How to lose weight correctly: tips for those who decide to say goodbye to excess weight once and for all

If you are interested in how to lose extra pounds, not just to fasten the buttons of your favorite dress -how to lose weight properly, congratulations! This means that you have already chosen the right vector and are strategically on the right track.

Let's understand what it means to lose weight properly and how you can lose weightRight, but as -wrong? Everything is quite simple here.

If you're still overweight despite all your previous attempts to lose those hated pounds, you've probably lost the wrong weight. How to lose weight properly?

It is clear that the kilograms do not return and certainly do not harm health, because no one wants to be thin, but no one wants to pay for the rest of their life with scars and the results obtained by taking drugs.

Improper weight loss leads to obesity

Nutritionists increasingly point to improper weight loss as one of the main causes of the obesity epidemic. The more people try to lose weight, the more weight they lose. It's a shame, it's annoying, but it's the truth!

Clearly, the problem lies in weight loss methods that are harmful to the body, leading to weight gain at best and health problems at worst.

So let's take a look at ways to lose weight properly and stay with your results forever! We have compiled for you the TOP 10 principles of proper nutrition that will help you get in shape even without dieting.

By systematically, confidently and consciously following these tips, you will enjoy every meal, you will not have to severely limit yourself in food, and at the same time, extra pounds will leave you without a painful feeling of hunger and a severe lack of appetite. to everyone I once dieted.

Principle 1. Lose weight slowly and correctly

Let's immediately agree with you (in turn, you with yourself) that you should always forget about fad diets: 10 kilograms in 10 days, minus 5 kg per week, etc.

Of course, if you make a lot of effort, gather willpower and do not avoid a strict mono-diet (most likely, it will be one of its types), then you can even achieve the promised result.

But this will have nothing to do with the question of how to lose weight properly. In this case, another question is relevant: at what cost?

It is impossible to eat buckwheat and cabbage leaves throughout life, it is unthinkable to give up carbohydrates forever. As soon as the canceled food products return to your refrigerator, table, and plate, the kilograms you lost so hard will not be long in coming.

Principle 2. How to lose weight correctly - the calorie counter knows

Anyone who wants to lose weight effectively, that is, seriously and for a long time, should remember two important words: "calorie count". And it doesn't matter where they come from.

• If you consume more calories than you burn, you gain weight.
• If you burn more calories than you consume, you lose weight.

So, the goal of any diet is to reduce the number of calories you consume through food. This can be done in several ways: you can choose foods with fewer calories, you can eat less in general, or you can combine both methods in a way that suits you.

However, it is the very sharp reduction in calorie intake that is the cause of many unsuccessful and therefore incorrect attempts to lose weight.

• If you skip meals or don't feel full because your portion sizes are too small, you'll feel hungry and constantly crave snacks or high-calorie foods.
• If you have been on a diet for at least a week, then you know how the psycho-emotional background deteriorates sharply, the mood deteriorates, irritability arises for any reason, which causes a person to whip his family and friends. .

Principle 3. The right way to lose weight while eating well is to eat small meals often.

The simplest strategy for proper weight loss is a combination of three small nutritious meals with a mid-day and evening snack. As a result of this nutrition system, there are up to five meals a day!

Agree, this is better than skipping breakfast, lunch or dinner. Eating frequently prevents hunger pangs, and small, dense, nutritious portions ensure you consume enough food without excess calories.

Note that three small meals and snacks are not the same as a chewing habit. It consists of eating something continuously throughout the day, regardless of hunger and satiety. This eating behavior leads to excess calories and weight gain.

Frequent divided meals will prevent you from falling into the despair and hopelessness of a starving person. After all, very soon you will be able to eat a snack again, how and with what - the following principles will tell you.

The main thing that people who lose weight using this system note is that they never ate so much during this type of weight loss. It is easier for the body to part with fat reserves: eating often not only increases metabolism, but also tells the body that there is nothing to fear, there is no danger of starvation and there is no need to store anything. future use.

Simple and easy-to-implement tips to make your five meals a day easier and as varied as possible:

1. Plan in advance what you will eat during the day, including snacks. It is better to do this the day before.
2. If you decide to lose weight the right way, don't hesitate to take healthy food with you to work or school in convenient, airtight containers.
3. In the evening, prepare food for the new day. Then, when you want to eat, you can always eat foods with pre-calculated calorie content, instead of buying the first snacks and other high-calorie products found in stores.
4. Don't rely on the same foods (such as bananas or apples) as snacks, even if you really like them. Monotony is also a kind of hunger. Five divided meals a day and plenty of food with low calorie content and glycemic index allow you to eat a varied diet while staying within the selected daily "calorie corridor".

