And many people around the world strive for this. And, fortunately, there are a number of ways to achieve this goal. Some are invariably better than others. But not every meal plan or diet is good for your health. And not every one of those effective weight loss programs will allow you to keep your weight normal afterward.
I’m curious, what diets do you know and which ones have you already tried? Maybe it's a low-carb diet, a low-calorie diet, or something else? Write in the comments below the article. ...
The main thing is, no matter what methods you try to achieve a beautiful body, the main goal will be losing weight. People always dream of downsizing their wardrobe by a notch or two.
And it will not be a secret for you if I now say that the first thing that comes to mind for many when choosing an effective diet is a low-calorie diet. Often people try to change their pants or skirt with this meal plan.
Many people begin to reduce their food portions. For example, reduce the amount you eat for dinner or, for example, drink coffee instead of a healthy breakfast. Some even try to skip dinner, lunch or breakfast altogether.
But when you try to lose weight on a low-calorie diet, you often run the risk of breaking down and starting to eat everything. At the same time, you begin to gain even more extra pounds. But, what is even more dangerous, you are undermining your health.
Before you try a low-calorie diet and suffer from its negative effects, let's discuss: why does a low-calorie diet work? ...And, of course, how does it work?
What is a low-calorie diet?
The Center for Healthy Nutrition tells us that the energy value of a low-calorie diet, depending on the person’s health and the task at hand, can range from 1200 to 1600 kcal/day. And yet, such a restriction of calorie intake is carried out mainly by reducing the content of carbohydrates and fats in it.
This calorie restriction is a guaranteed means of losing weight. The thing is that during such a diet you create a negative energy balance. That is, you get fewer calories than you consume.
Energy deficiency leads to weight loss as the body begins to burn through reserves.
Usually everyone says that cutting calories is a surefire way to lose weight and improve your overall health. Especially if you are inclined to transfer.
However, some diets that we often see online or that your friends advise you may contain much fewer calories. Pay attention once again to the numbers that I wrote about a little higher.
Yes, of course, there are fasts that help improve the health of the body. However, if you know, you need to exit it correctly.
However, many, without knowing this, begin to follow a low-calorie diet with periods when the number of calories literally goes off scale. And this is a little different from the correct post.
A proper low-calorie diet is the nutrition plan when you consume much fewer calories over the course of a week, month or several days. But at the same time, you must properly move away from such a nutrition plan. It is better to accompany such diets with constant monitoring by a doctor.
After all, if you take some wrong actions, you can greatly harm your health.
How few calories can you consume in general?
A little higher we saw the recommended amount for the diet. As Dr. Loktionov points out, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the minimum amount of calories for the average person per day worldwide is approximately 1,800 kilocalories.
At the same time, calorie consumption for a man, depending on his activity and gender, should increase. This can be from 2000 to 2800 kcal. For a woman this could be from 1600 to 2400 kcal.
Despite all the recommended facts, we start some extreme diets without even estimating how many calories we eat per day. Although I don’t recommend counting calories, still. If you are a person inexperienced in dieting and losing weight, you should estimate the minimum number of calories.
If your diet is limited to 800 calories per day or less, you are Verylow calorie diet. Sometimes, you may have to take some vitamins or expensive supplements to get the nutrients you need.
Know one more important fact! ... When you consume too few calories, you disrupt your metabolism. After all, the body by its nature is not created to fight hunger.
After all, we are struggling with excess weight, aren’t we? ... Or still with hunger!
That is why, by disrupting our metabolism and leaving such a diet incorrectly, we begin to gain a lot of excess weight. We start eating everything and ruining our health!
Consequences of a low-calorie diet
Now let's look at some of the health implications of a low-calorie diet. Some of them are so obvious that there should be no doubt when choosing the right nutrition plan.
1. A low-calorie diet leads to nutrient loss
If you decide to start losing weight by reducing the caloric content of your diet, rest assured that you will not get the right amount of nutrients and vitamins. In such extreme conditions, it will be difficult for your body to function normally. All life processes will slow down.
You will have to include more vitamins and various supplements in your diet. By the way, not all of them are absorbed in full. And you may still feel like you're missing the right elements. For example, iron (read the article here) or magnesium (read the article here), the lack of which can kill you.
