How to start losing weight? The topic of overweight, diet and exercise is shrouded in many rumors and myths. Few things are as controversial as how to get rid of unwanted volumes. Despite the variety of techniques, there are basic and universal rules that work for absolutely everyone. We will talk about them in this article.
The environment and lifestyle have changed dramatically in recent decades. Many fast food restaurants, a variety of street food, cafes and restaurants appeared, people began to eat out and use delivery services, portion sizes increased significantly and at the same time it became more difficult to choose healthy foods. .
In addition, work and leisure have become stuck. Despite the well-known benefits of physical activity, there is a declining trend worldwide. According to the latest reports from the European Union, 6 out of 10 people over the age of 15 do not play sports or do so very rarely. At the same time, a significant proportion of Europe's elderly population spends more than four hours a day in a sitting position, which inevitably affects their health and appearance.
In this way, many factors affect what we eat and what lifestyle we choose, which means that it is necessary to make conscious choices to initiate change.
Decide your motivation to lose weight
Often at this stage the necessary importance is not given, as it is believed that the desire to fit into a once favorite dress or take beautiful pictures on the beach is an effective goal. But aesthetic appeal is only one side of the coin, on the other are much more important and significant things: getting rid of complexes and insecurities, the desire to have healthy children, the need to get rid of shortness of breath, hormonal disorders and other related problems.
It is always difficult to take the first steps, you want to postpone it for later, pause or abandon the idea completely. In addition, unrealistic weight loss goals are often set at the beginning, which leads to high expectations, which later lead to frustration, stress and lack of progress. Do not be guided by the principle of all or nothing. Set the ultimate desired goal and many intermediate (realistic! ) Goals. Imagine building a car route, the principle is the same.
Remember that food should not be a reward for training or "working out" on the chocolate you eat. Guilt is a killer of motivation.
At the same time, analyze why you are overweight. Is this a recent change or a long-term picture? Have you started to do things differently - eat more outside the home, reduce your activity or change your diet? Knowing the root cause will help you move faster towards your goal.
The quieter you go, the farther you go
Weight loss is a systematic and long process. Even a small weight loss (5 to 10% of total body weight) can provide health benefits such as improving blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels and reducing the risk factors for chronic obesity-related diseases.
Do not resort to radical diets and exhausting starvation systems. They lead to rapid weight loss in the first few weeks, but are unlikely to work in the long run, as such lifestyle changes may not be sustainable. As soon as you cancel the mode, go back to the old habits and recharge.
Also, keep in mind that women usually have a higher fat to muscle ratio than men and have a resting metabolic rate 5-10% lower. For example, an 8-week study of more than 2, 000 participants on a low-calorie diet (800 kcal per day) found that men lost 16% more weight than women under the same conditions.
Examine the quantity and quality of food consumed
Many people have no idea how many calories they eat. According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, two groups of people who were similar in weight, height, body fat percentage, education level, and others were asked to report how many calories they thought they were consuming per day. Both groups underestimated the actual amount by an average of 1000 calories!
Determine your daily calorie intake
Determining how many calories you should eat is half the battle, it is also important to consider the nutritional value of the food. For example, 500 calories in chips is not the same as 500 calories in raw vegetables.
Nutritionists insist that it is important to follow the rule of weight loss - to burn more calories than you consume. The daily deficit should be an average of 500 kcal. Under this condition, you can lose a pound in two weeks without even resorting to physical activity. But in the long run this method will not work, over time the body accumulates feelings of stress and anxiety due to constant lack of food and instead of losing weight, the body begins to accumulate fat in case of a critical situation.
Reduce your portions
Here size matters. Portion control will eventually grow from a healthy habit into a lifestyle that eliminates constant overeating. An easy way to reduce your portion size is to use a smaller plate. Another thing is to eat more slowly so that the brain has time to receive a signal of the feeling of satiety. On average, this takes about 20 minutes.
