Christmas is approaching and it is advisable to go on a diet to try to counteract the kilos that will surely be gained at this time of year. There are many types of slimming diets that exist, but there is one thing they have in common: they all offer a lower caloric intake than the human body needs, that is, they are hypocaloric diets.
Why hypocaloric diets lose weight
The glucose that flows through the blood (and that is also stored in the liver or muscle in the form of glycogen) is the main source of energy for the entire body, especially for fundamental organs such as the brain or the heart. Thus, as long as there is glucose (or, failing that, glycogen), the human body will not use its fat reserves, which is what is needed to lose weight.
So, the objective of a hypocaloric diet is to reduce the amount of calories in the intake to reduce the production of glucose that goes to the blood and ‘force’ the body to burn fat reserves. A process that the human body achieves by transforming fat into ketone bodies, a substitute energy source for glucose, and reaching ketosis. A state that can be found out because it gives signs such as bad breath, an increased sensation of thirst, dizziness, nausea or irritability.
What is Basal Metabolic Rate (TBM) and how is it calculated?
To know how many fewer calories to eat, the first step is to know how many calories the body burns without doing anything: . A concept that he has already shared with Status Charles Orrico, nutritionist at the Fit Club Madrid gym, and that is solved with a mathematical formula. One of the most used is that of Harris Benedict, which would be:
– Men: BMR= (10 x weight in Kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) – (5 x age in years) + 5
-Women: BMR= (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) – (5 x age in years) – 161
Once we know how many calories our body burns without doing anything, we must establish a restrictive diet that adds a set of calories a little above the BMR. Or greater if physical exercise is introduced that increases the energy needs of the organism. In general terms, a strict weight loss diet adds between 1,200-1,500 calories for a woman and 1,700-2,000 for a man.
The Sirtfood diet, a type of hypocaloric diet (less than 1,000 calories a day)
Effects of the hypocaloric diet Sirtfood in the singer Adele
This type of diet has become fashionable because it consists of a studied dietary regimen that is not scientifically proven that only allows you to eat what are called sirtfoods and that are distributed in several phases:
The first phase: it lasts three days and a maximum of 1,000 calories is ingested, spread over a solid meal and three vegetable shakes.
The second phase: lasts until the desired weight is achieved. Calories are increased to 1,500, another solid food is added and the shakes are maintained.
The third phase: it is the maintenance phase and the calories are increased to 1,800, a third solid meal is added and the shakes are maintained.
The keto or ketogenic diet, another type of hypocaloric diet
Keto or ketogenic diets are a type of hypocaloric food restriction that is characterized by minimizing the consumption of foods that nourish the human body with glucose, that is, simple carbohydrates (which can be found in milk, sugar or fruit) or in complex carbohydrates (which can be found in cereals, flour, pasta or legumes).
Thus, this diet consists of reducing the intake of these foods and increasing the content of proteins and healthy fats. Specifically, it is committed to consuming 50-60% fat, 20-30% protein and leaving 10% or less to carbohydrates. The keto or ketogenic diet menus stand out for five meals featuring eggs, meat, dairy, vegetables, fish, nuts and seeds. And foods rich in healthy fats such as avocado or fish such as tuna, cod or salmon usually have a lot of presence.
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