How to lose weight by summer and not harm your health: doctors advise

Why is it harmful to lose weight dramatically

Metabolism is a complex process with a lot of nuances. What you eat is a source of energy and building material for the body, which is made up of trillions of cells. And if you decide to drastically and radically change your diet, this is fraught with consequences.

Lada Stupakova general practitioner, clinical pharmacologist AS "Pharmacopeyka"

With an acute lack of energy source, the body first takes not fats, as we would like, but carbohydrates and then protein. This leads to a decrease in muscle tone. Energy hunger forces the body to become thrifty. The metabolism is being rebuilt, after diets there is an even greater weight gain. The intake of vitamins and microelements into the body decreases, which are already deficient in a modern person.

What can a change in diet lead to?

If you drastically limit your fat intake, it will affect your sex hormones. Because of this, girls often have menstrual irregularities.
Severe dietary restrictions hit leptin and ghrelin, the hormones responsible for satiety and appetite control.
Those who switch to a protein diet and limit their intake of fats and carbohydrates often have a worse appearance. Fats help to better assimilate vitamin D, and it affects the condition of the skin, hair, nails.
A carbohydrate-free diet can lead to lower blood pressure, decreased energy, memory impairment, and slower thinking processes.
Limiting the amount of meat in the diet (it is replaced by vegetables and dairy products) leads to a lack of protein in the body, and edema appears.

How to lose extra pounds

1. Go to the doctor and get examined

In order not to get health problems, it is imperative to know the state of your body. To do this, go to the doctor's appointment. It is better if it is a nutritionist (as a rule, he additionally has a certificate of a general practitioner, gastroenterologist or endocrinologist). He will tell you which tests you need to take and which examination to take.

Svetlana Nezvanova, nutritionist, gastroenterologist, founder of the author's school of nutrition

You need to focus not on the number that you see on the scales, but on the volumes and results of bioimpedance measurements. This is a qualitative study on special medical equipment, which shows how many kilograms of fat, muscle, active cell mass you have, what is the level of metabolism, whether there is dehydration or edema.

After the examination, the doctor may prescribe the intake of vitamins and minerals, which will help to quickly cope with excess weight. For example:

vitamin C and zinc strengthen the immune system;
vitamin D and calcium help to cope with the plateau effect when weight stops falling, promote the synthesis of endorphins;
iodine and selenium help regulate the thyroid gland;
B vitamins and magnesium normalize the nervous system and prevent stress from seizing;
chromium-based preparations relieve carbohydrate dependence.

2. Change your diet

Putting yourself in order after high-calorie picnics and feasts is not so difficult. Often, excess weight after the holidays is fluid that has accumulated due to the abundant consumption of salty, fatty, pickled foods, as well as a large amount of carbohydrates.

Ambulance for the body

Try to eat 4-6 small meals a day.
Avoid sweets, pastries, cakes, chocolate, sugary juices, sodas, and honey. Replace them with foods that contain slower, healthier carbohydrates, such as cereals.
Eliminate foods containing trans fats like margarine and palm oil from your diet. They are often found in baked goods. During weight loss, the liver removes harmful substances from the body, but due to the abundance of trans fats, the process slows down.
Don't drink alcohol. A gram of alcohol contains 7 kilocalories, which is more than carbohydrate and protein foods. Plus, alcohol whets your appetite.
Limit salt to 5 grams per day. Reduce the use of foods containing it: cheeses, canned food, smoked meats, and so on.
Include bran foods in your diet. Fiber normalizes digestion and reduces hunger.
Eat more protein, low-fat foods, vegetables and fruits.
Drink plenty of water.

Lyudmila Zhurba Chief Physician of the Health and Beauty Center of the Alean Family Resort & Spa Riviera 4 *

Don't force yourself to drink water by force. Listen to your body. On average, the amount of water is calculated based on the norm of 30 milliliters per kilogram of human weight.

Try counting the calories you are consuming. On average, those who lead a sedentary lifestyle (for example, spend most of their time at the computer) need 1,700–1,800 kilocalories per day.

Anna Ivashkevich nutritionist, clinical psychologist-nutritionist, member of the National Association for Clinical Nutrition

The last intake of light food should be an hour and a half before bedtime. If the dinner is hearty - 2-3 hours. Avoid eating sweets at night; this will help maintain normal blood sugar levels. Important: try to prepare food in advance a day in advance, so that you do not have a desire to eat something extra on the go.

Sample menu for the day

Breakfast: porridge from 60 grams of dry cereals or cereals (only not instant), an egg or a piece of cheese (40 grams).
Snack: a fruit with a handful of nuts (no more than 10 pieces, if they are large).
Lunch: cooked 50 grams of cereals with 150 grams of meat, poultry, fish or seafood, vegetable salad.
Snack: plain yogurt with dried fruits (10–20 grams).
Dinner: scrambled eggs or scrambled eggs from one whole egg and one or two proteins with vegetables.

3. Try fasting days

They are suitable for those who have no contraindications (for example, problems with the digestive system, diabetes and other diseases). Be sure to consult with your doctor if you are in doubt about whether your body can be "unloaded".

Irina Popova, nutritionist, head of the consultative and diagnostic department of the Austrian health center Verba Mayr, offers the following options for fasting days:

Boil a glass of brown rice without salt, divide into six parts, and eat throughout the day. Drink water - at least 10 glasses.
Boil 450 grams of skinless chicken or 800 grams of cod fillets. Add vegetables if desired. Divide into four meals. Remember to drink a lot - at least two liters of clean water a day.

You can also cut your daily diet to 500-600 calories a couple of times a week, or eat only raw vegetables during the day. And you definitely need to drink clean water.

4. Relieve stress

Residents of large cities, experiencing constant stress, often "seize" it. In this case, you need to cope with the original reason, start living in harmony with yourself and the surrounding space.

Try keeping a food diary: write down what and how much you eat, link your diet and needs for certain foods to your emotional state. This will help you better understand yourself and quickly overcome bad eating habits.

5. Move more

Correct weight loss involves slow weight loss: 3-5 kilograms per month. At first, the weight will go not due to fat, but due to water and muscles.

And if you increase your physical activity, your body will become healthy and fit. Try exercising at home or at the gym, discover swimming, jogging, or just walk a lot.