Pay special attention to this fact when you decide to lose weight on such a diet.
2. Gallstones
Gallstones are the most common serious side effect of low-calorie diets.
When you lose weight too quickly, your liver produces extra cholesterol. This leads to a large amount of cholesterol in the bile, which can result in the formation of gallstones.
Gallstones can also lead to:
- pain in the upper abdomen
- nausea
- vomiting
- bloating, indigestion, heartburn and increased gas formation.
3. Nausea
As we have already seen above, you may feel nausea while on a low-calorie diet. And it's not just because of gallstones. This may also be due to the fact that you are not getting enough nutrients. And most likely you are missing carbohydrates and sodium.
At a certain point, you may even reach the peak of a lack of certain elements and even feel, as sources indicate, visual impairment. If this happens, you will need to see a doctor immediately.
4. Fatigue, yawning
Due to the fact that you do not eat normally for long periods of time on such diets, you will often lack the beneficial elements, as we already know. Moreover, during such extreme diets, your blood sugar levels also drop. As a result, on top of everything else, you will have an energy deficit.
Why is this happening?
Because the body obtains energy from glucose, which is the main and most versatile source of energy for metabolic processes. Glucose creates adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which powers the brain, muscles and every simple cell in your body.
This side effect, when burning extra pounds on such a diet, will not allow you, for example, to work out extra in the gym. You will simply fall off your feet! ...
5. Low-calorie diet and headaches
Another side effect of losing weight quickly is frequent headaches. Like fatigue, headaches are caused by a lack of glucose in your blood.
If you experience headaches, drink plenty of water before and after your workout. Drink enough water half an hour before meals and an hour after meals. If this does not help you, you will have to add calories or switch to a healthier diet.
6. A low-calorie diet can lead to frequent constipation
How difficult it is! ... It's just terrible to experience this.
Constipation is less than three bowel movements per week. And if this isn't just a low-calorie diet for you, know that you're still consuming few nutrients or fiber-rich foods.
You should pay attention to this fact and increase your consumption of foods that contain more insoluble fiber. Try adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet.
One of the sources (sorry, I don’t remember which one) said that for normal processes in the body, our consumption of vegetables should be increased tenfold!
Please take note...
7. Problems with menstrual cycles
Rapid weight loss can force a woman's body into starvation or survival mode. These are processes when the processes of the body that are not the most important for life simply stop! The menstrual cycle is one of the first such processes.
And this is an unhealthy process. This can lead to major health problems in the long run. For example, to weakened bone health, to problems with the ovaries, which leads to a decrease in estrogen production, which can lead to infertility, as Krasnoyarsk medicine writes.
8. Loss of muscle activity and muscles in general
A study conducted on two groups of subjects reported that there was a loss of muscle mass in those on a low-calorie diet.
Why? ...
It's simple: our body begins to search for new sources of energy, which occurs through muscle tissue, instead of normal sources (food, blood glucose).
9. Low-calorie diet leads to heart problems
A low-calorie diet can lead to some of the most dangerous health problems. These include cardiac arrhythmia, strokes and cerebral hemorrhages.
The heart works better when our blood pressure is normal, when we are active and do regular exercise, when we sleep well and our weight is normal.
Therefore, I would like to warn you that if you already have some health problems, especially with your heart, do not resort to a low-calorie diet if you need to lose excess weight.
So what are the benefits of a low-calorie diet?
The most important advantage that we have already learned about is weight loss! You can lose weight very quickly, especially if you are overweight.
If you suffer from obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol, these types of diets can also significantly help you combat these ailments.
However, be aware of the above-mentioned side effects of these diets. They can also aggravate your precarious health.
A meta-analysis of US studies on low-calorie diets and weight maintenance says that while these diets are effective in losing weight quickly, they are still very dangerous in the long term.
This may be the biggest pitfall for some of you. Remember that during this period you need to consume additional vitamins and minerals, and maybe expensive supplements.
So, if you are not afraid of the health problems that we have written about here, you can start such a nutrition plan today. But, if you are doing everything to be absolutely healthy, you should consider a healthier diet option. You should eat not just to lose weight, but to be healthy.
Conclusion
So, say no to low-calorie diets!
The evidence that we talked about is not in favor of such diets. I recommend that you avoid them if you do it without the supervision of a doctor.
