The Most Popular New Year's Resolution


Hello, friends! This is one of the most searched questions on the internet. How to lose weight? And this is probably the most popular New Year's resolution in the world. Weight loss. On this one question, millions of YouTube videos have been made, thousands of articles have been written, and so many rumors have been spread. Some tell you to eat Maggi for a muscular body, some tell you to go on a low-carb diet, some tell you to go on a low-fat diet, and some try to sell their fake products. An entire industry has been built on weight loss. In today's blog, let's scientifically understand this concept. What's true and what's myth? To lose weight, what should you eat and what should you not eat? And which diet is the best? Let's find out.

The Logic Behind Weight Loss

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The logic behind weight loss is quite simple. Imagine that you have a bank account. All the money you earn gets accumulated in your bank account. All the money you spend is deducted from your bank account. So if you want to increase your bank balance, you either have to increase your earnings or reduce your expenses. Similarly, our body has a calorie bank. The calories you consume, accumulate here. And the more you spend, it is deducted from the stored calories. This calorie bank is our body. To store calories, they are converted into fat and stored by the body, which increases our weight. So if you want to lose weight, either reduce your calorie intake or spend more calories. To spend calories is known as Burning Calories. Let's talk about how calories burn later, before that, let's know where calories come from.

The Source of Calories

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The food you eat, whatever you drink, except water, all of them have energy in the form of calories. In nutritional science, the definition of calories is that "it is a unit of energy." So, the food and water you are consuming, that is where the calories are coming from. Since calories are a form of energy, everything for which the body uses energy, calories are burned for those. The most obvious thing that comes to people's mind to burn calories is exercising. This is true, our body needs energy for every process, so calories are burned for everything. To make your heart beat, for your lungs to breathe, and to digest food in your stomach, energy is needed for all. For this reason, even while sleeping at night, your calories are burned. You heard it right. On average, a normal person burns 400 calories during 8 hours of sleep. And these calories are burned merely to keep the body alive, this is known as Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR. Every person has a different Basal Metabolic Rate. It depends on your height, weight, muscle mass, and many other factors. There is an online calculator through which you can calculate your BMR. The link is in the description below. For example, I am 28 years old and my height is 186 cm and weight is 80 kg. So my BMR is 1828 calories per day. So I will burn this many calories every day without doing anything. Now, apart from this, I told you that eating provides calories to the body. But do you know, depending on what food you are eating, your food can burn calories too? Here comes the concept of the Thermic Effect of Food, in short TEF. The logic is very simple, when you eat food, your body has to digest the food, absorb nutrients from the food, and store the food. In all these processes, the body uses energy and burns calories. So some things have a low thermic effect. Like fats, oil, flour, and butter. Our body digests these things very easily. There is almost no need to burn any calories. On the other hand, whole grains or protein-rich foods, Dairy, eggs, high-fiber vegetables, fruits, spinach, and broccoli, have a high thermal effect. Our body has to burn a lot of calories to digest these foods. That is why it becomes difficult to gain weight by eating this type of food. Now you will wonder if this means that some types of food may provide negative calories. The calories available in that food, the body is burning more calories to consume that food. This is a myth, friends. To achieve this, the thermic effect of any food should be more than 100%, which is impossible. This can't happen. The highest thermic effect possible is around 30%, usually found in proteins. This means that if you are eating 100 calories of protein, you are spending 30 calories to digest that protein and your body is gaining only 70 calories. Now, there is no need to go into the math too much. I am not asking you to find out the thermic effect of every food before eating. I just wanted to give you a basic idea so that you know that this kind of concept exists. Now, let's talk about weight loss.