Principle 4. To lose weight properly, do not deprive yourself of nutrients, just choose their optimal ratio.

Changing the composition of nutrients in the diet and the effect of such practices on accelerating weight loss is still the focus of many nutritionists. Let's dwell on this matter in more detail, because many diets preach: give up carbohydrates, remove fats from your diet, load with proteins - and thinness is guaranteed.

• In general, the recommended macronutrient distribution range suggests that 45-60% of calories should come from carbohydrates, 20-35% from fat, and 10-35% from protein.
• Some nutritionists believe that a healthier approach to weight loss is to increase protein intake to 45% and decrease carbohydrate intake to 25%.
• Several studies show that protein diets lead to greater weight loss than carbohydrate-rich diets of the same number of calories. Also, a diet with less carbohydrates and more protein prevents weight gain after reaching the target value.

Carbohydrates - enemies or friends for those who decide to lose weight properly?

The theory that carbohydrates cause weight gain and therefore reducing the amount of carbohydrates in the diet leads to weight loss has become very popular and has a large following.

Surely you or someone around you has tried to lose weight on a low-carb diet. Although it is impossible to completely eliminate carbohydrates from the diet, you can drastically reduce their consumption, so it would be more correct to call this type of diet low-carb.

Increased consumption of carbohydrate-rich, sugar-enriched beverages has been linked to weight gain in both children and adults in recent decades, scientists have found. It makes sense to think that waist size increases as carbohydrate consumption increases. But how exactly do carbohydrates affect body fat growth?

Some researchers claim that it's all about insulin, others that it's about foods with a high glycemic index, and others that carbohydrates alter hormones that suppress appetite, so hunger occurs after consuming carbohydrate foods.

The body needs insulin to process glucose. It responds to the increase in blood glucose levels after a meal and transports it to the cells.

The more carbohydrates a person consumes, the more insulin is needed to maintain normal blood glucose levels. But this is not the only function of insulin. This pancreatic hormone also promotes fatty acid synthesis and lipogenesis in the liver.

Excess glucose that is not converted to glycogen and not used for energy is converted to fatty acids and stored as fat.

In theory, the more carbohydrates that enter the body, the more insulin the pancreas secretes and the more likely glucose is to be stored as fatty acids in adipocytes (fat cells).

Insulin also inhibits beta-oxidation of fatty acids by inhibiting lipolysis of fat stored in adipose tissue, which causes fatty acids to be stored in adipocytes.

Thus, the effect of insulin on lipid metabolism creates a tendency towards fat concentration. It makes sense to switch to a low-carb diet to avoid high insulin levels.

But there is another side of the coin. The composition of the diet can affect the production of hormones that suppress hunger. Remember that when the level of ghrelin increases, the feeling of hunger increases, and when the level of leptin increases, it decreases.

Choose carbohydrates with a low glycemic index

The evidence supporting the idea that carbohydrates help with weight gain is encouraging. . . But!

When researchers tested the effects of high-carb/low-fat or high-protein/high-fat/low-carb calorie-matched diets on weight loss, they found no benefit from a high-protein diet: same weight loss!

In addition, carbohydrate restriction significantly reduces the quality of the diet and the choice of foods in general. Remember what you ate when you were on a low-carb diet?

It is very difficult to sit on a strict low-carb diet and at the same time lead an active lifestyle: work, read, drive, play sports.

"A diet based on a slight restriction of daily calories (10-15% of the usual level) and a significant restriction of foods with a high glycemic index works well. First of all, sugar and sugar-containing products. Plus a fractional diet and less red meat. "

If you are really interested in how to lose weight properly, remember these simple rules:

• A balanced diet for weight loss should include whole grains, legumes, fresh fruits and vegetables, and as few high-glycemic carbohydrates as possible.
• Put simple carbohydrates on the store shelf and take complex carbohydrates with you.
• If you add foods rich in saturated fats to your diet, such as whole milk, whole milk cheese, fatty meat, butter, they affect your cardiovascular system. Replace them with white meat, skinless chicken, fish, nuts, and oils, which are good not only for your waistline, but also for your health (but remember: even unsaturated fats have nine calories per gram, so don't eat too many. nuts and oils, as healthy as they are - it's very easy to overload on calories).
• The best combination for weight loss is low-calorie foods: fruits, vegetables, grains, some protein and some fat. It is a combination that contains all five major food groups, is well balanced and can meet nutritional needs.

