How many people suggested lose weight What’s a New Year’s resolution? Who started on January 7, obsessed with the idea of losing the pounds gained with nougat, peas and roscon? Many people will raise their hands. It’s time to look for ways to lose weight, so the Internet and media are full of articles on this topic, some with a lot of scientific evidence, others with less. The first group contains an article published in Talk Professor in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Limerick. Alexandra Cremona.
In it he explains what it is reducing calories What should we do daily to lose weight. One might think that this is a very noticeable decrease. However, the specialist notes that a minimal reduction is sufficient to obtain the result. In fact, for some people, it may be a better option than cutting calories further. After all, just as we don’t all think collectively, the same weight loss methods don’t work for us either. Every body is unique.
Although there is something that Cremona does not mention and which is common to almost all people. obsession with losing weight This will only bring us problems. So the first thing we want to make clear is that not everything in life is like that. count calories. It just goes to show that, like many things in life, sometimes less is more. Fewer calories can produce better results, but we shouldn’t get too caught up in counting them. There are much more important factors.
The Importance of Energy Balance
To put it bluntly, to lose weight, you must burn more calories than you consume. It’s just a scale. Therefore, if a person wants to lose weight, he must control this energy balance by controlling his diet or exercising. The ideal is the second, supplemented by a healthy diet.
If we consume exactly the same amount of calories but exercise more, the balance will shift towards losing weight. We spend more. Therefore we must keep in mind that when we talk about reduce calories It’s not necessarily about eating less.
At the same time, in his article, Cremona recalls that daily reduction is usually associated with 500–1000 calorieswith a weekly weight loss of about half a kilo. However, she explains that only with 100-200 calories the results can now be viewed. Weight loss may happen more slowly, but it’s easier to stay consistent and not give up the habit, so it may be more beneficial than cutting calories more radically.
When losing weight becomes impossible
Sometimes when we start to lose weight we reach a kind of plateau in which it no longer seems possible to continue losing weight. This is because our body does not understand diets or weights. He doesn’t even understand what is useful and what is not. Our body needs energy and this is what the brain strives to give it. So when he discovers reduction in energy consumption (reducing calories is essentially what it is) sets several mechanisms in motion so that we increase energy expenditure and do not starve. Essentially slows down metabolism and changes the level of hormones responsible for controlling satiety. Those that promote satiety decrease, and those that increase appetite increase. So, for example, levels leptin and increase ghrelin
All this means is that no matter how hard we try to continue cutting calories, we may stop losing weight. However, if the calorie reduction is not as drastic, the brain may not interpret that we are starving, and these mechanisms may not be as drastic.
Tricks that will trick your brain
Anyway, reduce calories The fact that it decreases every day is not the only trick we can use to trick our brains. Cremona quotes others in his article.
For example, it is important to do strength training and consume enough protein in your diet. It’s because muscle tissue At rest, it burns more calories than fat. Thus, although the brain slows down metabolism, if there is more muscles More calories will be burned than if most of the energy reserves were in the form of fat.
On the other side, drink water during meals may increase the feeling of fullness. If we want to lose weight, we must weaken these impulses in our brain to increase our appetite. You can also eat exactly the same but change the type of food. For example, we are not talking about stopping snacking, but about replacing the chocolate croissant during a snack with a piece of fruit, which is satiating and provides fewer calories. That’s what Cremona is pointing out. But we also have to remember that the fruit also provides us with much more nutrition than a chocolate croissant. We shouldn’t focus all our attention on counting calories.
An expert from the University of Limerick also recalls the importance of reducing portions. For example, we can trick the brain using smaller dishes. A full small plate can make us feel like we’re eating more, even if the portion is smaller. Of course, it should never be so low that it does not provide us with an adequate supply of energy. We should be cutting calories, not throwing them away.
That losing weight is not the first goal
Apart from Cremona’s recommendations, it is important to remember that have good health This should be a higher priority than losing weight. The desire to lose weight is completely legal. In fact, if you are overweight, this may be a healthy solution. But we must remember that mental health It’s as important as physics. If we become obsessed with replacing all the croissants with pieces of fruit, we may become anxious. In the long term, we may even begin to experience depression. Therefore, the most important thing is not to focus on eating less.
As we have already seen, do exercises This is another way to reduce calories. But we shouldn’t get hung up on that either. It’s best that we stay active, exercise smartly, and get good nutrition education. That is, we know what we eat, what each nutrient gives us and what it should be increase or consume occasionally in our diet. Basically, we should eat with conscience and without regret if at some point we don’t do everything perfectly.
On the other hand, Cremona recommends taking your time. Eating slowly, without worrying or rushing, helps us feel full faster, reduces discomfort such as gas, and has generally proven to be a good strategy if we want to lose weight. If your New Year’s goal is to lose weight, start by taking all of these things into consideration. Don’t just count calories.
Source: Hiper Textual
