Most people would understandably not want to attempt
calorie restriction. With such cheap and plentiful food today, why hold back? Plus, when one is a sugar-burner, you tend to be hungry all the time!
However, there are so many positives to calorie restriction, that I really think it is worth doing. Researchers have learned that calorie restriction keeps animals alive longer, and they will also be
healthier, slimmer, and more robust than when totally free eating, as long as their nutritional needs are met.
The good news is, that if you are a fat-burner as opposed to a sugar-burner, calorie restriction is much easier! I find that following a ketogenic diet with a roughly
75/25 fat/protein ratio allows me to feel quite full, even with a caloric deficit. I have been able to maintain 15% bodyfat for a year now, which is fairly low for a woman my age, with roughly a 13% caloric restriction. I don't get hungry, and I don't need to snack. And I am getting all of my necessary nutrients!
It is important to
weigh one's food, otherwise we can easily eat too freely. It helps to use a
food scale that has a
tare function to account for your plate, and calculate down to the
gram. With ribs and other foods where there will be some waste, I weigh before I eat, then weigh the waste, to get the actual amount eaten. Beware - with foods that very rich in fat, such as marrow, beef short ribs, lamb ribs, and sweetbreads, just very small pieces pack quite a lot of calories!
I recommend using
nutritional tracking software such as Cron-o-meter to make sure you are keeping your calories where you want, without sacrificing nutrition. Then you can use a
caloric restriction calculator to see how much caloric restriction you are actually doing. I like this one:
http://scientificpsychic.com/health/cron1.html
I know that our homo sapiens ancestors in the Ice Age didn't have food scales, but they also didn't have such cheap and prolific food. They naturally had to practice calorie restriction! But with enough fat, (and sea salt!) there is no feeling of hunger or deprivation. Just fullness and health!
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Grassfed lamb ribs with smoked salt
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