Effective weight loss methods 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 methods of losing weight do not pay off. They allow you to lose weight for a short period of time, after which the kilograms safely return back, taking with them a couple of extra ones.
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 appearance 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:
- Alimentary. Obesity develops due to overeating and low physical activity. Typical for people over 50 years old, more for women. Overeating occurs due to the banal habit of overeating at night, eating more than necessary, because of 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 eating fatty foods as a healthy diet. 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. He is responsible for appetite, hormone production. The thyroid gland slows down, while the adrenal glands work intensively. Hormonal disruption occurs. A person constantly feels hunger and desire to eat.
- Endocrine. Weight gain occurs as a result of disorders of the endocrine system (thyroid and pancreas, pituitary gland, gonads). As a result of hormonal disruption, metabolism is disrupted. Useful compounds are not absorbed by the body, the patient feels hungry, and excess food is deposited in 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 surgical interventions to remove excess fat, gastric bypass, etc.
When excess weight appears as a result of the habit of overeating, irrational unbalanced diet, low physical activity, you can use diets and sports. Control by doctors and psychologists is required if the patient himself cannot pull himself together and change the regime.
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 have not paid off
Let's dwell on the popular methods of losing weight, which have become a tradition among the poorly informed population. These methods are perceived as an axiom. But recent research has proven that they don't work. If they give temporary results, then they undermine health.
Starvation
There is a belief: if you eat less, you will definitely lose weight. The method works partially if the cause of obesity is only overeating. Then you really have to reduce the portion size.
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 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 worsen, weakness, memory disorder, attention will appear. Dizziness, fainting are possible.
In addition, there is evidence that after such stress, the body can slow down its metabolism for a whole year. Is it worth the risk?
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 fasting were: severe hypotension (3 cases), anemia (1 case), gouty arthritis (2 cases).
After receiving food, all the 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 all day in the gym and exhausting the body is not necessary. Four sets of 10 minutes 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 how many calories are consumed during the day. You can skip food in the morning and at lunchtime, but have a hearty snack at night 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. She 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 that are high 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 (baked goods, sweets, bread). Glucose is quickly stored in the body in the form of fat. Such products are necessary only for high physical activity, which is not relevant for obese people.
There are studies that confirm that people who gain their daily calorie intake from fatty foods, and not from carbohydrates, stay in shape longer. There is even such a diet on fats - ketogenic or keto diet, it is used to treat epilepsy in medical centers.
Eating outside the home and consuming sugar-sweetened drinks can be another factor that triggers weight gain. Teenagers are especially prone to such obesity. In order to determine how this hypothesis corresponds to reality, a one-year study was conducted.
The result is disappointing: Obese children and adolescents did consume significantly more meat, sugary drinks, and potato chips, which contributed to higher calorie, fat and sugar intakes compared to non-obese children and adolescents.
Eat More Protein For Weight Loss
This fact is only partly true. Eating more protein while reducing carbohydrates helps you lose weight. But you cannot adhere to such a diet for more than 2 weeks.
The prospective (factual) study was carried out with the participation of 43 396 Swedish women aged 30–49 years. The patients completed an extensive questionnaire and were followed up for an average of 15. 7 years.
As a result, the scientists found that high-protein diets consumed on a regular basis without regard to the nature of the carbohydrate (complex / refined) or protein source (plant / animal) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
The body needs carbohydrates to digest food. Without them, the level of acetone rises, which can lead to fainting and even 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 wraps melt the fats
This assumption is an absolute myth. During the warming up of 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 Influencing Weight Loss
Recent research by scientists has identified the most effective methods of losing weight. Some experiments were carried out on mice, some justified themselves in human trials. Here are the most effective ones.
Restoring 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 carried out on 2 groups of mice. They lived in the same conditions. One group ate incorrectly, the second in accordance with biological rhythms. The first group was recovering rapidly. People who want to lose weight are advised to eat at the same time every day and avoid late dinners after sunset. But everyone has their own rhythms.
Another study in humans has shown that lifestyle-related sleep disturbances lead to increased body fat and impaired metabolism. The causal relationship of these associations has not yet been clarified.
Dedicate at least 7-8 hours of sleep a day
Lack of sleep is directly related 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 nighttime awakenings as a result of stress also negatively affect metabolism.
Drink plenty of clean water
Nutritionists, suggesting to drink 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 metabolism and allows you 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. The modern person 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, which are responsible for appetite, increase activity. As a result, appetite increases and energy consumption decreases.
The more you walk in the fresh air, the more chances of losing weight.
Diet food leads to gluttony
An experiment was conducted at the British Nutrition Foundation under the direction of Dr. Jeff Branstorm. The 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 required. 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 any, but take into account the calories consumed.
It is more efficient and safer to consume 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 of 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 investigating whether protein can be used as a weight loss medicine, and whether it has side effects.
Despite the large number of weight loss methods, proper nutrition is still the main one. Overeating for breakfast, lunch and dinner, following circadian rhythms, getting adequate sleep, and keeping to your drinking regime will not 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 balance sheet of the BZHU comes to the fore.
The above facts suggest: urgent weight loss by fasting 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. Then losing weight is much easier.
In case of obesity caused by a disease of internal organs or hormonal disruption, you need to see a doctor. He will select the optimal diet and prescribe treatment. It is impossible to select a diet on your own with serious pathologies.