Diet low in carbohydrates; free fat; cayenne pepper and cabbage soup; dragee tightly yellow and water. It seems that every day there is a new meal plan for weight loss that promises fast results, from smart to crazy. Proper nutrition for weight loss is something that many of us have tried at least once. . . or two. . . or, let's face it, often.
Important points regarding proper nutrition
Your cousin swears that giving up bread for a few weeks helped her drop the pounds just before she entered university. On the other hand, you couldn't have eaten a piece of bread for five years and still not have lost those last few pounds. As soon as you learn the intricacies of one diet, it seems like another, threatening to be more effective.
Take, for example, a study conducted in August 2015. It was found that reducing fatty foods helped obese adults lose weight 68% faster than reducing carbohydrate intake. What great news!
But before you start getting rid of your favorite full-fat dairy products, check out another study from two months later. According to this study, following a low-carbohydrate diet as well as a Mediterranean diet is more effective in weight loss than restricting carbohydrate intake. Scientists say that no diet works well in the long run, and a low-fat diet for weight loss can even be harmful.
However, hope lives on. In fact, there is an optimal diet plan that can help you lose weight. This is the meal plan that works for you. Not in the case of your spouse, brother, or co-worker, but one that works with your body's needs and, together with regular exercise, makes you feel great.
So what is the right diet for weight loss? A meal plan should not be seen as something to be followed for weeks or months until you reach your target weight, after which you can go back to your old habits. In fact, researchers say the reason diets don't work is because of going back to old eating habits.
Instead, a healthy eating plan should be a lifestyle change that you can stick to because, unlike restrictive diets or fad diets, it's something that's sustainable. The way you eat should make you feel better, providing your body with the nutrients it needs so you can live a long, happy and healthy life.
how to eat right to lose weight
Below is information about the best healthy eating plans for weight loss that can help you make the most informed decision.
low carb diet
By following a low-carb diet or a ketogenic diet (an extremely low-carbohydrate diet), you significantly reduce or eliminate your glucose intake. When your body runs out of glucose and there are few carbohydrates in your diet that your body uses for energy, your body will start using stored fat for that purpose, helping you lose weight quickly.
Advantages:
- You are likely to experience rapid weight loss, especially in the first few weeks and months. When we eat foods with sugar and carbohydrates, our body releases insulin, a hormone responsible for storing energy and body fat. It sends a signal to your cells to store as much energy as possible in the form of glycogen. By significantly reducing our carbohydrate intake, our body produces less insulin. Less insulin in our blood means that our bodies use glycogen for energy and not store it, and when it runs out, fat starts to be used.
- You can reduce your risk of developing diabetes. When you switch to a low-carb diet, you naturally eat much less sugar and starch. Conversely, a diet high in carbohydrates can increase the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity.
- Since you will ideally replace grains and other carbohydrates with foods rich in protein and healthy fats, you will feel fuller and less hungry. Fats and proteins are known for their satiety effect, and cutting down on carbohydrates helps turn off ghrelin, the "hunger hormone".
Defects:
- Reducing or completely eliminating carbohydrates from the diet can lead to a lack of energy and a feeling of fatigue. If you are particularly active (for example, you play sports), a low-carbohydrate diet can reduce your endurance, which is so essential during training.
- Carbohydrates hide in unexpected places like fruit, legumes and quinoa. If they are completely eliminated from your diet, this may negatively affect your intake of essential vitamins and minerals.
low fat diet
Nutrition for weight loss in the form of a low-fat diet reduces the amount of fat consumed, both vegetable and animal. This diet became very popular in the United States especially after the release of the federal government's dietary guidelines in 1980, which introduced low-fat foods.
Advantages:
- High-fat foods are also high in calories. If you're on a calorie-restricted diet, cutting back on high-calorie foods will probably help you lose weight.
- Limiting your intake of unhealthy fats (such as trans fats) found in sweets, fast food, processed foods, and other processed foods can help you lose weight; plus, it will heal your body.
