How to start losing weight? The topic of excess weight, diet and exercise is shrouded in many rumors and myths. Several things are as fiercely controversial as how to get rid of unwanted volumes. Despite the variety of techniques, there are basic and universal rules that work for absolutely everything. We will talk about them in this article.
The environment and lifestyle have changed dramatically in the last few decades. Lots of fast food, a variety of street food, cafes and restaurants appeared, more and more people started eating out and using delivery services, portion sizes increased significantly, and at the same time it proved to be harder to choose healthy food.
In addition, work and leisure became sedentary. Despite the well-known benefits of physical activity, there is a declining trend in the world. According to the latest reports from the European Union, 6 out of 10 people over the age of 15 do not play sports or play them very rarely. At the same time, a significant part of Europe's adult population spends more than four hours a day sitting, which cannot but affect health and appearance.
So, many factors affect what we eat and what lifestyle we choose, which means that we need to make a conscious choice to start making changes.
Decide on your motivation to lose weight
Often this stage is not given enough importance, thinking that the desire to fit into a once favorite dress or take beautiful photos on the beach is an effective goal. But aesthetic appeal is only one side of the coin, and on the other are much more important and significant things: liberation from complexes and self-doubt, desire for healthy children, the need to get rid of shortness of breath, hormonal disorders. and other related problems.
It’s always hard to take the first steps, you want to put it off for later, pause, or abandon the idea altogether. 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 medium (realistic! ) Goals. Imagine making a route for a car, the principle is the same.
Remember, food should not be a reward for exercising or "doing" on the chocolate you eat. Guilt is the 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 doing things differently - eating more outside the home, reducing activity or changing your diet? Knowing the root cause will help you progress faster towards your goal.
The quieter you go, the further you will get
Weight loss is a systematic and long-lasting 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 risk factors for chronic diseases associated with obesity.
Do not resort to radical diets and exhausting fasting systems. They lead to rapid weight loss in the first few weeks, but are unlikely to work in the long run because such lifestyle changes cannot be sustained. As soon as you cancel the regimen, go back to your old habits and gain weight.
Also, keep in mind that women generally have a higher fat-to-muscle ratio than men and have a resting metabolism rate 5-10% lower. For example, an eight-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 more were asked to state how many calories they thought they were consuming daily. Both groups underestimated the actual amount by an average of 1000 calories!
Determine your daily calorie intake
Determining how many calories you need to ingest is half the battle, it’s important to consider the nutritional value of foods as well. 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 - burn more calories than you eat. The daily deficit should average 500 kcal. Under this condition, you can lose one kilogram in two weeks, even without resorting to physical activity. But in the long run, this method will not work, over time the body creates a feeling 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
Size matters here. Portion control will eventually grow from a healthy habit into a lifestyle that eliminates constant overeating. One easy way to reduce the portion size is to use a smaller plate. The second is to eat more slowly so that the brain has time to receive the signal of feeling full. On average, this takes about 20 minutes.
Half of your plate should be vegetables, a quarter should be low-fat sources of protein (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 cakes, soda, white flour bread, or french fries), your body releases insulin to help control the flow of glucose into your bloodstream. Research shows that a rise in blood sugar levels after a few hours causes a feeling of hunger, craving for food and often leads to overeating. Fast and refined carbohydrates quickly replenish the body with energy, but when consumed excessively, they are converted into fat reserves. Give preference to complex carbohydrates and be sure to combine them with natural fiber.
Eat more whole foods
Whole foods are single-ingredient foods that are rich in vitamins and micronutrients without chemical additives or processing. This includes fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, seafood, legumes, eggs, nuts, etc. They help speed up metabolism, regulate weight, reduce hunger and affect hormone production.
One study involved 786 people who were divided into two groups. One of them was on a low micronutrient diet and the other on a high micronutrient diet. Nearly 80% of participants felt full after a diet rich in micronutrients, although they consumed fewer calories overall.
In addition, whole foods do not contain trans fats. A recent study showed that monkeys who ate more artificial trans fats increased their weight by an average of 7. 2% compared to monkeys who 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 of the studies showed that the consumption is 0, 5 liters. Drinking water half an hour before a meal helped people on a diet ingest fewer calories and lose 44% more pounds compared to those who did not drink water.
Avoid juices and fizzy sugary drinks. According to research, their daily consumption is associated with a 60% increased risk of obesity in children.
If you replace the daily consumption of a glass of juice or carbonated drink with water, you can reduce your annual calorie intake by an average of 219, 000 kcal. Impressive, isn't it?
Choose an effective weight loss exercise
Regular exercise is vital for physical and mental health. A disciplined and targeted increase in exercise frequency is often key to 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 aerobic exercise.
- Examples of aerobic activity of moderate intensity are badminton, brisk walking, cycling, tennis.
- Examples of high-intensity aerobic activities are running, swimming, team sports (football, basketball), etc.
- In addition, you can introduce useful rules into your daily routine: go up the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator, go one stop to the destination and take a walk, park the car a little further from home or office, etc.
