Proper nutrition for weight loss is not about strict restrictions, fasting and refusal from your favorite food. First of all, this is self-care, food selectivity and what makes you feel great and improve the quality of your life.
The all-or-nothing principle does not work in this case. You don't need to try to change everything in one day and at once - this usually leads to breakdowns and, as a result, overeating. It is best to make small changes in stages. This will help you achieve more results in the long term. As your small changes become a habit, add more healthy rules.
The main thing to remember is that striving for health is a lifelong journey. You should enjoy it, not stress.
Why Eat Healthy Foods?
In addition to helping you maintain a healthy body weight, eating a healthy diet that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy and protein, there are other important benefits.
Poor nutrition is the most common cause of immunodeficiency worldwide. Scientists associate the occurrence of many chronic diseases with an improper diet. For example, 38. 5 thousand men and 67 thousand women took part in one of the studies. Over 8-12 years of observation, it was found that junk food contributes to the deterioration of biomarkers, and can also cause heart disease, hypertension (high blood pressure), type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and some types of cancer.
Evidence shows that 30–35% of cancer deaths are related to diet, 25–30% are due to tobacco, 15–20% are due to infections, and the remaining percentages are due to other factors such as radiation, stress, physical inadequacy. activity, environmental pollution, etc.
Poor nutrition affects not only physical but also mental health. According to the Mental Health Foundation, two-thirds of people who eat fresh fruits and vegetables daily have no mental health problems.
Thus, the link between good nutrition and a healthy weight, reduced risk of chronic disease, and overall health is too important to be ignored.
How long does it take to form eating habits?
Everyone is looking for a quick fix to weight loss these days, and changing habits that contribute to this and last for a long time takes time. This has been confirmed by recent studies.
For a long time, it was believed that in order for a stable habit to appear, 21-28 days are enough. This statement is primarily related to the activities of a doctor named Maxwell Maltz. In the 1950s, he was a plastic surgeon and noticed that it took his patients at least 21 days to learn to look comfortably in the mirror after surgery. In addition, he noticed that people who had a leg or arm amputated took the same amount of time to lose the sensation of a phantom limb.
As a result, he developed this idea in his book Psychocybernetics, which was published in 1960. Subsequently, the idea was picked up by many doctors, public figures, coaches. Over the years, the word "minimum" has disappeared, and the 21-day period has become practically a "scientific" law.
What are the new studies talking about?
Philip Lally is a health psychology researcher at University College London. In a paper published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, Lally and her analytical group set out to find out how long it actually takes to form a habit.
The study involved 96 people. Each chose one new habit for 12 weeks and each day reported whether or not they followed it.
Some people have adopted simple rules such as "drink a bottle of water at lunchtime. "Others chose more challenging tasks, such as running 15 minutes before lunch. After 12 weeks, the researchers analyzed the data to determine how long it took for each person to transition from starting a new behavior to performing it automatically.
On average, it took more than 2 months, or rather 66 days. But the time it takes to form a new habit can vary greatly depending on behavior, person, and circumstances. Overall, the study took people 18 to 254 days.
How to start eating right and what habits can help in the process of losing weight?
1. Be in a calorie deficit
The main idea is as old as the world -you need to spend more calories than you consume. . .
A negative calorie balance forces the body to use the accumulated reserves to provide the body with the necessary energy. This energy mainly comes from the body's stores of carbohydrates and fats.
During the weight loss phase, the daily calorie deficit should be between 300 and 500 kcal.
In addition, it is important to monitor the indicators of BJU (protein, fat and carbohydrates).
2. Reduce the amount of fat in the diet
According to the WHO (World Health Organization), preference should be given to unsaturated fats (found in fish, avocados, nuts, etc. ) and reduced consumption of saturated fats (fatty meats, butter, palm, coconut oil, etc. ), as well as industrial trans fats found in baked, smoked, fried foods, convenience foods, pies, chips, crackers, etc.
Fats should be no more than 30% of the total food consumed during a weight loss diet, of which less than 10% should be saturated, and no more than 1% trans fats.
It is not necessary to completely abandon fat in the diet. They are necessary to provide the body with polyunsaturated fatty acids, namely linoleic and alpha-linolenic acids. They are not produced by the body and are mainly found in vegetable oils and fish.
3. Get enough protein
Protein is the most important building block of the body and must cover about 40% of total energy needs.