Defects:
- Low-fat foods are often processed foods containing refined sugar and unnatural ingredients designed to make low-calorie foods look like their naturally fatty counterparts. These extra ingredients can cause weight gain.
- Giving preference to fat-free foods, people often abuse them. This happens for two reasons: low-fat foods can't match the taste and nutritional value of regular foods, and we're more likely to eat them because we know they're low in calories.
- Our bodies need fat! Although foods like avocados or butter can be high in calories, they contain healthy fats that our bodies need to function properly. Which would you prefer: butter made from cow's cream or a "butter substance" created in a lab?
Mediterranean diet
The Mediterranean diet has its origins in Mediterranean countries such as Italy, Spain, Greece, etc. The Mediterranean diet cannot be called a diet per se - it is a typical diet high in fresh fruit and vegetables, healthy fats such as olive oil. -quality poultry and seafood, all natural and grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers, feed, etc.
Advantages:
- Since this diet focuses on natural foods, you will be eating very little processed foods or sugars. You are more likely to snack on nuts than cookies, for example.
- An abundance of foods rich in healthy fats helps reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
Defects:
- Although healthy fats are good for us, we need to control our food intake. Because it's so tasty, it's easy to want to eat a little more, which can lead to overeating.
- Although the Mediterranean diet is great for your body in the long run, if you're looking to lose weight quickly, it's probably not for you.
Vegetarianism or veganism
Although there are different levels of vegetarianism and veganism, most vegetarians avoid eating meat, including seafood and poultry. What do vegans eat? Well, they avoid all animal products, including dairy and eggs.
Advantages:
- A plant-based diet is naturally low in fat and high in fiber. You don't need to count calories when you eat lettuce.
- Vegetarian diets are linked to lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol levels. If you want to control these conditions naturally, cutting out meat can help.
- Good quality meat can be expensive! Eliminating it from your diet can save money in your budget.
Defects:
- Avoiding animal products does not guarantee that you will eat healthy, nutritious foods.
- High-quality animal meat provides the body with essential nutrients that are difficult to obtain from plant-based foods. Vegans especially need to be aware of their nutritional deficiencies and should consider taking supplements.
paleo diet
What about the paleo diet and veganism? These are the two most fashionable diets. "Go paleo" is something we hear more and more these days, especially in the sports community. Paleolithic diet, consisting of foods eaten by our ancient ancestors - natural animal meat (natural food fed to them), wild fish, nuts, roots, vegetables and fruits.
Advantages:
- Switching to a grain-free diet can be very beneficial because you cut out the carbohydrates in grains that raise insulin levels and replace them with more vegetables.
- Following a hunter-gatherer diet can help you get more minerals, omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and healthy fats from your food. In fact, if you follow the Paleo diet correctly, it can help improve autoimmune conditions and help you lose weight naturally.
- Along with eliminating grains, sugar (the main product that causes chronic inflammation and disease) is also completely eliminated from food. Instead, the diet is full of popular anti-inflammatory foods such as wild salmon (or similar fish), blueberries, leafy greens, and nuts.
Defects:
- Unfortunately, many who follow the Paleo diet often eat too much meat, as well as some of the toxic substances of animal origin.
- In addition, people often eat non-organic foods, including meat, butter, vegetables and fruit. If you cannot afford to buy only organic foods, this diet cannot be considered a Paleo diet.
Remember that you do not need to follow the rules of a specific diet, make up a strict menu of proper nutrition for weight loss. Some aspects of a particular diet may appeal to you, while others may not.
For example, you might want to go vegan one or two days a week to give your wallet a little break and encourage your family to try different seasonal vegetables.
Or you can reduce your carb intake for a few weeks to balance your insulin levels and then switch to a Mediterranean diet that uses whole grains in moderation. This is all very good!
There is no need to eat specific foods for weight loss day after day, week after week. It is simply important to eat right, eating mostly organic produce and excluding any factory-made food and sweets whenever possible. At the end of the day, the "best" diets (diet systems for weight loss) come and go, but organizing a diet based on natural vegetables and fruits, meat and fish, nuts and whole grains never goes out of style. .