There are many ways to lose weight fast.They differ:
- degree of health damage;
- "parts of the body" due to which weight loss occurs;
- the necessary amount of willpower to maintain the chosen weight loss strategy.
Below are four principles for proper weight loss, based on the latest scientific research.How quickly you can lose weight with their help depends on the individual characteristics of your body.
Methods for ultra-fast weight loss and associated RISKS
To avoid being disillusioned by the unwarranted fascination with the title of this article, let's get straight to the point.
First, losing weight extremely quickly ALWAYS carries a health risk.By super fast we mean tens of kilos per week, for example.
Second, not everything we mean by weight loss is about reducing body fat.
Most often the question is "how to lose weight fast?"understood as "within a short time (usually a few days) to see a different number on the scale or to fit into smaller pants/dresses since youth."
The weight of the body and the circumference of its individual parts when losing weight can change at least due to:
- reducing the amount of fat in the body;
- destruction of muscle mass;
- decrease in the volume of muscle cells;
- removal of fluids from the subcutaneous layers.
Which of these methods suits you?
"Lose weight" very quickly(in the sense of changing the readings of the scale) can be done by removing excess fluid from the body, for example, with the help of diuretics, which are actively used by professional athletes during drying of the body.
The price of the issue is the risk of serious side effects, including death.Diuretics belong to the class of one of the most dangerous sports chemicals.
The currently fashionable detox diet also belongs to the class of diets for rapid weight loss.This is one of the reasons for its popularity.
But what causes the weight changes on this diet?Due to the same loss of fluids from the body, the destruction of muscle cells due to the almost complete lack of protein in the diet and the reduction of their size due to the decrease in glycogen reserves in the muscles, which "binds" water.
The same applies to losing weight with laxatives: when they are used, the amount of fluid removed from the body increases.
We have given three really working examples of very fast weight loss.Their main characteristic isthe effect is very short, the percentage of fat does not change and there are great risks of damage to health: The weight returns to normal within a few days once you come off the diet.
So, from all the above, it is important to understand the following:rapid weight loss (say 10 kg per week) due to fat mass is almost impossible.
Moreover, the rate of weight loss is highly related to individual body parameters.A person weighing 150 kg and a body fat percentage of 40% can tell you how he lost 7 kg in a week, but for you, with your 65 kg and a body fat percentage of 15%, a value of 7 kg can be achieved in just six months, following the same methodology...
Therefore.
Below we will introduce you to science-based principles for proper weight loss, following which you can lose weight as quickly as possible, taking into account your individual characteristics.In this case, our recommendations will help:
- do not harm your health, but improve it;
- maintain muscle mass and even increase it;
- develop a rhythm of life for yourself that you can consistently stick to.
Popular methods to lose weight extremely quickly are associated with great health risks.Moreover, they do not burn fat, but only remove water from the body
How to lose weight quickly and without harming your health?Main principles
1. Reduce your calorie intake
Losing weight should always start with this.
Too many calories are the most important cause of obesity in our society, according to scientists.But they persistently try to prove to us that we do very little sports...
Most often, it is the manufacturers of unhealthy food products that promote a healthy lifestyle with an emphasis on the need to be physically active.Thus, they divert our attention from the real cause of obesity - their products.
In a study of African tribes that spend all day in motion, scientists found that the level of energy expenditure of their representatives is not much different from that of office workers in developed countries.
This is not to say that Africans do not move around a lot.No.
onlythe amount of calories burned during physical movements is very small, only about ~ 20% of daily energy expenditure: if hunters from Africa spend, say, about 500 Cal during the day (just moving), then an office worker spends about 200 Cal.The difference of a few hundred calories is negligible.
So the main rule of weight loss is this: the body starts burning fat when we eat fewer calories from food than we need to maintain life processes.This is the so-called calorie deficit.
With some caveats, the following statement is true:The bigger the calorie deficit, the faster you will lose weight.
Main disclaimer:The higher the calorie deficit, the higher the risk of health problems.
Recommended calorie restriction -300-500 Calfrom the basal metabolism.
The first rule of weight loss: reduce the number of calories you eat;The bigger the calorie deficit, the faster you can lose weight
2. Eliminate carbohydrates from your diet
Carbohydrates (sugars and starches) stimulate the release of the hormone insulin, whose job is to control blood sugar levels.It does this by transporting excess glucose to storage: glycogen and fat.
If you do not lead an active lifestyle, then consider that all sweets go entirely to fat.
When insulin levels in the body are low, conditions are created for the active use of fats for energy..To achieve this, you simply need to eat less carbohydrates.
The vast majority of diets are built on this principle, including intermittent fasting, the ketogenic diet, and the Dukan protein diet.
When insulin levels are low, another weight-loss mechanism mentioned earlier is activated: the kidneys remove excess sodium from the body, which binds water.What does this affect?The thickness of skin wrinkles is reduced.
The action of diuretics, which professional athletes use to dry the body, is based on this principle: these drugs also remove sodium and allow you to achieve very weak muscle relaxation.
While diuretics carry a high risk of very serious side effects, there is no risk with carbohydrate restriction as the body is only getting rid ofSURPLUSsodium
Just remove carbohydrates from your diet and you will lose weight quickly;At the same time, the appetite will decrease and the thickness of skin wrinkles will decrease
3. Eat more protein, healthy fats and fiber
So, we have understood the main principle of rapid weight loss.
The next step is to maintain muscle mass and avoid vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
Every meal should consist of protein, healthy fats and low-carb vegetables.This combination will provide the necessary 20-50 g of carbohydrates for rapid weight loss without the need for precise calculations using formulas and calculators, as well as a sufficient supply of vitamins and minerals.