Cardio for weight loss is necessary if you train properly, focus on the 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. Resistance exercises are key to building a toned body. Research shows that strength training helps maintain a high metabolic rate and prevents the loss of valuable muscle mass.
Many exercise routines are available for both home and gym.
Give preference to loads on all muscle groups, not local ones. You will not lose weight in the waist and abdomen for a long time, doing exercises only on the abdomen, as evidenced by the results of many studies. The same goes for weight loss in the legs, hips, arms and other parts of the body.
According to research, one of the most common obstacles to weight loss is lack of time, more than 73% of surveyed women said that for that reason they do not do sports. Circular, fat-burning and high-intensity interval training, which do not last more than half an hour and are considered one of the most effective for weight loss, come to the rescue.
Circuit traininglasts an average of 30 minutes. It consists of alternating several exercises (usually 5 to 10), aimed at different muscle groups, doing rest intervals in between. This method improves your aerobic fitness and burns calories efficiently.
Exercises for burning fatare in principle similar to circular, but the complex consists of a more intense load on different muscle groups, which are performed without interruption. Rest is allowed only after the end of the block of exercises.
In recent years, it has gained great popularityhigh-intensity exerciseswhich takes 5 to 30 minutes a day. They alternate between maximum activity and rest (one to two). For example, run for 1 minute as fast as possible, then walk slowly or rest for 2 minutes and then repeat all over again. Research has shown that this method of training helps you burn 25-30% more calories than other types of exercise.
Special circuit training- 30-minute fitness for women, consisting of warm-up, cardio training, strength training, cooling and stretching. Each training takes place under the supervision of a trainer who follows the technique of performing the exercises, teaches and selects the optimal version of the load. The exercises are performed on simulators, created taking into account the physiological characteristics of the female body. They are based on hydraulic resistance and are safe for people of all physical abilities.
Learn to enjoy exercising and weight loss exercise. Think about how much energy, joy and complacency give you training.
Get support
Losing weight is not easy, and it is even harder to do it alone. If you are trying to lose weight and improve your overall health, remember that you do not have to go this route alone. You can find like-minded people offline or online and join them.
Research has shown that support, healthy competition, and regular demonstration of results can help maintain a consistent exercise effect and be more responsible in the process.
Track your progress
Self-control is the most important factor in successful weight loss. When we see a real, tangible movement toward our goals, we tend to be more motivated to keep working. The most important thing is not to get stuck.
Don’t just focus on weight. Daily weighing can cause unnecessary anxiety and worry. Focus on waist, hip, chest, leg and arm circumference indicators. Measure them at the same time interval, for example, every 2 weeks or once a month. Record numbers in a notebook, app, or specialized web portals. This will help you track the result and analyze which actions bring the most results.
Remember that losing weight is a gradual process, do not be discouraged if your 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 diet and exercise.
Research shows that irregular sleep is associated with an 89% increased risk of obesity in children and 55% in adults. Also, insufficient or poor quality sleep slows down the conversion of calories into energy (metabolism). When it is broken, the body can store unused energy in the form of fat. In addition, poor sleep can increase insulin and cortisol production, as well as interfere with the regulation of the appetite-controlling hormones leptin and ghrelin. Leptin is the one that sends satiety signals to the brain.
Another study showed that people deprived of sleep consume 385 calories more per day than those who sleep regularly and enough. So, just because of a disturbed sleep rhythm, you can gain an extra 7 pounds a year.
When it comes to stress, it causes the release of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol. If you constantly feel anxious, cortisol remains trapped in the bloodstream and signals the body to replenish nutrient stores with carbohydrates, which often leads to overeating.
The researchers found that an eight-week stress management program led to a significant reduction in BMI in obese and obese children and adolescents.
Check out some of the methods for dealing with stress:
- yoga
- meditation
- breathing practices
- nature walks, gardening, etc.
Do not use diet pills
The idea of magic weight loss pills to dissolve your fat like in a dream is tempting. But unfortunately, this is too good to be true (if it wasn't already obvious).
Here are some side effects of diet pills:
- Nervous system exhaustion
- High blood pressure
- Increased heart rate
- Violation of the work of internal organs
- Insomnia
- Dizziness
- Anxiety
- Lazy bowel syndrome
Diet pills often promise immediate results, but do not interfere with your diet or lifestyle, which has made your body "unhealthy". Therefore, even if you manage to overcome the unpleasant side effects and achieve short-term results, you will eventually return to the beginning. We have dedicated a special article to fat burners, describing in detail their disadvantages, advantages and possible risks.
Remember, in order to achieve lasting results, you must fundamentally change your fitness and eating habits.
New books on weight loss, articles, TV shows and videos are published every day, but there is no single solution for lasting healthy weight loss. What suits one person may not work for you, because the body reacts differently to different foods and loads, depending on genetics and many other factors. Finding the right method will require time and patience, dedication and regularity.
To lose weight effortlessly, make realistic changes in diet and physical activity that will become part of your lifestyle, otherwise you will quickly return to old habits and original weight.