Mania for losing weight
Overweight and extra kilograms are a topic that has gained great popularity in recent years. On the one hand, hurried in our dynamic daily life, most of us cannot find time to move actively and practice sport, on the other hand the abundance of tempting tasty but extremely unhealthy and highly calorie food discourages all our attempts to resist and show of will and we indulge in unjustified culinary delights – at home, with friends at a restaurant or on vacation.
As a result, slowly and gradually we are gaining weight and increasing our body mass index. Aesthetic aspect of obesity is only one side of the coin. The negative impact of excess weight on our overall health, increased risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and many other autoimmune and degenerative diseases also should not be underestimated.
That’s why the topic of weight reduction is becoming increasingly important in society.
The weight loss mania is growing at a startling pace. Several new industries have emerged, driven by the search for simple and effective means of weight loss. Nutritional supplements, cosmetics and cosmetic procedures, big promises for magical methods that will help us easily get rid of the accumulated fatty tissues.
Dietitians and nutritionists have become one of the most sought-after consultants, and the list of options for quick, easy and instant diets is virtually endless.
Unfortunately, the statistics do not show any particular progress in the fight against extra weight, but on the contrary – the percentage of overweight people, including in earliest childhood, is steadily rising.
So, it’s reasonable to ask – can we really lose weight, and do it in a healthy way?
Yes, we can!
But the only way to lose weight permanently is to give up diets and change our lifestyle.
Healthy weight loss is the answer to the widespread problem of mass obesity in modern society.
But what is healthy weight loss and what makes it different from diets?
Healthy weight loss is a lasting moderate reduction in body mass that does not lead to a deterioration in the individual’s state of health, as well as to development of shortages and deficiencies of vital nutrients.
Unlike conventional diets, with healthy weight loss the body does not starve, and the weight reduction is not at the expense of muscle mass or just loss of body fluids, but a sustained reduction in body fat is achieved together with improvement of vital signs, increase in energy levels, immunity improvement and, as a whole, healing and rejuvenating effect on the body.
How to lose weight healthy?
There are a few basic rules and recommendations that we should follow if we want to achieve success and lasting results.
First – give yourself time! Accept that weight loss will not happen in a week or two, soothe your psyche and mind and adjust to the big change!
Second – wish for the change! Many people say they are willing to lose weight, but when it comes to making the necessary efforts, they don’t seem to have enough will and perseverance or give up after the first few days.
Third – change your lifestyle! We are all convinced that diets can only have a temporary and lasting effect and often threaten our health. If we want to lose weight in a healthy and permanent way, we are required not only to stick to a certain restrictive diet but also to take steps towards a complete change of our eating habits.
The Change!
- Revise your menu! Do not try to limit the calories, rather change the type and content of foods you consume:
- Stop the consumption of white flour, white sugar and refined salt;
- Exclude canned foods from your menu – they, in addition to preservatives, often contain added sugar and salt;
- Exclude packaged snacks, cookies, salty foods from your menu. Even if they are labelled healthy, they often contain chemical compounds from the group of glutamates which, like psychotropic substances, lead to addiction and make us look again and again for this food;
- Stop the consumption of carbonated beverages – whether or not they contain sugar or sweeteners;
- Forget about frying – prepare your food using steam, a medium-heated oven, or a low-heat hob with no fat cooker;
- Replace saturated and trans fats with essential unsaturated ones;
- Give up heavy desserts, instead of them if you feel the need to eat something sweet – enjoy a piece of dark chocolate or dried fruit without added sugar;
- Drink plenty of water;
- Increase your consumption of green tea;
- Increase the percentage of raw fruits, especially vegetables in your menu;
- Do not miss a meal. Regular eating of smaller amounts of food increases our metabolism. As we all know, metabolism is our body’s ability to transform the calories from our food into energy. People with faster metabolism can afford to consume more calories and not gain extra weight compared to people with slower metabolism. The metabolic rate slows down if we eat irregularly, skip meals and/or undergo drastic diets and starvation;
- Have breakfast! Here, in principle, the rule is healthy weight loss requires not to miss a meal, including breakfast! Skipping breakfast sends signals to your body and it perceives that you are starving. In response, it switches to energy saving mode, slowing down your metabolism and increasing insulin secretion. In your next meal, it will increase your blood sugar, reduce your feeling of satiety, and you’ll get hungry soon after. Increased appetite may provoke you and tempt you to reach for food that cannot be described as healthy and which in any event is not suitable for achieving your goal for healthy weight loss.
- Eat slowly and in a quiet place. Take time for each meal, enjoy the food, chew slowly and many times to prepare food for the digestive process;
- Make sure you’ve had enough sleep. Lack of sleep and active recreation is also a reason to gain excess weight as a result of changes in the secretion of several hormones responsible for stress levels and appetite in your body;
- Practice active sport – increase your physical activity and make sport an integral part of your everyday life;
- Have occasional rest days – choose one day per week or two to have only water or fruit and vegetables;
- Limit the amount of consumed alcohol;
- Set small goals and enjoy every success! For example, 3 kilos! It sounds much easier and more motivating than 10! Once you achieve them, you still can set a target of healthy weight loss with another 3.
