Blog Post #9: So what? Putting it all together!

Welcome back, everyone!!

If you have been following my healthy habits journey over the last 10 weeks, you likely know that I tried out 3 different eating habits that I wanted to implement into my everyday life. 

1. From January 18 to January 31, I followed a low-calorie diet to put myself into a calorie deficit. I was able to stay on track for the first week but had a bit of trouble in the second week of this diet. As I mentioned in my previous blog posts, there were many different factors that derailed me from this diet, such as social influences. 

2. From February 1 to February 21 I followed an Intermittent Fasting diet, which allowed me to eat anything while staying in a caloric deficit, but I could only eat between 12-8pm. I also found this eating habit tough to stick with, especially with the social influences around me.

3. From February 22 to March 7 I followed a weight watchers type diet, where I tracked points rather than calories, and I was able to stick with it without feeling restricted or pressured to cheat from friends. 

Out of these 3 diets, I found that intermittent fasting was the most difficult for me, since my normal eating schedule does not fit with the hours I chose for this diet. If I were to try this diet again, I may try with a bigger window, like 12/12, or I may start eating later so that I can eat later in the evening, as I stay up pretty late and would like to be able to have a snack around 10, since I'm usually awake until midnight or 1am.

I found the calorie deficit diet and the weight watcher diets a bit easier to follow, as they do not restrict you from eating any foods, but you must track those foods in order to maintain within the calorie/point deficit. Overall, I found the weight watcher diet easier to follow, as I was able to eat as many fruits and vegetables as I wanted to without having to track. The calorie deficit diet was a bit tedious, as I had to track every little thing in my calories, and foods like butter and oils add up REALLY quickly. 

While doing some research, it's obvious that a calorie deficit is crucial in losing weight, if you intake more calories than you burn in a day, you are bound to gain weight, but if you put your body in a calorie deficit, you will likely lose weight. There is no set number in saying that you have to eat x amount of calories to burn x number of pounds. These things all depend on the individual and their body. That being said, whether you try weight watchers, intermittent fasting, keto, or other diets, you are likely being put in a calorie deficit, which helps you lose weight. 

Food & Fitness Advisor (2011) states that in order to lose 1 lb, you need to burn 3500 calories. So if you put yourself in a 500 calorie deficit each day, you could likely lose 1 lb in a week. Obviously, there are different factors for each person, and some people burn more calories in a day due to varying metabolisms, activity levels, or health-related issues, but if you figure out your maintenance calories and subtract 500 calories, you will put yourself in a deficit that works for you. Some people want to lose weight fast and think that restricting their calorie intake to be in a calorie deficit of 1000+ calories works, however, this actually has been seen to be bad for your health. As Kamau from Better Me states, if you don't eat enough, you may experience higher stress levels, fatigue, lower immunity, malnutrition, etc. Some people may get frustrated if they are not losing weight when in a deficit, however, under-eating can make your body think you are starving itself, which then puts your body into starvation mode, which holds onto fat and lowers your metabolism. 

Slow and steady wins the race, and you have to be patient, especially if you don't want to restrict yourself. I think of it as a lifestyle, you can have everything in moderation, as long as you put yourself in a calorie deficit, you can eat what you want if you fit it in your calories. I don't think there is a set answer to whether a specific diet would work for everyone. Personally for myself, I found the weight watcher diet the easiest to follow with the best results, as I was in a calorie deficit, without feeling too restricted. In the next coming weeks, I will be creating a 2 Week Meal Plan, that will put you in a calorie deficit (1750 calorie intake in a day), without feeling restricted. I will be incorporating foods from the weight watcher zero point list while tracking calories. This will combine the two eating habits that I enjoyed, by making a quick and easy meal plan that you can follow too!

I'll talk to you shortly, have a good week everyone!!

- Jenna