The effective methods of losing weight are not always the most common. Often as a panacea we are presented with all kinds of diets, active sports, body wraps, baths and saunas are promoted. Unfortunately, these weight loss methods don't pay off. They allow you to lose weight for a short time, after which the kilograms safely return, taking with them a few extra pounds.
Why obesity grows
Most of us are convinced that excess weight comes from overeating. This is partly true, but there are underlying reasons. Doctors suggest treating obesity as a disease and a professional approach to its treatment.
Science explains the onset of excess weight by the fact that the energy obtained from food is not completely consumed by the body and is deposited in fat cells. There are 2 types of obesity: hyperplastic and hypertrophic. With the latter, the size of fat cells increases, but their number does not change. In the hyperplastic type, the number of fat cells increases from birth. Doctors attribute this to genetic abnormalities.
Depending on the reasons, the appearance of excess weight is:
- Food. Obesity develops due to overeating and low physical activity. Typical for people over 50, more for women. Overeating is due to the banal habit of overeating at night, eating more than necessary, from sedentary work, under the influence of stress and just out of boredom. Sometimes children also suffer from a bad habit if their parents try to feed them high calorie foods more often. Some adults understand that eating fatty foods is healthy eating. The habit of lying down after lunch also contributes to excess weight.
- Hypothalamic obesity is the result of a disorder of the hypothalamus region of the brain. It is responsible for the appetite, for the production of hormones. The thyroid gland slows down, while the adrenal glands work intensely. Hormonal disruption occurs. A person constantly feels hunger and the desire to eat.
- Endocrine. Weight gain occurs as a result of disorders of the endocrine system (thyroid and pancreas, pituitary, gonads). As a result of hormonal disruption, metabolism is disturbed. The useful compounds are not absorbed by the body, the patient becomes hungry, and the excess food is deposited in the fat cells.
With hypothalamic and endocrine obesity, only diet and sport are essential. You will need a consultation with a neurologist, an endocrinologist, a treatment plan. With high rates of excess weight, they resort to surgeries to remove excess fat, gastric bypass, etc.
When excess weight appears as a result of the habit of overeating, irrational and unbalanced diet, low physical activity, you can use diets and sports. Check-up by doctors and psychologists is necessary if the patient himself cannot recover and change his diet.
When choosing a weight loss method, remember that not all popular methods are effective. Some do not work and even have a negative effect on health. Consider which method will not help you lose weight.
Weight Loss Methods That Didn't Pay Off
Let us dwell on the popular methods of losing weight, which have become a tradition among the uninformed population. These methods are taken as an axiom. But recent research has proven that they don't work. If they give temporary results, they are harmful to health.
famine
There is a belief: if you eat less, you will definitely lose weight. The method partially works if the cause of obesity is solely overeating. Then you really have to reduce the portion sizes.
If a person eats a little, but continues to gain weight, fasting will not help. Scientists have confirmed that severe calorie restriction causes the body to slow down its metabolism and store nutrients even more actively. Our body perceives fasting as an emergency mode because it does not know our intention to lose weight.
If for a long time there is little or even switch to liquids, you can lose weight. But the state of health will worsen, weakness, memory impairment, attention will appear. Dizziness, fainting is possible.
In addition, there is evidence that after such stress the body can slow down its metabolism for a whole year. Is it worth it?
To prove the adverse effect of prolonged fasting on the body, 11 obese patients fasted for 12 to 117 days (1). Only water and vitamins were consumed. Complications that developed during the fast were: severe hypotension (3 cases), anemia (1 case), gouty arthritis (2 cases).
After receiving food, all negative effects disappeared, but a significant amount of protein and potassium in the body was lost. Experts do not recommend prolonged fasting with a history of coronary heart disease or brain disease, gout, or liver disease.
Increased physical activity
Moderate physical activity can help you lose weight. But spending the whole day in the gym and exhausting the body is not necessary. Four 10-minute sets on a stationary bike will burn 35% more calories than training all day.
You can't eat at night
Experiments at the Donne Nutrition Center in Cambridge have proven that our bodies do not store nutrients over time. It is important to know how many calories are consumed during the day. You can not eat in the morning and at noon, but have a heavy snack in the evening and at the same time you will lose weight.
At night, it is advisable not to eat fatty foods: it is difficult to digest, and the body will not have time to use the energy received. But protein foods will be good. It will satisfy hunger for a long time and give energy in the morning.
Do not eat fatty foods
Not all fats are harmful to the body. There are healthy foods rich in fat that the body needs to function properly (fish, vegetable oils, nuts). They contain fatty acids, without which the brain cannot function.
Avoid foods that are not fatty, but high in fast carbohydrates (pastries, sweets, bread). Glucose is quickly stored in the body as fat. Such products are needed only for high physical activity, which is irrelevant for obese people.
There are studies that confirm that people who get their daily calories from fatty foods, not carbohydrates, stay fit longer. There is even such a diet on fat - ketogenic or keto diet, it is used to treat epilepsy in medical centers.