When you're trying to lose weight, a protein-rich diet can leave you feeling full for a long time by affecting the hunger hormone ghrelin. Protein also counteracts muscle loss during diet. The more muscle mass, the more energy is consumed and the higher the calorie requirement.
Proteins of animal origin have a higher biological value than vegetable proteins. However, they also tend to contain extra fat and cholesterol, so consumption should be moderate.
According to research, a high-protein breakfast can reduce food cravings and calorie intake throughout the day.
4. Avoid simple carbohydrates
In total, carbohydrates in the diet should be about 30%. They are usually divided into simple and complex. It takes more time to process the latter and produces less insulin, which helps to keep you feeling full and avoid overeating.
Simple carbohydrate foods include sugars, white flour baked goods, jams, sodas, juices, and more. For simple carbohydrates, it is better to choose the first half of the day, when blood sugar levels are low after sleep, glycogen stores are depleted and the body's energy needs to be restored.
For foods high in carbohydrates, whole grains are ideal because, in addition to their high mineral and fiber content, they also saturate the body and promote digestion.
As a guide, you can useHarvard Healthy Eating Pyramid. . .
5. If you can't, but you really want to
As you know, "the forbidden fruit is sweet. "The more you forbid yourself to do something, the more you want it. And the feeling of guilt, which overcomes if you succumb to temptation, makes some people give up and give up what they started.
Therefore, the first step may not be a complete rejection of the harmful product, but a reduction in portion sizes and a reduction in the frequency of its consumption. Over time, you will begin to experience less cravings for these foods.
6. Avoid drinks that get fat
Avoid sodas and fruit juices.According to the study, these drinks are low in nutrients, if at all, and excessive consumption led Americans to a 20% weight gain between 1977 and 2007.
A 0. 5 liter bottle of cola contains 240 calories and 65 grams of sugar. It has been proven that people who drink mostly water consume an average of 200 calories per day less than those who drink other beverages.
Drink water before meals. One study found that drinking water half an hour before meals can reduce appetite and increase weight loss by 44% in just 3 months.
If you are not ready to give up unhealthy drinks right away, use a simple trick that can trick your brain.
Take a look at the image below. Which of the lines is bigger: horizontal or vertical?
In fact, both lines are the same length, but our brains tend to overestimate the vertical lines. In other words, transferring this knowledge to the topic under consideration, taller glasses and mugs seem to us larger and more spacious than round and wide ones.
This way, you can drink about 20% less from a tall and thin glass than from a small and wide glass without feeling dissatisfied.
7. Eliminate alcohol
When switching to a proper diet, it is recommended to give up alcohol. Why is this necessary?
- Alcohol triggers an increase in appetite by acting on neurons, and also increases the likelihood of breakdown, unhealthy food choices and overeating.
- It negatively affects digestion, altering the secretion of gastric acid and its motility, which leads to metabolic disorders.
- Alcohol makes water in the body linger, which is why in the morning many find swelling and extra pounds on the scales.
- Drinking alcohol can impair the body's ability to recover from exercise, thus reducing the ability to burn excess calories through exercise.
- Alcohol consumption leads to shorter and lower quality sleep, which significantly affects hunger and forces people to switch from carbohydrates to fat. According to research, every 30-minute sleep deficit equals 83 additional calories throughout the day.
But it is worth clarifying that low-alcohol drinks in moderate doses do not cause significant harm to the body. 100 ml of dry red wine contains 80 kcal, 100 ml of beer contains 45 kcal. For comparison, in vodka - 230 kcal per 100 g. Therefore, a glass of dry wine or a glass of beer can be drunk once a week without prejudice to weight loss.
8. Eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables provide the body with fiber, minerals, vitamins and phytochemicals. They serve a number of important functions in the body and are essential for healthy metabolic processes.
It is recommended that you eat at least two servings of fruits and three servings of vegetables a day (one serving is about 150 g). It is worth considering that excessive consumption of fruits is not recommended, because they contain a lot of fructose, in contrast to low-calorie and nourishing vegetables.
9. Pay attention to the speed of food intake
The speed at which you eat affects the serving size as well as the likelihood of weight gain. Our brains and gut are in constant communication, so if your brain is distracted while eating, you may not receive a signal about whether you are hungry or full.
Keep in mind that on average it takes about 20 minutes to get this information, so a slower meal can help prevent overeating.
In addition, eating slowly is associated with more thorough chewing, which also contributes to weight maintenance. Studies comparing different eating speeds show that those who eat fast are 115% more likely to be obese than those who eat slowly.
10. Redefine the way you prepare food
The way you prepare food directly affects your health.
Grilling, smoking, frying, deep-frying are all popular methods for preparing meat and fish. However, using such methods, several potentially toxic compounds (polycyclic and heterocyclic) are generated in food, which are associated with various chronic diseases, including cancer and heart disease.
Healthier methods include baking, stewing, steaming, etc. They do not contribute to the formation of these harmful compounds and thus make your food healthier.
11. Eat from small plates
It has been shown that the size of the cookware can affect how much you eat. In large plates people put portions that are, on average, 30% more than in standard dishes.
The same amount of food on a large and small plate is perceived by the brain differently, this is called the Delbeuf illusion.
Agree, it seems as if the portion on the left is quite small. We bet you'll want a supplement. At the same time, the portion on the plate on the right, filled to the brim, is perceived more and, accordingly, there is a feeling that it will be more satisfying.
12. Cut back on condiments and flavor enhancers
Salt, seasonings, store sauces, and ketchups should be consumed to a minimum. Many of them contain sugar, colorings, preservatives, flavor enhancers and stabilizers. They have a negative effect on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
WHO recommends consuming no more than 5 grams of iodized salt per day (approximately 1 tsp). WHO Member States have set a goal to reduce global consumption by 30% by 2025, which should help prevent hypertension and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke among adults.
13. Control emotional eating.
Our relationship with food is closely related to emotional health. We do not always take food in order to satisfy our hunger. Many turn to food to relieve stress or cope with unpleasant emotions such as anxiety, sadness, loneliness, or boredom. But learning healthier ways to deal with them can help you regain control. Serotonin levels play a key role here.
It is a neurotransmitter that helps regulate sleep and appetite, manage mood, and suppress pain. Since about 95% of serotonin is produced in the gastrointestinal tract, and the gastrointestinal tract is lined with hundreds of millions of nerve cells, it makes sense that the inner workings of the digestive system not only help to digest food, but also manage the emotional state.
14. Choose healthy snacks
Snacking is one of the main factors in maintaining a healthy diet and nutrition. If you choose healthy foods that are high in protein and nutrients, snacks can be an integral part of your weight loss. Some of them can even help you stay full throughout the day and limit your cravings for unhealthy foods.
Avoid cookies and sweets, sandwiches and glazed cheeses in favor of dried fruits, nuts, vegetable sticks with hummus, natural yogurt, fruits, etc.
15. Be selective at the supermarket
In supermarkets, there is an unspoken rule of the so-called "Outer Ring". As a rule, the healthiest products are located along the perimeter - fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs, dairy products, cereals, etc. Mostly packaged and processed food is placed between the rows.
Why are processed foods harmful? Scientists are increasingly coming to the conclusion that processed foods, with all their additives, sugar and fiber deficiencies, can negatively affect the gut microbiota and the various bacteria lining its walls. As a result, the risk of chronic disease increases and a fertile ground for overeating is created.
One study linked the consumption of processed food to an increase in cardiovascular disease, and another linked it to an increased risk of dying from any cause.
In addition, special attention must be paid to the labels on the products, which indicate the storage conditions and composition. Keep in mind that the ingredients are listed in descending order, from highest to lowest. The fewer the better. Make sure that the product does not contain sweeteners such as sugar alcohols, monosodium glutamate (E621), formaldehyde (E240), trans fats, dyes (E102, E104, E110, E122, E124, E129), etc.
16. Don't get distracted while eating
A new study claims that the perception of the sound of food intake influences eating habits. The study involved two groups of people who ate crispy foods, one with white noise headphones and the other without. As a result, participants who were distracted by the white noise heard less the sound of food, which made them eat more than those who heard the crunch.
Another interesting experiment, the result of which was published in 2016, claims that scrolling through social networks in which you follow culinary publics or various grocery stores can cause so-called "visual hunger". In other words, even if you do not physically need food, the body sends a signal to the brain using the hunger hormone that you want to eat.
The main thing to remember for a healthy relationship with food is: "Food is not the enemy. "Instead of focusing on what you shouldn't eat, think about what healthy, new, and tasty things you can add to your meals to diversify your diet. Don't try to change everything all at once, form new healthy habits gradually and without stress.
As you know, a balanced diet is at least 50% of the result in the process of losing weight! Without it, even the most competent training will not bring the expected results.