Principle 5. Volume is important when you lose weight properly.

In this case, we're not talking about your shapes, but the contents of your plate. Both main meals and snacks should be of sufficient size to keep you full and satisfied.

A healthy diet with the right weight loss strategy includes:

• consumption of low energy density and high volume foods;
• rejection of high-energy-density and small-volume foods that can easily fill the daily calorie intake, but still do not allow you to feel full;
• focus on low-calorie "bulk" foods: high-water vegetables and fruits, which will make you feel full quickly and reduce hunger, while reducing the number of calories consumed.

In fact, if you eat a large plate of salad at the beginning of your meal (large volume, low energy density) you will consume at least 10% fewer calories than you would otherwise.

If you add vegetables to soups and sandwiches, a similar effect can be achieved - the serving size will increase, satiety will occur faster, and you will consume less energy-dense foods.

Energy density of food

• Down:These foods have seven to one-half calories per gram and are rich in water and fiber. Examples include most vegetables and fruits, including tomatoes, cantaloupe, strawberries, broccoli, and cauliflower. Also soups with light broth, yogurt and cottage cheese.
• Medium:These products contain between one and a half to four calories per gram, plus less water. These include baked goods, hard-boiled eggs, dried fruit, filet mignon, hummus, whole grain bread and cheese.
• High:These foods contain 4-9 calories per gram and are low in water. These include chips, cookies, crackers, cakes, butter, oil, fatty meats and bacon.

The main thing to remember is that the basis of the diet should be foods that are not too energy dense, with a high amount of fiber and water, and the rest can be eaten slowly - and as a result, your diet will be balanced. and your weight will decrease.

Principle 6. Fiber and water will help you lose weight properly

Fiber increases satiety and is found in most fruits and vegetables. It has been proven that overweight people take less of it than normal weight people. That's why high-fiber foods are a key part of a weight loss diet.

It has long been a fact that drinking more water is recommended when losing weight.

Let's add some useful tips for every day:

• You should drink still drinking water, without flavors or additives (as a rule, they are all sweet, that is, they contain carbohydrates that are unnecessary for you);
• Always carry a bottle of water with you in your bag, keep it handy in your car and at your desk;
• It is not recommended to drink a glass in one gulp, it is better to drink in small sips and often;
• water should not be too cold, room temperature is optimal;
• If you drink half a glass of water 10-15 minutes before a meal, you will likely eat a little less.

"Overeating is one of the main causes of obesity. The point is that a person gets used to the feeling of fullness in the stomach, and then stops feeling it completely. Therefore, it is important to develop healthy eating habits. "

Principle 7. Slimming starts in the gut - how to lose weight properly using knowledge of the microbiome

Eating more plant foods changes the bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract in ways that can positively affect weight.

The term "microbiome" itself refers to the billions of microscopic organisms in the human body that include the gastrointestinal tract, skin, lungs, and genitals and oral cavity.

Most of them are concentrated in the colon, where they participate in metabolic functions.

For example, gut bacteria quietly do many useful things for humans:

• helps digestion;
• affects metabolism;
• remove energy from undigested food;
• synthesize vitamins, including vitamin K;
• regulate the composition of adipose tissue;
• controls peptides released in the gastrointestinal tract.

There are more than a thousand species of bacteria living in the intestines. They vary from person to person regardless of age, gender, ethnicity and body mass index.

Recently, scientists have discovered a link between certain bacteria and obesity. If this is true, can we change the makeup of our gut bacteria and stop the obesity epidemic?

Both long-term and short-term, the way you eat determines what bacteria will be in your gut and how it will behave.

Dietary changes affect bacterial metabolism and the body's immune functions by fermenting nutrients and altering the gut barrier—allowing bacteria and other gut organisms to enter the bloodstream, turning certain genes on or off.

By understanding the role played by diet and gut bacteria, new approaches may be found to prevent obesity.

Principle 8. How to lose weight properly? On the move!

