How to lose weight quickly and without harming your health?4 principles based on scientific evidence

There are many ways to lose weight quickly.They are different:

  • level of harm to health;
  • “parts of the body” due to which weight loss occurs;
  • amount of willpower needed to maintain the chosen weight loss strategy.

Below we look at four principles for sensible weight loss, based on the latest scientific research.How quickly you can lose weight with their help depends on the individual characteristics of your body.

Extremely fast weight loss methods and associated RISKS

To avoid disappointment because of the absurd fascination with the title of this article, let's be alert now.

First, extremely rapid weight loss ALWAYS carries potential health risks.For example, super fast means tens of kilograms per week.

Second, not everything we understand about weight loss has to do with reducing excess body fat.

The most common question is "how to lose weight quickly?"understood as “in a short period of time (usually a few days) to see a different number on the scale or to fit into the smaller pants/skirts of youth”.

Body weight and circumference of each part when losing weight may change at least due to:

  • reduce the amount of fat in the body;
  • destruction of muscle mass;
  • decreased muscle cell mass;
  • Removes fluid from the subcutaneous layers.

Which of these methods is right for you?

“Losing weight” very quickly(in the sense of changing the reading on the scale down) can be done by removing excess fluid from the body, for example, with the help of diuretics, drugs that are actively used by professional athletes when drying the body.

The cost of this is the risk of serious side effects, including death.Diuretics are among the most dangerous sports chemicals.

Today's trendy detox diets also belong to the group of diets for rapid weight loss.This is one of the reasons for its popularity.

But what causes weight changes on this diet?Due to the same amount of fluid lost in the body, muscle cells are destroyed due to the almost absence of protein in the diet and their size is reduced due to a decrease in the amount of glycogen stored in the muscles, which "binds" water.

The same applies to weight loss with laxatives: when they are used, the amount of fluid removed from the body increases.

We have given three real examples of very fast weight loss.Their main feature isThe effect is very short-lived, the fat percentage does not change and there is a huge risk of harm to health: Your weight will return to normal within a few days as soon as you quit the diet.

So, from all the above, it is important to understand the following:Losing weight quickly (such as 10 kg in a week) due to excess fat is almost impossible.

In addition, the rate of weight loss depends greatly on the individual parameters of the body.A person weighing 150 kg and a fat percentage of 40% can tell you how he lost 7 kg in a week, but for you, with 65 kg and a fat percentage of 15%, the value of 7 kg can be achieved only in six months, according to the same method...

So.

Below we will introduce you to the principles of reasonable weight loss based on science, from which you can lose weight as quickly as possible, taking into account your individual characteristics.In this case, our recommendations will help:

  • Don't harm your health but improve it;
  • maintain muscle mass and even increase it;
  • Develop a rhythm for yourself that you can consistently stick to.

Extremely fast weight loss methods are known to pose huge health risks.Furthermore, they do not burn fat but only remove water from the body

How to lose weight quickly and without harming your health?Main principle

1. Reduce calorie intake

Weight loss should always start with this.

According to scientists, too many calories are the most important cause of obesity in our society.But they persist in trying to prove to us that we play too little sports...

Often, manufacturers of unhealthy foods promote a healthy lifestyle with an emphasis on the need for physical activity.So they divert our attention from the real cause of obesity - their products.

In a study of African tribes that spend all day on the move, scientists found that the energy expenditure of their representatives was not much different from office workers in developed countries.

This does not mean that Africans do not move around a lot.Are not.

onlyThe amount of calories burned during physical activity is very small, only about ~20% of daily energy expenditure: if a hunter from Africa spends about 500 Cal during the day (just on the move), an office worker spends about 200 Cal.A difference of a few hundred calories is insignificant.

So, the main principle of weight loss is: the body begins to burn fat when we eat fewer calories from food than are needed to maintain life processes.This is called a calorie deficit.

With some reservations, the following statement is true:The larger the calorie deficit, the faster you will lose weight.

Main disclaimer:The higher the calorie deficit, the higher the risk of health problems.

Calorie restriction recommendations -300-500 Caloriesfrom basal metabolism.

The first rule of weight loss: reduce calorie intake;The larger the calorie deficit, the faster you can lose weight

2. Eliminate carbohydrates from your diet

Carbohydrates (sugars and starches) stimulate the release of the hormone insulin, which is responsible for controlling blood sugar levels.It does this by transporting excess glucose to its stores: glycogen and fat.

If you do not lead an active lifestyle, then consider that all desserts contain fat.

When insulin levels in the body are low, conditions are created for actively using fat as energy..To achieve this, you simply need to eat less carbohydrates.

Most diets are built around this principle, including intermittent fasting, the ketogenic diet, and the Dukan protein diet.

When insulin levels are low, another weight loss mechanism mentioned earlier is activated: the kidneys remove excess sodium from the body and bind it to water.What impact does this have?The thickness of skin folds is reduced.

The action of diuretics that professional athletes use to dry the body is based on this principle: these drugs also remove sodium and allow you to achieve very lean muscle loss.

Although diuretics have a high risk of causing very serious side effects, there is no risk with carbohydrate restriction because the body only eliminatesredundantsodium

Just eliminate carbohydrates from your diet and you'll lose weight quickly;At the same time, appetite will decrease and the thickness of skin folds will also decrease.

3. Eat plenty of protein, healthy fats, and fiber

So we found the main principle of rapid weight loss.

The next step is to maintain muscle mass and avoid vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

Every meal should include protein, healthy fats, and low-carb vegetables.This combination will provide 20-50 g of carbohydrates necessary for rapid weight loss without exact calculations using formulas and calculators, as well as provide enough vitamins and minerals.