Half of your plate should be vegetables, a quarter should be low-fat protein sources (chicken, turkey, fish, eggs), and the rest should be cereals or whole grains.
Reduce your carbohydrate intake
If you eat foods rich in simple carbohydrates (such as pastries, soda, white bread or french fries), your body releases insulin to help control blood flow. Studies show that a jump in blood sugar levels after a few hours makes you feel hungry, thirsty for food and often leads to overeating. Fast and refined carbohydrates quickly charge the body with energy, but in case of excessive consumption they are transformed into fat reserves. Give preference to complex carbohydrates and do not forget to combine them with natural fiber.
Eat more wholesome foods
Whole foods are single-ingredient foods that are rich in vitamins and trace elements without chemical additives or processing. These include fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, seafood, legumes, eggs, nuts and more. They help speed up metabolism, regulate weight, reduce hunger and affect hormone production.
One study included 786 people who were divided into two groups. One was on a low-micronutrient diet and the other on a high-micronutrient diet. Nearly 80% of participants feel full after a diet high in micronutrients, although they have consumed fewer calories in general.
In addition, whole foods do not contain trans fats. A recent study found that monkeys that ate more artificial trans fats gained an average of 7. 2% in weight compared to monkeys that ate a diet rich in monounsaturated fats.
Drink your daily amount of water
Drinking water can speed up your metabolism by 24-30%, helping you burn more calories. One study showed that the consumption of 0, 5 liters. Drinking water half an hour before a meal helped people on a diet consume fewer calories and lose 44% more weight than those who did not drink water.
Avoid juices and fizzy sugary drinks. According to research, their daily consumption is associated with a 60% increase in the risk of obesity in children.
If you replace your daily consumption of a glass of juice or carbonated water with water, you can reduce your annual calorie intake by an average of 219, 000 kcal. Impressive, isn't it?
Choose effective weight loss exercises
Regular exercise is vital for both physical and mental health. Disciplined and purposeful increase in exercise frequency is often crucial for successful weight loss.
The WHO recommends that people between the ages of 18 and 64 exercise at least 150 minutes a week.
The easiest and most affordable way to exercise is through aerobic exercise.
- Examples of moderately intense aerobic activity are badminton, brisk walking, cycling, tennis.
- Examples of high-intensity aerobic activity are running, swimming, team sports (football, basketball) and others.
- In addition, you can introduce useful rules in your daily life: take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator, go to a bus stop to your destination and walk, park your car a little further from your home or office, etc.
Cardio for weight loss is essential if you train properly, focus on your heart rate (heart rate), use different techniques and intervals.
Of course, it is important not only to lose weight, but also to keep your muscles toned. The resistance exercise is crucial for building a toned body. Studies show that strength training helps maintain a high metabolic rate and prevents the loss of valuable muscle mass.
There are many exercise programs for both home and fitness.
Give preference to the loads of all muscle groups, rather than local ones. You will not lose weight in the waist and abdomen for a long time, doing exercises only on the abdomen, this is proven by the results of many studies. The same goes for losing weight on the legs, hips, arms and other parts of the body.
According to studies, one of the most common barriers to weight loss is lack of time, more than 73% of women surveyed say they do not exercise for this reason. Circular, fat-burning and high-intensity interval training come to the rescue, which take no more than half an hour and are considered one of the most effective for weight loss.
Circular trainingtakes an average of 30 minutes. It consists of alternating several exercises (usually 5 to 10) aimed at different muscle groups, taking intervals between them. This method improves your aerobic shape and burns calories effectively.
Fat burning workoutsare similar in principle to the circular ones, but the complex consists of more intense loads of different muscle groups, which are performed without interruption. Rest is allowed only after the end of the block of exercises.
In recent years they have gained great popularityhigh intensity trainingwhich take 5 to 30 minutes a day. They alternate between maximum activity and rest (one to two). For example, you run for 1 minute as fast as possible, then walk slowly or rest for 2 minutes, then repeat everything again. Studies show that this training method helps you burn 25-30% more calories than other types of exercise.
