In this article, you can learn about proper nutrition in order to lose weight. The preparation of the body for a diet is described and general advice is given.
Prepare the body for the diet
The first step in losing weight should be cleansing the body. You can do this by entering fasting days, for example, every 3 or 4 days for the first 2 weeks. On such days, only drinks, freshly prepared juices, soups are accepted. This will allow the stomach to contract a little, and the body to give up water supplies.
But this is only the basis for starting to lose weight. You can not stop there, as, unfortunately, beginners often do.
At the next stage (10-12 days after the start of weight loss), the water balance levels off, and the amount of fat in the body begins to decrease. If there is no weight loss during the next week of weight loss, then there is no need to worry. It simply means that body composition is changing – less fat and more water.
Be patient when losing weight
You need to understand that weight loss is a multi-stage process that stretches over time. The goal is not to lose a lot of weight quickly, but to lose weight permanently. Therefore, it is better to move in small steps, gradually changing eating habits.
For health, it is most beneficial to lose from 500 grams to a kilogram per week. So, if you need to lose 10 kilograms, losing weight should take from 2.5 to 3 months. You need to spend the same amount of time on the exit from the diet, which is no less important than the weight loss itself.
Balanced diet
A healthy diet consists of a variety of foods. It should include fruits and vegetables, as well as meat (both white and poultry meat and red meat – the source of the most absorbable iron). The body also needs carbohydrates and even some fats.
But the most important is protein. During weight loss, it is necessary to provide an exceptionally high amount of it so that the body does not receive energy by burning muscle cells. You need about 1 g of protein per 1 kg of body weight.
In an ideal diet, 30 percent of calories should come from fat, 15 percent from protein, and 55 percent from carbohydrates (whole grains – vegetables, legumes, whole grain breads, brown rice and pasta, cereals). Figuratively speaking, half of the dinner dish is vegetables, 1/4 is meat or fish, and the rest is cereal products.
Weight loss is about calorie restriction
Weight loss is about calorie restriction so that you burn more calories than you eat. However, the correct number of calories should be determined by a doctor or nutritionist. Everyone has different needs depending on age, type of activity and type of work. Each also has its own rate of burning and converting food into energy. All this should be taken into account when drawing up an individual dietary program. And you should never reduce the energy content of food too drastically.
When the number of calories is too low, the body slows down metabolic processes – it does this to save energy. In addition, if the calorie deficit persists for too long, the body begins to take energy from protein – it begins to “eat” its own cells (mainly muscle). It is estimated that 23 kcal per kilogram of body weight per day is needed to maintain vital functions. To this must be added the energy necessary for physical and mental activity.
In general, women need 1800-2400 kcal per day, and men 2200-3200 kcal (depending on activity). During the diet period, fewer calories are consumed than necessary, but enough so as not to disrupt the functioning of the body. It is safe to reduce your daily intake by about 500 kcal
