The Weight of Food
This is going to be an ambitious attempt at a write up explaining a nuanced concept in a crisp, easy-to-digest format. Naturally some of the finer points and details are going to be left out. Everybody is different, and their needs are different. Do bear that in mind going forward!
If you’ve ever tried to lose weight and found yourself unable to keep up with a “diet” because you’re starving; don’t stress. You’re not alone. No one functions well unless their hunger is satiated. The real question boils down to: How do I lose weight without starving?
Consider these facts:
Your hunger is (broadly speaking) not a function of your caloric intake. It is a function of the total physical weight of food you have consumed. This number is different as per each individual. Unless you consume this weight of food at a meal/ in a day, you will continue to feel hungry.
If you want to lose weight, you have to create a caloric deficit, i.e.,Consume less than what you burn. You can achieve this either via eating fewer calories, working out more, or (ideally) both.
1gram of fat has 9 Calories in it. 1 gram of protein and carbohydrate have 4 Calories each.
Protein is the most satiating macronutrient. Fibres have very low Calories per gram, & are essential for gut health, and promote satiety.
Let’s take an example of ill-advised extremes to drive the point home. Consider an individual who needs to consume 1kg of food everyday in order to feel satiated. Should they choose to reach that via nothing but butter, they’d have consumed 9000 Calories. Should they choose nothing but sugar, they’d have consumed 4000 Calories. Clearly, the choice of food can make a massive difference in total intake.
Based on the information above, a natural conclusion you may draw is that in order to lose weight, you’d be best served by focusing on a high protein, high fibre diet, with minimal fat intake. And you’d be right! That does not mean we ignore fats altogether or try to survive on protein powders alone. Everything has its time and place and adequate amounts of all food groups are needed. Your overall health and long term well being are dependent on having a varied diet. “Eat the rainbow” is excellent advice, as long as we aren’t talking about M&Ms.
Let's say you want to go ahead by yourself and try to lose weight the right way. At the most zoomed out, “macro” level, the following points should serve you well:
Create a modest Caloric deficit. ~500 Cals/day less than usual is a well accepted starting point.
Maintain a higher protein intake when attempting to lose weight.
Go for foods with low energy density(Cals/gram), i.e, Veggies, fruits, grain, legumes, low-fat dairy, lean proteins.
Spread your intake across the day.
The only beverage worth consuming is water.
