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 fast, for some celebration, to button up your favorite outfit, namely -how to lose weight properly, Congratulations! This means that you have already chosen the right vector and are strategically on the right path.

Let's find out what proper weight loss means and how you can lose weighttrue, but as -wrong? Here everything is quite simple.

If you still have unwanted weight despite all your previous attempts to shed those hated pounds, then most likely you have been losing weight incorrectly. How to lose weight properly?

Obviously, so that the pounds do not return and, of course, without harm to health, because no one wants to be thin, but no one wants to pay for the results achieved with wounds and taking drugs for the rest of his life.

Improper weight loss leads to obesity

Nutritionists are increasingly pointing to 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. Pity, annoying, but fact!

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

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

By systematically, confidently and consciously following these tips, you will enjoy every meal, you will not have to restrict yourself strictly in food, and at the same time, extra pounds will leave you without the painful feeling of hunger and the strong suppression of appetite, known to everyone, which I was once on a diet.

Principle 1. Lose weight slowly and correctly

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

Of course, if you try very hard, gather your willpower and do not give up a strict mono-diet (most likely it will be one of its varieties), then it is quite possible to 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 price?

It is impossible to eat buckwheat and cabbage leaves all your life, it is unthinkable to give up carbohydrates forever. As soon as the eliminated food products are back in the fridge, on the table, on your plate, the pounds you have worked so hard to shed will not be late.

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, must remember two important words: "number of calories". And it does not matter where they come from.

• If you take in 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 take in through food. This can be done in a number of ways: you can choose foods that are lower in calories, you can eat less overall, or you can combine the two methods in a way that works for you.

But 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'll feel hungry and constantly crave snacks or high-calorie foods.
• If you have ever been on a diet for at least a week, then you know how the psycho-emotional background sharply worsens, the mood worsens, irritability appears for some reason, which leads to the fact that a person lashes out at his family and friends.

Principle 3. The right way to lose weight while eating well is to eat small portions 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, you have up to five meals a day!

Agree, this is much better than skipping breakfast, lunch or dinner. Frequent meals prevent hunger, and small, dense, nutritious portions ensure that you consume enough nutrients without excess calories.

Keep in mind that three small meals plus snacks is not the same as a chewing habit. This involves constantly eating something throughout the day, regardless of hunger and fullness. This eating behavior leads to excess calories and weight gain.

Frequent separate meals will save you from the despair and despondency of a starving person. After all, very soon you will be able to eat again, how and with what - the following principles will tell you.

The main thing that people who lose weight with the help of this system note is that they never ate as much as during such weight loss. And it is easier for the body to part with fat reserves: frequent meals not only boost the metabolism, but also signal 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.

Here are 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 better 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 convenient, airtight containers.
3. In the evening, prepare food for the new day. Then you can always eat foods with pre-calculated calorie content, instead of 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 starvation. Five divided meals a day and the abundance of foods with a low calorie and glycemic index allow you to eat a variety while staying within the selected daily "calorie corridor".

Principle 4. To lose weight properly, 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 the acceleration of weight loss is still the focus of attention of many nutritionists. Let's dwell on this question in more detail, because many diets preach: give up carbohydrates, remove fat from your diet, load up on protein - and slimness is guaranteed.

• In general, the recommended macronutrient distribution range suggests that 45 to 60% of calories will come from carbohydrates, 20 to 35% from fat, and 10 to 35% from protein.
• Some nutrition experts believe that a healthier approach to weight loss is to increase your protein intake to 45% and reduce your carbohydrate intake to 25%.
• A number of studies have reported that high-protein diets lead to greater weight loss than high-carb diets with the same number of calories. And also that 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, gained great popularity and gained many followers.

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

Increased consumption of carbohydrate-rich, sugar-sweetened beverages correlates with weight gain seen in both children and adults in recent decades, according to scientists' findings. It is logical to assume that as carbohydrate consumption increases, so does waist size. But how exactly do carbohydrates affect body fat growth?

Some researchers say it's insulin, others that it's all about high-glycemic index foods, and still others that carbohydrates alter appetite-suppressing hormones, which is why hunger occurs after consuming carbohydrate foods.

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

The more carbohydrates a person consumes, 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 used for energy is converted to fatty acids and stored as fat.

Theoretically, the more carbohydrates are taken 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 prevents beta-oxidation of fatty acids by inhibiting lipolysis of stored fat in adipose tissue, leading to retention of fatty acids in adipocytes.

Thus, the effect of insulin on lipid metabolism creates a tendency towards fat concentration. To avoid elevated 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 affect the production of hormones that suppress hunger. As a reminder, hunger increases with increasing ghrelin levels and decreases with increasing leptin levels.

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 high-calorie diets that were either high-carb/low-fat or high-protein/high-fat/low-carb on weight loss, they found no benefithigh protein diet: weight loss was the same!

In addition, carbohydrate restriction significantly reduces diet quality and meal choices in general. Do you 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, study, drive a car, play sports.

