How do I start losing weight? There are many rumors and myths about the subject of obesity, diet and exercise. Few things are as hotly debated as getting rid of unwanted volume. Despite the variety of techniques, there are basic and universal rules that work for absolutely everyone. We'll talk about them in this article.
The environment and lifestyle have changed dramatically in the last few decades. A lot of fast food emerged, a variety of street food, cafes and restaurants, people increasingly began to eat out and use delivery services, the portion sizes increased significantly and at the same time it became more difficult to choose healthy food.
In addition, work and leisure have become sedentary. Despite the known benefits of physical activity, there is a downward trend around the world. According to the latest reports from the European Union, 6 out of 10 people over the age of 15 do not, or only very rarely, exercise. At the same time, a significant proportion of Europe's adult population spends more than four hours a day sitting, which affects their health and appearance.
Hence, many factors influence what we eat and what lifestyle we choose, which means it is necessary to make a conscious decision in order to begin changes.
Decide your motivation to lose weight
Often, due importance is not attached to this stage, as the desire to fit into a once-favorite dress or to take beautiful photos on the beach is an effective goal. But aesthetics is only one side of the coin, on the other there are much more important and meaningful things: getting rid of complexes and self-doubts, the desire for 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 them until later, pause them or give up the idea entirely. In addition, unrealistic weight loss goals are often set at the beginning, which leads to high expectations, which later lead to frustration, stress and a lack of progress. Don't let the all-or-nothing rule guide you. Set yourself the ultimate desired goal and lots of medium (realistic! ) Goals. Imagine you are building a route for a car, the principle is the same.
Remember, eating shouldn't be a workout reward or a "work off" on the chocolate you eat. Guilt is a motivational killer.
At the same time, analyze why you are overweight. Is this a current change or a long-term picture? Have you started doing things differently - eating more outside the home, reducing your activity, or changing your diet? Knowing the cause can help you achieve your goal faster.
The quieter you go, the further you go
Losing weight is a systematic and long-term process. Even slight weight loss (5 to 10% of total body weight) can provide health benefits such as improving blood pressure, cholesterol, and sugar levels, and reducing risk factors for chronic obesity-related diseases.
Do not resort to radical diets and exhaustive fasting systems. They lead to rapid weight loss in the first few weeks, but are unlikely to work in the long term because such lifestyle changes cannot be sustained. As soon as you stop taking 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 5-10% lower resting metabolic rate. For example, an 8-week study of more than 2, 000 people on a low-calorie diet (800 kcal per day) found that men lost 16% more weight than women under the same conditions.
Check the quantity and quality of the food you eat
Many people have no idea how many calories they are eating. According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, two groups of people of similar weight, height, body fat percentage, educational level, and more were asked to indicate 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 to eat is half the battle, it's 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 losing weight - burning more calories than you are consuming. The daily deficit should be an average of 500 kcal. With this condition, you can lose a kilogram in two weeks without resorting to physical activity. But in the long run this method will not work, over time the body builds up a feeling of stress and fear due to the constant lack of food and instead of losing weight, the body begins to accumulate fat in a critical situation.
Cut down on your servings
Size matters here. Portion control over time is moving from a healthy habit to a lifestyle that eliminates constant overeating. An easy way to reduce the serving size is to use a smaller plate. Another is to eat more slowly so that the brain has time to receive a signal about feeling full. On average, this takes about 20 minutes.
Half of your plate should be made from vegetables, a quarter from low-fat sources of protein (chicken, turkey, fish, eggs) and the rest from cereals or whole grains.
Cut down on your carbohydrate intake
When you eat foods high in simple carbohydrates (like cake, soda, white flour bread, or french fries), your body secretes insulin to control the flow of glucose into your bloodstream. Research shows that an increase in blood sugar levels after a few hours causes hunger and cravings and often leads to overeating. Fast and refined carbohydrates provide the body with energy quickly, but when consumed in excess, they are converted into fat reserves. Prefer 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 with no chemical additives or processing. These include fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, seafood, legumes, eggs, nuts, etc. They help speed up the metabolism, regulate weight, reduce hunger and influence hormone production.
One study took part in 786 people who were divided into two groups. One of them was on a low-micronutrient diet and the other was on a high-micronutrient diet. Almost 80% of participants felt full after a micronutrient-rich diet, even though they consumed fewer calories overall.
In addition, whole foods are free from trans fats. A recent study found that monkeys that ate more artificial trans fats increased their weight by an average of 7. 2% compared to monkeys that ate monounsaturated fatty acid diets.
Drink your daily amount of water
Drinking water can speed up your metabolism by 24-30% and help you burn more calories. One of the studies showed that the consumption of 0, 5 liters. Drinking water half an hour before meals helped dieters consume fewer calories and lose 44% more weight than those who did not drink water.
Avoid juices and carbonated sugary drinks. According to research, consuming them daily is linked to a 60 percent increase in the risk of obesity in children.
If you replace your daily consumption of a glass of juice or lemonade with water, you can reduce your annual caloric intake by an average of 219, 000 kcal. Impressive, isn't it?
