Proper nutrition, strict restrictions, fasting and giving up your favorite foods are not for weight loss. First of all, it's self-care, food selectivity and what makes you feel great and improve your quality of life.
The principle of nothing or nothing does not work in this situation. You don't have to try to change everything in a day and all at once - it usually leads to malfunctions and, as a result, overeating. It is best to make small changes in stages. This will help you get more results in the long run. As your small changes become a habit, add healthier rules.
The main thing to remember is that striving for health is a lifelong way. You need to enjoy it, not stress.
Why eat healthy foods?
In addition to maintaining a healthy body weight and eating a healthy diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, milk and protein, there are other important benefits.
Malnutrition is the most common cause of immunodeficiency worldwide. Scientists have linked the development of many chronic diseases to improper diet. For example, one study involved 38, 500 men and 67, 000 women. Observations over 8-12 years have shown that waste foods contribute to the breakdown of biomarkers and can also lead to heart disease, hypertension (high blood pressure), type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and some cancers.
Evidence suggests that 30-35% of cancer deaths are due to diet, 25-30% to tobacco, 15-20% to infections, and the remaining percent to other factors such as radiation, stress, and physical inactivity. activity, environmental pollution, etc.
Malnutrition 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 healthy weight, reducing the risk of chronic disease, and overall health is very important.
How long does it take to develop eating habits?
Everyone is looking for a quick solution to weight loss these days, and it takes time to change the habits that promote it and last a long time. Recent studies have confirmed this.
It was believed that 21-28 days were enough to develop a long-lasting habit. This expression is primarily related to the work of a doctor named Maxwell Maltz. He was a plastic surgeon in the 1950s and noticed that it took his patients at least 21 days to learn to look comfortable in the mirror after surgery. In addition, he found that people who had one leg or arm amputated took the same amount of time to lose their sense of imaginary limb.
As a result, he developed this idea in the book Psychosibernetics, published in 1960. Later, this idea was taken by many doctors, public figures and coaches. Over the years, the word "minimum" disappeared, and the 21-day period became practically a "scientific" law.
What are the new studies about?
Philip Lally is a health psychology researcher at University College London. In an article published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, Lally and her team began to study how long it takes to develop a habit.
96 people took part in the study. Each chose a new habit over a 12-week period and stated whether they followed it every day.
Some people have adopted simple rules such as "drink a glass of water at lunch. "Others chose more challenging tasks, such as running 15 minutes before dinner. Twelve weeks later, the researchers analyzed the data to determine how long it took for each person to automatically transition from a new behavior to an exercise.
On average, it took more than 2 months, or rather 66 days. However, the time to develop a new habit can vary greatly depending on the behavior, the person, and the circumstances. In total, the study took people 18 to 254 days.
How to start eating properly and what habits can help in the process of losing weight?
1. Be deficient in calories
The main idea is as old as the world -you need to burn more calories than you consume. . .
A negative calorie balance forces the body to use the accumulated reserves to provide the necessary energy. This energy comes mainly from the body's carbohydrate and fat reserves.
During the weight loss phase, the daily calorie deficit should be between 300 and 500 kcal.
In addition, it is important to monitor BJU (proteins, fats and carbohydrates).
2. Reduce the amount of fat in your diet
According to the WHO (World Health Organization), unsaturated fats (fish, avocados, nuts, etc. ) should be preferred, and the reduction of saturated fats (fatty meats, fat, dates, coconut oil, etc. ) should be cooked, smoked, fried. foods, convenience foods, cakes, chips, crackers, etc. industrial trans fats in.
Fats should not exceed 30% of the total food consumed in 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 give up fat in the diet. Needed to provide the body with polyunsaturated fatty acids, ie linoleic and alpha-linolenic acids. It is not produced by the body and is mainly found in vegetable oils and fish.
3. Get enough protein
Protein is the body's most important building block and should meet about 40% of your total energy needs.
When trying to lose weight, a protein-rich diet can make you feel full for a long time by affecting the hunger hormone ghrelin. Protein also prevents muscle loss during the diet. The more muscle mass, the more energy is expended and the higher the calorie requirement.
Animal proteins have a higher biological value than plant proteins. However, they 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 general, the carbohydrates in the diet should be about 30%. They are generally divided into simple and complex. The latter takes longer to process and produces less insulin, which helps you feel fuller and not overeat.
Simple carbohydrate foods include sugars, white flour products, jams, fizzy drinks, juices, etc. For simple carbohydrates, it is better to choose the first half of the day when blood sugar levels are low after sleep, when glycogen stores are depleted and the body needs to restore energy.
Whole grains are ideal for foods high in carbohydrates, because they contain a lot of minerals and fiber, as well as saturate the body and improve digestion.
You can use it as a guideHarvard Healthy Eating Pyramid. . .
5. If you can't, but you really want to
As you know, "forbidden fruit is sweet. " The more you forbid yourself to do something, the more you want it. And the guilt that prevails when you succumb to temptation forces some people to give up and give up what they started.
Therefore, the first step is not to completely reject the harmful product, but to reduce the size of the part and the frequency of consumption. Over time, you will begin to experience less cravings for these foods.
6. Avoid fatty drinks
Avoid fizzy drinks and fruit juices.According to one study, these drinks are generally low in nutrients, and excessive consumption caused 20% of Americans to gain weight between 1977 and 2007.
0. 5 liter bottle of cola contains 240 calories and 65 grams of sugar. It has been proven that most people who drink water consume an average of 200 calories less per day than those who drink other beverages.
Drink water before meals. One study found that drinking water half an hour before a meal can reduce appetite and increase weight loss by 44% in just 3 months.
