How to lose weight and maintain weight, not counting calories

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Six healthy eating habits will keep you from eating too much. And no calorie count is required.

For those who do not want to sit with a calculator after dinner for a single day, there are other good strategies for losing weight. Moreover, having accustomed yourself to the good habits described below, you will no longer need to periodically count calories, because nutrition will be beneficial, and changes in weight will be long-term.

1. Replace refined foods with whole grains

First of all, you need to reduce the number of refined foods: polished rice, pasta, bread and baked goods. These foods are rich only in calories, they contain a minimum of vitamins and fiber.

For example, brown rice contains half as much Analysis of Metal Element Distributions in Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Seeds and Relocation during Germination Based on X-Ray Fluorescence Imaging of Zn, Fe, K, Ca, and Mn compared to white calcium and manganese, potassium, iron and zinc, 14.3% more Rice in health and nutrition protein and 20% more fiber.

And it's not just rice: all whole grains retain much more micronutrients and fiber than refined ones.

Because fiber is good for digestion and keeps you feeling full for a long time, people who consume whole grains eat Whole-grain consumption is associated with diet quality and nutrient intake in adults: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999-2004, better: they consume less sugars, saturated fatty acids and cholesterol.

This directly affects weight. People who consume more whole grains have lower Whole grain and fiber consumption are associated with lower body weight measures in US adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2004 body mass index and waist circumference.

Whole grain bread is hard to find in stores, but you can bake it yourself or skip bread and pastries altogether. Alternatively, replace white rice with brown rice and look for brown whole grain pasta.

2. Avoid processed meats and potatoes

The 2011 Changes in Diet and Lifestyle and Long-Term Weight Gain in Women and Men study showed which foods are associated with weight gain. In four years, people who consume potato chips, potatoes, sugary drinks and processed meats have gained an average of 1.3 kilograms. The consumption of vegetables, whole grains, fruits and nuts helped to lose weight.

Since potatoes are a fairly high-calorie food with a high glycemic index, it is best to eliminate them from your diet altogether.

The 2015 study Potato consumption as high glycemic index food, blood pressure, and body mass index among Iranian adolescent girls found that adolescent girls who ate potatoes more often than once a week had significantly more cases of obesity and overweight than those who ate potatoes less often. The researchers concluded that consuming potatoes increased body mass index and waist circumference.

Also exclude processed meat: sausages, sausages, bacon and other products for which the meat has been salted, smoked or canned. Avoid canned vegetables and legumes in favor of fresh or frozen ones.

3. Add more protein

Protein from food is very important for maintaining weight. A high-protein diet reduces protein intake and energy balance hunger during the day, provides Presence or absence of carbohydrates and the proportion of fat in a high-protein diet affect appetite suppression but not energy expenditure in normal-weight human subjects fed in energy balance and enhances fat oxidation.

Another beneficial quality of dietary protein for weight loss is its ability to increase muscle protein synthesis. The 2014 Dietary Protein Distribution Positively Influences 24-h Muscle Protein Synthesis in Healthy Adults study found that when you consume protein at every meal, not just at dinner, muscle cell synthesis is significantly increased.

Together with exercise, a high-protein diet will allow you to gain muscle mass, which consumes a lot of calories and increases your basal metabolism. Plus, the sculpted muscles are beautiful.

Protein-rich foods: milk, eggs, chicken, cottage cheese, fish (trout, salmon, cod), chickpeas and other legumes. This article will help you calculate the amount of protein you need.

4. Change the proportions on the plate

At each meal, half of your plate should be filled with non-starchy vegetables: carrots, beets, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs. The rest of the free space can be divided between meat and whole grains.

Vegetables are much less nutritious than grains. Put 50% vegetables and 25% grains on a plate to reduce calories without having to count them for each serving. Just remember to add 25% high protein foods to every (!) Meal.

5. Eat alone and free from external stimuli

Distraction study, the desire to eat and food intake. Towards an expanded model of mindless eating in 2013 showed that when people eat alone, hunger decreases in proportion to what they eat, but this addiction breaks down if a person eats while driving or interacts with other people while eating.

Scientists have suggested that not only the absorption of food is important for the feeling of fullness, but also attention to the process.

Another study, Situational effects on meal intake: A comparison of eating alone and eating with others, found that when watching TV, the amount eaten increased by 14%, and when chatting with friends, it increased by 18%.

Therefore, if you want to eat less, not counting calories, get into the habit of eating alone, while turning off the TV and putting aside gadgets.

6. Drink water before meals

Increased water intake contributes to weight loss. Animal studies on Increased Hydration Can Be Associated with Weight Loss have shown that water works in two ways: accelerates lipolysis (the breakdown of fat) and reduces food intake. This is true for humans as well.

In the 2015 study Efficacy of water preloading before main meals as a strategy for weight loss in primary care patients with obesity: RCT, participants in one group drank 500 milliliters of water 30 minutes before meals, and people in the second group simply imagined that their stomach full. After 12 weeks of the experiment, the people in the first group lost an average of 1.2 kilograms more than the participants in the control group.

Another study, Drinking water is associated with weight loss in overweight dieting women independent of diet and activity, showed that increased water intake helps women (25-50 years old) with overweight lose weight, regardless of diet and physical activity.

This does not mean that you need to forcefully pour several liters of water into yourself a day. Try starting with a large glass of water 30 minutes before your meal to help you eat less.

By following these guidelines, you can reduce your calorie intake without counting or writing anything down. And you don't have to enter all the rules at once. Developing habits gradually will help you slowly lose weight and maintain it throughout your life.