Effective weight loss methods are not always the most common. Often, as medicine, all kinds of diets are presented to us, active sports are promoted, body wraps, baths and saunas. Unfortunately, these weight loss methods do not work. They allow you to lose weight for a short period of time, after which the pounds come back safely, taking with you some supplements.
Why obesity develops
Most of us are convinced that excess weight comes from overeating. This is partly true, but there are fundamental reasons. Doctors suggest treating obesity as a disease and a professional approach to treating it.
Science explains the appearance of excess weight with the fact that the energy received from food is not fully 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 at birth. Doctors attribute this genetic abnormality.
Depending on the reasons, the appearance of excess weight is:
- Grocery. 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 too much, due to sedentary work, under the influence of stress and simply out of boredom. Sometimes children also suffer from a bad habit if parents try to feed them more often with caloric foods. 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 hypothalamic region of the brain. It is responsible for appetite, the production of hormones. The thyroid gland slows down while the adrenal glands work intensively. A 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. Beneficial 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 essential. You will need a consultation with a neurologist, endocrinologist, a treatment plan. With high percentages of excess weight, they resort to surgical interventions for the removal of excess fat, gastric bypass, etc.
When excess weight appears as a result of the habit of overeating, unbalanced diet irrational, low physical activity, you can use diets and sports. Control by doctors and psychologists is required if the patient himself can not join and change the regimen.
When choosing a method for weight loss, keep in mind that not all known 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 worked
Let us dwell on the popular methods of weight loss, which have become a tradition among the poorly informed population. These methods are taken as axioms. But recent research has proven that they do not work. If they give temporary results, then they harm health.
starvation
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. 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 way because it does not know about our intention to lose weight.
If for a long time there is little or switch to fluids, you can lose weight. But the health condition will deteriorate, 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 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 taking the 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 exercise throughout the day.
You can not 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 may not eat breakfast and lunch, but eat a snack at night and at the same time you will lose weight.
At night, it is advised 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 that are high in fat that the body needs to function properly (fish, vegetable oils, nuts). They contain fatty acids, without which the brain can not function.
Avoid foods that are not fatty, but rich in fast carbohydrates (baked goods, cakes, 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 obese people.
There are studies that confirm that people who get daily calories from fatty foods, and not from carbohydrates, stay in shape longer. There is also such a diet for fats - ketogenic diet or keto, used to treat epilepsy in medical centers.
Eating out and consuming sugary sugary drinks can be another factor that causes weight gain. Adolescents 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 teens consumed significantly more meat, sugary drinks and chips, which contributed to higher calorie, fat and sugar intake compared to non-obese children and teens.
Eat more protein to lose weight
This fact is only partially true. Eating more protein while reducing carbohydrates helps you lose weight. But you can not adhere to such a diet for more than 2 weeks.
The prospective study was conducted with the participation of 43, 396 Swedish women aged 30-49. Patients completed an extensive questionnaire and were followed for an average of 15. 7 years.
As a result, scientists found that high-protein diets consumed on a regular basis, regardless of the nature of carbohydrates (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, acetone levels rise, which can lead to fainting 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 tubs melt fats
This assumption is an absolute myth. During body heating, excess fluids are released with toxins and toxins. After the procedures, the person feels light, the scales may show a slight drop in weight. But this only happens because of the elimination of excess fluid. These methods have no effect on fat cells.
These methods are popular because they are easy to apply at home. But the results from them are temporary and dubious.
Proven Factors Affecting Weight Loss
Recent research by scientists has identified the most effective methods to lose weight. Some experiments were performed 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 in accordance with biological rhythms. The first group was recovering rapidly. People who want to lose weight are advised to eat every day at the same time and avoid late dinners after sunset. But everyone has their own rhythms.
Another study in humans has shown that sleep-related sleep disorders 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 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 lack of sleep, hunger appears, which is associated with the production of appetite hormones. Poor sleep, frequent night awakenings as a result of stress also negatively affect metabolism.
Drink plenty of clean water
Nutritionists, suggesting that you drink more water during 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 extra 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 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 of losing weight.
Dietary food leads to gluttony
An experiment was conducted at the British Nutrition Foundation under the direction of Dr. Jeff Branstorm. Participants were offered 18 meals, indicating their caloric content, and asked to determine how much food they needed to satisfy their hunger. More low-calorie foods were required. As a result, participants could no longer control themselves. The portions were large, overeating occurred.
It is important to eat well. You should not eat only low calorie foods. You can eat any, but consider the calories consumed.
It is more efficient and safer to consume more foods that promote fat burning.
Weight loss protein
Scientists recently made a sensational discovery. In experiments with mice, BP3 was identified, which has the effect of reducing the growth of cancerous tumors. During research, it was found that protein intake contributes to the rapid burning of fat. Scientists are now investigating whether protein can be used as a medicine for weight loss and if it has side effects.
Despite the large number of weight loss methods, proper nutrition is still paramount. If you eat too much for breakfast, lunch and dinner, following the circadian rhythms, getting adequate sleep and maintaining a drinking regime will not help you.
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 the UDF comes to the fore.
The above facts suggest: urgent weight loss with fasting is only possible 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 disorders, you should see a doctor. He will choose the optimal diet and prescribe treatment. It is impossible to choose yourself a diet with serious pathology.