Weight loss hacks

20 years ago, the Internet was still in its infancy, and we did not even suspect that information would ever be as easily accessible as it is now.

Today, social networks and the Internet in general are crowded with a variety of weight loss diets and tips on how to lose weight faster and more effectively.

But - the number of people suffering from obesity or being overweight is increasing.

So - these diets and tips clearly do not work. And they don't work because losing weight isn't as easy as - eating less and moving more. It is amazing that there are people who believe that what is eaten over several years can be "dropped" in a few days or a few weeks.

There are many interrelated factors that affect our ability to eat less and move more - physically, psychologically, emotionally, socially, environmentally…

Your work is stressful, relationships with loved ones/relatives/colleagues are tense, children become sick, you wake up at night and can't fall asleep, you want to exercise, but your knees hurt or you are just so tired that you can only watch a movie or series before going to bed …

And you get heavier.

You don't like it. And in fact, it is already starting to get in the way.

Something should have been dropped. Preferably quickly and effortlessly.

You start looking - and - it turns there are:

• Tea that makes you lose weight, even if you don't change anything in your life and diet;
• Countless diets that will make everything superfluous disappear in a week or a month;
• A whole range of products that "burn fat" so fast that you can't even recover when all excess is gone.

And many more different tips and proven, revolutionary, unknown, and other techniques that reduce weight quickly, effectively, and forever

But then, why are we seeing more and more overweight people around us?

Ironically, the truth is that all of these "simple" and "quick" solutions only make it harder to lose fat because they are either completely stupid or too restrictive and harmful to health:

• Requires exclusion from the diet carbohydrates (or sugar);
• Requires exclusion from the diet fats, dairy products or meat;
• Simply "blow the mind" ("right" and "wrong" way of eating, products, etc.);
• Requires full compliance with rules/restrictions (usually ending with “breakdown”);
• Emphasis on the theoretical optimal rather than the practical and available (recommending exotic and expensive products, "superfoods" or food supplements as mandatory components of the diet).

This does not mean that the choice of products and exercises is irrelevant, but that - fat can be lost without torturing yourself - by taking a more flexible approach to the process, resulting in long-term rather than short-term results.

Let's talk about how to lose weight effectively and "forever". Without self-torture and "Tricks".

There are foods we eat more than others

There is no doubt that most overweight people eat too many carbohydrates and also too much fat.

But are carbohydrates and fats to blame for their excess weight? Or maybe products that are high in carbohydrates and fats? And accordingly with a lot of calories?

The main sources of calories in our diet:

On average, almost a third (about 28.8%) of calories are ingested with desserts, sweets, sweet snacks and sweetened drinks!

You will not find these dishes in the list of recommended products in any slimming diet. But it is recommended to exclude carbohydrates from the diet. As you can see, by drastically reducing your intake of carbohydrates or even just sugar, you will automatically eliminate most of these “unwanted foods” from your diet. And, importantly, you will significantly reduce your calorie intake from both carbohydrates and fat.

This is how myths come about - If you want to lose weight, you have to give up carbohydrates.

Partly, this is indeed true. But are you losing weight because you're cutting carbs, or because you're automatically eating fewer calories by cutting out "junk foods"?

Where is the difference?

By eliminating carbohydrates and fats from your diet, you deprive your body of the nutrients it needs!

By eliminating high-calorie foods, you are simply significantly reducing your calorie intake.

There are dishes that are hard for us to give up

A recent study by the University of Michigan on the addictive properties of foods found that processed foods "may have drug-like properties."

Top 10 most addictive processed foods (average portion):

Glycemic load is not the same as the glycemic index. The glycemic index measures how quickly blood sugar levels will rise, while the glycemic load measures how much glucose is released into the bloodstream.

Let's get back to product addiction.

Whether you decide to follow the advice of even carbohydrate or fat restriction, you will have to give up the first nine products listed in the table.

Note that everything except cheese is substantially industrially processed and most contain a combination of sugar, fat, and salt, which makes these dishes "hyper-delicious". So delicious that stopping them from eating is very difficult.

Carbonated sweetened beverages or chocolate do not contain all three of these ingredients, but they do contain 'drug-like' compounds such as caffeine and/or theobromine, which produce similar effects.

If we can't stop and eat a whole pack of chips or chocolate, we take in a lot more sugar, salt and fat than our body needs.

With that in mind, also look at the first table. Eight of the 10 "most addictive" foods are also the six main sources of calories in our diet.

What do they have in common? These are all ultra-processed foods that contain substances or combinations of substances that make them "hyper-delicious".

