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What is the Role of Diet in Weight Loss?

Are you having trouble losing weight? It can be incredibly difficult, especially with all the various weight management strategies out there and people telling you that their diet is the best.

This brings us to the point of today’s article: why is diet key to weight loss?

Jump there now:

• How Important is Diet to Losing Weight?
• The Role of Meal Timing in Weight Loss
• Why Is Diet Important — Types of Diets
• Restructuring Your Environment for Better Weight Management
• Xandro Lab’s Lean XP

How Important is Diet to Losing Weight?

Diet is simply the selection of food you eat but is used colloquially to talk about the food you eat to improve your health, manage your weight or cure a disease.

So, how much does diet contribute to weight loss?

Weight management is incredibly dependent on diet as it depends on factors such as the timing of your meals, the amount of food eaten and then what you eat.

Your body needs a variety of vitamins and nutrients to function, with an imbalance of some causing havoc in our bodies that can cause weight gain.

Losing this weight often requires an energy deficit, usually in the form of a low-calorie diet. While the type of weight loss diet has been debated, a meta-analysis of various diets found that calorie restriction was the primary driver of weight loss, followed by eating the right amount of macronutrients.

Definition: A calorie is a unit of energy, commonly used when talking about food intake. We need calories to function as this is how we get most of our energy and to stay healthy, our calorie intake should equal our energy expenditure. Many countries use the term, kilojoules, instead, with one calorie equalling 4.18kJ.

It’s important to understand that what works for one person may not necessarily work for you, as anecdotal experience has found people finding with results in all of them.

Low-Calorie Diet vs. Very-Low-Calorie Diet:

• Low-Calorie Diet: Typically involves eating 1,000–1,500 calories a day, creating a daily deficit of 500–750 calories. It focuses on reducing either fats or carbohydrates but doesn't prioritise one over the other for weight loss. While effective, weight loss may plateau over time, which can feel discouraging.
• Very-Low-Calorie Diet: Involves eating fewer than 800 calories a day and is not usually recommended unless under medical supervision. It has, however, shown promise when combined with behavioural programs, especially for significant weight loss or diabetes remission.

The Role of Meal Timing in Weight Loss

These days, a lot of research is going into intermittent fasting and time-restricted eating as people have been seeing effective results with these.

Intermittent Fasting:

Involves periods of no or limited calorie intake. Popular methods include alternate-day fasting, 5:2 fasting (fasting or eating 900–1,000 calories on 2 days per week) and daily time-restricted eating (16–18 hours of fasting).

This not only helps reduce calorie intake but also improves insulin sensitivity, strengthens the immune system, and enhances cognitive and physical functions. It's a simple approach that focuses on when you eat rather than counting calories, making it easier to avoid late-night snacking.

Keep in mind that intermittent fasting may cause dizziness, weakness or headaches, especially for those on certain medications. Long-term effects and sustainability are still being studied.

Meal Timing:

This focuses on eating at the right times of the day in sync with your body's circadian

rhythm.

Eating late at night can disrupt your circadian rhythm, leading to weight gain and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Studies show that skipping breakfast or eating late can contribute to obesity and metabolic syndrome.

The American Heart Association advises consuming most calories earlier in the day, having a high-calorie breakfast and maintaining consistent overnight fasting periods to prevent obesity and support overall health.

Further Reading: Ultimate Guide to Weight Management

Why Is Diet Important — Types of Diets

Nutritionally Balanced, Low-Calorie Diet: A nutritionally balanced, hypocaloric (low-calorie) diet involves eating the same types of foods you normally would, but in smaller quantities. It follows the Food Guide Pyramid, which recommends a diet rich in grains, fruits and vegetables, with moderate amounts of dairy and meat, and limited high-fat or sugary foods.

It focuses on portion control, awareness and variety, making it easy to follow, and even with reduced portions, it's possible to get all essential nutrients. Many studies support this approach, with typical calorie reductions of 500 to 1,000 calories per day leading to effective weight loss.

Low-Fat Diet: Reduces fat intake because fat has more calories per gram than carbs or protein. Typically involves 10–30% of calories from fat.Studies show that low-fat diets aren't better for long-term weight loss than other diets. They can lower ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol but might raise triglycerides and lower ‘good’ HDL cholesterol.High-fat diets can negatively affect gut health and increase obesity risk, while low-fat diets with good-quality fats and fibre may help in weight management and prevent certain cancers.

