There are many ways to lose weight quickly.They differ:
- degree of damage to health;
- “parts of the body” where weight loss occurs;
- the necessary amount of willpower to stick to your chosen weight loss strategy.
Below, we look at 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 the disappointment caused by the irrational fascination with the title of this article, let's sober up immediately.
Firstly, losing weight extremely quickly ALWAYS carries a health risk.By super-fast we mean tens of kilos per week, for example.
Secondly, not everything we understand by losing weight has to do with reducing the amount of fat in the body.
Most often, the question is “how to lose weight quickly?”is understood as “within a short space of time (usually a few days) seeing a different number on the scale or fitting into smaller pants/dresses from your youth.”
Body weight and the circumference of its individual parts during weight loss can change at least due to:
- reducing the amount of fat in the body;
- destruction of muscle mass;
- reducing the volume of muscle cells;
- removal of fluid from subcutaneous layers.
Which of these methods suits you?
"Lose weight" very quickly(in the sense of lowering the scale readings) can be done by removing excess fluid from the body, for example, with the help of diuretics, which are actively used by professional athletes to dry 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 detox diet currently in vogue also belongs to the class of rapid weight loss diets.This is one of the reasons for its popularity.
But what causes weight changes on this diet?Due to the same loss of fluid from the body, muscle cells are destroyed due to the almost complete absence of proteins in the diet and a decrease in their size due to a decrease in glycogen reserves in the muscles, which “binds” with water.
The same applies to weight loss with laxatives: when they are used, the amount of fluid excreted from the body increases.
We have given three really practical examples of very fast weight loss.Its main feature isthe effect lasts very little, the fat percentage does not change and there are enormous risks of damage to health: Weight returns to normal within a few days as soon as you abandon the diet.
Therefore, from all of the above, it is important to understand the following:losing weight quickly (say 10 kg in a week) due to fat mass is almost impossible.
Furthermore, the rate of weight loss is closely linked to individual body parameters.A person weighing 150 kg and with a body fat percentage of 40% can tell you how they lost 7 kg in one week, but for you, with your 65 kg and body fat percentage of 15%, the figure of 7 kg can only be achieved in six months, following the same methodology...
Therefore.
Below we will present the scientific principles for proper weight loss, using 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 that you can constantly follow.
Known methods of extremely rapid weight loss are associated with enormous health risks.Furthermore, they do not burn fat, they only remove water from the body.
How to lose weight quickly and without harm to your health?Main principles
1. Reduce your calorie intake
Weight loss 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 sport...
Most often, it is manufacturers of unhealthy food products who 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 on the move, scientists discovered that the level of energy expenditure of their representatives is not much different from that of office workers in developed countries.
This doesn't mean that Africans don't move around a lot.No.
Justthe amount of calories burned during physical movements is very small, only about ~20% of daily energy expenditure: if hunters in 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.
Therefore, the main rule for losing weight is this: the body begins to burn fat when we consume fewer calories from food than we need to maintain vital processes.This is called a calorie deficit.
With some reservations, the following statement is true:The greater the calorie deficit, the faster you will lose weight.
Main Disclaimer:The greater the calorie deficit, the greater the risk of health problems.
Recommended calorie restriction -300-500 caloriesof basal metabolism.
The first rule of losing weight: reduce the number of calories you eat;The greater 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 function is to control blood sugar levels.It does this by transporting excess glucose to storage: glycogen and fat.
If you don't lead an active lifestyle, consider that all desserts are entirely fatty.
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 fewer carbohydrates.
The vast majority of diets are based on this principle, including intermittent fasting, the ketogenic diet and the Dukan protein diet.
When insulin levels are low, another weight loss mechanism mentioned at the beginning is activated: the kidneys remove excess sodium from the body, which binds to water.What does this affect?The thickness of the skin fold decreases.
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 lean muscle relief.
Although diuretics carry a high risk of very serious side effects, there is no risk with carbohydrate restriction since the body is just getting rid ofexcesssodium
Just remove carbohydrates from your diet and you will lose weight quickly;At the same time, appetite will decrease and the thickness of the skin fold will decrease
3. Eat more protein, healthy fats and fiber
So, we figured out the basic principle of rapid weight loss.
The next step is to maintain muscle mass and avoid vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
Each meal should consist of protein, healthy fats, and low-carb vegetables.This combination will provide the 20-50 g of carbohydrates needed for rapid weight loss without the need for precise calculations using formulas and calculators, as well as providing sufficient vitamins and minerals.
