dieting guide how students should eat during fat loss

I. The Dangers of Dieting for Weight Loss

As everyone knows, dieting for weight loss is not advisable. The human body needs at least 1200 kilocalories daily to meet basic physiological functions and ensure the safe and effective operation of various organs. Otherwise, the body will consume protein, leading to metabolic disorders and, in severe cases, life-threatening conditions. Similarly, binge eating is also inadvisable. Generally, having three meals a day is optimal. Fewer meals cause significant blood sugar fluctuations, making hungry cells absorb and store nutrients excessively, which is not conducive to weight loss.

Secondly, dieting to lose weight means giving up many delicious foods and enduring daily suffering. The weight lost through dieting is mainly water and glycogen, not fat. If you eat normally, your body will consume about 1500-2000 calories daily. Without food, your basal metabolic rate will decrease, and the food that should be converted into energy will turn into fat. Additionally, dieting can cause various harms to our bodies:

Decline in Basal Metabolic Rate

Long-term dieting leads to nutritional deficiencies, significantly lowering the basal metabolic rate to maintain normal life activities. This is why many people hit a plateau after dieting for a while.

Decreased Immunity

Dieting for weight loss can lead to vitamin deficiencies. Lack of vitamins reduces carbohydrate and fat metabolism, making it easier to gain weight and impairing the body's detoxification function. This significantly lowers immunity, affecting overall health. Over time, you may feel fatigued, weak, irritable, and more susceptible to infectious diseases.

Hormonal Imbalance

Dieting affects the entire body's functions, hindering the production of enzymes and hormones, causing metabolic disorders and hormonal imbalances, and in severe cases, leading to edema.

Easy to Rebound

Dieting requires giving up many delicious foods, but when reaching a plateau, most people give up and return to normal eating habits. At this point, fat cells, suppressed for a long time, rebound like a stretched spring, accelerating growth and expansion. Combined with a low basal metabolic rate, weight will rebound rapidly.

II. Dietary Principles During Fat Loss

Are you calculating your daily calorie intake during fat loss? Do you know that the calorie intake calculated by software may not be what you need? Does your diet enhance training effects, promote physical recovery, and improve adaptability? You need to decide based on your goals and current calorie intake.

Frequent Small Meals

Dividing daily calorie intake into multiple smaller meals is more effective than eating a lot at once. This ensures you don't feel hungry, keeps the total food intake unchanged, and prevents overeating. Eating every few hours provides a constant supply of nutrients, making calorie burning more efficient and aiding faster digestion and nutrient absorption.

Importance of Breakfast

Many people skip or neglect breakfast due to time constraints or to reduce calorie intake for weight loss. However, daily calorie supply starts with breakfast. After a night's rest, the body's organs need energy. Without enough energy, the body will feel threatened and eat more at lunch, absorbing calories faster and storing them as fat. Therefore, never skip breakfast. Eating breakfast is better than not eating, and eating enough is better than eating less.

Moderate Carbohydrate Control

Carbohydrates, one of the three essential nutrients (fat, sugar, protein), are broken down into glucose and stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles. Moderately reducing carbohydrate intake can suppress blood sugar spikes and make stored fat easier to burn as energy. However, carbohydrates are the main energy source for daily activities. It's best to have half of your daily food intake contain carbohydrates to ensure health.

High Protein with Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Protein, a major component of the body, especially muscles, is essential. Protein digests slowly, keeping you full longer. After exercise, protein helps restore muscle vitality. For a well-toned body, protein is indispensable. Additionally, protein digests slowly, providing a strong sense of fullness and curbing cravings.

Leafy vegetables provide essential nutrients and are a primary source of dietary fiber. They offer a strong sense of fullness with minimal calories, making them a foundation of a weight-loss diet. Daily intake should include about 20 grams of fiber from fruits, vegetables, and legumes. Vegetables like celery can also help treat constipation.

Less Oil, Sugar, and Salt

Whether eating stir-fried dishes or snacks, choose foods with less oil, salt, and sugar. Avoid heavy oil and salt for weight loss, but don't completely eliminate quality fats, as they are essential for immunity and balance. Focus on choosing good oils and suitable cooking methods. Be cautious when eating out, as fried, grilled, and hotpot dishes are high in oil and salt.

III. Dietary Recommendations for Students

Many students eat hastily before class or rely on high-energy, low-satiety, and nutrient-poor snacks like bread, biscuits, and pies. For breakfast, consider plain oatmeal with milk, raisins, or a handful of nuts, plus a fruit. If bored with this, try porridge with buns or soy milk from the cafeteria.

For lunch and dinner, students often face unbalanced meals in the cafeteria. Despite varied foods, calories, fat, and protein often exceed limits, while vegetables are insufficient. Some students settle for buns or noodles. Choose different main and side dishes daily for variety. If you prefer noodles, pair them with other foods like meat pies or buns with porridge and vegetables, or noodles with an egg and greens. Avoid heavily flavored dishes.

Many students prefer ordering takeout. When doing so, consider the following tips:

1. Choose steamed, boiled, or stewed dishes first, followed by braised or stir-fried, and avoid fried foods to control oil intake and carcinogens from high temperatures.

2. Don't be embarrassed to rinse oily stir-fried dishes in water to remove excess oil and salt. You'll be surprised at the amount of oil used in takeout.

3. Bring raw vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, and purple cabbage to supplement the lack of vegetables in takeout meals.

4. Avoid rice bowls and hotpot rice; opt for spicy hotpot, mala tang, or fragrant pot dishes, which offer a variety of foods and are relatively healthier.

5. If the main dish includes starchy vegetables like potatoes, yams, pumpkins, or other tubers, reduce the intake of staple foods to avoid excessive carbohydrate consumption.