Regular physical activity not only increases the daily caloric deficit needed to naturally lose weight, but also helps reduce sedentary habits that often accompany the urge to chew something. By walking you burn calories. You're sitting in front of the TV with a bag of chips and typing instead.

It is recommended that people get an hour to an hour and a half of moderate physical activity a day, which can help prevent weight gain or help them lose weight.

Moderate physical activity is walking at a speed of five kilometers per hour and its equivalents: light gardening, cycling, swimming.

The longer you exercise, the more oxygen is consumed and the higher your metabolic rate. Accordingly, more calories are burned during the day, even at rest.

Well, if you combine cardio exercises and strength training, the metabolism will accelerate even more - muscles require more energy. Keep in mind that a person who weighs more than 70 kg will burn more calories, while a person who weighs less will burn less.

Research shows that taking ten thousand steps a day (about seven kilometers) is enough to significantly reduce the risk of obesity. But on average, people walk between nine hundred and three thousand steps, and most people need to make a conscious effort to get to ten thousand.

Principle 9. Will you lose weight the right way? Understand the essence of aerobic and anaerobic exercise

Even if you are very far from sports, you need to adjust your life not only with nutrition, but also with movement to take the right way to lose weight.

It is not necessary to set sports records, it is only advisable to increase physical activity, but not on a whim, but completely consciously and purposefully. You can only move for so long, but wisely, it's not without reason to have special groups of exercises for weight loss.

So what are the potential benefits of different types and different intensities of exercise in the context of weight loss?

• Aerobic exercise is low- to moderate-intensity physical activity that triggers aerobic responses to produce adenosine triphosphate. Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins provide energy for aerobic exercise, whether it's brisk walking, running, hiking, or skiing.
• Anaerobic exercises include weightlifting, sprinting, jumping rope, and stair climbing. They are more intense than aerobics, plus they have a shorter duration because they cannot hold up to a lower intensity load. With anaerobic exercise, less fat is oxidized and more glycogen and glucose are used for energy production.

Although aerobic exercise (moderate physical activity) has many health benefits, such as helping to control blood glucose levels, lowering blood pressure, and increasing high-density lipoprotein levels, especially in overweight and obese people, studies show that they have negligible results in the context of weight loss. .

Combine exercise and lose weight properly

In a recent study conducted at the American Duke University (Durham, North Carolina, USA), scientists observed overweight and obese subjects (there were more than two hundred volunteers). The first group did aerobic movements, the second group did weights, and the third group combined both.

The first group ran about twenty kilometers per week on a treadmill or other equivalent activity. The second group worked with weights three times a week: three sets per day, eight to twelve repetitions per set. A third group did both.

After ten weeks, the first and third groups lost more weight and fat than the second group. It is interesting that the waist circumference decreased significantly in the third group, but it was not observed in the others.

Another study tested the hypothesis that short-term aerobic activity combined with anaerobic exercise produced better results than aerobic activity alone.

16 obese people were divided into two groups. For the first four weeks, he did half an hour of aerobic exercise, and in the second, he did twenty-five minutes of aerobic exercise and another five minutes of anaerobic exercise.

These five minutes resulted in a significant reduction in body fat compared to the results of the first group.

Total body fat, visceral fat, and abdominal fat also decreased significantly. Add anaerobic exercises to your workouts and stored fat will be broken down more actively.

It is also important to choose the right exercises with a lot of weight so as not to injure yourself.

Principle 10. Do not deviate from your plans: the main thing in the implementation of the plan to lose weight correctly is motivation and confidence

How many good weight loss initiatives fail not because of inability to lose weight, genetic predisposition to overweight and other excuses that overweight people entertain, but because of plain laziness.

If you seriously decide that this time will be the last, be consistent and methodical. It is not so difficult and can even become an interesting pursuit, especially if you manage to awaken your passion for sports and the will to win.

How to do this? Here are some tips:

A food diary or a food diary will greatly help to systematize the weight loss process according to the above rules and, most importantly, to increase motivation.

A food diary will allow you to track what you eat throughout the day, when, where and how much you eat, what mood you are in and how intense your physical hunger is. Using this information, you can change your environment, your reactions to it, or both to improve your eating behavior and change your weight.

Even if you have been overweight all your life, it can only mean one thing: all attempts to lose weight were not suitable for your body. Try again by adopting the 10 principles of proper weight loss!