A hypocaloric diet is a weight loss diet that seeks to consume fewer calories than the body needs to "function." Basically, the body uses calories to stay alive, that is, to breathe, perform its internal functions, etc., and to cover our daily physical activity (moving, going up and down stairs, doing sports…).
How do we know how many calories we need per day?
The formula to calculate it is as follows, if you are between 30 and 60 years old, multiply your weight by 8.7 and add 829.
For example, if you weigh 63.5 kilos kg, the average of Spanish women according to a survey by Sigma Dos:
- 63.5 x 8.7 + 829 = 1,381 calories
And if you are over 60, you have to multiply by 10.5 and add 596.
With the example of 63.5 kilos it would be:
- 63.5 x 10.5 + 596 = 1,262 calories
How many calories should your hypocaloric diet have then?
Knowing what your body uses, you must take fewer calories to lose weight. If according to the formula you use 1,381 kcal a day, the ideal is that you do a diet of 1,200 kcal, never less, because an excessive caloric restriction would cause the body to also lower its caloric expenditure and you would not be able to lose weight, only starve.
If you exercise a lot, then you can increase the number of calories you consume, but it should be an intense and regular exercise, combining cardiovascular activities (running, swimming, cycling …) with others that work the muscles (weights, isometric exercises … ).
Calories are important but … they are not everything
As the nutritionist Aitor Sánchez, author of My Limping Diet, explains , “it is common sense to perceive that 100 kcal of avocado does not affect the body in the same way as 100 kcal in the form of vodka or sugar”.
For this reason, CLARA's hypocaloric diet, in addition to sticking to 1,200 kcal, is based on the Mediterranean diet, which includes fruit, vegetables, fish, meat … fresh foods, which are what really nourish the body.
On the other hand, we must avoid foods that provide “empty calories”, that is, whose micronutrient content, that is, vitamins and minerals, is low or null, which are usually foods or beverages very rich in sugar.
- Neither are ultra-processed foods suitable for you, that is, foods that are very rich in fat, sugar, salt and additives, and that "kill us" as dietitian-nutritionist Carlos Ríos, CLARA blogger, warns.
When following a hypocaloric diet, do not fall into the trap of light foods
A food is considered light when it has less than 30% calories than its reference food. In other words, a light mayonnaise has 30% fewer calories than a normal mayonnaise, but it still has many more calories than a light vinaigrette. And this is the difference, being light does not mean that it has no calories, so do not automatically include it in your diet thinking that it is not going to make you fat.
- And the other trap of the light is that they make us trust ourselves and eat a larger portion than we would eat if they were not light, so in the end we can be taking even more calories by using light foods.
How to prepare a weekly menu with the hypocaloric diet
Every day you have to eat:
- 2 servings of vegetables (250 g / serving)
- 2 servings of fruit (one piece or 125 g / serving)
- 2-3 servings of pasta, rice, legume, potatoes or bread (50 g of raw pasta, rice or bread and 125 g of potato)
- 1-2 protein servings (120g fish or white meat or tofu or 2 eggs)
- 2 servings of dairy products (one serving is 2 yogurts or 1 glass of milk or 100 g of fresh cheese or 40 g of aged cheese)
- 1 serving of nuts (20 g)
- 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
Typical menu of the hypocaloric diet
- Breakfast. Mini tuna sandwich + tea, coffee or infusion
- Midmorning. 1 piece of fruit + 1 handful of nuts (20 g)
- Food. Salad + baked chicken + piece of fruit
- Snack. Fresh cheese with a bit of olive oil
- Dinner. Vegetable cream + grilled fish + yogurt
To make it easy for you, we have created a free downloadable weekly menu that can serve as a base, but for the following weeks, only changing some foods for other equivalent ones.
For example, if in one menu we suggest you make green beans with beans and a chicken burger, in another you can make broccoli with lentils and a salmon loin. In addition, you will find other light recipes to inspire you on our website.
Free downloadable hypocaloric diet
Snacks and snacks of the hypocaloric diet
In addition to the breakfasts, lunches and dinners that we propose, at mid-morning and afternoon you can also take
- Piece of fruit (mandatory in a snack a day) with dried fruits
- Yogurt with nuts (if you haven't had them with the fruit)
- Fresh cheese
- Hard-boiled egg
- Glass of natural tomato juice with pepper
- Carrot
- Glass of milk
- Coffee or tea with milk
How long you can follow the hypocaloric diet
It is a healthy diet, so if you do not have health contraindications, you can follow it until you lose the 3-5 kilos you need to lose.
- If you are going to lose more than 5 kilos, it is important that you consult with your doctor before.
How to avoid the rebound effect
Our diet is hypocaloric but not very restrictive, so you will not have a rebound effect. Of course, it is advisable to make a transition between the diet and returning to a "normal" diet, so it is advisable to start with a free meal a week once you have reached your weight, that is, a meal in which You can eat what you like but without going over the portion and without repeating.
The free meal is either a breakfast or a lunch or a dinner, but not all the menus of the day, only one of the main meals. Then you can introduce a second weekly free meal and, if you stay at your weight, up to a third.
- As soon as you see that you gain weight again, go back to doing a couple of weeks of strict diet and gradually introduce free meals again. And when you eat normally, think about following the guidelines of the Mediterranean diet, avoiding ultra-processed foods and those with "empty calories."
