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

If you are wondering how to lose extra weight, not just quickly, for some celebration, to put on your favorite clothes, that is -how to lose weight properly, congratulations! This means you have chosen the right vector and are strategically on the right path.

Let's think about what proper weight loss means and how you can lose weightThat's right, but as -wrong? Everything is quite simple here.

If you are still at an unwanted weight despite all your previous attempts to lose the hated weight, chances are you have lost weight incorrectly. How to lose weight properly?

Obviously, so that the kilograms do not return and, of course, without harming health, because no one wants to be slim, but no one wants to pay for the results achieved with wounds and taking medicine for the rest of their lives.

Improper weight loss leads to obesity

More and more nutritionists are citing improper weight loss as one of the main causes of the obesity epidemic. The more people try to lose weight, the more they end up weighing. It's embarrassing, annoying, but true!

Obviously, the problem lies in the method of losing weight that is harmful to the body, which, at best, leads to the return of lost weight, and at worst, to health problems.

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

By following these tips systematically, confidently and consciously, you will enjoy every meal, you will not have to limit yourself strictly in food, and at the same time, extra pounds will leave you without painful hunger and severe appetite suppression, normal. to everyone I've ever dieted with.

Principle 1. Lose weight slowly and properly

Let's immediately agree with you (rather, you with yourself) that you should forget about the tempting diet forever: 10 kilograms in 10 days, minus 5 kg a week, and so on.

Of course, if you work hard, gather your willpower and do not jump from a strict mono-diet (most likely, it will be one of its kind), then it is very possible that you will achieve the promised results.

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

what determines the speed of weight loss

It is impossible to eat buckwheat and cabbage leaves all your life; it is unthinkable to give up carbs forever. As soon as the eliminated food products return to your refrigerator, to your table, to your plate, the kilograms that you lost so hard will not be long.

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

Anyone who wants to lose weight efficiently, that is, seriously and for a long time, needs to remember two important words: "the number of calories. "And it doesn't matter where they come from.

  • If you take in more calories than you burn, you gain weight.
  • If you burn more calories than you eat, you will lose weight.
counting calories for weight loss

So the goal of any diet is to reduce the amount of calories you take in through food. This can be done in several ways: you can choose foods that are low in calories, you can eat less overall, or you can combine both methods in a way that suits you.

However, it is precisely too sharp a reduction in calorie intake that is the reason for many unsuccessful, and therefore incorrect, attempts to lose weight.

  • If you skip meals or don't feel satisfied 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 appears for any reason, which leads to the fact that a person attacks family and friends. .

Principle 3. The right way to lose weight while feeding is to eat small meals frequently.

The simplest strategy for proper weight loss is a combination of three nutritious small meals with snacks in the afternoon and evening. As a result of this nutrition system, you have as many as five meals a day!

Agree, this is better than skipping breakfast, lunch or dinner. Frequent meals prevent hunger pangs from developing, and small, dense, nutritious portions ensure you're getting enough nutrients without excess calories.

benefits of fruits and vegetables for weight loss

Note that three small meals plus a snack is not the same as chewing. It involves constantly eating something throughout the day regardless of hunger and fullness. This eating behavior leads to excess calories and weight gain.

Frequent split meals will prevent you from falling into the despair and hopelessness of a starving person. After all, soon you will be able to enjoy 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 eat as much during the weight loss. And it is easier for the body to part with fat reserves: eating regularly not only increases the metabolism, but also signals to the body that there is nothing to fear, there is no threat of hunger, and there is no need to store anything for future use.

fiber products for weight loss

Here are some simple and easy-to-implement tips to make it easier for you to eat five meals a day and make them as varied as possible:

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

Principle 4. To lose weight correctly, do not deprive yourself of nutrients, just choose the optimal portion

Changing the composition of nutrients in the diet and the effect of such experiments on accelerating weight loss is still the focus of many nutritionists. Let's discuss this issue in more detail, as many diets teach: stop carbohydrates, remove fat from your diet, load protein - and slimness is guaranteed.

  • In general, the recommended macronutrient distribution ranges indicate that 45 to 60% of calories should come from carbohydrates, 20 to 35% from fat, and 10 to 35% from protein.
  • Some nutritionists believe that a healthier approach to weight loss is to increase your protein intake to 45% and reduce your carbohydrate intake to 25%.
  • Some studies report that a protein diet causes greater weight loss than a carbohydrate-rich diet with the same amount of calories. And also that a diet with less carbohydrates and more protein prevents weight gain after reaching the target value.

