The Critical Role of Nutrition in Weight Loss

Did you know that a significant part of your results are related to your eating habits?

Think about it: to lose weight, you have to create a deficit in caloric intake. If your objective is to lose one pound of fat per week, you have to create an energy deficit of 3 500 calories per week, that is, 500 calories a day. This is possible through nutrition and physical activity.

If you decide to exercise at the gym three times a week for one hour each time, it amounts to a weekly total of three hours, compared to the 168 hours that make up an entire week. Are these three hours enough to burn 3 500 calories? Simply put, the answer is no, and this is why adopting healthy eating habits is the key.

On the other hand, your eating habits will affect your body composition. Let me explain. The majority of people are used to reducing their food intake to a minimum when they want to lose weight. However, if this strategy is combined with physical activity, it could do more harm than good as it leads to a loss of muscle mass and a gain of body fat. Why? The body requires a minimum of calories to maintain the basal metabolism (maintaining body temperature, making your heart beat, etc.). When it is not supplied with enough energy, the body uses the energy that’s available, that is, muscle mass. This process enables it to slow down energy expenditure when at rest, and thus, store fat, which is completely the opposite of your initial weight loss objective.

Make sure that you change your eating habits in a healthy way, so you can optimize your results both in terms of body weight and figure, and also make it easier for you to maintain your weight once you reach your objective!

By Marie-Ève Nadeau, P. Dt.

The Critical Role of Nutrition in Weight Loss is a post from Nautilus Plus. The Nautilus Plus blog aims to help people in their journey to fitness through articles on training, nutrition, motivation, exercise and healthy recipes.
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