Eating protein is very important for weight loss for several reasons:
- Protein has a thermogenic effect, that is, it increases the rate of internal metabolism by 80-100 calories.A little, but still.
- Protein foods fill you up better, reducing your appetite and cravings for snacks throughout the day.We talked about this in the materials about the benefits of cottage cheese and eggs for weight loss.
- Protein keeps muscle mass from breaking down during a calorie-restricted diet.
Protein sources:
- Meat (lean parts): beef, chicken, pork, lamb;
- Fish and seafood: salmon, trout, shrimp, lobster;
- Eggs and dairy products.
Vegetables
Vegetables are natural sources of vitamins and minerals, and are also rich in fiber and water, which fill your stomach and keep you full, and are very low in calories.You can eat them in any quantity without fear of gaining weight.This is your secret to avoiding crippling hunger.
The only important thing is to avoid starchy vegetables like potatoes.
Recommended low-carb vegetables:
- Broccoli;
- Cauliflower;
- Spinach;
- Brussels sprouts;
- White cabbage;
- Salad;
- Cucumber;
- Celery.
fats
When we eliminate carbohydrates from the diet, which are the main source of energy in the body, it is important to increase the intake of another source of energy provided by nature - fats.
Recommended healthy fats:
- olive oil;
- linseed oil;
- coconut oil;
- avocado;
- butter;
- nuts
Include the following types of fat in every meal and don't be afraid to gain weight:Restricting carbohydrates and fats while dieting is a recipe for failure, as you will not get enough energy, and therefore you will not be able to adhere to the prescribed diet for a long time.
Build every meal around protein, non-starchy vegetables and healthy fats.
4. Exercise to increase your metabolism
No, you don't have to run.MoreoverRunning is not the most effective sport for losing weight, as is commonly believed.
In general, if you compare a proper diet and sports, the former, as shown above, is much more important for weight loss.
-What are the best sports for quick weight loss?
Those in whichthe rate of internal metabolism is maximally activated.
In principle, any physical activity is beneficial, but high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and strength training are most effective for weight loss.They significantly stimulate the rate of internal metabolism, which drops when losing weight.
The state of stimulated metabolism, both during interval training and during strength training, can last up to 2 days.
According to scientific data, metabolism accounts for about 70% of daily calories: the higher the metabolic rate, the more calories are burned.
In addition, training helps to strengthen and increase muscle mass: the more muscle mass, the more calories are needed to maintain it, the less of them are converted into fat.
The higher your internal metabolic rate, the faster you will lose weight;High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and strength training boost your metabolism for up to 2 days
Does counting calories make sense when losing weight?
No.
It is important to understand which foods you can eat and which should be excluded: the basis should be proteins, healthy fats and non-starchy vegetables, and you should try to limit the amount of simple carbohydrates.
Sugar and fructose are particularly harmful for weight loss.They contain not only "empty" calories, but also cause changes in the body at the hormonal level, which provoke overeating and cause a large number of diseases.
Have one fasting day per week
Fanaticism is rarely helpful.Now that we have understood how to lose weight quickly, it is important to understand that infrequent indulgences will not cause harm to yourself.
In any diet, especially in the beginning, when your usual lifestyle changes,You can give yourself a "fast" day.when you can eat more carbohydrates and familiar foods.Of course, without fanaticism.
Such a day is usually called a "cheat" day from the English "cheat meal" - "cheat with food".
Always try to stay as healthy as possible in the foods you choose.
When it comes to carbohydrates, fill your appetite with natural whole foods: oats, rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, fruit.
And it is better to do this no more than once a week.The more often, the less fast the weight loss process will be.
It is important to understand:During weight loss, a cheat day is allowed, but it is not necessary at all..During it, your weight may increase a little, but mainly because of the fluid that will "leave" during the following days.
During weight loss, one fasting day per week is allowed, when you can eat more carbohydrates and familiar foods.
How fast can you lose weight?
In the low-carb diet described aboveyou can lose about 1-4 kg per week, sometimes more, sometimes less.
The more you are overweightand less effort to lose weight in the past,the faster you will lose weight.
A scientific experiment showed that a low-carbohydrate diet (~50 g per day)helps you lose weight much fasterthan a fat-restricted diet (30% of total calories).Over 6 months, the obese women lost an average of 8 kg on a low-carb diet and 4 kg on a low-fat diet.
What's interesting is that in the experiment, those women who ate low carbohydrates were allowed to eat as many other permitted foods as they wanted.Those.they didn't have to fight the debilitating feeling of hunger.But as a result, the caloric content of their food per day decreased by about 500 calories compared to usual.
The principle "eat as much as you want" is the basis of the Dukan protein diet.But carbohydrates are excluded from the list of allowed foods.
Check out the chart below: it's a good illustration of how quickly you can lose weight simply by eating less carbs.
How fast can you lose weight by limiting carbohydrates in your diet: vertical axis is body weight, horizontal axis is time per week;The bottom graph is the rate of weight loss on a low-carb diet, the top is the rate of weight loss on a low-fat diet.
During the first few weeks, you may feel low on energy as your body needs time to adjust from using carbohydrates as an energy source to fats.
After that, your well-being will improve significantly, as well as your health.
Scientists say that a low-carb diet improves blood sugar levels, lowers the concentration of bad cholesterol and increases the concentration of good cholesterol and normalizes blood pressure.
How quickly you can lose weight on a low-carb diet depends on many factors.The average rate of weight loss is 1-4 kg per week