Carbohydrates – enemy or friend 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 gained great popularity and has gained many followers.

Surely you or someone around you is also trying to lose weight with a low-carb diet. Although it is impossible to completely eliminate carbohydrates from the diet, you can reduce their consumption dramatically, so it is more accurate to call this type of diet low-carb.

The increase in the consumption of carbohydrate and sugary drinks is closely related to the increase in body weight observed in both children and adults in recent decades, according to the findings of scientists. It is logical to assume that as carbohydrate consumption increases, waist size also increases. But how exactly do carbohydrates affect body fat growth?

Some researchers think that it's all about insulin, others about foods with a high glycemic index, and still others that carbohydrates change hormones that suppress appetite, which is why hunger occurs after eating carbohydrate foods.

The body needs insulin to process glucose. After eating, it responds to increased blood glucose levels and transports it into cells.

The more carbohydrates a person consumes, the more insulin they need 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 are ingested into the body, the more insulin is secreted by the pancreas 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 retained in adipocytes.

Therefore, the effect of insulin on lipid metabolism creates a tendency towards fat concentration. To avoid high insulin levels, it is logical to switch to a low-carbohydrate diet.

But there is another side to the coin. The composition of the diet can affect the production of hormones that suppress hunger. As a reminder, hunger increases when ghrelin levels increase and decreases when leptin levels increase.

Choose carbohydrates with a low glycemic index

The evidence supporting the idea that carbohydrates contribute to weight gain is promising. . . But!

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

In addition, limiting carbohydrates significantly reduces diet quality and meal choices in general. Remember what you ate when you were on a low-carb diet?

It is very difficult to live a strict low-carb diet and at the same time live an active lifestyle: work, study, drive a car, play sports.

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

If you are really wondering 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.
  • Leave simple carbohydrates on the store shelves and take complex carbohydrates with you.
  • If you add foods rich in saturated fat to your diet, such as whole milk, whole milk cheese, fatty meat, butter, it affects your cardiovascular system. Replace them with white meat, skinless chicken, fish, nuts and oils, which are not only good for your waistline but also for your health (but remember: even unsaturated fats contain nine calories per gram, so don't eat too many. nuts and oils, no matter how healthy they are - it's too easy to overdo it on calories).
  • The best combination for weight loss is low-calorie foods: fruits, vegetables, grains, some protein and some fat. This is a combination that has all five major food groups, is balanced and can meet nutritional needs.

Principle 5. When you lose weight properly, volume is important.

In this case, we are not talking about your form, but about the contents of your plate. Both main meals and snacks should be of sufficient size to make you feel full and satisfied.

A healthy diet with the right weight loss strategy includes:

  • consumption of foods with low energy density and high volume;
  • rejection of food with high energy density and small volume, which can easily fill the daily calorie intake, but still do not make you feel full;
  • emphasis on low-calorie "bulk" foods: vegetables with a high water content and fruits, which will give you a quick start to satiety and reduce hunger, and thus the number of calories consumed.

In fact, if you eat a fairly large plate of salad at the start of your meal—large volume, low energy density—you'll likely consume at least 10% fewer calories than you otherwise would.

The same effect can be achieved if you add vegetables to soups and sandwiches - the portion size will increase, the feeling of satiety will occur earlier, and you will consume less food with high energy density.

comparison of calorie content of meals

Energy density of food

  • Low:These foods have seven-tenths to one-half calories per gram and are high in water and fiber. Examples include most vegetables and fruits, including tomatoes, watermelon, strawberries, broccoli and cauliflower. And also soup with light soup, yogurt and cottage cheese.
  • Average:These products contain one and a half to four calories per gram, plus less water content. These include baked goods, hard-boiled eggs, dried fruit, fillets, hummus, whole grain bread and cheese.
  • Height:These foods have four to nine calories per gram and are low in water. These include crisps, biscuits, crackers, cakes, butter, butter, fatty meats and bacon.
energy density of food

The main thing to remember is that the basis of the diet should be food with a not too high energy density with a high fiber and water content, and the rest can be eaten little by little - and as a result, your diet will be balanced and you will lose weight.