The Importance of Exercise in Weight Loss

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After listening to what I said till now, people might wonder why should we exercise at all. If you consume fewer calories than your body's basal metabolic rate, you will lose weight automatically. Theoretically, this is true, but practically, it is very dangerous. Eating fewer calories than your BMR without exercising means that your body's hormonal balance can deteriorate. You will be more tired. You will become more irritable. It will be very difficult for you to focus on your studies and work. Do you know which body part consumes the most calories in the human body? Our brain. Almost 20% of the energy usage of the human body is consumed by the brain. It becomes difficult to self-control for the body. Many people have this problem where once they start eating less, they become weak, their mood is disrupted terribly, and they will go on a diet for some time, but after that, they will start binging and their diet will fail. That's why our goal should not be weight loss, but healthy weight loss. And for healthy weight loss, exercise is very important. Four main things are very important. Diet control, exercise, proper sleep, and keeping yourself stress-free. The last two points are quite obvious, but if you struggle with them, keeping yourself stress-free and getting 8 hours of sleep daily, then it means that you are not managing your time properly. And in such a situation, you need the right time management in your life. I made this course on time management and productivity to teach you this. The special thing is that I focus a lot on happiness in this course. Waking up at 5 am every day and working for 12 hours a day, I am strongly against this type of hustle culture advice. That's why my time management course will not only increase your productivity but also your overall life satisfaction. I use the step-by-step techniques that I teach you in this course in my life, with the help of which I can regularly bring you these videos while traveling the world. Those who have taken the course so far have found it very life-changing. You can see their reviews on the screen. And if you have not joined yet, then do join, because you will see a great transformation in your life after taking it. Use coupon code LOSE40 to get 40% off on this course. This is for the first 400 people among you. The link to join the course can be found in the description and pinned comment below. Otherwise, you can scan this QR code and go to the course website. While joining, just remember one thing, the entire course is in the English language. Now, let's come back to the topic and understand diet control in detail.

The Role of Diet in Weight Loss

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Have you ever had a feeling that even though you have eaten a whole chocolate bar but still, you are feeling hungry? After eating certain things, you still don't feel full. The reason behind this is the Satiety Index. The thing is that there are some types of food after eating which you feel full and some types of food aren't like that. In 1995, some researchers tested 240-calorie servings of 38 types of food. They found that boiled potatoes had the highest satiety index among all potato dishes. Potatoes were given a score of 323. There are some other things like pulses, high-fiber foods, low-fat dairy products, eggs, and nuts. These things also have a very high index. This means that for the same amount of calories, if you eat high-satiety food items, you will comparatively feel more full. You will feel less hungry, even though the number of calories is the same. Now, some people will say that they would eat boiled potatoes throughout the day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. So they consume the least amount of calories in the day while feeling full, They'll go on a potato-only diet. But again, this is a wrong approach. It is alright to tweak a few things here and there, but overall, the body needs a nutritious diet. Your goal here is healthy weight loss. Meaning, that you don't want to lose muscle, you don't want to lose your health, you just want to lose weight. There are 6 different essential nutrients that the body needs for optimal function. Proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water. So when you are on a healthy weight loss diet, you will need proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water. Now the question is about fats and carbohydrates. What about them? Many people suggest different types of low-fat, low-carb diets. So let's talk about carbohydrates first.

The Role of Carbohydrates in Weight Loss

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Carbohydrates, in short carbs, what is their relation to weight loss? The sugar that comes out of carbs is an important source of energy for the body. If our body does not use that energy immediately, the energy from the carbs is converted into glycogen and stored in the liver and muscles. If a person eats more carbs than his body needs, the body converts those carbs into fat cells and stores them as fat. If this energy is not used later, it remains in the form of fat cells and you gain weight. You might think that carbohydrates should be avoided but this is the wrong conclusion. I apologize in advance for disappointing the fans of keto or low-carb diets. In 2017, a meta-analysis was done of 32 controlled feeding studies. Keeping the level of protein and calories the same, they found out whether a high-carb diet is better than a low-carb diet. This research found that there is no benefit in weight loss whether you follow a high-carb or a low-carb diet. Weight loss, ultimately, works only due to Calorie Deficit. The same calorie bank balance that I explained in the beginning. In 2012, another study was conducted at a Swedish University to compare whether a low-fat diet is better than a low-carb diet. This study monitored people for 2 years and ended with the same conclusion. Weight loss has nothing to do with these things. Only calories are important here. Now, some people go on a high-protein diet to lose weight. Some people have a perception that if they eat fats or carbs, they will convert into fat cells leading to weight gain. But if they eat protein only, their muscles will grow bigger. Indeed, protein is usually used for muscle building and muscle repairing. So if you do weight training, exercise more, wrestle, or such, then naturally you will need more protein. But if you sit on the sofa all day, don't move, don't exercise, then the excess protein you are eating also converts into fat. Now some people will say after watching this video that they went on a low-carb diet and lost weight, thinking that it works for them. But here I would like to say that if your body is suddenly deprived of carbs, then your body loses water weight. Glycogen stores help in retaining water in our body. So if you go on a keto diet for a week, you will lose 1-2 kgs of weight for sure. And that will be because your body has lost its water weight. As soon as you start eating carbs again, that water weight will come back. Dr. Sara Seidelmann and her team of researchers did a study on 15,400 people for 6 years. It was published in the famous Lancet Public Health Journal. It studied people who are on a low-carb diet but are eating more animal protein. This study found that this diet can reduce lifespan. When a low-carb diet is replaced by plant protein and fat, then it will be beneficial. I have talked about this in the video of the World's Oldest Human and the things that can be done to extend our lifespan. Now, if we have to go low-carb, then how low should we go? This study found that less than 40% of total energy comes from carbs or more than 70% of total energy comes from carbs. Both pose a higher risk to our health. It means that what we were taught in school is very important here. A balanced diet. While doing a healthy weight loss, you don't need to completely remove carbs from your diet. Rather, you need to eat healthy carbs. " Carbohydrates are the food for the brain. If you stop eating carbs, your brain health may start declining. Aggression, depression, nervousness, anxiety, trepidation, all these are part of it." What are healthy carbs? Carbs that are absorbed by the body slowly. These don't raise or lower the blood sugar level. And give the body a steady source of energy. Examples of these are whole grains, fruits, and starchy vegetables.

