How to lose weight

 

Premise

Losing weight is a physiological process characterized by the reduction of the reserve adipose tissue, to which is added, as a consequence, a decrease in the total body mass.

The slimming process is based on four main factors, which, depending on the case, can prevail one over the other:

• lack of balance between energy introduced with food (lower) and energy consumed by the cells (upper) → typical of low-calorie diets;
• increased metabolic impact of foods → typical of high-protein / ketogenic diets and/or rich in nerve foods ;
• increased metabolism → typical of slimming regimes that involve the association of moderately low-calorie diets with toning and muscle-strengthening activities; also temporarily favored by the use of nerve / thermogenic foods or supplements ;
• achievement of the nutritional balance that affects both the nutrients and the nutritional components (first of all, the fiber ) → typical of balanced, moderately low-calorie slimming regimes, which provide for a weight loss in the order of 500/750 grams per week.

In general, weight loss uses a complex mechanism of positive and negative feedbacks that affect the entire metabolism, the hormonal axis, and the various cellular processes of the tissues. More precisely, to lose weight it is necessary to place the organism in conditions of “catabolism”, that is, of “demolition” of the reserve tissues for energy purposes (the opposite of “ anabolism “ or “construction”).

The main targets of the catabolic slimming process are subcutaneous fat, visceral fat, muscle glycogen, and hepatic glycogen; however, for various reasons, an excessively intense or prolonged catabolic phase can also significantly compromise the integrity of other structures, primarily the muscle.

Note: weight loss is not a selective process on fat mass, therefore mild catabolism of other tissues is almost always inevitable; this can be limited by starting a well-thought-out muscle-building protocol or, less intelligently, by using doping ( thyroid hormones, steroids, somatotropin, etc.). On the other hand, this depletion can be both imperceptible and very intense, depending on the “speed” of weight reduction, nutritional balance, volume and type of motor activity, etc.

Overweight and health

Taking a small step back, I think it is appropriate to emphasize some basic concepts that affect (alas) all strategies to lose weight. If it is true that the reduction of adipose tissue is a physiological process, it is equally true that it is a tiring and not always necessary process, as it is often dictated by deviated aesthetic standards. On the other hand, it is true that being overweight (and the related complications) represents one of the main risk factors for early death in industrialized societies; therefore, in these cases, weight loss is used as a real THERAPY of medical interest.

Weight loss for health purposes is only indicated for those who cross the “health border”, that is:

• Who has a Body Mass Index greater than 24.9;
• Who has an unfavorable fat distribution and other risk factors;
• Who has traces of family-related metabolic complications?

Therefore, all the other subjects, with the exception of competitive athletes for whom it is essential to keep the fat mass at minimum levels ( cyclists, runners, etc.), could refrain from the desire to lose weight-saving themselves a lot of effort.

Why is it difficult to lose weight?

The various difficulties faced in losing weight derive from the fact that the adipose tissue and the mechanisms that regulate its tropism represent a system of self-defense against periods of famine and malnutrition; this process was developed through the evolution of the animal species, which lasted “only” a few million years.

It goes without saying that, in conditions of food overabundance (typical of consumer societies), it is not particularly “easy” to maintain a moderate level of fitness. Put simply, whatever the type of diet you follow, losing weight is always more difficult than gaining weight; I, therefore, invite kind readers not to be deceived by the marketing and pseudo-scientific theories that lately (and more and more often) bombard the media, luring both the sick and the healthy who badly perceive their own body shapes.
It is therefore not possible to lose weight without feeling appetite, even if with a good strategy you can easily avoid real hunger.

The best ways to lose weight are those that involve the use of a physical motor activity protocol, as they allow you to eat more. However, it is also advisable not to “open the gap too much” between the energy taken with food and the energy consumed; with too drastic methods, in fact, there would be the risk of compromising the general state of health, worsening the muscular tropism, one of the side effects of catabolism that we have seen to be necessary for the slimming process. That said, once again I urge our kind readers not to fall into the “phishing” of those who claim to “know the formula to lose weight quickly while keeping the muscle mass intact or even

To know more: How to motivate yourself to lose weight?

How to do

Practical tips for losing weight

So, in practice, to lose weight it is sufficient to eat less than what is consumed; certainly, that’s easier said than done.
First of all, the first piece of advice I address to those suffering from overweight, obesity, or metabolic diseases, is to rely on a professional in the sector, i.e. a dietician or a dietician or a specialized nutritionist. Instead, for those who only want to improve their physical appearance, it is sufficient to make sure that they carry out the regular physical motor activity, correcting the diet with regard to the frequency of consumption and the portions of junk foods ( including alcohol !).

Alas, given the current Italian economic condition (not too rosy, if compared to the past half-century), not everyone can (or wants to) afford to pay a health worker who practices the profession; in parallel, public services are often poor and waiting lists are sometimes particularly long. Here, in such a situation, low-cost services are depopulated, such as “magazine” diets, “ gym “ diets (those improperly produced by the weight room technicians ), “ supplement diets””(offered for free in exchange for the purchase of herbal or similar material), diets from” telephone application “(not necessarily incorrect but often impractical and always without the therapist-patient relationship), diets” downloaded from the internet “or even “personalized” diets … but for other people “.

It goes without saying that no too cheap service can guarantee a precise and accurate procedure, which should include the medical history food, the collection of subjective preferences, anthropometric survey, and periodic checks with the possibility of “correcting the shot” along the way. However, it would be quite dishonest to convey the message that “to lose weight … so to eat less than you should … you must necessarily spend money!”. It is a paradox that cannot stand up, even if professionalism is certainly a detail that makes the difference in terms of results and maintenance of health.

