I want to lose weight
The topic of losing weight is, without exaggeration, one of the most popular topics in communication – both physical and virtual, and in all age groups. The inability of most people to observe moderation in food and to properly compose their own diet leads to a gradual (and sometimes quite fast) weight gain, which must be periodically “driven off”. Few manage to keep their weight at a constant level of a slim figure, and here heredity, family traditions in nutrition, own aesthetic views, lifestyle, and, of course, physical education play an important role. Unfortunately, some physical exercises cannot cope with the problem of excess weight, and it must be solved in conjunction with other measures.
There are a lot of recommendations on how to lose weight. You can “sew up” your mouth by sharply limiting the diet, as the great ballerina Maya Plisetskaya advised; you can completely stop eating for a while – the benefits of therapeutic fasting are undeniably proven.However, for many, this method of losing weight is unbearable for a variety of reasons. In addition, a sharp reduction in the amount of food consumed gives a quick but short-term result. Another approach to the topic of weight loss is associated with the use of nutritional supplements. The most effective of them are not those that dehydrate the body (for example, furosemide or senna), but drugs that burn fats or interfere with their absorption (such as L-carnitine or xenical), as well as various appetite blockers. However, any supplements are just “helpers” in the hard business of losing weight.
The main lever that everyone has in their hands is, of course, proper nutrition. It is the volume and composition of the food consumed, as well as the frequency and time of eating, that are able to regulate weight with the greatest efficiency. There are a huge number of diets for weight loss, and everyone losing weight can choose the most suitable for themselves personally. Someone is successfully losing weight according to Montignac or Ducane, someone is on the Kremlin or Japanese diet, many choose a mono diet, eating only rice, buckwheat or apples for several days. But the biggest difficulty is to keep the decreased weight at a constant level and not to gain the kilograms lost with such difficulty, returning to your usual diet after finishing the diet.
In this difficult issue, the most important rule is the competent change and preparation of this particular daily diet. The basis of such a diet should be full, but low-calorie foods that will saturate you so that you do not suffer from hunger during the day. We must learn to select such products and cook them deliciously, only occasionally allowing ourselves to “deviate” in the form of fatty and sweet foods. It is very important to enrich the diet with indigestible dietary fiber (fiber) and vitamins, and the calories consumed must be considered.
Determine for yourself the calorie level at which you are losing weight or getting better (everyone has his own, and there are many methods for calculating this figure), and try to compose your daily menu at least approximately within this calorie level. The label of any product today shows its nutritional value and calorie content, and you can always calculate the calories consumed. The diet should be complete in the composition of basic nutrients (proteins, fats, carbohydrates), saturated with vitamins and minerals and contain a sufficient amount of fiber.
For clarity, the basic rules for creating a diet for weight loss and subsequent weight retention can be formulated as follows:
1. It is necessary to calculate the amount of calories allowed per day for you personally, which depends on a number of parameters: gender, age, height, metabolic rate, physical activity, etc. For weight loss you need to create a corridor within which you will lose body weight. For example, with a daily norm of 1,500 kcal, you will save weight when you consume 1,500– 1,600 kcal, and you will lose weight when you consume 1,250 kcal per day.
2. Drink clean water (at least 2 liters per day), avoid salt and sugar in its pure form, eat fractionally (5-6 times a day) and do not eat at night (last meal – at least 2 hours before bedtime ) Once a week, be sure to arrange a fasting day (less than 1000 kcal).
3. The most important rule is a competent choice of products that will provide you with the right amount of protein, fat and carbohydrates, and in the right ratio, in which the body will not accumulate fats. Proteins should make up from 30 to 35% of calories consumed per day, fats – from 15 to 20%, carbohydrates – from 45 to 50%. Do not skew towards proteins, because the body will not absorb more than 2 g of protein per 1 kg of body weight, and undigested proteins are toxic. Prefer vegetable oils to animals (see the article “What are the benefits of vegetable oils?”), And slow carbohydrates to fast ones. Pay your attention to such low-calorie and nutritious protein foods as Tofu and all types of beans (chickpeas, mung beans, beans, lentils, peas, soybeans)