Now consider which foods you like best, and which ones do you often eat? And what do they have in common?

Are they minimally processed foods such as vegetables, fruits, beans and whole grains? Do they affect you like chips, chocolate, crackers… and you can't stop until you've eaten them all?

However, there are weight loss tips that require you to avoid fruits, starchy vegetables, legumes of any kind, and grain/flour products.

I wonder when these foods became a problem (as contributing to obesity)?

There are healthy and nutritious foods that we do not eat

Healthy eating experts constantly recommend eating more vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains.

However, these recommendations are not implemented because they do not seem to work.

Why don't they work? Because in general, we have become fatter (this is a fact) because of these “healthy” foods (statement by the distributors of trendy diets).

Is it true?

Or have we become fatter because we eat other (ultra-processed and hyper-delicious) foods?

According to NHANES 58.5% of all calories ingested come directly from ultra-processed foods. And our eating habits are not improving. On the contrary, during the survey period (2007-2012), it increased by one percent each year.

Let's take a closer look at recommended foods.

And let's start with whole grains, because they are often mentioned as the main contributors to overweight (all flour products are bad because they contain carbohydrates). It turns out that whole grain products (compound or slow carbohydrates - “good”) are consumed on average 3 to 4 times less than recommended, but the highest quality wheat flour products (fast carbohydrates - “bad”) - significantly more.

The same is true of fruit - we are eating on average 2 times less than recommended.

Vegetables - 2 to 3 times less, and legumes 2 to 4 times less.

The reality is that when trying to lose weight ("improve" their diet), most people focus on eliminating certain nutrients (usually excluding carbohydrates (sugar) or fats) or eliminating unwanted/unhealthy foods.

And the problem arises - how to replace the products that are excluded, how to make up for the missing nutrients? That is, what to eat so that the body gets everything it needs (to avoid health problems) and how to avoid hunger, which usually causes nervousness and leads to the abandonment of the diet.

It is like an endless period of hope and suffering:

• A new diet - you start it with hope;
• Restriction period - You eat according to the rules of the chosen diet;
• Hooray! Weight has dropped;
• You return to your previous eating habits;
• And the weight returns.

What to do?

Most importantly, trust the professionals, not the misery on social media, such as "how I dropped 20 kg in a week". And stop stressing, don't jump on the scales every day or even after every meal.

Weight loss is not a matter of days or even weeks.

If you want to get a beautiful and healthy body you need to change lifestyle or at least eating habits. It's not fast.

Therefore.

Start with the addition - eat more vegetables. Eat more fruit. Eat more whole grain products and legumes. Eat more lean protein.

Based on my experience with more than 4,000 customers, this strategy can be very effective in squeezing ultra-processed foods and "hyper-delicious" foods out of your daily menu.

By increasing the proportion of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes, you automatically eat less.

This is also confirmed studies. For example, twenty randomly selected adults followed a diet of ultra-processed products and unprocessed products for 14 days. The diets were coordinated - calories, sugars, fat, fiber, and macronutrients were the same in both. Each participant could eat as much as they wanted.

As a result those who followed the diet of industrially processed products ingested an average of 500 kcal more every day and gained weight.

Of course, this does not mean that you only have to eat vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains. But you have to think about what and how much you eat and learn to balance nutrients.

The setting "I will start eating healthy tomorrow" is doomed to failure because it is very difficult to change eating habits and it’s definitely not going to be done quickly.

So start little by little.

Today you drink coffee with cream. Change it to milk, then skim milk. Maybe after a while, you will already taste black coffee with a sweetener, not with sugar.

Try to cook more yourself using fresh, unprocessed foods. Does it not appeal to you or you do not have time? Maybe give it a try anyway? First on weekends, then more often.

If you eat fruit and vegetables once a day now, it may be too difficult to include vegetables in all meals at once. Start by including vegetables at least in two meals or in two meals at least 3 days a week.

And so every day, with small changes, you will find that after a while your eating habits have changed significantly and ... it was easier than you expected.

All of this may seem too easy to lose weight effectively.

Or - too slow, because you want to see your new self in the mirror as soon as possible.

That is understandable.

But maybe you think so because:

• Countless advertisements promise you a fast and guaranteed result and the Internet is full of tips "how to lose 5 kg in a week" or "how to lose weight in 3 days", etc.
• Your previous weight loss experience has been unsuccessful and disappointing.

If your previous weight loss experience is not positive - Maybe you did something wrong and it's time for a new approach?

You always have a choice - try again "fast" or lose weight gradually, but guaranteed and forever.

Sources:

2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Report

2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines