Trainers, doctors, sports nutritionists, and fitness bloggers talk about how sugar substitutes affect weight loss, why regular sleep deprivation can cause a weight gain, and what diets have the opposite effect.
Valeria Chekalina
Mom of twins. The owner of a motivational sports and nutritional account. The author of the weight loss program
Focus on low-fat foods
In the process of losing weight, you do not need to give up oil and fill the refrigerator with fat-free foods. Healthy fats are needed by the body, especially women. They are responsible for the condition of the skin, hair, nails. In addition, many vitamins, macro- and microelements cannot be absorbed without fats - A, D, E, K, calcium.
To give dairy products with 0% fat the desired consistency, manufacturers add starch, thickeners, sugar - this increases the calorie content. For example, low fat yogurt contains almost 20 grams of sugar. Almost the same amount in a chocolate bar.
Add healthy oils to your diet (olive, flaxseed, coconut, ghee), love avocados and nuts, do not forget about red fish and flax seeds.
Sit on a mono diet
Mono diets on buckwheat, chicken breast or any other product are dangerous and ineffective. The body does not receive the necessary macro- and micronutrients - this can negatively affect health. It is likely that in 10 days you will lose weight, but not fat, but water will go away. After returning to the usual regime, the kilograms will return. You can't eat like that all the time. This is the framework into which you drive yourself. A mono diet ultimately leads to poor health, mood, and eating disorders.
Regularly arrange fasting days on kefir
I am an ardent opponent of cow's milk. It is difficult for an adult's body to break down the protein that is in its composition. Let me give you an example from personal experience. A month after giving up milk, I began to feel much better: lightness appeared, the skin became smoother. Sometimes I allow myself a glass of fermented baked milk or Greek yogurt. But they are appropriate in the diet only in the morning. Permitted and safe: curd cakes and curd casseroles (thermally processed cow protein is easier to digest).
Give up side dishes
The only result that an excess of protein in the diet can lead to is problems with the digestion and excretory system. Yes, you will lose those extra centimeters, but not for long. Side dishes are essential. Buckwheat, brown rice, whole grain pasta, bulgur - there are many “correct” options. All these are complex carbohydrates, and they provide energy! Do not switch to boiled and unleavened breast, supplement it with cereals and fiber from greens.
Give up sweets completely
Sounds funny, I know. Just imagine: you will never again eat a piece of chocolate, cake or any other dessert in your life. The mere thought of this makes such sweethearts like me fall in spirits. No drastic measures are needed. Sweets can be wisely included in the diet.
I do not mix sweets with the main meals and eat them until 16.00. I prefer homemade PP desserts, dark chocolate, dried fruit and nut bars.
And also, a big secret: I eat bread and pasta. Listen to your body, take care of it, eat right and very soon you will see the result: the reflection in the mirror will delight you, and you will not go crazy with eternal prohibitions.
Julia Pogotskaya
Personal trainer
Eat little
The rule "if you want to lose weight, eat less" does not work! For each of us there is a daily calorie intake, which is calculated individually, taking into account weight, height, age, physical activity and other parameters. When losing weight, the calorie content should be 10-15% lower than usual. This is a safe norm for the body. To speed up your metabolism, you need to eat often and in small portions - I think everyone knows about this. The body perceives a strong and constant deficit of calories as a threat: metabolism slows down, energy is consumed less, adipose tissue is practically not split. Maintain the balance of the KBZHU and avoid strong feelings of hunger.
Not getting enough sleep
If you don't get enough sleep on a regular basis, don't be surprised if the weight doesn't go away. During the night sleep, the body recovers its strength. It takes him about eight hours to replenish his energy reserves. If you regularly do not give the body the opportunity to bring this process to the end, plus on the scales it will not take long. The body receives energy by breaking down lipids. And in order to split them, you must first stock up. As a result, the body goes into "hamster" mode, accumulating fat.
You spend too much time running
The most common fitness myth: running is a panacea for excess weight. Firstly, our body has the ability to adapt to physical activity. Even if you regularly lengthen the distance, but run at the same speed, you will not achieve visible results.
Losing weight requires an integrated approach and a well-defined strategy. In addition to running, strength training is also needed, aimed at working out all muscle groups, as well as a balanced diet and an additional "support group" in the form of massage.
If your goal is weight loss and not endurance training, practice interval jogging (alternating speed running).
One more point. Recent studies by Hormone Research have shown that during too long runs, the stress hormone cortisol is produced in the body, which suppresses insulin production. The result is an increase in body fat in problem areas.
Constantly stressed
The persistent expression "all diseases are from the nerves" is not such a myth. In this case, the reason for the weight gain is still the same cortisol mentioned in the previous paragraph. The hormone is produced in the adrenal cortex and belongs to glucocorticoids. Its concentration in the blood depends not only on the mood, but also on the time of day.
Recently, Norwegian scientists from the University of Stavanger confirmed that stress interferes with the process of losing weight. They tested an experiment in which 35 volunteers with grade II obesity took part. For 22 weeks, the subjects observed all the "commandments" of proper nutrition and played sports, but at the same time were exposed to artificially created stressful situations. As a result, they lost only a few kilograms. At the same time, a high level of cortisol was observed in them several months after the end of the experiment. To lose weight, you need to avoid stressful situations!
