Eating too little to lose muscle is a good way to lose weight. It is better to reduce 500 calories per day.

The correct way to lose weight is "balanced low-calorie diet + moderate exercise". So what does "balance" mean? What is “low calorie”? Donna is here to tell you.

Let’s first talk about the definition of “low calorie” for weight loss, which means reducing 500~1000 calories per day. This way, you can lose 0.5~1 kg per week (7700 calories are needed to consume each kilogram of fat). The daily calorie requirement is calculated as follows:

Donna would like to emphasize that eating less is not the most effective way to lose weight. The daily calorie intake should not be less than 1000 calories (or 20 calories/kg). If the calorie intake is insufficient, the body will lower its "basal metabolic rate" in order to protect itself. When the "basal metabolic rate" is lowered, it will be difficult to lose weight. In order to get enough calories to meet physiological needs, the body will burn "muscle" as an energy source. This not only makes you look ugly (such as sunken cheeks and sagging breasts), but also causes body dysfunction, which may lead to metabolic abnormalities, endocrine disorders, physical weakness, hair loss, menstrual abnormalities, etc.

The so-called "balanced" means that you should eat all six types of food. You can refer to the "Daily Dietary Guidelines" announced by the Department of Health, Executive Yuan:

The nutrients needed by the body come from various types of food, and each type of food can provide different nutrients. Each type of food is irreplaceable (for example: large tomatoes are vegetables and cannot be considered fruits; mung beans are whole grains and root vegetables and cannot be considered vegetables). Calculate the calories you need according to the above method, distribute them evenly among the "six major food groups", and control the portion sizes. This will not only effectively control calories and lose weight, but also prevent chronic diseases such as the three highs, kidney disease, gout, and keep you healthy.

Moderate exercise means following the "533 principle", which means exercising 5 times a week for more than 30 minutes each time, with the intensity of each exercise exceeding 130 beats per minute. If you want to burn fat, you must do "aerobic exercise" and "for more than 30 minutes", because the first 30 minutes are all about burning glycogen, and fat will only start to burn after 30 minutes. In addition, it is recommended to cooperate with "strength training" to increase muscle composition, which will help improve the "basal metabolic rate".

If you want to achieve better "muscle building and fat loss" effects, you can seek help from a coach or sports expert to give you exercise prescriptions. Remember, exercise should not be excessive, otherwise it will produce a large number of free radicals that harm the body (this is also the reason why athletes age faster).

But everyone must have an idea that losing weight cannot rely solely on exercise, because the calories consumed by exercise are actually less than you think. Diet control is the key to making you lose weight. The real purpose of exercise is to "increase the basal metabolic rate". As long as the basal metabolic rate is increased, weight loss will not easily stagnate, and it will be less likely to gain weight again after successfully losing weight. And we should also remind you that "labor" is not the same as "exercise", so don't think you can lose weight by doing housework. You still need to develop regular exercise habits.

This article comes from: Donna Nutritionist Chen Yichun's blog

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