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 pounds, not just quickly, for a party, by buttoning up your favorite outfit, you should know -how to lose weight correctly, congratulations! This means that you have already chosen the right vector and are on the right strategic path.

Let's find out what good weight loss means and how you can lose weightRIGHT, but as -fake? Everything is quite simple here.

If you still have unwanted weight despite all your previous attempts to lose those hated pounds, it is most likely that you have lost weight incorrectly. How to lose weight correctly?

Obviously, so that the pounds do not come back and, of course, without harming health, because no one wants to be thin, but no one wants to pay for the results obtained with sores and medications for the rest of their life.

Poor weight loss leads to obesity

Increasingly, nutritionists cite inappropriate weight loss as a leading cause of the obesity epidemic. The more people try to lose weight, the more weight they end up gaining. It's a shame, boring, but true!

Obviously, the problem lies in methods of losing weight that are harmful to the body, which lead, at best, to the return of lost pounds, and at worst - to health problems.

So let’s see how to lose weight correctly and keep your results forever! We have compiled for you the TOP 10 principles of good 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 strictly limit yourself in food, and at the same time, extra pounds will leave you without the painful feeling of hunger and suppressionsevere appetite, familiar. to everyone I once dieted with.

Principle 1. Lose weight slowly and correctly

Let us immediately agree with you (in turn, you with yourself) on the fact that we must forever forget the tempting diets of: 10 kilos in 10 days, minus 5 kg per week, and so on. right now.

Of course, if you try hard, gather your willpower and do not jump from a strict mono-diet (most likely it will be one of its varieties), then it is quite possible that you will even achieve the resultpromised.

But this will have nothing to do with the question of how to lose weight correctly. In this case, another question arises: at what price?

what determines the speed of weight loss

It is impossible to eat buckwheat and cabbage leaves all your life, it is unthinkable to permanently give up carbohydrates. As soon as the eliminated food products return to your refrigerator, to your table, to your plate, the kilos that you have lost so much will not take long to arrive.

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

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

  • If you consume more calories than you burn, your weight increases.
  • If you burn more calories than you consume, your weight goes down.
counting calories to lose weight

The goal of any diet is therefore to reduce the number of calories you consume through food. This can be done in several ways: you can choose lower-calorie foods, you can eat less overall, or you can combine the two methods in any way that suits you.

However, it is precisely too sharp a 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 satisfied because your portions are too small, you will be hungry and constantly crave snacks or high-calorie foods.
  • If you have ever been on a diet for at least a week, you know how the psycho-emotional background sharply deteriorates, the mood deteriorates, irritability appears for some reason, which leads to the fact that a person stakes it out on his family and friends. .

Principle 3. The right way to lose weight while still being well-nourished is to eat small meals often.

The simplest strategy for weight loss is to combine three small, nutritious meals with a midday and evening snack. With this nutritional system, you eat up to five meals a day!

Okay, it's much better than skipping breakfast, lunch or dinner. Frequent meals prevent hunger from building, and small, dense, nutritious portions ensure you get enough nutrients without excess calories.

benefits of fruits and vegetables for weight loss

Note that three small meals and snacks are not the same as a chewing habit. It involves constantly eating something throughout the day without regard to hunger and fullness. This eating behavior leads to excess calories and weight gain.

Frequent fractional meals will save you from falling into the despair and despondency of a hungry person. After all, very soon you will be able to have 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 have never eaten as much as during such weight loss. And it is easier for the body to part with fat reserves: frequent meals not only increase metabolism, but also signal to the body that there is nothing to fear, there is no threatof hunger and there is no need to store anything for future use.

fiber products for weight loss

Here are simple, easy-to-implement tips to make it easier 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 foods with you to work or school in convenient, airtight containers.
  3. Prepare food for the new day in the evening. You can then always eat foods with pre-calculated calorie content, rather than buying snacks and other high-calorie products that are the first available in stores 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 famine. Five split meals per day and an abundance of low-calorie foods with a glycemic index allow you to have a varied diet while remaining within the chosen daily "calorie corridor".

