Diet is The Factor to considerably weight loss?

Many people ask is diet the key factor to considerably weight loss?

The answer  is ‘Yes’ regardless of whether you combine exercise. However, if you don’t incorporate exercise, then reduced calorie consumption is your only route towards weight loss, albeit slowly.

On reduced calorie consumption alone, provided your energy balance is correct, you can probably expect to lose around a 1lb a week. However, combine reduced consumption with exercise and you could reasonably expect to lose 2-3lbs per week. Since you’re already running a deficit, the body utilises energy stored in fat to ensure its daily calorific needs continue to be met and, thus, additional weight is lost.

As for dietary intake, during calorie reduction/restriction, you should aim to ensure that lean protein accounts for around 40% (aiming to consume around a 1g per lb of body weight), with complex carbohydrate and healthy fat each making up 30% respectively.

Higher consumption of protein, particularly during periods of calorie reduction, helps to prevent existing muscle mass from being broken down and used to fuel the body. As such, the weight reduction comes from the burning of fat, instead.

As for restricting yourself to remaining only 50% full at mealtimes, I see potential flaws, since it may prove difficult for you to gauge what ‘50% full’ feels like. Moreover, if don’t feel fully satiated afterwards, the temptation to eat until you do feel full can lead to eating more than you usually would.

Instead, I’d suggest that you begin by reducing portion sizes by 25% at mealtimes, as such an approach will be more beneficial in helping you to understand portion control, reducing portion sizes further, until you reach a point that still provides satiety. Increased protein consumption will also assist with this aim.

In order to gain a clearer idea of how many calories you should be consuming, to satisfy both your BMR (basal metabolic rate) and TDEE (total daily energy expenditure), you should research BMR/TDEE calculators. Having obtained figures for both, aim to introduce a daily deficit from your TDEE (approx. 500Kcal), ensuring that the deficit introduced doesn’t take you below your BMR.

Additionally, research macronutrient calculators, since they’ll provide a breakdown of how many daily calories should be consumed between the respective food groups.