getting confusing. But fear not, I'll be talking about the different kinds of common diet plans here to give my readers a better understanding on each of them. And yes, I promise, no big medical terms!

Low-Calorie Diet

As I've mentioned earlier, calorie is the unit of measurement for energy and thus a low-calorie diet simply means low-energy diet. The objective is to make your body use the energy stored in fats by creating energy deficit.

What do I mean by that? Simple, if you've visited my page about RMR & TDEE Calculation, you would've know how much calories you need to consume per day to stay in shape. For example, if your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) is 1450 kcal per day, by consuming only 1300 kcal, you are creating a energy deficit of 150 kcal.

So the burning question: What should you eat if you follow this diet plan?
And since this diet is called the low-calorie diet, it essentially means anything that has a low calorie count. Some examples are fresh fruits, vegetables, whole-grain breads, yogurt, lean meats, poultry, fish (prepared using cooking methods like baked, boiled, roasted).

In order to get your weight down, you need to consume less calories than you use them. But it is dangerous to consume way too little calories. Instead of losing fats, you store them. Your body breaks down and you lose muscle which brings your metabolism rate down.

To prevent that from happening, make sure you do not consume the calories below your resting metabolism rate (RMR) as that is the minimum your body needs to function. Do not go lower than this!

Low-calorie diet is a good way to bring your weight down and also to limit the amount of fat intake since majority of the foods that can be consumed as part of the diet are low in fats. Remember to add exercises in too. Your goal is not to lose weight, your ultimate goal is to lose FATS!!!

Hope after reading this entry, you get a clearer picture on this diet plan. Next entry will touch on Low-Fat Diet so stay tuned to FatsOff!!!