"A diet based on a mild 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, it is sugar and products containing sugar. Plus fractional diet and less red meat.

If you really wonder how to lose weight properly, remember these simple rules:

• A balanced weight loss diet should include whole grains, legumes, fresh fruits and vegetables, and as few high-glycemic carbohydrates as possible.
• Leave the simple carbs on the store shelf and take the complex carbs with you.
• If you add foods rich in saturated fats to your diet, such as full-fat milk, full-fat cheese, fatty meats, butter, they affect your cardiovascular system. Replace them with white meat, skinless chicken, fish, nuts and oils that are good not only for your waistline but also for your health (but remember: even unsaturated fat contains nine calories per gram, so don't eat too much pernuts and oils, no matter how healthy they are - it's all too easy to overdo the calories).
• The best combination for weight loss is low-calorie foods: fruits, vegetables, grains, little protein and little fat. It is a combination that contains all five major food groups, is well balanced and can meet nutritional needs.

Principle 5. When losing weight properly, volume matters.

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

A healthy diet with the right weight loss strategy includes:

• consumption of foods with low energy density and high volume;
• refusal of foods with high energy density and small volume, which can easily fill the daily caloric 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 provide you with a quick feeling of satiety and reduce hunger, and with it the number of calories taken.

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

A similar effect can be achieved if you add vegetables to soups and sandwiches - the portion will increase, satiety will occur earlier and you will consume less foods with high energy density

Energy density of food

• Low:These foods have seven-tenths to one-and-a-half calories per gram and are high in water and fiber. Examples include most vegetables and fruits, including tomatoes, cantaloupe, strawberries, broccoli, and cauliflower. And also soups with light broth, yogurt and cottage cheese.
• Average:These products contain one and a half to four calories per gram, plus they contain less water. These include baked goods, hard-boiled eggs, dried fruit, fillets, hummus, wholemeal bread and cheese.
• High:These foods have four to nine calories per gram and are low in water. These include crisps, biscuits, crackers, cakes, butter, oil, fatty meats and bacon.

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 eaten little by little - and as a result, your diet willbe balanced and your weight will drop.

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 shown that overweight people consume less of it than people of normal weight. That's why high-fiber foods are a key part of a weight loss diet.

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

Let's add some useful tips for every day:

• You must drink non-carbonated drinking water, without flavors and additives (as a rule, they are all sweet, that is, they contain unnecessary carbohydrates for you);
• Always carry a bottle of water with you in your purse, keep it handy in your car and at your desk;
• It is not recommended to drink a glass in one breath, 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 10-15 minutes before a meal, you will probably 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. That's why it's important to develop healthy eating habits. "

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

Eating more plant-based foods changes the bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract in a way that can have a positive effect on weight.

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 participate in metabolic functions.

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

• aid in digestion;
• affect metabolism;
• extracts energy from undigested food;
• synthesize vitamins, including vitamin K;
• regulate the composition of adipose tissue;
• control the peptides released in the gastrointestinal tract.

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

Scientists have recently 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?

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 bacterial metabolism and the body's 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 role that diet and gut bacteria play, new approaches to preventing obesity may be found.

Principle 8. How to lose weight properly? In motion!

Regular physical activity not only naturally increases the daily caloric deficit needed to lose weight, but also helps reduce sedentary habits that 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 write.

People are advised to spend an hour to an hour and a half a day in 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 is consumed 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 speed up even more - muscles require 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 (that's about seven kilometers) is enough to significantly reduce the risk of obesity. But people walk an average of between nine hundred and three thousand steps, and to increase that number to ten thousand, most must 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 path of proper weight loss, you need to regulate your life not only with food, but also with movement.

It is not necessary to set sports records, it is only recommended to increase physical activity, but not at will, but fully consciously and purposefully. You can only move for so long, but mind you, there are special groups of exercises for weight loss for a reason.

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

• Aerobic exercise is physical activity of low to moderate intensity that triggers aerobic reactions to produce adenosine triphosphate. Carbohydrates, fats and proteins provide energy for aerobic exercise, be it brisk walking, jogging, hiking or skiing.
• Anaerobic exercise includes weight lifting, brisk running, jumping rope, and stair climbing. They're more intense than aerobic, and they're also shorter in duration because they simply can't last as long as a lower-intensity workout. During 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 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, give insignificant results.

Combine exercises and lose weight 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 performed 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. The 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 had a significant reduction 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 former did half an hour of aerobic exercise for four weeks, while the latter 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 training 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: motivation and confidence are the main thing in implementing a plan on how to lose weight properly

How many good weight loss initiatives have failed not because of the inability to lose weight, genetic predisposition to overweight and other excuses that overweight people indulge in, but because of banal laziness.

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

How to do it? Here are some tips:

A food diary or food diary will be of great help in systematizing the weight loss process according to the rules described above and most importantly in increasing motivation.

A food diary will allow you to keep track of what you eat during the day, when, where and how much, what mood you are in and how strong 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 the attempts to lose weight have not been suitable for your body. Try again by adopting 10 principles of how to lose weight properly!