How To Cut Daily Calories Without Depriving Yourself?

What is the first thing you think about when it comes to dieting? If your first thought is to cut calories, then you’d be right.

However, people end up going about cutting calories to deprive themselves of the nutrition their bodies need to survive. This form of drastic calorie-cutting to the point of deprivation is known as “crash dieting.”

People end up starving themselves to lose a couple of pounds quickly. Unfortunately, crash dieting can be very dangerous, not sustainable, and can even cause weight gain.

What Are The Dangers Of Crash Dieting?

If you’re looking for long-term weight gain, then crash dieting is an unhealthy calorie-deprivation diet. Crush dieting puts a lot of stress on the body. You might see a lower number on the scale, but the entire time your body is producing stress hormones that, over time, will make you hungrier.

People believe dieting is only about the number of calories they’re consuming instead of losing nutrition. When you’re depriving yourself of calories so dramatically, you’re causing issues with your metabolism.

When your metabolism slows down, then it can lead to additional weight gain in the future. However, slower metabolism and a rebound of weight are the least of your issues when depriving yourself of calories.

Depriving yourself of calories also means you’re depriving yourself of the fats, vitamins, minerals, or proteins your body needs to survive.

Many people believe they can chew on a celery piece because it’s healthy, but they’re depriving their bodies of their daily nutritional needs. Without proper nutrition, the body starts to lose lean body mass and bone tissue.

When you go on very low-calorie diets where you’re depriving your body of calories, you’re putting your heart at risk. When your body loses calories so fast, then the short-term effect is fat-loss. While they might sound good for those looking to lose weight, the fat has to go somewhere. 

The body’s fat needs to be processed, and the increased use of fat as fuel ends up collecting in the heart. Those who already experience underlying health issues or a heart condition may have serious complications when depriving themselves of calories. With all these health warnings, is there a way to cut calories without depriving yourself of nutrition?

Is There A Way To Cut Calories Without Feeling Hungry?

People assume cutting calories means eating bland food. However, there are ways to feel full with fewer calories. Reducing calories is one of the best ways to lose weight, but you’d have to sustainably. It’s not sustainable to consume food low in calories but also low in nutritional value.

Eggs

When you’re limiting how many calories you’re taking in, it’s essential to choose low in calories and packed with nutrients. Eggs are low in calories and one of the more nutrient-dense foods available.

Eggs are only under a hundred calories but contain protein, riboflavin, vitamin D, calcium, and other vitamins and minerals that can make the brain believe it’s full. That’s why many smart dieters go on a low-calorie diet; they include eggs in their meals.

Chia Seeds

You can’t go to any health food store without seeing bags of chia seeds, and there’s a good reason for that. Despite being around for thousands of years dating back to the ancient Mayans, Chia seeds have only recently started showing up on store shelves.

That’s because chia seeds pack an impressive amount of nutrients with minimal calories.

Chia seeds contain fiber, protein, manganese, potassium, vitamin B2, and other vitamins and nutrients that help curb hunger.

These tiny seeds also have a healthy amount of antioxidants. These antioxidants help prevent cell damage that leads to several diseases, from heart disease to cancer.

The fiber content in chia seeds also helps trick your brain into believing your stomach is full, preventing overeating. It’s easy to implement chia seeds into any low-calorie diet as they quickly soak into various beverages such as water or fresh juices.

Potatoes

Don’t throw away your bags of potatoes just yet. Potatoes have a negative stigma of being unhealthy because of their link with oily and salt fries or chips. However, if prepared healthily without trans fats or sodium, potatoes are naturally free of fat, cholesterol, and sodium.

Potatoes are also an amazing source of potassium and vitamin C if eaten with the skin. A single potato added to any meal can help you feel full while only adding about a hundred calories.

When you’re trying to cut weight, you don’t need to cut calories drastically. You need to pick foods with lower calories but are high in nutrients. However, there may be an adjustment period when transitioning into a new routine.

Does It Take Time To Adjust To A New Routine?

No change is going to happen overnight. People wanting instant results is a big reason why they quit diets in the first place. It only takes a couple of days when do a crash diet, but we know now that it is not sustainable.

For some reason, we’re led to believe results happen immediately. When we don’t have instant gratification, we end up quitting our diets and spreading the word that they don’t work. Truly sustainable diets take weeks, or even months, to show any significant changes.

Cutting calories doesn’t have to mean you’re depriving yourself of nutrients.

You shouldn’t starve yourself to get the results you need because, in the long run, it’s not doing you any favors when it comes to weight gain and health issues. Mixing in potatoes, chia seeds, eggs, or any other low-calorie but nutrient-dense food into your meals will help you keep smaller portions while helping you feel fuller.