Effective methods of losing weight aren't always the most common. Often, as a panacea, all kinds of diets are presented to us, active sports, wraps, baths and saunas are promoted. Unfortunately, these weight loss methods don't pay off. They allow you to lose weight for a short period of time, after which the kilograms come back safely, taking a couple of extra pounds with them.
Why obesity develops
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 aspect 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, starting 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 occurs due to the banal habit of overeating at night, eating more than necessary, due to 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 consider the consumption of fatty foods to be a healthy diet. The habit of lying down after lunch also contributes to excess weight.
- Hypothalamic obesity is the result of a disorder in the hypothalamus region of the brain. It is responsible for appetite, hormone production. The thyroid slows down, while the adrenal glands work intensely. Hormonal disruption occurs. A person constantly feels hunger and a desire to eat.
- Endocrine. Weight gain occurs due to endocrine system disorders (thyroid and pancreas, pituitary gland, gonads). Due to hormonal disruption, the metabolism is disrupted. Useful compounds are not absorbed by the body, the patient is hungry, and excess food is deposited in the fat cells.
With hypothalamic and endocrine obesity, only diets and sports are indispensable. You will need a consultation with a neurologist, endocrinologist, a treatment plan. With high rates of excess weight, they resort to surgery to remove excess fat, gastric bypass, etc.
When excess weight appears due to the habit of overeating, an irrational unbalanced diet, low physical activity, diets and sports can be used. Monitoring by doctors and psychologists is necessary if the patient himself cannot recover and change the regimen.
When choosing a weight loss method, remember that not all folk methods are effective. Some don't work and even have a negative effect on health. Consider which method will not help you lose weight.
Weight loss methods that have not paid 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 shown that they don't work. If they give temporary results, they undermine health.
Hunger
There is a belief: if you eat less, you will certainly lose weight. The method works partially if the cause of obesity is only overeating. So you really need to reduce the portion size.
If a person eats 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 about 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 deteriorate, weakness, memory impairment, attention will appear. Dizziness, fainting are possible.
Furthermore, there is evidence that after such stress, the body can slow down its metabolism for a whole year. Is it worth the risk?
To demonstrate the negative 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 fasting 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 was lost in the body. Experts do not recommend prolonged fasting with a history of coronary artery disease or brain disease, gout, or liver disease.
Increased physical activity
Moderate physical activity can help you lose weight. But spending all 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 exercising all day.
You can't eat at night
Experiments at the Cambridge Women Nutrition Center have shown that our bodies do not store nutrients over time. It is important how many calories are consumed during the day. You may not eat in the morning and at lunchtime, but have a large snack in the evening and lose weight at the same time.
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.
Don't eat fatty foods
Not all fats are harmful to the body. There are healthy, high-fat foods 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 rich in fast carbohydrates (baked goods, sweets, bread). Glucose is quickly stored in the body in the form of fat. Such products are needed only for high physical activity, which is not relevant for obese people.
There are studies that confirm that people who get their daily calories from fatty foods, and not carbohydrates, stay fit longer. There is even such a fat diet: ketogenic or keto diet, it is used to treat epilepsy in medical centers.
Eating out and consuming sugary drinks can be another factor in triggering weight gain. Teenagers are particularly prone to such obesity. To determine how this hypothesis corresponds to reality, a one-year study was conducted.
The result is disappointing: Obese children and adolescents consumed significantly more meat, sugary drinks, and potato chips, which contributed to a higher intake of calories, fat and sugar than non-obese children and adolescents.
Eat more protein to lose weight
This fact is only partially true. Eating more protein by reducing carbohydrates helps you lose weight. But you can not adhere to such a diet for more than 2 weeks.
The prospective (factual) study was conducted with the participation of 43 396 Swedish women aged between 30 and 49 years. Patients completed an extensive questionnaire and were followed up for an average of 15. 7 years.
As a result, scientists found that high-protein diets consumed regularly regardless of the nature of the carbohydrate (complex / refined) or 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 a coma. Excess protein leads to kidney damage. After a long protein diet, you can end up in the hospital with kidney failure or other diseases.
Sauna, hot packs dissolve fat
This hypothesis is an absolute myth. When heating the body, excess fluid is released with toxins and toxins. After the procedures, the person feels light, the scales may show a slight decrease in weight. But it only happens due to the elimination of excess fluid. These methods have no effect on fat cells.
These methods are popular because they are easy to implement at home. But the results from them are temporary and questionable.
Proven Factors Affecting Weight Loss
Recent research by scientists has identified the most effective methods of losing weight. Some experiments were conducted on mice, some justified themselves in human trials. Here are the most effective ones.
Restoration of circadian rhythms
Circadian rhythms refer to fluctuations in physical activity throughout the day. In particular, the processing of consumed products is highly dependent on lighting and its spectrum.
The test was performed on 2 groups of mice. They lived in the same conditions. One group ate incorrectly, the second according to biological rhythms. The first group was recovering rapidly. People who want to lose weight are advised to eat at the same time each day and avoid late dinners after dark. But each has its own rhythms.
Another study in humans showed that lifestyle-related sleep disturbances 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 related to obesity, increasing the risk of weight gain by 89% in children, by 55% in adults. With 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 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 accelerate energy consumption and burn brown fat. The water also stimulates the metabolism and allows you to burn another 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. The modern person spends more time indoors, where the carbon dioxide level is high.
When inhaled, the pH of the blood decreases. The acidity of the cerebrospinal fluid increases. Cells in the hypothalamus, responsible for appetite, increase activity. As a result, appetite increases and energy consumption decreases.
The more you walk outdoors, the greater your chances of losing weight.
Diet food leads to the throat
An experiment was conducted at the British Nutrition Foundation under the direction of Dr. Jeff Branstorm. Participants were offered 18 foods, indicating their calorie content, and asked to determine how much food they need to satisfy their hunger. More low-calorie foods were needed. As a result, the participants could no longer control themselves. Portions were large, overeating occurred.
It is important to eat well. You don't have to eat only low calorie foods. You can eat any of them, but keep in mind the calories consumed.
It is more efficient and safer to consume more foods that promote fat burning.
Slimming proteins
Scientists recently made a sensational discovery. In experiments on mice, BP3 was identified, which affects the reduction in the growth of cancerous tumors. During research, it was found that the introduction of protein contributes to the rapid burning of fat. Scientists are now studying whether proteins can be used as a weight loss medicine and whether they have side effects.
Despite the large number of weight loss methods, proper nutrition is still the main one. If you overeat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, sticking to your circadian rhythms, getting enough sleep, and sticking to your diet won't help.
Nutritionists and endocrinologists recommend formulating the diet so that the diet contains all the necessary nutrients with the optimal amount of calories. Therefore, the budget of the BZHU comes to the fore.
The above facts suggest: Fasting urgent weight loss is possible only temporarily. It ends with overeating and weight gain. It is better to adhere to moderate physical activity, balanced diet, lifestyle according to biological rhythms. So losing weight is much easier.
In case of obesity caused by a disease of the internal organs or a hormonal disruption, it is necessary to consult a doctor. He will select the optimal diet and prescribe the treatment. It is impossible to select a diet on your own with serious pathologies.