Choose an effective weight loss exercise
Regular exercise is vital for both physical and mental health. A disciplined and targeted increase in training 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 cheapest way to exercise is aerobics.
- Examples of medium-intensity aerobic activities are badminton, brisk walking, cycling, tennis.
- Examples of high-intensity aerobic activities are running, swimming, team sports (soccer, basketball), etc.
- In addition, you can introduce useful rules into your daily routine: take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator, go one station 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 are exercising properly, focusing on heart rate (heart rate), using different techniques and intervals.
Of course, it is important not only to lose weight, but also to tone the muscles. Resistance exercises are critical to building a toned body. Research shows that strength training helps maintain a high metabolic rate and prevents the loss of valuable muscle mass.
There are many exercise routines for at home and in the gym.
Give preference to loads on all muscle groups, rather than local ones. For a long time you will not lose weight in your waist and stomach and only train on your stomach, this is proven by the results of many studies. The same applies to losing weight on legs, hips, arms and other parts of the body.
Studies have shown that lack of time is one of the most common obstacles to weight loss, with more than 73% of women surveyed saying that this is the reason why they do not do sports. Circular, fat-burning and high-intensity interval workouts, which last no more than half an hour and are considered to be one of the most effective for weight loss, help.
Circuit trainingtakes an average of 30 minutes. It consists in alternating several exercises (usually 5 to 10) that target different muscle groups, taking breaks in between. This method improves your aerobic fitness and burns calories efficiently.
Fat burning trainingare circular in principle, but the complex consists of more high-intensity loads of different muscle groups that are performed without interruption. Resting is only allowed after completing the exercise block.
The past few years have gained great popularityhigh intensity trainingwhich last 5 to 30 minutes a day. You alternate between maximum activity and rest (one to two). For example, you may run 1 minute as fast as you can, then walk slowly or rest for 2 minutes and then repeat all over again. Studies have shown that this exercise method burns 25-30% more calories than other sports.
Special circuit training- 30-minute fitness for women, consisting of warm-up, cardio, strength training, cool-down and stretching. Each training takes place under the supervision of a trainer who monitors the execution technique of the exercises, teaches and selects the optimal version of the load. The exercises are carried out on simulators created taking into account the physiological properties of the female body. They are based on hydraulic resistance and are safe for people of all physical fitness.
Learn to enjoy sports and do weight loss exercises. Remember how much energy, joy, and complacency the workout will give you.
Get support
Losing weight is not easy and it is even more difficult on your own. As you are trying to lose those extra pounds and improve your overall health, remember that you don't have to go this route yourself. 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 consistent exercise performance while taking on more responsibility.
Track your progress
Self-control is the most important factor in successful weight loss. When we see real, tangible movement towards our goals, we tend to be more motivated to keep working. The most important thing is not to hang yourself.
Don't just focus on weight. Weighing yourself daily can cause unnecessary anxiety and anxiety. Focus on the indicators of the circumference of your waist, hips, chest, legs and arms. Measure them at the same time interval, for example every 2 weeks or once a month. Record numbers in a notebook, application or special web portals. This will help you to keep track of the outcome and analyze which actions bring the most results.
Remember that weight loss is a gradual process. Don't be discouraged if those extra pounds don't go away at the rate you expected. Your job is to learn how to lose weight properly, and 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 linked to an 89% increased risk of obesity in children and 55% in adults. Insufficient or poor sleep also slows down the conversion of calories into energy (metabolism). In the event of malfunctions, the body can store unused energy in the form of fat. In addition, poor sleep can increase the production of insulin and cortisol and disrupt the regulation of the appetite-controlling hormones leptin and ghrelin. It is leptin that sends satiety signals to the brain.
Another study found that people who were sleep deprived consumed 385 more calories a day than people who slept regularly and adequately. You can consume an additional 7 kilograms per year just because of the disturbed sleep rhythm.
When stressed, it triggers the release of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol. When you're constantly scared, cortisol becomes trapped 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 resulted in significant reductions in BMI in overweight and obese children and adolescents.
Check out some of the stress management methods:
- yoga
- meditation
- Breathing exercises
- Nature walks, gardening, etc.
Do not use diet pills
The idea of magic diet pills to dissolve your fat like a dream is enticing. But unfortunately that's too good to be true (if it wasn't already obvious).
Here are some of the side effects of diet pills:
- Exhaustion of the nervous system
- High blood pressure
- Increased pulse
- Violation of the work of internal organs
- insomnia
- dizziness
- anxiety
- Lazy bowel syndrome
Diet pills often promise instant results, but they don't interfere with your diet or lifestyle that made your body "unhealthy". Even if you manage to overcome the nasty side effects and see short-term results, you will eventually get back to where you started. We have devoted a separate article to fat burners and described their disadvantages, advantages and possible risks.
Remember, you need to make fundamental changes to your fitness and eating habits to see lasting results.
New books, articles, TV shows, and videos are published every day, but there is no one-size-fits-all solution to long-term healthy weight loss. What works for one person may not work for you because the body reacts differently to different foods and stresses depending on genetics and many other factors. Finding the right method takes 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 or you will quickly return to your old habits and weight.