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

Changing the composition of nutrients in the diet and the effect of such experiments on accelerating weight loss remain the focus of many nutritionists. Let's dwell on this issue in more detail, because many diets preach: give up carbohydrates, remove fats from your diet, stock up on protein - and slimming is guaranteed.

  • In general, the recommended macronutrient distribution range suggests that 45 to 60 percent of calories will come from carbohydrates, 20 to 35 percent from fat, and 10 to 35 percent from protein.
  • Some nutrition experts believe that a healthier approach to losing weight is to increase your protein intake to 45% and reduce your carbohydrate intake to 25%.
  • A number of studies report that protein diets lead to greater weight loss than high-carb diets containing the same number of calories. And also that a diet with fewer carbohydrates and more protein prevents weight gain once the target value is reached.

Carbohydrates – enemies or friends for those who decide to lose weight correctly?

The theory that carbohydrates cause weight gain and therefore reducing the amount of carbohydrates in the diet leads to weight loss has gained popularity and many followers.

You or someone you know has probably also tried to lose weight on a low-carb diet. Although it is impossible to completely eliminate carbohydrates from the diet, you can significantly reduce their consumption. So it would be more correct to call this type of diet low-carb.

According to the scientists' findings, increased consumption of carbohydrate-rich and sugary drinks correlates with the weight gain observed in children and adults over the past decades. It is logical to assume that as carbohydrate consumption increases, waist circumference also increases. But how exactly do carbs affect body fat growth?

Some researchers argue that it's all about insulin, others that it's high glycemic foods, and still others that carbohydrates alter appetite suppressant hormones, which is why hunger occursafter eating carbohydrate foods.

The body needs insulin to process glucose. After eating, it responds to an increase in blood sugar and transports it to cells.

The more carbohydrates a person eats, the more insulin they need to maintain normal blood sugar 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.

Theoretically, the more carbohydrates the body ingests, the more insulin is secreted by the pancreas and the greater the probability that glucose will be stored in the form of fatty acids in adipocytes (fat cells).

Insulin also prevents beta-oxidation of fatty acids by inhibiting lipolysis of fats stored in adipose tissue, leading to retention of fatty acids in adipocytes.

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

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

Choose low-glycemic carbs

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

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

In addition, restricting carbohydrates significantly reduces the quality of the diet and the choice of dishes in general. Do you remember what you ate when you were on a low-carb diet?

It is very difficult to follow a strict low-carb diet while leading an active lifestyle: working, studying, driving a car, playing sports.

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

If you are really wondering how to lose weight correctly, 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 high in saturated fats to your diet, such as whole milk, whole milk cheese, fatty meats, butter, they affect 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 containnine calories per gram, so don't eat too many nuts and oils, no matter how healthy they are - it's too easy to overdo the calories).
  • The best combination for weight loss is low-calorie foods: fruits, vegetables, grains, a little protein and a little fat. It is a combination that includes the five major food groups, is well balanced, and can meet nutritional needs.

Principle 5. When you lose weight correctly, volume matters.

In this case, we are not talking about your forms, but the contents of your plate. Main meals and snacks should be large enough to keep you feeling full and satisfied.

A healthy diet with a proper weight loss strategy includes:

  • consumption of low energy density, high volume foods;
  • refusal of foods with high energy density and small volume, which can easily fill the daily calorie intake, but still do not satiate you;
  • favor low-calorie "bulk" foods: vegetables rich in water and fruits, which will give you a quick feeling of satiety and reduce hunger, and with it the number of calories consumed.

In fact, if you eat a large plate of salad at the start of your meal (high volume, low energy density), you'll probably end up consuming at least 10% fewer calories than you otherwise would.

A similar effect can be achieved if you add vegetables to soups and sandwiches - the portion size will increase, satiety will occur sooner, and you will consume less energy-dense foods.

comparison of caloric content of dishes

Energy density of foods

  • Weak:These foods contain between seven-tenths and one-and-a-half calories per gram and are high in water and fiber. Examples include most vegetables and fruits, including tomatoes, melon, strawberries, broccoli and cauliflower. And also soups with light broth, yogurt and cottage cheese.
  • Average:These products contain between one and a half and four calories per gram and contain less water. These include baked goods, boiled eggs, dried fruits, fillets, hummus, whole grain bread and cheese.
  • High:These foods contain four to nine calories per gram and are low in water. These include chips, biscuits, crackers, cakes, butter, fatty meats and bacon.
energy density of foods

The main thing to remember is that the basis of the diet should be foods of not too high energy density, with a high fiber and water content, and the rest can be consumed little by little - and therefore, your diet will be balanced. and your weight will decrease.

