Weight Loss - How to compose the proper diet? Which diets are good and which are bad for me?

Every dietitian has unique methods for losing weight efficiently while maintaining as much muscle mass as possible. Of course. Most of us know multiple common diets such as ketosis, high-carb, paleo, vegan, etc. Still, more diets emerge, e.g., blood type diet, detoxifying diet, and many others that keep up with each other with weirdness.

When a person "x" says: "I am on a diet," it most likely means that he/she is attempting to lose some fat and probably have already chosen a specially composed diet, often recommended by a friend or mentioned in an article on, e.g., Facebook, or Instagram. Numerous "incredible" diets guarantee the most efficient fat loss of all existing diets, etc. Of course, such a diet can be effective. But, the very truth is that fat loss guarantees every single diet on which you'll consume daily fewer calories than your individual total metabolic rate is. Does it mean that there are better or worse diets? Yes/no. However, it means that your body will begin to burn fat whenever you provide less energy with food than it requires to function (digesting, walking, sleeping, etc.). Then, it'll draw the needed energy from stored fat cells.

Note that fat loss doesn't equal weight loss and vice versa. More in the article.

That's the moment when it is essential to explain three basic terms:

basal metabolic rate - the amount of energy that a body needs to maintain its basic functions while resting (so while just "laying down"). It will depend on genetic predispositions, muscle mass (the more muscle mass, the higher basal metabolic rate), and functions of the thyroid gland, kidneys, brain, and other internal organs.

active metabolic rate - the amount of energy the body uses for daily physical activities (moving, thinking, training, etc.)

total metabolic rate - the amount of daily burned calories: basal + active metabolic rate. It will be the energy you need per day to maintain your actual weight.

The conclusion is very simple: if your daily calories consumption is below the total metabolic rate, you WILL burn fat (just maintain it for some period). There is no other option, even if you have metabolic disorders. If you deliver fewer calories than your body needs daily to function, it will access the stored fat in the fat cells. Your body will not generate energy from the air, will it?

Now I will explain why many of commonly known diets are impractical, pointless or even harmful for the organism. First, let's begin from diets that are based on extremely low calories consumption - more than 500kcal below total metabolic rate. What kind of distress may it cause? For the starters:

- disturbed thyroid gland functions (distribution of T4 and T3 production: worsened thermogenesis, slower metabolism, neurotransmitter disturbances)

- poor physical and mental performance

- a huge rise in cortisol level

- downregulated endocrine system (problems with libido, regeneration, mood swings, lower testosterone, impaired menstrual cycle in women

- reduced leptin secretion (experiencing constant hunger), leading to rapid weight rebound after finishing strict dieting

Many modern diets and detoxes are based on extremely low-calorie consumption. There are no scientifically proven additional benefits of this kind of diet, unlike the adverse effects, which's list is quite long.

Vegan diets may lead to, i.a., B12 deficiency and are troublesome for athletes due to poor sources of proteins (soy, beans, or nuts have a shallow biological value of protein). Although for an amateur having a proper knowledge may be beneficial for health, it's very unlike to be advantageous for physical performance.

Ketosis is one of the worst diet for professional athletes, commonly just as much disadvantageous corpo-workers. The primary "fuel" for both brain and muscles is carbohydrates; therefore, ketosis will firmly reduce both physical and mental performance. (to elaborate in the next article.)

The diet that I commonly recommend for physically active people is:

A high-Carb diet, so a diet based on high carbohydrates consumption, which is the best diet for every physically active person. If run properly, it will allow the organism to more efficiently burn fat (the only diet with properties that are scientifically proved), take advantage of very potent properties of insulin, etc. (it will be the main topic of my next article) 

What's the first conclusion?

Every single diet that includes your favorite products in reasonable amounts and makes you provide less energy with food than your body utilizes daily will make you burn fat efficiently.

What to bear in mind while composing a diet?

If you stick to the following, you can be more than sure that your diet will be greatly efficient and match all your expectations in the longer term:

- calculate your total metabolic rate (there are many online calculators)

- consume 200-400kcals below your total metabolic rate

Fat loss doesn't equal weight loss and vice versa. Never track your progress by just body mass/weight.

Fluctuations in water mass (see the whoosh effect; drainage of water by fat cells), 10x higher muscle weight per volume than fat, gut content, fiber intake, and many other, make body weight a completely inapplicable and unreliable method. Your weight may even rise, even though you have actually slimmed down. Unless you're a professional who has to fit in a certain weight category in less than 3 weeks, don't get excited over it.

- control your progress by tracking the circuit of hips, waist, thighs, chest, and arms. Do this once per week (standardized: upon waking up, fasted, light breath out). The thigh and waist circuit should always gradually decrease independently of weight as long as the diet is properly composed.

- consume 2.1g - 2.5g of proteins per kilogram of body mass. It will help to sustain as much muscle mass as possible while boosting thermogenesis.

- high physical activity will make it possible to eat more daily (increased total metabolic rate) and make your muscles and skin look more in shape.

- track consumed calories. If you will not do it, then it's nearly impossible to be sure how much of them you intake daily, and it will significantly decrease the effectiveness of your diet: you will most likely end up in a caloric 0.

- always include in your diet products you enjoy (in a reasonable amounts).

- always plan a refeed period (one every 4-6 weeks), where you enter a minor caloric surplus for 3 days.

- have a diet break once in a while (e.g., three times per month) and consume as much or as little as you want to.