What is the most important thing in constructing a diet? There are people for whom the answer to this question is simple, because they have a theoretical background andmany practical experiences that turn into results. However, a person who is just getting into the nutrition world is thrown into the vortex of various, often contradictory messages. "Eat fats", "eat carbohydrates", "big breakfast", "small breakfast". Often the effects bring only dizziness and jumping from diet to diet, ending with poor results. This article aims to show what is most important in an effective reduction diet.
Caloricity - energy balance
The food we eat gives us the energy we measure in kilocalories. The amount of energy supplied is absolutely the most important factor regulating changes in our figure. This results not only from dietetics, but also from physics itself, specifically from the first law of thermodynamics. This is one of the most important laws controlling the entire universe. Simply speaking, this principle says that the sum of energy that is delivered to the body must equal the sum of the energy expended.
In the case of the human body, this means that fat loss will be possible only if we provide fewer calories than we burn. Of course, this is a generalization, and the topic itself is much more complex. Our energy expenditure is never static and can change under different, variable conditions.
However, it’s an undeniable fact that the calorific value of a diet is the most important mechanism for changes in body composition. It does not matter if you eat 5 meals a day, if all meals are made from the highest quality products or if you drink water from mountain streams mixed by Shaolin monks - the fact is that if you eat excess calories, you will not lose weight.
Distribution of macronutrients
The second most important thing is the complete distribution of macronutrients in the diet. Of course, it's about protein, carbohydrates and fats (PCF).
This point is in the second place, because each of these three has a different impact on the functioning of our body. The right proportion of PCF is important for changes in body composition. It’s possible to have a caloric deficit diet that causes weight loss, but inappropriate distribution of macronutrients leads mainly to loss of muscle tissue, not fat tissue - which gives us poor results.
The most important is the proper intake of protein, because it regulates anabolic processes, at the same time accelerating the metabolism and ensuring proper muscle saturation. The proportion of carbohydrates and fats in the diet is a contentious issue, really dependent on individual human characteristics. In order to determine the proper distribution of macronutrients in the diet, it’s best to go to a specialist.
Micronutrients
The third place has micronutrients, that is, adequate supply of vitamins and minerals, which basically boils down to the quality of products in the diet.
If you do not control the supply of calories and macronutrients, it makes no sense to spend extra money on organic food in the hope that we will provide some more selected minerals.
Of course, this ranking of priorities is particularly oriented to those who want to change the body composition. You can lose weight even by eating crisps every day, but this choice can have serious health consequences.
It should be noted that the third place does not mean that this element is unimportant. On the contrary, it ended up on the list!
Time and distribution of meals during the day
The fourth, most important rule indicates when and in what proportions we eat meals. Once we have established the calorific value, we have chosen macronutrients and eat healthy products, it’s worth taking care of when we eat them.
It’s only now it’s worth considering whether carbohydrates should be eaten in the morning, or maybe in the evening, and how long after training. Should we eat 3 or 5 meals? These are in a sense secondary issues, because watching over whether we eat a portion of protein during an anabolic window is pointless if we do not eat enough protein throughout the day.
Supplementation
Supplements are in the last place. This is the least important of all these factors, although it still has an impact on the results.
Some even say that supplements add only 5% to our efforts - there are even those who say that it’s 1%. These are perhaps slightly underestimated numbers, considering that creatine alone can increase strength by 5-15%. It’s only when someone takes care of a proper diet that they should consider taking supplements. Otherwise, they will not join the group of people who have undergone an amazing transformation.