The Role of Fats in Weight Loss

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When you hear the word fat, you might think that it makes you fat. But this fat nutrient is also an essential nutrient and the body needs it too. Many vitamins like vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, and vitamin K are fat-soluble vitamins, so the body needs fats to absorb them. Apart from this, fats are needed for hormonal balance, energy storage, and to protect our vital organs. Human brains are made up of 60% fat. And this advice was given by the popular nutritionist Pooja Makhija. This trend of eating a low-fat diet, she was against it. She said that fats don't make you fat. Rather, eating more fat and eating the wrong kind of fat makes you fat. So, a healthy weight loss diet is a balanced diet in which carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are present.

The Optimum Percentage of Each Nutrient

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The next question is, what is the optimum percentage of each of them? What is the healthy proportion? There is a range called Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (AMDR). According to this, 45-65% of your daily calories should be from carbohydrates. 20-35% of calories should be from fats. 10-35% of calories should be from protein. The percentage you should be in this range depends on your personal lifestyle choices. Your age, how much muscle you want to gain, whether are you diabetic, and what kind of food you prefer. For these, you can consult a professional dietician, and it will be a good idea to get a diet plan customized for you. If you do not want to consult a dietitian, then for an average person who is not facing any health problems, it would be better to stay within this range.

The Do's and Don'ts of Diet Control

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So, the next question you will ask is, how can you stay within this range? What to eat and what not to eat? Let's clear this point by point. **What should you eat?** You should eat whole grains. Complex Carbohydrates. Other than wheat and rice, you should eat different types of grains like corn, oats, barley, ragi, buckwheat (kuttu), amaranth, which is also called chaulai, or pearl millet (bajra). Eat them as flatbreads (roti) or porridge. Apart from this, you should eat legumes like grams (chana) or different types of lentils. These are good sources of complex carbohydrates. And they also have fiber and protein. Then you focus on other healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. Kidney beans (rajma), chickpeas (chole), soy protein (soya chunks), gram powdered (sattu), fruits, berries, dry fruits, peanuts, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds, spices, eggs. Dairy items like milk, curd, and cottage cheese (paneer) contain healthy fats. They should be eaten in controlled amounts. It is important to mention that many people think that they are eating a balanced diet. But in reality, their diet is not balanced. In North India, you must have seen many people eating 3-4 rotis with half a bowl of vegetables. This is not the right proportion. Unknowingly, in their home-cooked meals, many people eat more rotis in a higher proportion of carbs. They should increase the amount of vegetables. **What should you not eat in a healthy weight loss diet?** First of all, refined flour. Refined carbohydrates like refined flour get digested very quickly in your body. You can see unhealthy spikes in your blood sugar levels because of this. And if you eat many things made of refined flour then after 1-2 hours of eating you will start feeling hungry again. Because shortly after eating these, your blood sugar levels drop rapidly. The second problem with refined flour is that it has bad cholesterol, known as LDL cholesterol, which causes arteries to clog, increases blood pressure, increases hunger, and increases craving for sweets. Second, stop eating sugar. This is the same problem with refined sugar, which is also called added sugar. Third, stop eating bad fats. As I told you earlier, there are two types of fats. Good fats and bad fats. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are beneficial for us. We get these good fats from plant sources. Like peanuts, olive oil, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, almonds, pistachios, walnuts, sunflower oil, and flaxseed oil. On the other hand, we need very little saturated fats. But most people eat a lot of saturated fats. They are found in butter, raw coconut oil, or clarified butter (desi ghee). If you eat a lot of saturated fats for many years, it increases the risk of a heart attack. Palm oil also has saturated fats, which are found in most packaged foods in India. And then comes trans fats, which are the most harmful. These trans fats are found in refined oil, which is usually in everything that you eat out. Fried food, fried chicken, fried momos, fried doughnuts, french fries, Indian street food, golgappas, samosas, all of these have high trans fats because they are deep-fried. Deep-fried foods should be avoided. Some people watch this and say that I am fear-mongering. There's a channel called Foodpharmer, they make good health-related videos. But people accuse him of fear-mongering since he points out things that one shouldn't eat. Fear-mongering means spreading fear about something unnecessary. But the thing here is that these things are they are, actually, very dangerous. Avoid eating as much packaged food as possible. These are ultra-processed food items made in factories. They are made of everything harmful to us. Refined flour, added sugar, artificial sweeteners, palm oil, artificial food colors, and harmful preservatives. **What can you eat if not these things?** You can eat roti-sabzi with very little ghee or butter. Idli, Upma, Poha, Dhokla, Omelette, Moong Dal Cheela, Dosa, Uttapam, which is made with very little butter, Milk, Curd, Lassi, Boiled Eggs, Natural Fruit Juice, Cheeku shake, Anjeer shake, Misi Roti, Tawa Paratha, Raita, Buttermilk, Jeera Rice, Biryani, Hara Bhara Kebab, Mushroom Tikka, Paneer Tikka, You can eat these if they are made in desi ghee, butter, or olive oil. The interesting thing is that when you start eating more of these things and less of the unhealthy things, you will notice a transformation, your taste buds will start changing. You will stop craving for that unhealthy food. You will crave fresh fruits and fresh vegetables. If you are not used to eating all this fresh food, you can start with your favorite fruit or vegetables. Also, learn to control your portions while eating. Always drink a glass of water before eating so that you don't need to eat much. Eat on small plates, with small spoons, and eat slowly. Don't eat so much that your stomach is 100% full. Eat till it is 80% full. How, in Japan, people have a philosophy of eating only till they are 80% full. When you eat more vegetables, which have more fiber and more volume, you'll feel less hungry, you'll have less space in your stomach, and you'll consume fewer calories.