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

Fiber promotes satiety and is found in most fruits and vegetables. It has been proven that overweight people eat less than people of normal weight. This is why high fiber foods are an important part of a weight loss diet.

It has long been a fact that it is recommended to drink more water when losing weight.

Let's add some useful tips for every day:

  • You should drink non-carbonated drinking water, without flavorings or additives (as a rule, everything is sweet, that is, it contains carbohydrates that are not necessary for you);
  • Always carry a bottle of water with you in your bag, have it in your car and on your desk;
  • It is not recommended to drink a glass in one gulp, it is better to drink in small and frequent gulps;
  • water should not be too cold, room temperature is optimal;
  • If you drink half a glass of water 10-15 minutes before a meal, it is likely that you will eat a little less.

"Overeating is one of the main causes of obesity. The problem is that a person gets used to the feeling of fullness in the stomach, and then stops noticing it altogether. That is why it is important to develop healthy eating habits. "

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

Eating more plant foods changes the bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract in ways that can have a positive effect on weight.

beneficial bacteria in the gut

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

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

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

  • helps with digestion;
  • affect metabolism;
  • extracting energy from undigested food;
  • synthesize vitamins, including vitamin K;
  • control the composition of adipose tissue;
  • regulates peptides released in the gastrointestinal tract.

There are more than a thousand species of bacteria that live in the gut. 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 composition of our gut bacteria and stop the obesity epidemic?

The way you eat, both long-term and short-term, determines the bacteria you will have in your gut and how it will manifest.

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

By understanding the role of diet and gut bacteria, new approaches to preventing obesity can be found.

Principle 8. How to lose weight correctly? Move!

Regular physical activity not only naturally increases the daily calorie deficit needed for weight loss, but also helps reduce sedentary habits, which are often accompanied by the desire to chew something. By walking, you burn calories. Sitting in front of the TV with a bag of chips, instead, you type.

People are advised to spend an hour to an hour and a half a day doing moderate physical activity, which can help prevent weight gain or promote weight loss.

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

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

Well, if you combine cardio and strength training, your metabolism will be faster - muscles need more energy. Keep in mind that a person who weighs more than 70 kg will burn more calories, and a person who weighs less will burn less.

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

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, to take the right path of weight loss you need to control your life not only with nutrition, but also with movement.

It is not necessary to set sports records, it is only advisable to increase physical activity, but not at will, but fully consciously and deliberately. You can only move for so long, but with the mind, it is not without reason that there is a special group of exercises for losing weight.

aerobic and anaerobic exercise for weight loss

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

  • Aerobic exercise is low to moderate intensity physical activity that triggers an aerobic response to produce adenosine triphosphate. Carbohydrates, fats and proteins provide energy for aerobic exercise, whether brisk walking, jogging, hiking or skiing.
  • Anaerobic exercises include weight lifting, sprinting, jumping rope, and stair climbing. It is more intense than aerobics, plus it is of shorter duration, as it cannot be sustained during low-intensity loads. 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 control blood glucose levels, lowering blood pressure, and increasing high-density lipoprotein levels, especially in overweight and obese people, research shows that in the context of weight loss, they give insignificant results.

Combine exercise and weight loss properly

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

The first group ran about twenty kilometers a 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 had lost more weight and fat than the second. It is interesting to note that the third group also experienced a significant decrease in waist circumference, which was not observed in the others.

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

Sixteen obese people were divided into two groups. The first did half an hour of aerobic exercise for four weeks, while the second 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.

The amount of body fat, visceral fat and abdominal fat also decreased significantly. Add anaerobic exercise to your workout and stored fat will be broken down more actively.

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

Principle 10. Do not deviate from your plan: motivation and confidence are the main things in implementing a plan on how to lose weight correctly

How many good initiatives to lose weight have failed not because of the inability to lose weight, genetic predisposition to be overweight, and other reasons that overweight people do, but because of plain laziness.

If you seriously decide that this time will be the last, be consistent and organized. It is not that difficult and can even turn into an interesting quest, especially if you manage to awaken your passion for sports and the desire to win.

proper eating behavior for weight loss

How to do it? Here are some tips:

A food diary or food diary will be very helpful in systematizing the process of losing weight according to the rules mentioned above and, most importantly, in increasing motivation.

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

Even if you have been overweight all your life, this only means one thing: all attempts to lose weight are not suitable for your body. Try again by practicing 10 principles on how to lose weight correctly!