Eating outside the home and consuming sugary drinks can be another factor that triggers weight gain. Adolescents are particularly prone to such obesity. In order to determine how this hypothesis corresponds to reality, a one-year study was carried out.
The result is disappointing: obese children and adolescents consumed significantly more meat, sugary drinks and potato chips, which contributed to higher intakes of calories, fat and sugar compared to non-obese children and adolescents. .
Eat more protein to lose weight
This fact is only partly true. Eating more protein while reducing carbohydrates helps you lose weight. But you can not adhere to such a diet for more than 2 weeks.
The prospective (evidence-based) study was carried out with the participation of 43, 396 Swedish women aged 30-49. The patients completed a detailed questionnaire and were followed for an average of 15. 7 years.
As a result, scientists have found that high protein diets eaten regularly without considering the nature of the carbohydrate (complex / refined) or the protein source (plant / animal) are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
The body needs carbohydrates to digest food. Without them, the acetone level rises, which can lead to fainting and even coma. Too much protein causes kidney damage. After a long protein diet, you may end up in the hospital with kidney failure or other illnesses.
Sauna, hot wraps melt fat
This assumption is an absolute myth. When warming up the body, excess fluid is released along with toxins and toxins. After the interventions, the person feels light, the scale may show a slight decrease in weight. But this only happens due to the removal of excess fluid. These methods have no effect on the fat cells.
These methods are popular because they are easy to do at home. But their results are temporary and questionable.
Factors proven to influence weight loss
Recent research by scientists has identified the most effective methods for losing weight. Some experiments have been carried out on mice, some have been justified in human trials. Here are the most effective.
Restore circadian rhythms
Circadian rhythms refer to the fluctuations in physical activity throughout the day. In particular, the transformation of the products consumed is strongly dependent on the lighting and its spectrum.
The test was carried out on 2 groups of mice. They lived in the same conditions. One group ate badly, the second according to biological rhythms. The first group recovered quickly. People who want to lose weight are advised to eat at the same time every day and avoid late dinners after sunset. But each has its own rhythms.
Another study in humans showed that lifestyle-related sleep disorders lead to increased body fat and impaired metabolism. The causal relationship of these associations has not yet been clarified.
Get at least 7-8 hours of sleep per day
Lack of sleep is directly linked to obesity, increasing the risk of weight gain by 89% in children, by 55% in adults. With a lack of sleep, hunger occurs, which is associated with the production of appetite hormones. Poor sleep, frequent nocturnal awakenings due to stress also negatively affect the metabolism.
Drink lots of clean water
Nutritionists, suggesting drinking more water throughout the day, explain this recommendation by the fact that water suppresses hunger. But its function is different. Research has shown that water increases the growth of fibroblasts. They speed up energy consumption and burn brown fat. Water also stimulates the metabolism and helps to burn an additional 100 kcal during the day.
Consume more oxygen
Recent studies in the West have confirmed that people who have high levels of carbon dioxide in their blood are obese. Modern man spends more time indoors, where the level of carbon dioxide is high.
When inhaled, the pH of the blood decreases. The acidity of the cerebrospinal fluid increases. The cells of the hypothalamus, responsible for appetite, increase activity. As a result, appetite increases and energy consumption decreases.
The more you walk in the great outdoors, the more likely you are to lose weight.
Diet food leads to gluttony
An experiment was carried out at the British Nutrition Foundation under the leadership of Dr Jeff Branstorm. Participants were offered 18 foods, indicating their calorie content, and were asked to determine how much food they needed to satisfy their hunger. More low calorie foods were needed. As a result, the participants could no longer control themselves. The portions were large, overeating occurred.
It is important to eat well. You don't have to eat only low calorie foods. You can eat it, but take the calories you eat into account.
It is more effective and safer to eat more foods that promote fat burning.
Slimming protein
Scientists recently made a sensational discovery. In experiments on mice, BP3 was identified, which affects the reduction in the growth of cancerous tumors. During the research, it was found that the introduction of protein contributes to the rapid burning of fat. Scientists are now studying whether protein can be used as a medicine for weight loss and whether it has side effects.
Despite the large number of weight loss methods, good nutrition remains the main thing. If you overeat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, keeping up with circadian rhythms, getting enough sleep, and following your drinking regimen won't help.
Nutritionists and endocrinologists recommend formulating the diet so that it contains all the necessary nutrients with the optimum amount of calories. Therefore, the balance sheet of BZHU comes to the fore.
The above facts suggest: Urgent weight loss through fasting is only possible temporarily. It ends in overeating and weight gain. It is better to adhere to moderate physical activity, a balanced diet, a lifestyle according to biological rhythms. So losing weight is much easier.
In case of obesity caused by disease of internal organs or hormonal disturbance, you need to consult a doctor. He will select the optimal diet and prescribe the treatment. It is impossible to choose a diet with serious pathologies for yourself.