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What to Know About Caloric Restriction

If you want to lose weight, you only need to follow one simple guideline. You should consume fewer calories than you burn daily. Therefore, caloric restriction is the baseline for almost any diet plan you will encounter. However, it can be easy to take caloric restriction too far and fail to get the nourishment you need from your diet. There are also ways to mimic the results of caloric restriction without actually limiting how much you eat. That’s what I discuss in the following video.

What the Research Says

Research in a wide variety of animals shows that caloric restriction can lengthen lifespans. However, research does not consider factors like external risks and accidental deaths, which are not present in laboratory settings. Additionally, caloric restriction studies do not measure the quality of life that this type of dieting can yield. If you are constantly undereating, you may feel irritable, tired, and have a difficult time regulating your body temperature.

What You Can Do

It is possible to achieve some of the benefits of caloric restriction while enjoying a more normal and fulfilling diet. Fasting is one method that can trick your metabolism and trigger some effects of caloric restriction, including burning excess body fat. However, there are many methods of fasting, and the jury is still out on which is most effective. Time-restricted eating, or intermittent fasting, is one method that patients often inquire about. This trending dietary pattern can be effective, as it allows normal eating but only during certain hours of the day. Alternatively, the ketogenic diet can achieve some of the positive effects of caloric restriction.