Eating protein is important for weight loss for many reasons:

  • Protein has a thermogenic effect, that is, it increases the internal metabolic rate by 80-100 calories.A little, but still.
  • Foods containing protein help you feel full longer, reducing cravings and cravings for snacks during the day.We have already talked about this in the literature about the benefits of cheese and eggs in losing weight.
  • Protein keeps muscle mass from breaking down on a calorie-restricted diet.

Protein sources:

  • Meat (lean parts): beef, chicken, pork, lamb;
  • Fish and seafood: salmon, trout, shrimp, lobster;
  • Eggs and dairy products.

Vegetable

Vegetables are a natural source of vitamins and minerals, and are also high in fiber and water, helping to fill the stomach for a long time, keeping you full for a long time and very low in calories.You can eat them in any quantity without fear of gaining weight.This is the secret to help you avoid paralyzing hunger.

The only important thing is to avoid starchy vegetables like potatoes.

Recommended low-carb vegetables:

  • broccoli;
  • cauliflower;
  • Spinach;
  • Brussels sprouts;
  • white cabbage;
  • Salad;
  • Cucumber;
  • Celery.

Fat

When we eliminate carbohydrates from the diet, which are the body's main source of energy, it is important to increase the intake of another source of energy provided by nature - fats.

Recommended healthy fats:

  • olive oil;
  • flaxseed oil;
  • coconut oil;
  • butter;
  • butter;
  • nuts.

Add the following types of fat to every meal and don't be afraid of gaining weight:Limiting carbohydrates and fats when dieting is a recipe for failure, because you will not receive enough energy and therefore will not be able to adhere to the described diet for a long time.

Build each meal around protein, non-starchy vegetables and healthy fats.

4. Exercise to increase metabolism

No, you don't have to run.FurthermoreRunning is not the most effective weight loss sport, as is commonly believed.

In general, if you compare proper diet and sports, the first, as discussed above, is much more important for losing weight.

-What are the best sports to lose weight quickly?

The people in itThe internal metabolic rate is maximally activated.

In principle, any physical activity is beneficial, but high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and strength training are most effective for weight loss.They significantly stimulate the internal metabolic rate, which decreases with weight loss.

The stimulated metabolic state, both during interval training and during strength training, can last up to 2 days.

According to scientific data, metabolism accounts for about 70% of daily calories: the higher the metabolic rate, the more calories burned.

In addition, exercise helps strengthen and increase muscle mass: the more muscle mass, the more calories needed to maintain it, and the less they are converted into fat.

The higher your internal metabolic rate, the faster you will lose weight;High-intensity interval training (HIIT) and strength workouts help boost your metabolism for up to 2 days

Is it reasonable to count calories when losing weight?

Are not.

It is important to understand which foods you can eat and which ones to exclude: the basis should be proteins, healthy fats and non-starchy vegetables, and you should try to limit your intake of simple carbohydrates.

Sugar and fructose are especially harmful to weight loss.Not only do they carry "empty" calories, but they also cause changes in the body at the hormonal level, causing overeating and countless diseases.

Have one fasting day a week

Fanaticism is rarely beneficial.Now that we have figured out how to lose weight quickly, it is important to realize that rare pleasures will not harm yourself.

During any diet, especially in the beginning, when your usual lifestyle changes,You can give yourself a “vegetarian” day.when you can eat more carbohydrates and familiar foods.Of course there is no fanaticism.

Such a day is often called a “cheat day” from the English “cheat meal” - “cheat with food”.

Always try to stay as healthy as possible in the foods you choose.

When it comes to carbohydrates, satisfy your cravings with all-natural foods: oatmeal, rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, fruit.

And it is better to do this no more than once a week.The more often you do it, the slower the weight loss process will be.

It is important to understand:A cheat day is allowed during weight loss, but not necessary..During that time, your weight may increase slightly but mainly because the fluid will "disappear" over the next few days.

During weight loss, one fasting day per week is allowed, when you can eat more carbohydrates and familiar foods.

How fast can you lose weight?

Regarding the low carb diet described aboveYou can lose about 1-4 kg per week, sometimes more, sometimes less.

The more overweight you areand the less weight loss efforts were in the past,the faster you will lose weight.

A scientific experiment shows that a low-carbohydrate diet (~50 g per day)helps you lose weight much fasterthan a fat-restricted diet (30% of total calories).Over the course of 6 months, obese women lost an average of 8 kg on a low-carb diet and 4 kg on a low-fat diet.

Weight loss schedule by limiting carbohydrates in the diet

Interestingly, in the experiment, women who ate low in carbohydrates were allowed to eat as many of the other allowed foods as they wanted.Those things.they don't have to fight debilitating feelings of hunger and thirst.But as a result, the calorie content of their daily food is reduced by about 500 calories compared to normal.

The principle of “eat as much as you want” is the foundation of the Dukan protein diet.But carbohydrates are excluded from the list of allowed foods.

Take a look at the chart below: it's a clear illustration of how quickly you can lose weight just by eating fewer carbs.

How quickly you can lose weight by limiting carbohydrates in your diet: vertical axis is body weight, horizontal axis is time in weeks;The chart below is the weight loss rate on a low-carb diet, above is the weight loss rate on a low-fat diet.

During the first few weeks, you may feel low on energy because your body needs time to adjust from using carbohydrates as an energy source to fats.

After this, your health will improve significantly, as will your health.

Scientists say low-carb diets help improve blood sugar levels, reduce bad cholesterol levels and increase good cholesterol levels, and normalize blood pressure.

How quickly you can lose weight on a low-carb diet depends on many factors.The average weight loss rate is 1-4 kg per week