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

Fiber promotes satiety and is found in most fruits and vegetables. It is proven that overweight people consume less than people of normal weight. This is why foods rich in fiber are a key part of a weight loss diet.

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

Let's add some useful tips for every day:

  • You need to drink non-carbonated drinking water, without flavors and additives (as a rule, they are all sweetened, that is, they contain carbohydrates that are not necessary for you);
  • Always carry a bottle of water with you in your bag, have it within reach 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 sips and often;
  • the water should not be too cold, room temperature is optimal;
  • If you drink half a glass of water 10 to 15 minutes before meals, 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. This is why it is important to develop healthy eating habits.

Principle 7. Slimming begins in the intestines - how to lose weight correctly using knowledge about 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 intestines

The term "microbiome" itself refers to the billions of microscopic organisms that live in the human body, including the gastrointestinal tract, skin, lungs, genital tract 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 with digestion;
  • affect metabolism;
  • extract energy from undigested food;
  • synthesize vitamins, including vitamin K;
  • regulate the composition of adipose tissue;
  • control peptides released into the gastrointestinal tract.

There are over 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 discovered a link between certain bacteria and obesity. If true, could we change the composition of our gut bacteria and stop the obesity epidemic?

How you eat, both long term and short term, determines what bacteria you will have in your gut and how they will manifest.

Dietary changes affect the body's bacterial metabolism and immune functions 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 roles that diet and gut bacteria play, new approaches to preventing obesity can be found.

Principle 8. How to lose weight correctly? Moving !

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 urge to chew something. By walking, you burn calories. Sitting in front of the TV with a bag of chips, on the contrary, you type.

People are advised to devote an hour to an hour and a half per day to 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 equivalents: light gardening, cycling, swimming.

The longer you exercise, the more oxygen you consume and the higher your metabolic rate. As a result, more calories are burned throughout the day, even when resting.

Well, if you combine cardio and strength exercises, your metabolism will speed up even more - muscles need more energy. Keep in mind that a person weighing more than 70 kg will burn more calories and someone weighing less will burn fewer calories.

Research shows that walking ten thousand steps a day (or 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 that number to ten thousand, most have to make a conscious effort.

Principle 9. Are you going to lose weight the right way? Understanding the essence of aerobic and anaerobic exercise

Even if you are very far from sports, to take the path of adequate weight loss, you need to regulate your life not only through nutrition, but also through movement.

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 a certain amount of time, but with the mind, it is not for nothing that there are special groups of exercises for weight loss.

aerobic and anaerobic exercises 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 aerobic responses 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, brisk running, jumping rope, and stair climbing. They are more intense than aerobic exercises and shorter in duration, because they simply cannot be maintained as long as 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 control blood sugar, 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 lose weight correctly

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

The first group ran around 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. The third group did both.

After ten weeks, the first and third groups had lost more weight and fat than the second. Interestingly, the third group also had 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 would 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 an additional 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 the accumulated 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 harm yourself.

Principle 10. Don't deviate from your plans: motivation and confidence are the main elements to implement a plan to lose weight correctly

How many good initiatives to lose weight have failed not because of the inability to lose weight, a genetic tendency to be overweight and other excuses that overweight people indulge in, but because of lazinessbanal.

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

good eating habits to lose weight

How to do? Here are a few tips:

A food diary or food diary will be of great help in systematizing the process of weight loss according to the rules described above and, above all, 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 intense your physical hunger is. With this information, you can change your environment, your reactions, or both to improve your eating behavior and change your weight.

Even if you have been overweight all your life, this can only mean one thing: not all attempts to lose weight were good for your body. Try again by adopting 10 principles to lose weight correctly!