Polina Vysotskaya
Trainer, sports nutritionist
Completely excluded carbohydrates from the diet
Normally, the daily volume of carbohydrates is 50% of the diet. How much it is in grams depends on many factors: type of activity, daily activity, presence / absence of training, diseases and others. But there are also generally accepted numbers. When losing weight, the norm of carbohydrates is 2 g per 1 kg of weight, while maintenance is from 4 to 6 g per 1 kg.
The first signs of an insufficient amount of carbohydrates in the diet are lethargy, lethargy, irritability, drowsiness. This condition can be accompanied by nausea, halitosis, headaches, and muscle cramps. A rational diet should consist of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
Don't count on the glycemic index
Anyone who adheres to proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle needs to “make friends” with this concept. The glycemic index is the rate at which blood sugar levels rise after consuming carbohydrate foods. You cannot calculate it yourself. There are tables on the Internet with the glycemic index of popular foods - use them. A high GI is considered to be from 70, a low - from 35. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that apart from rolls and chips, I have some fruits and vegetables: potatoes, boiled carrots, melons. Do not exclude them from the diet. To make the right menu, look at the percentage of carbohydrates. For example, the GI of potatoes is 95 and the percentage of carbohydrates is 11.5. When calculating KBZHU, take the second digit.
Eat sweet in the morning
The rule “eat sweet for breakfast if you really want to” has nothing to do with PP.
Morning is not the best time for fast carbs. Your blood sugar drops overnight, and raising it with a bar of chocolate sets the pace for the day. Having eaten sweets at breakfast, you will want them until the evening.
If you can't go without dessert, leave it for lunch, or in the afternoon, when there is a decrease in activity and glucose will be good for the brain.
Juliana Popeka
Nutritionist
Daily calorie content below the basal metabolic rate
Basal metabolism is the minimum amount of energy required to ensure normal life: the work of all systems and organs, the transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide. With a regular and severe calorie deficit, you will, of course, lose weight, but not the fact that you will not gain it back. The process of losing weight will be accompanied by lethargy, poor health, rapid fatigue, lack of strength, and drowsiness. Returning to the usual diet, the body more than compensates for what it was deprived of, and will bring a few extra pounds so that it is discouraging.
Practicing express diets
If you are overweight and have a body mass index over 25, the process of losing weight will be long. BMI is easy to calculate. To do this, the height in meters is multiplied by two. And then the body weight in kilograms is divided by this figure. If the index is from 25 and above, we are talking about excess weight (the norm is up to 24.99).
You cannot lose the extra pounds that you have been eating for years in a week. Express diets are the cause of food disruptions and serious health problems.
Lead a boring, monotonous lifestyle
Are you surprised? Food is one of the ways to get pleasure and release hormones of joy. Their concentration increases during sports, travel, watching movies and reading. Unless you're looking to brighten up your life and are following the home-work-couch route day in and day out, the only way to raise your serotonin levels is to eat. And, most likely, the body will definitely use it in order to "feed" the positive.
Albina Komissarova
Nutritionist. Member of the National Society of Nutritionists
Overuse sweeteners
Sweeteners have been invented for people with diabetes mellitus - they provide a sweet taste, but do not raise blood glucose levels. Adherents of a healthy diet decided to introduce them into their diet in order to reduce the calorie content of their usual dishes. Don't repeat after them.
In almost all sweeteners, the calorie content is close to zero. The brain receives a signal about the intake of sweets, but the glucose level remains the same. To eliminate the imbalance, the body will "ask" to feed it - there will be an acute feeling of hunger.
In this case, half a spoonful of sugar is healthier than sucralose tablets (a popular sweetener).
Several years ago, at the Weizman Institute (Israel), studies were carried out that proved the relationship between metabolic disorders, dysbiosis, obesity and the use of sugar substitutes.
American scientists have confirmed this, although they admitted that no one expected such results.
Constantly dieting
Most of those who live from diet to diet have no idea about healthy and proper nutrition. They lose weight, then break down and, failing, start eating again. Such patients often come to see me. And in almost every case, there is emotional overeating.
When you severely restrict yourself for a long time, the level of pleasure decreases. The body tries to compensate for this through food.
In moments of emotional overeating, a person does not control himself - the hypothalamus stops sending signals of satiety. Such eating behavior quickly makes itself felt with extra pounds.
Eat on the Ducan system
The principle of the Ducan diet is a complete rejection of carbohydrates and unlimited protein intake. This power system is hazardous to health!
In 2013, Pierre Dukan, who developed the diet, was suspended from the practice and sentenced to a € 6,000 fine for violating medical ethics. He was also charged with promoting a dangerous food system.
A little later, Ducan was excluded from the French medical register and the International Association of Nutritionists. Carbohydrates are the main source of energy. With a shortage, the body begins to destroy fat cells, and in parallel with them muscles and glycogen stores.
An excess of protein in the body can lead to kidney and liver problems. Proteins are not stored as fat. No matter how much you eat them, their excess will be excreted through the kidneys. At the same time, they begin to work in an enhanced mode. Bottom line: renal failure.
Interview and text: Natalia Kapitsa
