Yes, if 1600kcal is an appropriate target for your weight loss goal, then sticking to either of these diets would bring results. ⚖ ⠀
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However foods offer us more than just calories. Traditionally ‘healthy foods’ tend to be advantageous for weight loss because they are more voluminous per kcal, more filling and more micro dense. All of this creates a healthier, less hungry environment, which makes sticking to the diet more possible. ? ⠀
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Trying to eat 1600kcal of processed foods will likely result in far less filling, less voluminous food and poor micro density. Feeling sluggish and very hungry is not a great way to go about losing weight and will almost certainly lead to overconsumption or going off track. ? ⠀
FINDING YOUR BALANCE: ⠀
Both diets above have draw backs, there should always be an element of balance. Depriving yourself of all the foods you like and force feeding kale is a good way to get sick of dieting and give up entirely. If we understand that a calorie deficit is the physiological mechanism of weight loss, we can start to look at the practical methods that best help YOU achieve this: ⠀
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Filling foods ✅
High protein ✅
Fruit and veg ✅
Oily fish/fats ✅
Foods you enjoy ✅
A way of eating you can sustain ✅ ⠀⠀
This may mean swapping in a 250kcal chocolate bar in place of yogurt and fruit. In the context of a micro dense, high protein, calorie matched diet, this swap will have zero affect on your weight loss goal, other than that you may be slightly hungrier – but slightly happier! Choose the diet that helps you maintain a calorie deficit for the length of time required to lose weight, happily and healthily.