Lose weight without the help of a professional

It is not impossible, it is a fairly simple path to understand, but still difficult to apply and maintain; below, I will try to give some simple tips to rearrange the ideas to the thousands of self-taught who intend to lose weight independently and consciously:

Follow a balanced diet, without venturing into potentially unsuccessful experiments that would slowly weaken the practitioner’s resolve. The guidelines for a correct and healthy diet are effectively disclosed by INRAN (National Research Institute for Food and Human Nutrition)

Compensate for periods of overeating by increasing physical activity and following for short periods of non-demanding diets that have the same duration as the transgression. In fact, most of the time, being overweight is simply the result of an occasional weight gain which, however, recurs several times in the medium and long term; the main recurrences in which the famous “stiletto” accumulates are the Christmas period, carnival period, Easter period and summer holidays. In this case, it is possible to accumulate about 4kg per year and up to 40kg in 10 years, which is what separates a perfectly normal person from a seriously obese person.

At the beginning of therapy, make sure that the weight trend is stable, not oscillating, and keep a food diary as accurate as possible. Weight stability, which is assessed weekly or every 14 days, is a sign of “energy balance”, ie it ensures that the current diet is normocaloric. By filling in the food diary, in the case of stable weight, you can obtain a “photograph” of the diet that “DOES NOT make you fat”, then facilitating the compilation of the maintenance diet. On the contrary, if the diet is not normocaloric and induces a small but inexorable increase (eg 100g every 14 days), it is better to proceed with the first changes to the diet. In the first place,, that is, those that do not contribute positively to the maintenance of the state of health (e.g. coca-cola, beer, fast-food, sauces, snacks, etc.).

While a food professional is able to draw up a perfectly fitting diet, without “trial and error”, when proceeding in total autonomy it is necessary to proceed in “small steps”. So, having reached the long-awaited norm-calorie, the very first step of the self-taught concerns the increase (if necessary) of physical motor activity (in a conscious and progressive way, first of all, to avoid injuries) while maintaining the same diet we have talked about. 

This is possible by choosing to take the stairs rather than take the elevator, traveling by bicycle or on foot for the journeys that allow it, and carrying out a sporting activity that affects the weekly energy balance (in practice, at least 3 or 4 workouts of 50 ‘each with an intensity that is in full aerobic range or higher ). 

Continuing with the weight measurement every week or every 14 days, it should be possible to infer a significant weight reduction; for example, about 300–400g every seven days. Note: using a muscle-building protocol it is possible that the bodyweight initially remains unchanged, in fact, the increase in muscle tropism — typical of the very first training period for hypertrophy — compensates for the loss of body fat induced by increased energy expenditure.

If the overweight is minor, what has been summarized in the previous stages may also be sufficient; on the contrary, if the “road is long”, it is better to increase the speed of weight loss. To do this, it is necessary to reduce about 15–20% of the energy compared to the initial norm caloric, since in synergy with the increase in caloric expenditure (motor activity) it should cause a weight reduction of about 750g (and not more than 1000g) per week. . To tell the truth, it is not so easy to understand “how much” and “what” to remove from the diet, but exercising the profession I noticed that the most significant redundancies concern:

The excess of pasta, which for most must NEVER exceed 90g per serving and which should not be consumed more than once a day; furthermore, it is better to limit the frequency to 2–3 times a week.

The excess of bread, which must accompany the side dish and the dish (main course ), but must NEVER exceed 50% of its weight (except for the salad). 2 slices of bread per 200g of vegetables, meat or fish are more than enough.

The excess of potatoes, as these tubers are very often included in the group of vegetables. In truth, they cannot be contextualized in this whole because they contain 2, 3, or 4 times as much energy as vegetables (depending on the product). It is preferable to use them as a side dish (150–200g) if you choose dishes of modest size (such as two eggs or 100g of ricotta ) or as a first course (in the form of velvety, up to 400g of potatoes ).

The excess of seasoning oil, which is often the result of a nutritional misunderstanding. It is true that extra virgin olive oil “ is good for the body”, especially when it replaces animal fat, but this does not mean that it DOES NOT Grease! On average, I suggest not to exceed 20–30g / day and, for those who like to consume “many courses”, better calculate a maximum of 5g each (excluding all cheeses, which do not require seasoning … not even mozzarella !).

The excess of meat, fish, and eggs, also the result of a popular misunderstanding; recently there has been a real explosion of carnivorous diets, promoting the belief that proteins do not make you fat. Obviously, this is a real distortion. The excess is always potentially fattening, even the protein one, especially in association with considerable quantities of fats ( sausages, ribs, salami, salmon, etc.); the suitable portion (of lean dishes ) is always between 150 and 250g (for eggs and cheeses, even less!).

The excess of fruit, a group of foods that is certainly beneficial but absolutely NOT calorie-free. An apple, which is NOT among the most caloric fruits, contains the energy of a slice of bread! Typically, two fruits a day are easily contextualized in a low — calorie diet of a medium entity.

Once you have reached the ideal weight (the subjectively perceived one), which most of the time does NOT correspond to the physiological one, it is possible to adopt the initial normocaloric diet again and proceed with the consolidation of the results obtained.

Note: at the end of a slimming diet there is almost always a very slight “rebound” effect, in which the body reacts by depositing a small number of energy reserves again (sometimes proportional to the amount of weight loss obtained). This is an almost normal condition, due to small transgressions or a sort of reaction to the energy increase in the diet.