The Importance of Exercise in Weight Loss

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Now, let's talk about the importance of exercise in weight loss. There are three different types of exercises. First, stamina or cardio exercises, which are important for your cardiovascular fitness. Like swimming, running, or playing any other sport. The exercises that increase your heart rate. Second, stretching exercises, are very important for your flexibility. These include exercises like Surya Namaskar and Yoga. And third, strength training, which is important for your muscle strength and muscle endurance. These include lifting heavy weights, going to the gym, doing push-ups, squats, planks, or lifting dumbbells. So ideally, all these 3 types of exercises should be balanced in a healthy lifestyle. But for weight loss, it doesn't matter what type of exercises you do as long as these exercises are helping to burn calories. Some exercises burn more calories than others. Like running, rope skipping, playing badminton, football, and squash. Some exercises burn fewer calories. like playing cricket, doing yoga, or stretching. So, broadly speaking, you have to keep in mind that you should burn more calories if you want to lose more weight. But you should do the exercises in the form you like. Whether you do Zumba for 30 minutes or run for 30 minutes, it's up to you. Apart from this, movement should be included in your day-to-day life, like walking or cycling as much as possible. The extra calories that are burned by these activities, add up throughout the day. Always remember, doing something is much better than doing nothing. Some people search for "best exercises" to lose belly fat. Or the "best exercises" to lose facial fat. Friends, these are only myths. To some extent, particular muscles can be toned, but spot reduction is more or less not possible. Most of the research and studies that have been done, do not support this. The areas where our body stores fat and the areas where the fat is burned by burning calories, depend entirely on the body. Your job is to exercise, your body will decide for itself from where the fat should be burned. When you do this consistently, then overall, one day your body will get into good shape. This depends on genetics the areas where your body will lose fat. I would like to mention a final point here, stress. There is a significant link between weight gain and stress. When you feel stressed, your body's cortisol levels increase. This reduces your metabolism and increases your craving for fat and sugar. So if you want to lose weight, it is important to manage stress as well. For this, you can do meditation, play sports, or spend time with friends and family in real life.

Conclusion

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So, in conclusion, healthy weight loss is achievable through a combination of diet control, exercise, proper sleep, and stress management. It is important to focus on a balanced diet that includes whole grains, high-fiber fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats. Avoiding refined flour, added sugar, bad fats, and packaged foods is also crucial. Exercise should be a combination of stamina, stretching, and strength training, tailored to your preferences. Spot reduction is a myth, and weight loss depends on burning more calories than you consume. Remember to manage stress and prioritize your overall well-being. With dedication and consistency, you can achieve your weight loss goals and lead a healthier, happier life.