Special circuit training- 30-minute fitness for women, which consists of warming up, cardio, strength training, cooling down and stretching. Each workout is performed under the supervision of a trainer who monitors the technique of performing the exercises, teaches and selects the optimal version of the load. The exercises are performed on simulators designed taking into account the physiological characteristics of the female body. They are based on hydraulic resistance and are safe for people of any physical fitness.
Learn to enjoy exercise and do weight loss exercises. Think about how much energy, joy and complacency training gives you.
I get support
Losing weight is not easy, and doing it yourself is even harder. If you are trying to lose those extra pounds and improve your overall health, remember that you do not need to go this route alone. You can find like-minded people offline or online and join them.
Research shows that support, healthy competition, and regular demonstration of results can help maintain consistent exercise performance and be more responsible in the process.
Track your progress
Self-control is the most important factor for successful weight loss. When we see a real, tangible movement toward our goals, we are more motivated to keep working. The most important thing is not to get hung up.
Don't just focus on weight. Daily weighing can cause unnecessary anxiety and worry. Focus on waist, hip, chest, leg and arm circumference. Measure them at the same time interval, for example every 2 weeks or once a month. Capture numbers in a notebook, application or specialized web portals. This will help you track the result and analyze which actions bring the most results.
Remember that weight loss is a gradual process, do not be discouraged if these extra pounds do not disappear at the speed you expected. Your task is to learn how to lose weight properly, not in 3 days.
Eliminate stress and lack of sleep
Healthy sleep is just as important as proper nutrition and exercise.
Studies show that irregular sleep is associated with an 89% increased risk of obesity in children and 55% in adults. Also, insufficient or poor sleep slows down the conversion of calories into energy (metabolism). When it malfunctions, the body can store unused energy in the form of fat. In addition, poor sleep can increase the production of insulin and cortisol, as well as interfere with the regulation of appetite-controlling hormones leptin and ghrelin. Leptin is the one that sends satiety signals to the brain.
Another study found that sleep deprived people consumed 385 calories more per day than those who slept regularly and enough. Thus, just because of the disturbed sleep rhythm, you can gain an extra 7 pounds a year.
When it comes to stress, it triggers the release of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol. If you feel anxious all the time, cortisol stays in the bloodstream and signals the body to replenish nutrient stores with carbohydrates, which often leads to overeating.
The researchers found that the 8-week stress management program led to a significant reduction in BMI in overweight and obese children and adolescents.
Consider some of the methods to deal with stress:
- yoga
- meditation
- breathing practices
- nature walks, gardening, etc.
Do not use diet pills
The idea of magic weight loss pills to make fat dissolve like a dream is tempting. But alas, this is too good to be true (if it was not already obvious).
Here are some of the side effects of diet pills:
- Exhaustion of the nervous system
- High blood pressure
- Increased heart rate
- Disorders of the internal organs
- Insomnia
- Dizziness
- anxiety
- Lazy bowel syndrome
Weight loss pills often promise immediate results, but they do not interfere with your diet or lifestyle, which has made your body "unhealthy. " Thus, even if you manage to overcome the unpleasant side effects and get short-term results, in the endyou will return to where you started in. We have dedicated a separate article to fat burners, detailing their disadvantages, benefits and possible risks.
Remember that in order to achieve lasting results, you need to fundamentally change your fitness and eating habits.
New weight loss books, articles, TV shows and videos are published every day, but there is no one-size-fits-all solution to lasting healthy weight loss. What works for a person may not work for you, as the body responds differently to different foods and loads, depending on genetics and many other factors. Finding the right method will take time and patience, dedication and regularity.
To lose weight without suffering, make realistic changes in your diet and physical activity that will become part of your lifestyle, otherwise you will quickly return to your old habits and original weight.