Effective weight loss methods are not always the most common. Often all kinds of diets are presented to us as a panacea, active sports, wraps, baths and saunas are popularized. Unfortunately, these weight loss methods do not pay off. They allow you to lose weight for a short period of time, after which the weight is safely returned, taking with you a few extra.
Why obesity develops
Most of us are convinced that being overweight comes from overeating. This is partly true, but there are good reasons. Doctors offer treatment of obesity as a disease and a professional approach to its treatment.
Science explains the appearance of overweight by the fact that the energy received from food is not completely consumed by the body and is deposited in fat cells. There are 2 types of obesity: hyperplastic and hypertrophic. In the latter, the size of fat cells increases, but their number does not change. In the hyperplastic type, the number of fat cells increases from birth. Doctors attribute this to genetic abnormalities.
Depending on the reasons, the appearance of overweight is:
- Nutritional. 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 boredom. Sometimes children also suffer from a bad habit if their parents try to feed them more often high-calorie foods. Some adults understand eating fatty foods as a healthy diet. The habit of lying down in the afternoon also contributes to being overweight.
- Hypothalamic obesity is the result of a disorder of the hypothalamus of the brain. It is responsible for appetite, hormone production. The thyroid gland slows down while the adrenal glands work hard. Hormonal breakdown occurs. One is constantly hungry and eager 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 disorders, the metabolism is disrupted. Beneficial compounds are not absorbed by the body, the patient feels hungry, and excess food is deposited in fat cells.
In hypothalamic and endocrine obesity, only diet and exercise are indispensable. You will need a consultation with a neurologist, endocrinologist, treatment plan. At high levels of overweight resort to surgery to remove excess fat, gastric bypass and others.
When overweight occurs as a result of overeating, irrational unbalanced diet, low physical activity, you can use diets and sports. Supervision by doctors and psychologists is needed if the patient himself cannot come together and change the regimen.
When choosing a weight loss method, keep in mind that not all popular methods are effective. Some do not work and even have a negative effect on health. Think about which method will not help you lose weight.
Weight loss methods that have not paid off
Let's focus on the popular methods of weight loss, which have become a tradition among the poorly informed population. These methods are accepted as an axiom. But recent research has shown that they do not work. If they give temporary results, then they undermine health.
Hunger
There is a belief: if you eat less, you will definitely lose weight. The method works in part if the cause of obesity is just overeating. Then you really need to reduce the portion size.
If a person eats little but continues to gain weight, fasting will not help. Researchers have confirmed that severe calorie restriction causes the body to slow down its metabolism and store nutrients even more actively. Our body perceives starvation 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 fluids, you can lose weight. But health will deteriorate, there will be weakness, memory impairment, attention. 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 demonstrate the adverse effects of prolonged fasting on the body, 11 obese patients fasted for 12 to 117 days (1). Only water and vitamins were consumed. Complications that occurred during fasting are: severe hypotension (3 cases), anemia (1 case), gouty arthritis (2 cases).
After eating all the 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 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 cannot eat at night
Experiments at the Donne Nutrition Center in Cambridge have shown that our bodies do not store nutrients over time. It is important how many calories you take in during the day. You may not eat in the morning and at noon, but eat plenty at night 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.
Do not eat fatty foods
Not all fats are harmful to the body. There are healthy foods 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 greasy, but high in fast carbohydrates (baked goods, pastries, 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 important for overweight people.
There are studies that confirm that people who get their daily calories from fatty foods, not carbohydrates, stay in shape longer. There is even such a diet on fats - ketogenic or keto diet, used to treat epilepsy in medical centers.
Eating out and consuming sugar-sweetened beverages can be another factor that causes weight gain. Teenagers are especially prone to such obesity. A one-year study was conducted to determine the relevance of this hypothesis to reality.
The result is disappointing: obese children and adolescents do consume significantly more meat, sugary drinks and potato chips, which contributes to higher calorie, fat and sugar intake compared to obese children and adolescents.
Eat more protein to lose weight
This fact is only partially true. Eating more protein while reducing carbs helps you lose weight. But you can not stick to such a diet for more than 2 weeks.
The prospective (factual) study was conducted with the participation of 43, 396 Swedes aged 30-49. Patients completed an extensive questionnaire and were followed for an average of 15. 7 years.
As a result, researchers have found that high-protein diets consumed regularly, regardless of the nature of carbohydrates (complex / refined) or protein sources (plant / animal), are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
The body needs carbohydrates to digest food. Without them, acetone levels rise, which can lead to seizures and even coma. Excess protein leads to kidney damage. After a long protein diet you may end up in hospital with kidney failure or other diseases.
Sauna, hot wraps melt fat
This assumption is an absolute myth. During the warming of the body excretes excess fluid with toxins and toxins. After the procedures the person feels light, the scales may show a slight weight loss. But this 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 perform at home. But their results are temporary and dubious.
Proven factors influencing weight loss
Recent research by scientists has identified the most effective methods for weight loss. Some experiments were performed on mice, some were justified in experiments with humans. Here are the most effective.
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 eats improperly, the second in accordance with biological rhythms. The first group recovers quickly. People who want to lose weight are advised to eat at the same time every day and avoid late evenings after sunset. But everyone has their own rhythms.
Another study in humans showed that lifestyle-related sleep disorders lead to an increase in body fat and impaired metabolism. The causal link between these associations is still unclear.
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 and 55% in adults. In the absence of sleep, hunger occurs, which is associated with the production of appetite hormones. Poor sleep, frequent nocturnal awakenings as a result of stress also negatively affect the metabolism.
Drink plenty of clean water
Nutritionists, who suggest drinking more water throughout the day, explain this recommendation by the fact that water suppresses hunger. But its function is different. Studies show that water increases the growth of fibroblasts. They speed up energy consumption and burn brown fat. Water also stimulates the metabolism and allows you to burn an extra 100 kcal during the day.
Consume more oxygen
Recent studies in the West have confirmed that people with high levels of carbon dioxide in their blood are overweight. Modern man 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. Hypothalamic cells, 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 you have to lose weight.
Dietary food leads to gluttony
An experiment conducted by Dr. Jeff Branstorm was conducted at the British Nutrition Foundation. Participants were offered 18 foods indicating their caloric content and were asked to determine how much food they needed to satisfy their hunger. More low-calorie foods were needed. As a result, participants could no longer control themselves. The portions were large, there was overeating.
It is important to eat well. You do not need to eat only low-calorie foods. You can eat any, but take into account the calories consumed.
It is more efficient and safer to eat more foods that promote fat burning.
Weight loss protein
Recently, scientists made a sensational discovery. In experiments on mice, BP3 was identified, which has the effect of reducing 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 the protein can be used as a weight loss drug and whether it has side effects.
Despite the large number of weight loss methods, proper nutrition is still essential. If you overeat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, following the circadian rhythms, ensuring adequate sleep and following the 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 of BZHU comes to the fore.
The above facts suggest: emergency weight loss through starvation is possible only temporarily. Ends with overeating and weight gain. It is better to adhere to moderate physical activity, a balanced diet, a lifestyle according to biological rhythms. Then losing weight is much easier.
In case of obesity caused by disease of internal organs or hormonal disorders, you should see a doctor. He will choose the optimal diet and prescribe treatment. It is impossible to choose a diet with serious pathologies.