Does eating less lead to weight loss?

Sometimes, during crash diets, people eat food only once a day in the pursuit of quick weight loss. They only pay attention to the fact that they have to lose weight and forget about the effects such eating habits have on the body. In such situations, people often forget or overlook what is good for the wellbeing and functioning of the human body. The body needs proper nutrition and calories to function properly. If you do not give proper nutrition to the body, then you can invite troubles, such as:

• Feeling tired and weak
• Decreased metabolism
• Decreased body function
• Temper tantrums
• Getting angry unnecessarily

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Generally, people think that dieting for a long time or eating less can lead to weight loss. But dieting for a long time is not a good idea and it cannot reduce weight. According to research, people who are dieting constantly, end up gaining weight over time instead of losing any. As such, instead of eating less, you should focus more on healthy eating. Eating a balanced diet rich in nutrients, combined with regular exercise, can help with weight loss.

Weight loss and gain are controlled by the balance between the calories you take in and the calories you burn. If you eat a low-calorie diet and burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight. On the other hand, if you eat more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. By doing physical activities you can burn more calories in a day, which is the best way to lose weight.

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New research published in the journal Appetite suggests that when it comes to dieting, it is not important how much you eat. The most important thing in dieting is what you eat. Weight gain and loss depend on the number of calories consumed by you. Researchers have come to the conclusion that if you choose to eat more food that is healthy and contains fewer calories, then it can be very effective in reducing weight. On the other hand, you can easily lose weight by eliminating high-calorie foods from your diet for a long time.

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Researchers say that if you choose high-calorie foods, but consume such foods in limited quantities, then you are likely to feel hungry again, which can be responsible for weight gain.

Generally, people who want to lose weight are often told that eating everything in moderation can help in reducing weight. Conversely, new research suggests that choosing more nutritious, low-calorie foods may be far more important for losing weight than trying to eat less.

In such a situation, you may wonder how many calories should be consumed in a day to lose weight. There isn’t a simple answer for this as it would be different for every individual. In fact, over time, changes in age, activity levels, metabolism and percentage of body fat affect how many calories one should consume throughout the day. You can get a personal diet chart made by contacting your nutritionist in this regard.

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It has been proved in many research studies that the calories consumed in a day can be divided into four phases to reduce weight - Morning, Afternoon, Evening and Night.

• During the morning and afternoon, 70% or more of the total calories consumed throughout the day should be taken.
• The remaining 30% or less of the total calories should be had in the evening.
• Calorie intake at night should be completely avoided.

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Heather Mangieri, RD of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, says that there are certain foods that can help you lose weight. Some of these foods not only have the ability to speed up the metabolism but also will not make you feel hungry for a long time, such as:

• Different types of beans
• A cup of soup before a meal
• Dark chocolate between meals
• Vegetables
• Eggs
• Nuts
• Apple
• Curd
• Grapefruit

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A weight loss plan with regular exercise is not only more successful but it is also healthier. By consuming a healthy diet and exercising, you can keep your bones, muscles and heart strong and reduce your risk of developing many diseases. Overall, when you meet all your nutritional requirements through diet and burn more calories than you consume with the help of exercise, you can lose weight in a healthy way.

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