If you are not ready to give up harmful drinks immediately, use a simple trick that can deceive your brain.
See the picture below. Which of the lines is larger: horizontal or vertical?
In fact, both lines are the same length, but our brains tend to overestimate the vertical lines. In other words, to transfer this knowledge to the subject under consideration, longer glasses and mugs seem larger and more capacious to us than those that are round and wide.
In this way, you can drink about 20% less than a long and thin glass without being dissatisfied with a small and wide glass.
7. Avoid alcohol
It is recommended to abstain from alcohol when switching to a proper diet. Why is this necessary?
- Alcohol triggers an increase in appetite by affecting neurons and also increases the likelihood of disorder, unhealthy food choices and overeating.
- By altering the secretion and motility of stomach acid, it adversely affects digestion, leading to metabolic disorders.
- Alcohol delays dehydration, so many people find swelling and extra pounds on the scales in the morning.
- Drinking alcohol can impair the body's ability to recover after exercise, thus reducing the body's 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 minutes of sleep deprivation is equivalent to 83 extra calories per day.
However, it is worth noting that in moderate doses, low-alcohol drinks 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, vodka - 230 kcal per 100 grams. Therefore, a glass of dry wine or a glass of beer can be drunk once a week without harming weight loss.
8. Eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables provide the body with fiber, minerals, vitamins and phytochemicals. They perform a number of important functions in the body and are essential for healthy metabolic processes.
It is recommended to eat at least two servings of fruits and three servings of vegetables a day (one serving is about 150 grams). It is worth noting that excessive consumption of fruits is not recommended, because, unlike low-calorie and nutritious vegetables, they contain large amounts of fructose.
9. Pay attention to the speed of food intake
Your eating speed also affects portion size and your chances of gaining weight. Our brains and intestines are in constant communication, so if your brain breaks down during a meal, you will not receive a signal that you are hungry or full.
Keep in mind that it takes an average of about 20 minutes to get this information, so eating slower can prevent you from overeating.
In addition, eating slowly is associated with better chewing, which also helps maintain weight. Studies comparing different eating speeds show that fast eaters are 115% more likely to be obese than slow eaters.
10. Redefine your way of cooking
The way you cook has a direct effect on your health.
Grilled, smoked, fried, deep fried, meat and fish are popular methods for cooking. However, using such methods, several potentially toxic compounds (polycyclic and heterocyclic) are formed in foods associated with various chronic diseases, including cancer and heart disease.
More healthy methods include baking, baking, steaming, and so on. They do not contribute to the formation of harmful compounds and thus make your food healthier.
11. Eat from small plates
It has been shown how much the size of the dish can affect your food. In large containers, people put on average 30% more portions than standard meals.
The same amount of food on a large and a small plate is perceived differently by the brain, which is called the Delbeuf illusion.
I agree, as if the left part is very small. We believe you will want extra money. At the same time, the stuffed part up to the edge of the plate on the right is more perceptible and therefore has the feeling of being more satisfied.
12. Reduce condiments and flavor enhancers
Salt, spices, store sauces and ketchups should be consumed to a minimum. Many of them contain sugar, dyes, preservatives, flavor enhancers and stabilizers. They adversely affect the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
The WHO recommends consuming more than 5 grams of iodized salt per day (approximately 1 teaspoon). 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 in adults.
13. Control your emotional eating.
Our relationship with food is closely linked to emotional health. We do not always take food to satisfy our hunger. Many people resort to eating to reduce stress or to cope with unpleasant feelings, 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, control 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 is important that the internal workings of the digestive system not only help digest food, but also control emotions. state.
14. Choose healthy snacks
Snacking is one of the key factors in maintaining a healthy diet and nutrition. If you choose foods rich in protein and nutrients, snacks can be an integral part of losing weight. Some can even help you stay full all day and limit your cravings for unhealthy foods.
Dried fruits, nuts, hummus vegetable sticks, natural yogurt, fruits, etc. Avoid biscuits and sweets, sandwiches and glazed cheeses.
15. Be picky in the supermarket
There is an unspoken rule in supermarkets 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 dishes are placed between the rows.
Why are processed foods harmful? Scientists are increasingly concluding that processed foods, with all their additives, sugar and fiber deficiencies, can negatively affect the various microbes that surround the intestinal microbiota and walls. As a result, the risk of chronic disease increases and there is a fertile ground for overeating.
In one study, the consumption of processed foods was associated with an increase in cardiovascular disease, in another - an increased risk of death from any cause.
In addition, special attention should be paid to the labels indicating the storage conditions and composition of the products. Remember that items are listed in descending order. Less is better. The product contains sugar alcohols, monosodium glutamate (E621), formaldehyde (E240), trans fats, dyes (E102, E104, E110, E122, E124, E129), etc. Make sure there are no such sweeteners.
16. Do not be distracted while eating
A new study has claimed that the sound of food intake affects eating habits. The study involved two groups, one eating crunchy foods, one without white headphones, and the other without. As a result, participants distracted from the white noise heard less food, which forced them to eat more than those who heard the crisis.
The result is another interesting experience released in 2016, claiming that a landslide on the social networks you follow in culinary audiences or various grocery stores can lead to "visual hunger". In other words, even though you don't need food physically, the body sends a signal to the brain using the hunger hormone you want to eat.
The main thing you need to remember to build a healthy relationship with food: "Eating is not the enemy. "Instead of focusing on what you shouldn't eat, think about what healthy, fresh, and delicious things you can add to your diet to diversify your diet. Do not try to change everything at once, gradually and without stress form new healthy habits.
As you know, a balanced diet is at least 50% of the result during weight loss! Without it, even the most competent training will not give the expected result.