But, if you are considering such a diet in the first place and it does not deter you, it is up to you. You just must care about getting more from your nutrition.
You are what you eat! Remember this expression? And this is the first reason to start eating healthy and healthy to get a slim body and lose weight naturally.
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All people have different attitudes towards their own successes and failures. If we talk about losing weight, then during weight loss (especially if the process is delayed) fatigue appears. The fact is that when we start to lose weight, we are in the waiting mode for the coveted numbers. And, of course, we dream of speeding up the process.
Waiting cannot last all the time and the more time we need, the more difficult it becomes psychologically:
self-doubt arises.
This happens most often when we:
- We don’t give ourselves the required amount of time to complete our plans,
- overly demanding of themselves.
One of the reasons for this behavior is fatigue from losing weight.
Fatigue during weight loss is quite common, even if the process is going well.
Trying to gain health and beauty, we understand that we need to work hard. If you have found a convenient system for losing extra pounds, not a mono diet or a diet with strict calorie restriction, but try to monitor your nutrition and determine suitable physical activity, then for some time it will not be very difficult for you to stick to the developed scheme.
But even in this case, if you are aiming to lose weight, there comes a time when you have to force yourself to comply with the points that have already become familiar. Errors in nutrition and laziness in doing exercises begin. As a result, your mood worsens because you realize that you can nullify all the results obtained. In addition, proper nutrition, despite the possibilities of variety, “gets boring” by this stage.
It is at this time that it is important to correctly assess the situation and try to understand yourself.
It is impossible to force a person to change once and for all; this does not happen instantly. If you find yourself that
- you find it difficult to do your usual exercises,
- “I’m already disgusted” by healthy products,
They didn’t “relax too much,” they didn’t “let themselves go,” they didn’t become “the old fat and clumsy hippopotamus,” but they were just tired.
This is important to understand.
Imagine that you are doing physical work that cannot be done in one fell swoop and will have to be done in several stages.
Tired of physical labor, you want to rest, gain strength and calmly finish what you started.
!This is not only a natural, but also a necessary process!.
If at this point you are forced to continue, then everything will depend on the physical resources of the individual. The stronger one will be able to work longer on the final push, but sooner or later the strength will run out so much that any person will simply fall and be unable to do anything for a long time. The same thing will happen when you work not only physically. Moreover, if you are working on yourself, trying to improve something in your habits.
Many during this period imperceptibly begin to fight against themselves:
- exhaust themselves over a piece of “junk” food in the gym,
- scold themselves for their weak will,
- panic
- then depressed In the end, they become disappointed and give up.
Right now, when you notice that it has become difficult to lose weight, all you need is rest. What you can do for this:
- Many nutritionists advise sticking to a system where you allow yourself a “weekend” from losing weight. This makes it possible to lose weight more comfortably and get used to a new lifestyle. Anyone can afford to eat what they like and lie on the couch in their free time. It is important to determine for yourself the frequency of these days off and their duration. Once a week is a completely acceptable option; if you don’t want to rest, then you can skip it, but just don’t force it.
- Do not panic!
The main thing is to understand that the situation can be approached differently, what is a tragedy for one, for another it will simply be a deviation from the intended plan of action.
For a person who perceives fatigue as an unacceptable weakness and tries to fight himself to the last, it is very difficult to return to his previous routine, even if he previously achieved success, because he no longer believes in himself and does not hope to reach the finish line. He is so exhausted and “beaten with sticks” that he simply cannot continue. In this case, all that remains is to come to terms with the conclusion: “I can’t lose weight, no matter what I do, I’m a weak-willed rag.”
If a person realizes that he is tired and simply retreats for a short time from the established diet and exercise regimen, then it will be easier for him to continue what he has achieved earlier. Since nothing terrible happened, you haven’t lost faith in yourself, so you can rest and move forward - Besides weekends It is also recommended to arrange periods when you do not lose weight, but simply maintain the weight, and even if you gain a couple of kilograms, it won’t be a nightmare.
Your body will respond to your efforts more effectively and will more easily “give up” the remaining fat after you rest and return to your weight loss plan. But it is imperative to return, at least gradually. After all, we are only talking about a period of rest, and not about constant inactivity.
