Reduction diet - before you decide

A reduction diet is indicated for people who are overweight, overweight or obese. Perhaps not everyone realizes that obesity is a disease. In the international classification of diseases that doctors use, it has its own number (E-66). It is an excessive accumulation of fat in the body.

If you think of yourself as "fat-boned" - you are mistaken. An obese person has more body fat than a person of normal weight.

Below I am posting the results of body composition analysis of two young men of similar height. The first weighs 80 kg (this is the normal body weight), the second 150 kg. The bone mass of neither of them exceeds 10 kg, while we notice a dramatic difference when it comes to body fat (18% vs. 34%).

How do you check your body weight?

Before you decide to go on a reduction diet, check what your body weight is. There are several simple ways to do this.

1. calculation of BMI (Body Mass Index, body mass index) and its interpretation based on the classification below:

Niedowaga < 18,5
Prawidłowa masa ciała 18,5 – 24,9
Nadwaga 25 – 29,9
Otyłość ≥ 30
Otyłość I stopnia 30 – 34,9
Otyłość II stopnia 35 – 39,9
Otyłość III stopnia (olbrzymia) ≥ 40
np. jeśli ważysz 70 kg przy wzroście 165 cm, Twój BMI wynosi 25,7 kg/m2 i sugeruje nadwagę

2. you can measure your waist circumference.

Weight reduction is recommended especially if it is ≥ 88 cm in women and ≥ 102 cm in men. Ideally, however, the waist circumference in women should not exceed 80 cm, while in men it should be 94 cm.

3. you can also perform a body composition analysis on a professional device.

Such analysis provides detailed information about your body structure. It allows you to assess not only your body weight, but also your body fat, lean body mass, hydration, muscle mass and bone content. The device usually also calculates BMI, assesses basal metabolism and energy requirements, and provides metabolic age.

How many kilocalories a day do I need?

Total energy requirements, or the number of kilocalories you need in a day, depend on several factors, including gender, age, weight and height, as well as physical activity. They can be calculated using the formulas below.

If your BMI is 25 or more, the calorie content of your daily menu should be reduced from your total requirement by about 500-800 kcal. This will help you lose weight in a SAFE and HEALTHY way. Remember that the goal is a SLOW and STAGGER weight loss, averaging 0.5 - 1 kg per week.

Step 1 - We begin by calculating basal metabolism (PPM). It is important to take into account that the formulas allow you to determine energy requirements only indirectly and do not take into account other factors that may affect metabolism (including health, genetic factors, physiological state, ambient temperature, nutritional state of the body...). I suggest using the Mifflin - St. Jeor formula. This formula takes into account gender, current body weight, height and age.

PPM for women = (10 x current body weight [kg]) + (6.25 x height [cm]) - (5 x age [years]) - 161
PPM for men = (10 x current body weight [kg]) +(6.25 x height [cm]) - (5 x age [years]) + 5

For example, the PPM of a 50-year-old woman with a body weight of 90 kg and height of 165 cm is 1520 kcal
(10 x 90) + (6.25 x 165) - (5 x 50) - 161 = 900 + 1031 - 250 - 161 = 1520 kcal

Step 2 - Multiply the calculated basal metabolic rate (PPM) by the physical activity factor (PAL, Physical Activity Level) adjusted to your physical activity. This will tell you what your total energy requirements are.

1.2 - 1.3 low physical activity, no additional exercise
1.4 - 1.5 additional, not very intense, low physical activity
1.6 - 1.7 work requiring additional physical activity
1.8 - 1.9 standing work
2.0 - 2.4 heavy physical work

For example, the woman in the description above has a sedentary job, does not exercise (multiply 1520 kcal x factor 1.3). Her total energy requirement is 1976 kcal.

Step 3 - Reduce your total energy requirements by about 500 - 800 kcal to achieve a caloric deficit and achieve a gradual weight reduction

For example, the woman in the description above, in order to achieve weight loss, she should use the caloric content of her menu of 1200-1500 kcal.

Author of the text:

Nutritionist Natalia Parulska, M.Sc.