What A Fat Loss Day Seems To Be Like
On paper, a fat loss day looks a lot like any balanced day. The difference is that the total comes in a little under what your body uses. The NHS explains the mechanism in two lines: you’re likely to lose weight if you eat and drink fewer calories than you use, because your body then uses its stored fat for energy, and you’re likely to put on weight if you eat and drink more, because the extra is stored as fat.
So the useful question is what that day contains. A clear public answer is the Eatwell Guide, which shows how much of what we eat overall should come from each food group. The NHS says it applies to most of us, whether we’re a healthy weight or overweight. Below, one ordinary fat loss day is laid out against its food groups, with dates where they fit. It is general information, not medical advice. The NHS says anyone with a medical condition, a special diet for their health, or an eating disorder now or in the past should talk to a GP or a healthcare professional before changing their lifestyle.
Start with the number
The NHS gives a guide of around 2,000 calories a day for an average woman and 2,500 for an average man, and says your own figure can differ with age, weight, height and how much exercise you do. A fat loss day sits somewhat below your own figure. The free NHS Weight Loss Plan app lets you set a daily calorie target if you’d rather not work it out alone.
Most of the number never needs counting by hand. The NHS suggests checking nutrition labels for calorie information, which appears under the “energy” heading, and planning meals ahead, which can help you manage your calorie intake.
Just over a third from fruit and vegetables
The Eatwell Guide says fruit and vegetables should make up just over a third of the food we eat each day, at least 5 portions, and they can be fresh, frozen, tinned, dried or juiced. Juice and smoothies have a cap: no more than 150ml a day combined.
Dates count here, with conditions. On the NHS 5 A Day page, 30g of dried fruit counts as 1 portion and is equivalent to around 80g of fresh fruit, and it should be eaten at mealtimes, not as a between-meal snack, to reduce the risk of tooth decay. That 30g carries real energy. USDA FoodData Central lists Medjool dates (FDC 168191, SR Legacy, 2019) at 277 kcal and 66.5g of total sugars per 100g, which comes to about 83 kcal and 20g of sugars in a 30g portion. It also has about 2g of fibre. On a fat loss day, one weighed portion at breakfast covers a 5 A Day slot without much guesswork.
Just over a third from starchy food
Rice, bread, potatoes and pasta get the other big share. The NHS says starchy foods should also make up just over a third of what we eat, and that, gram for gram, they contain fewer than half the calories of fat. What raises the count is the added fat used to cook and serve them. Wholegrain versions and potatoes with the skin on carry more fibre, which can help you feel full, so the NHS calls them a particularly good choice if you’re trying to lose weight. On the plate that means brown rice over white, and baked potato wedges in place of chips.
Protein, dairy and a little oil
The rest of the day is smaller. Beans, peas and lentils are low in fat and a good source of fibre and protein, according to the Eatwell Guide, which also suggests lean cuts of meat and at least 2 portions of fish a week, one of them oily. For dairy it points to lower-fat and lower-sugar options such as semi-skimmed milk and plain low-fat yoghurt. A spoon of yoghurt with chopped dates is a way to have both groups in one bowl.
Oils come last and in small amounts. The guide prefers unsaturated oils such as olive, rapeseed and sunflower, but reminds us that all types of fat are high in energy.
What sits outside the plate
Chocolate, cakes, biscuits, sugary soft drinks, butter, ghee and ice cream are placed outside the main guide. The NHS says they’re not needed in our diet and should be eaten less often and in smaller amounts. The guide adds that most of us need to cut down on these, which makes them the obvious place to start trimming on a fat loss day.
Drinks, movement and sleep
Six to eight cups or glasses of fluid a day is the government guide, and water, lower-fat milks, lower-sugar or sugar-free drinks and tea and coffee all count. The NHS also says alcohol can be high in calories and easy to lose track of.
Food is only half the day. In the NHS’s words, changing what you eat can help you lose weight, but moving more can help you keep the weight off, even if you start with 10 minutes of activity at a time. And poor sleep may make you more likely to choose high-calorie foods and too tired to exercise or cook healthy meals.
The NHS adds that you don’t need this balance at every meal. Try to get it right over a day or even a week.
Stocking up
Every date sold in Malaysia is imported. Date Fruits handles everything from retail buying to wholesale supply and delivers across the country, as our about us page explains, and the contact page has a form for questions. Other articles are on the blog.
You can also look at Pemborong kurma Green Diamond, whose homepage lists Ajwa, Medjool, Mariami and Safawi at wholesale prices with delivery across Malaysia. An older link from this article, Harga Kurma 2023, points to the same site.