The body will not need to “defend” itself from you, because you allowed it to gain strength, and did not try to turn weight loss into an overwhelming race.
If you have not previously given yourself a day off or taken it very rarely, then the first allowed day off may be delayed - a person loves comfort, and relaxation of restrictions is always more comfortable than strict adherence to the rules. In this case, it is worth understanding that you already need rest for a short period from several days to a month, when you will maintain weight or gain about 2-3 kg (depending on your weight): - try to monitor caloric intake and variety of food,
- Don't eat only sweets or only fatty foods.
Once you get back into weight loss mode, try regular days off.
Necessarily
- listen to your feelings,
- look for your comfort zone,
- study what and how you react to:
to change the type of physical exercise or its quantity,
What is better for you: “weekends” more often and “vacations” from losing weight less?
or the first is less frequent, the second longer.
And first, let’s figure out when did you feel such an unpleasant symptom as dizziness while dieting? If at the very beginning, then we tend to classify such phenomena as psychogenic. The diet has begun - if you please, touch on stress. If you feel dizzy on a diet that you started a long time ago, then your body is signaling a malfunction in its work and we need to find and correct it.
The diet has just started, the body is not accustomed to the changed diet and is experiencing stress. In addition, during dietary restrictions, we still have to work, intensively lose calories even when working in a white collar job, not to mention heavy physical activity. In addition, there are people around you who are unaware of your limitations. And they all chew constantly! And not only at work, but also at home. Only a stress-resistant body can withstand this.
The diet has just started, oh, how dizzy!
Get ready for such a development of events, and if you feel dizzy at first on a diet, then:
A week has passed
And if you complain that you have a headache on a diet that you started more than a week ago, it makes sense to take a closer look at your diet:
Dizziness during a diet and the occurrence of headaches are typical for people who sharply limit any product in their diet. Most likely, this is not one, but a group of products. We are maximalists, if we exclude, then everything at once. Be smart about changing your eating habits. Nutritionists recommend not eliminating any product completely, leaving at least a small part of it in the diet. Don't eat white bread, great! Pinch off a piece of the top when you buy it at the store for your family. The body feels good, and you will receive the happiness hormone serotonin, which, by the way, will help get rid of dizziness when losing weight.
- Sometimes the complaints, like, I’m on a diet, my head is dizzy, are mixed with a state of weakness. Check your blood pressure. Nowadays, diets that exclude blood pressure are popular, and its absence leads to a decrease in blood pressure and weakness.
- No one has canceled a healthy lifestyle. Be in the fresh air, walk a couple of kilometers a day. Alternate computer work with - avoid headaches associated with osteochondrosis - a disease of computer geniuses of the 21st century.
Try to maintain
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“Any diet is a test, stress, even for a healthy person,” says Yulia Churnosova, nutritionist, endocrinologist at the Slavyanskaya Clinic Weight Loss Center. — Sometimes, especially at first, the body can react negatively to a change in diet, and a person feels unwell and mild discomfort. Feeling unwell in this case almost always indicates that the diet was formulated incorrectly and needs to be adjusted.”
Cold hands and feet
This reaction is a consequence of reducing the caloric intake of the diet. Inevitable if the goal of the diet is to lose weight (and, say, not gain weight or muscle mass). “By receiving fewer calories (read: fuel), the body begins to use it more economically,” explains Natalia Grigorieva, nutritionist. “To reduce energy loss, the blood vessels in the arms and legs narrow.” The autonomic nervous system regulates the redistribution of heat. And since most women have manifestations of vegetative-vascular dystonia, cold hands and feet are a common reaction of the body to changes in diet.
What to do? The condition can be corrected by influencing the autonomic nervous system as a whole. “Sedatives and adaptogens help well, for example, tincture of radiola rosea, ginseng, chicory,” says Natalya Grigorieva. — To normalize sleep, you can drink lemon balm and chamomile teas at night. Moderate physical activity is also useful - it dilates blood vessels, as well as a contrast shower.”
Headaches, easy fatigue
Many women may experience similar discomfort in the first week of switching to a new diet. “When adjusting your diet, you most often have to reduce the amount of carbohydrates in your menu,” explains Yulia Churnosova. “As a result, blood sugar levels drop, and the woman experiences headaches and loss of energy.” The body can obtain additional energy by burning its own fat reserves. But he will not do this right away: first he will “figure out” whether it will still be possible to increase the level of glucose in the blood due to the incoming food. And only after about a week the active utilization of your own fats will begin.