Low-Carb Diet: Limits carbs to 50–130 grams per day. When carbs drop below 50 grams, it can lead to ketosis (burning fat for energy).Low-carb diets can be effective for weight loss, especially in the short term. The Atkins diet is a popular version.While low-carb diets can help with weight loss and managing Type 2 diabetes, benefits often fade after a year. Adequate protein intake is crucial to preserving muscle mass during weight loss.

Ketogenic Diet: Extremely low-carb (under 50 grams/day), high-fat, and moderate-protein diet. May reduce appetite and increase fat burning, although there have been mixed results on cholesterol levels. May help with certain conditions like Type 2 diabetes and PCOS but isn't suitable for everyone, especially pregnant women or those with certain health conditions.

High-Protein Diet: Increases protein intake to about 30% of daily calories. Promotes satiety, helps preserve muscle mass during weight loss, and can prevent weight regain. Keep in mind that high-protein diets can be tough on kidneys, especially if protein comes from red meat. It's safer to get protein from fish, dairy and plant sources.

Mediterranean Diet: Focuses on fruits, vegetables, poultry, fish and minimal red meat.Supported by strong evidence for weight loss, cardiovascular health and possibly reducing cancer risk.There has been a moderate link found to improved cognitive function and decreased dementia risk. Overall, it's a balanced, long-term approach to healthy eating.

Nordic Diet: Emphasises whole grains, high-fibre vegetables, fish and lean meats. Proven to improve body weight, though it might be challenging to maintain due to accessibility and cost of ingredients.

Vegetarian Diet: Excludes meat, fish and poultry, with variations like lacto-vegetarian or lacto-ovo-vegetarian. Can lower the risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and cancer, and reduce body weight. Beneficial for blood pressure and cholesterol levels but may lack omega-3 fats since fish is excluded.

Each diet has its strengths and potential drawbacks. The best choice depends on individual health goals, preferences and medical conditions. Make sure you follow a sustainable diet that balances nutrients and supports long-term health as this is essential for successful weight management.

Tip: Going back and forth like a yoyo in your dieting by following ‘fad diets’ can make you gain weight in the long run as this can lower your metabolism. It’s best to lose weight slowly, changing your eating and exercise routine to build healthy, long-term habits.

Further Reading: How To Increase Metabolism

Restructuring Your Environment for Better Weight Management

Your surroundings — home, workplace and community — play a big role in your eating habits and activity levels. By making small changes to your environment, you can reduce the temptation to overeat and encourage healthier choices.

Simple Changes for a Healthier Environment:

• Cook at Home: Prepare meals yourself and pack lunches to avoid unhealthy fast food.
• Portion Control: Learn to estimate or measure portions, especially when eating out.
• Be Menu-Savvy: Recognise high-fat menu items and avoid them, especially at buffets.
• Healthy Habits: Quit smoking and limit alcohol intake.
• Smart Swaps: Replace high-calorie foods with low-calorie options.
• Avoid Temptation: Change your commute if it takes you past tempting food shops.

Xandro Lab’s Lean XP

Here at Xandro, we’ve been interested in the topic of nutrition and weight loss, too. By scouring weight loss research articles and having our own researchers look into it, we’ve put together Lean XP, a stimulant-free bat burner that supports healthy weight efforts and metabolism.

With scientifically-backed ingredients, such as ThinOgen® Laminaria Japonica Extract (seaweed extract), MitoBurn®, Garcinia Cambogia Fruit Extract, L-Carnitine, Ca-AKG and CaloriBurn GP® (Grains of Paradise extract), this supplement may help your weight loss efforts in burning off visceral belly fat.

You can learn more about visceral belly fat here!

Further Reading: Comparing Weight Loss Supplements

End Note

The most critical factor in weight loss is maintaining an energy deficit — burning more calories than you consume. Both low-calorie and very low-calorie diets, along with meal replacements, can help achieve this, but they need to be part of a sustainable, long-term plan.

Rather than following ‘fad diets’ that tell you how to lose weight in 7 days, in order to lose weight and then keep it off, it’s important to build healthy habits and fill your diet with a balance of healthy foods.

The benefits of losing weight are tenfold but remember that it’s important to combine a healthy diet with exercise, stress management and adequate sleep! You can read more about those in our blogs.