We talked with a dietitian about why losing weight is so difficult. Turns out we all make the same mistakes!
Mistake 1: Believing in Mom’s Friend’s Diet
Yes, buckwheat and kefir (for example) helped a friend lose 5 kg in two weeks, and her health remained in order (although it’s hard to believe it), but you have it! – the peptic ulcer became aggravated and the pancreas became inflamed.
“Why is that?” – you ask. Because we are different – and, as the proverb says: “What is good for a Russian, then death for a German.”
Well, of course, creating a large (more than 20% of the usual norm) calorie deficit will not lead to anything good.
Our body is a universal machine, and in conditions of starvation and strict diets, it begins to significantly save energy potential, that is, slow down all metabolic processes. And the worst thing, according to numerous medical studies, the metabolic rate continues to decline even after the cessation of restrictions, which leads to an early return of the lost kilograms and, sadly, a set of new ones.
And fasting is not at all a method of healthy weight loss, but, on the contrary, a reason to cause severe stress, which leads to the launch of negative processes in the body.
How right?
Talk to an experienced nutritionist (necessarily a doctor), take tests, and do an ultrasound of the abdominal cavity so that the process of weight loss (and this is always stressful for any organism) does not lead to an exacerbation of chronic diseases.
You will say that you are confident in yourself and without doctors, it is clear that you are absolutely healthy, unfortunately, I will upset you: if you already have excess weight, perhaps you were simply underexamined.
After the tests, calculate the basic metabolism with the doctor, take into account your daily activity and subtract 10-15% from this amount – this is enough for the weight to go away systematically, but guaranteed, and the state of health only improves.
Useful formula Mifflin – St. Jeor: how to correctly calculate the basic metabolism
Women: (9.99 x body weight) + (6.25 x height) – (4.99 x age) – 161
Men: (9.99 x body weight) + (6.25 x height) – (4.99 x age) + 5
Below this figure, I do not recommend reducing the calorie content of the daily diet!
Further, in order to understand how many calories you should consume in order to lose weight, you need to multiply the amount received by the activity figure and subtract 15% from the total amount.
Activity coefficients:
1.2 – minimal activity (sedentary work without physical exertion);
1.375 – a weak level of activity (for example, 2-3 workouts per week for 20-30 minutes);
1.55 – moderate activity level (intense training at least 3-4 times a week from 40 to 60 minutes);
1.7 – heavy physical activity 5-7 times a week;
1.9 is an extreme level, it definitely does not threaten you.
Mistake 2: Rare Meals
In the morning, on the run, you easily refuse breakfast, thinking that worries will distract you and you can easily hold out until the afternoon meal, but by this time you are already so hungry that you will definitely go over the calories for lunch, for which you will start to reproach yourself and ruin your mood all day. You promise yourself not to eat until the evening, and in the evening, from wild hunger and the stress of fighting with yourself for the whole day, you will start to gobble up two, promising that tomorrow you will definitely stick to the diet!
So you will never get out of the vicious circle … What to do? How to solve this eternal problem?
Exit: Be sure to have breakfast! Whole grain cereals, fermented milk products (yogurt, fermented baked milk, kefir, cottage cheese), berries and fruits, avocados, eggs (do not abuse the quantity and frequency of their use), vegetable oils, and nuts are good for this meal. But, of course, you do not need to use everything at once.
Chew even the softest food thoroughly. The digestive system will be grateful for the right ingredients for its well-coordinated work.
The variety of breakfasts will not let you get bored.
Porridge and berries with nuts and ghee or soy milk steam omelet with broccoli and baby peas with a slice of whole-grain bread and lightly salted salmon; casserole or cheesecakes with dried apricots and cherries from low-fat cottage cheese with yogurt.
Indulge in healthy snacks – they will not let you overeat at lunch and dinner.
A handful of nuts or a toast with avocado and vegetables, a not-so-sweet fruit, or a fermented milk drink are just a few of dozens of healthy simple snacks.
Dinner – a protein product with vegetables, will support and prevent you from waking up from hunger in the middle of the night and emptying the refrigerator.
Mistake 3: Severe Macronutrient Restriction
As a rule, these are carbohydrates or fats (or both categories fall into disgrace). Remember, each nutrient is necessary for the full daily recovery of all body systems. For example, without the proper amount of healthy fats, the hormonal system cannot work efficiently, the brain is 60 percent fat (and not milk chocolate ingredients, as many are 100% convinced), memory suffers, and mood deteriorates. Without fat, dry and dull skin, hair, and vision are impaired.
The daily diet needs nuts, avocados, cold-pressed vegetable oils, eggs, fish, and meat.
Lovers of carbohydrate-free diets are always at risk of being among people suffering from urolithiasis, pyelonephritis, osteoporosis, they form kidney stones, and liver problems appear because a long-term carbohydrate-free diet, is forced to produce glucose from proteins and fats, in During this process, potentially toxic amounts of ammonia are produced, and as a result, the immune system is seriously affected.
Mistake 4: unaccounted for calories
Pieces and handfuls, spoons, and sips, liquid high-calorie drinks – all of this happens so imperceptibly, but it greatly affects the process of losing weight – as a result, at least 200-300 extra calories are gained per day.
Alcohol, even the lightest, disrupts the liver and reduces metabolism.
“Empty”, but “sugar” calories you definitely don’t need.
Mistake 5: losing weight without sports
Everything is extremely simple here, I will put it again with the old saying: “A skinny cow is not yet a gazelle.” Muscles require much more calories than adipose tissue. After strength training, the metabolism is kept at an elevated level for more than 36 hours, remember this. And then, sagging skin and flabby muscle outlines will not please anyone if you lose weight without sports.
Mistake 6: lack of water
If you do not drink 30 ml of pure non-carbonated water per kg of the body per day, you are dehydrated, which means you will suffer from constipation, problems with the cardiovascular system and the gastrointestinal tract, and the brain and nervous system will be overloaded, the lymphatic system will slow down, processes will be activated aging and – most importantly for you – prevent body fat from leaving the body, thereby accumulating toxins, heavy metals, carcinogens, and allergens.
Remember: water is more important than food!
Be healthy and fit always!
But this is possible only when a healthy diet, feasible activity, and love for your body turn into a style of your life.
Short forays into diets before the holiday season is not the method of a person who respects himself and his body.
Editorial Team
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