What to do? If after a week of dieting you continue to have headaches, analyze your diet. “Calculate your basal metabolic rate in calories and the daily caloric intake of food,” advises Natalya Grigorieva. — The calorie deficit should be no more than 500 kcal. If the gap is larger, you will feel unwell; if it is about 1000 kcal, then after losing weight you will quickly gain weight. In both cases, the diet needs to be adjusted.”
Slow digestion
If you are not starving and your diet is balanced, a healthy person should not have such a reaction. Constipation indicates that either you are eating too little and your intestines simply have nothing to process. Or you are consuming too little fiber, which improves peristalsis.
What to do? Increase the amount of vegetables in your diet: up to 400-500 g per day. “And drink more water,” adds Yulia Churnosova. - This will make it easier for food to pass through the intestines. Make herbal teas. Tea with mint and chamomile will reduce bloating and increase the production of digestive enzymes. Be sure to have breakfast: this will allow the intestines to adjust to the correct rhythm of work right in the morning.”
Heart rhythm disturbance
A malfunction of the heart in a healthy person is the body’s reaction to a lack of fatty acids in the diet. “About 70% of the energy required by the myocardial muscle comes from free long-chain fatty acids,” explains Natalya Grigorieva. “This mechanism has developed in the process of evolution so that the work of the myocardium does not depend on the level of glucose in the blood. This is why fats should not be completely eliminated from your menu, even if you are losing weight!”
What to do? Regularly include sources of saturated (meat, poultry, dairy products) and unsaturated (vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, avocados, fatty fish) fats in your diet. The former should account for 1/3 of all fats in your menu, the latter, respectively, 2/3. Unsaturated fats found in fish are especially good for the heart.
Deterioration of skin and hair condition
If the body reacts to the diet in this way, it means that it is not well balanced in fats and amino acids, vitamins and microelements.
What to do? “Under no circumstances completely exclude fats from your diet and eat a variety of protein foods,” says Yulia Churnosova, “dairy products, various types of meat, legumes. The proteins contained in all these products have different amino acid compositions, so the more you diversify your menu, the more different amino acids you will gain. It’s also a good idea to take a vitamin-mineral complex: discuss this option with your doctor.” You can also compensate for the lack of micronutrients with the help of food. “If the doctor has determined that you have a deficiency of mineral salts, you can fill it with root vegetables: what grows in the ground is richer in these substances than what grows above the ground,” adds Natalya Grigorieva.
Frequent urination
Perhaps this is a case worth rejoicing at. “When any substances, including fats, are broken down in the body, energy, carbon dioxide and water are formed,” says Natalya Grigorieva. “So your “problem” indicates that the fat burning process is in full swing.”
What to do? Help the body remove fat burning products and establish a drinking regime. Any diet assumes this. “In most cases, people do not consume enough water,” says Yulia Churnosova. “Moreover, most diets increase the amount of protein in the diet, which requires a lot of liquid for normal digestion. That is, the daily water intake needs to be increased.”
Hunger
We feel full when food maintains normal blood sugar levels. And hunger is when your blood sugar levels drop. If this happens almost immediately after eating, it means that the body received insufficient energy from food. The second problem: people who have indulged in gluttony for a long time will have a stretched stomach. The receptors that send satiety signals to the brain are located in the upper part of the stomach, so when portions are reduced, the feeling of fullness occurs “reluctantly.”
What to do? First of all, again calculate whether your body receives enough calories per day (see above). Then balance your diet with carbohydrates: you should receive about 400 g of such food per day. As for the volume of the stomach, it will decrease in a couple of weeks. To reduce discomfort during this period, reduce the amount of food you eat gradually. Consume more unsweetened vegetables, such as radishes, cucumbers, turnips, and herbs. You can drink a glass of water 10-15 minutes before meals. Eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly.
And don’t forget that hunger can also be psychological. It’s difficult to break the habit of chewing something all the time. If you realize that this is the whole point, try to distract yourself. Do cleaning, yoga, drawing... This will give you something to do with your hands, which are the ones that bring food to your mouth.
