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Real Life Nutrition Questions Answered

Real Life Fitness Questions Answered

Emma Brown
Nutritionist

Janet Aylott
Nutritionist

Kelly Marshall
Fitness Consultant

Q.

Eating fewer calories than my target just by cutting booze..

I've started a diet and, without really trying, I seem to be eating 1200-1400 calories a day. This sounds good, but my recommended is just over 2000 to lose 2lbs a week. My trouble has never been eating unhealthily but more my alcohol intake. Now I've cut out alcohol (which probably made up 600-800 calories a day, and was probably an unsafe level of drinking), I'm losing 2lbs a week without changing my diet.

Should I increase the amount of food I eat to make up some of what I have lost through giving up alcohol? I don't feel hungry or feel the need to eat more. As long as I am not losing more than 2lbs a week, am I safe to keep eating 1200-1400 calories and just accept I don't seem to require the extra?

A.

Our expert says...

I'm a strong advocate of ?if it ain?t broke don?t fix it? and this, combined with the fact that 1200-1400 calories isn't unhealthily low, makes me feel you should stick to your current path, You are, after all, not feeling hungry, and if you?re managing well and enjoying life without the alcohol you?ll be doing your body a big favour. Everyone is different and you may require a more drastic calorie reduction than most to achieve your desired weight loss. I'm just really pleased it's working for you - but try to use the calories you are eating as wisely as possible to ensure you achieve a balanced diet - so that's plenty of fruit and veg, moderate amounts of starchy carbohydrate foods and lean protein, plus some low fat dairy products every day.

One possibility is that your overweight and large amount of alcohol you were having had a deleterious effect on the way your body handled insulin and glucose. When this leads to a condition called insulin resistance it's harder to lose weight and your pounds get more ?stuck?, especially around the middle. Does this ring any bells? Either way, I think overall you are doing really well and should stay with 1200-1400 if it's easy. If you do go back to having alcohol, limit it to one or two small glasses a day.

Disclaimer
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