Eating protein is very important for losing weight for several reasons:
- Protein has a thermogenic effect, that is, it increases the internal metabolism rate by 80-100 calories.A little, but still.
- Protein foods are better satiating, reducing appetite and the desire to snack during the day.We talked about this in materials about the benefits of cottage cheese and eggs for weight loss.
- Protein prevents the breakdown of muscle mass during a calorie-restricted diet.
Protein sources:
- Meats (lean parts): beef, chicken, pork, lamb;
- Fish and seafood: salmon, trout, shrimp, lobster;
- Eggs and dairy.
Vegetables
Vegetables are natural sources of vitamins and minerals, as well as being rich in fiber and water, which fill the 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 body's main source of energy, it is important to increase our intake of another source of energy provided by nature – fats.
Recommended healthy fats:
- oil;
- linseed oil;
- coconut oil;
- avocado;
- butter;
- nuts.
Include the following types of fats in every meal and don't be afraid of gaining weight:Limiting carbs and fats while dieting is a recipe for failure, as you will not receive enough energy and therefore will not be able to follow the described diet for a long time.
Prepare each meal around protein, non-starchy vegetables and healthy fats.
4. Exercise to increase your metabolism
No, you don't need to run.FurthermoreRunning is not the most effective sport for losing weight, as is commonly believed.
In general, if you compare proper nutrition and sports, the first, as shown above, is much more important for losing weight.
-What are the best sports to lose weight quickly?
Those in whichthe internal metabolism rate is activated to the maximum.
In principle, any physical activity is beneficial, but high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and strength training are the most effective for losing weight.They significantly stimulate the rate of internal metabolism, which drops with weight loss.
The state of stimulated metabolism, both during interval training and strength training, can last up to 2 days.
According to scientific data, metabolism represents around 70% of daily calories: the higher the metabolic rate, the more calories are burned.
Furthermore, training helps to strengthen and increase muscle mass: the more muscle mass, the more calories are needed to maintain it, the less of which are converted into fat.
The higher your internal metabolic rate, the faster you will lose weight;High-intensity interval training (HIIT) and strength exercises boost your metabolism for up to 2 days
Does it make sense to count calories when losing weight?
No.
It is important to understand which foods you can consume and which ones 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 especially harmful for weight loss.They carry not only “empty” calories, but also cause hormonal changes in the body, which cause overeating and cause a large number of diseases.
Have one fasting day a week
Fanaticism is rarely beneficial.Now that we have figured out how to lose weight quickly, it is important to realize that rare indulgences will not cause harm to yourself.
With any diet, especially at the beginning when your usual lifestyle changes,You can give yourself a “fasting” daywhen you can eat more carbohydrates and familiar foods.Without fanaticism, of course.
This day is usually called “cheat meal” 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, satisfy your appetite with whole natural foods: oatmeal, rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, fruit.
And it's best to do this no more than once a week.The more frequent, the slower the weight loss process will be.
It is important to understand:A cheat meal day is permitted during weight loss, but is by no means necessary..During it, your weight may increase a little, but mainly due to the liquid that will “disappear” over the next few days.
During weight loss, one fasting day per week is allowed, when you can eat more carbohydrates and familiar foods.
How quickly can you lose weight?
On the low carb diet described aboveyou can lose about 1-4 kg per week, sometimes more, sometimes less.
The more overweight you areand the fewer attempts to lose weight in the past,the faster you will lose weight.
A scientific experiment showed that a low-carb diet (~50 g per day)helps you lose weight much fasterthan a fat-restricted diet (30% of total calories).Over 6 months, obese women lost an average of 8 kg on a low-carb diet and 4 kg on a low-fat diet.
The interesting thing is that, in the experiment, women who ate few carbohydrates were able to eat as many allowed foods as they wanted.Those ones.they didn't have to fight the debilitating sensation of hunger.But as a result, the calorie content of food per day decreased by about 500 calories compared to normal.
The principle “eat as much as you want” is the basis of the Dukan protein diet.But carbohydrates are excluded from the list of permitted foods.
See the graph below: it's a good illustration of how quickly you can lose weight simply by eating fewer carbs.
How quickly can you lose weight by limiting carbohydrates in your diet: vertical axis is body weight, horizontal axis is time in weeks;The bottom graph is the rate of weight loss on a low-carb diet, the top graph is the rate of weight loss on a low-fat diet.
During the first few weeks, you may feel low in energy as your body takes time to adjust from using carbohydrates as an energy source to fats.
After that, your well-being will improve significantly, as will your health.
Scientists say that a low-carb diet improves blood sugar levels, reduces 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 weight loss rate is 1-4 kg per week