There are many ways to lose weight fast.They differ:
- degree of health damage;
- “body parts” that cause weight loss;
- the necessary amount of willpower to maintain the 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
In order to avoid disappointment from the unreasonable fascination with the title of this article, let's sober up right away.
First, extreme rapid weight loss 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 has to do with reducing body fat.
The most common question is "how to lose weight quickly?"is understood as "in a short time (usually a few days) seeing a different number on the scale or fitting into smaller pants/dresses from youth."
Body weight and the volume 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 fluid from the subcutaneous layers.
Which of these methods works for you?
"Lose weight" very quickly(in the sense of lowering the scale reading) can be achieved by removing excess fluid from the body, for example, with the help of diuretics, which are actively used by professional athletes when drying the body.
The cost of the problem is the risk of serious side effects, including death.Diuretics belong to the class of one of the most dangerous sports chemicals.
Currently, the modern detox diet also belongs to the class of fast 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 protein in the diet and their size decreases due to the reduction of glycogen reserves in the muscles, which "bind" water.
The same applies to weight loss with laxatives: when they are used, the amount of fluid removed from the body increases.
We have listed three really functional examples of very fast weight loss.Their main characteristic isthe effect is very short-lived, the percentage of fat does not change and there is a high risk of harm to health: Weight returns to normal within a few days as soon as you go off the diet.
So, from all 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.
In addition, the speed of weight loss is largely related to individual body parameters.A 150 kg person with a body fat percentage of 40% can tell you how he lost 7 kg in a week, but for you, at your 65 kg and a body fat percentage of 15%, the value of 7 kg can only be achieved in six months, using the same methodology...
Therefore.
In the following, we will introduce you to scientifically based principles of 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 constantly stick to.
Known methods of extremely fast weight loss are associated with enormous 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.
According to scientists, too many calories are the most important cause of obesity in our society.But they persistently try to prove to us that we do not do enough sports...
Most often, it is the manufacturers of unhealthy food products who promote a healthy lifestyle with an emphasis on the need for physical activity.By doing so, they divert our attention from the real cause of obesity – their products.
In a study of African tribes that spend the whole day in motion, scientists found that the level of energy consumption of their representatives does not differ much from that of office workers in developed countries.
This does not mean that Africans do not move around a lot.no.
Justthe amount of calories burned during physical movements is very small, only about ~20% of daily energy consumption: if hunters from Africa use, say, about 500 Cal during the day (just for movement), then an office worker uses about 200 Cal.A difference of a few hundred calories is negligible.
So, the main rule of losing weight is the following: the body begins to burn fat when we consume fewer calories from food than we need to maintain life processes.This is the so-called caloric deficit.
With some caveats, the following statement is true:The bigger 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 Limit -300-500 Calfrom basal metabolism.
The first rule of weight loss: reduce the number of calories you take in;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 task 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 take into account that all desserts go entirely to fat.
When the level of insulin in the body is low, conditions are created for the active use of fat 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 at the beginning is activated: the kidneys remove excess sodium from the body, which binds water.What does this affect?The thickness of the skin fold decreases.
The action of diuretics, used by professional athletes to dry out the body, is based on this principle: these drugs also remove sodium and allow you to achieve very lean muscle relief.
While diuretics carry a high risk of very serious side effects, there is no risk with carbohydrate restriction because the body is self-resolvingexcesssodium
Simply remove carbohydrates from your diet and you will lose weight quickly;At the same time, the appetite will decrease and the thickness of the skin fold will decrease
3. Eat more protein, healthy fats and fiber
So, we discovered the main 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 necessary 20-50 g of carbohydrates for rapid weight loss without the need for precise calculations using formulas and calculators, as well as a supply of sufficient 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 appetite and the desire to snack throughout the day.We talked about this in the 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:
- Meat (lean parts): beef, chicken, pork, lamb;
- Fish and seafood: salmon, trout, shrimp, lobster;
- Eggs and dairy products.
Vegetables
Vegetables are a natural source 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 primary 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, since you will not get enough energy, and therefore you will not be able to follow the described diet for a long time.
Make every meal protein, non-starchy vegetables and healthy fats.
4. Exercise to speed up 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 proper nutrition and sports, the former, as shown above, is much more important for weight loss.
-What are the best sports for fast weight loss?
Those in whichthe speed of internal metabolism is maximally activated.
In principle, any physical activity is beneficial, but high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and strength training are the most effective for weight loss.They significantly stimulate the rate of internal metabolism, which decreases 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 for maintenance, the fewer 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 it make sense to count calories when losing weight?
no.
It is important to understand which foods you can eat and which to exclude: the basis should be proteins, healthy fats and non-starchy vegetables, and try to limit the amount of simple carbohydrates.
Sugar and fructose are particularly harmful for weight loss.They carry not only "empty" calories, but also cause changes in the body at the hormonal level, which cause overeating and cause a huge number of diseases.
Have one fasting day a week
Fanaticism is rarely useful.Now that we've figured out how to lose weight fast, it's important to understand that infrequent indulgences won't hurt you.
On any diet, especially at the beginning, when your usual lifestyle changes,You can give yourself a "fast" day.when you can eat more carbohydrates and familiar foods.Without fanaticism, of course.
Such a day is usually called a "cheat meal" from the English "cheat meal" - "to cheat with food".
Always try to stay as healthy as possible in your food choices.
When it comes to carbohydrates, satisfy your appetite with completely natural foods: oatmeal, rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, fruit.
And it is better to do it no more than once a week.More often, the weight loss process will be less rapid.
It is important to understand:A cheat meal day is allowed during weight loss, but it is by no means necessary..During it, your weight may increase slightly, but mainly due to the fluid that will "disappear" in the next few days.
During weight loss, one fasting day a week is allowed, when you can eat more carbohydrates and familiar foods.
How fast 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 obese you areand fewer attempts to lose weight in the past,you will lose weight faster.
A scientific experiment showed that a low-carbohydrate diet (~50 g per day)it helps you lose weight much fasterrather than a fat-restricted diet (30% of total calories).Over 6 months, the obese women lost an average of 8 kg on the low-carb diet and 4 kg on the low-fat diet.
What is interesting is that in the experiment, those women who ate low carbohydrates were allowed to eat as much of the other allowed food as they wanted.Those.they didn't have to contend with the debilitating feeling of hunger.But as a result, the calorie 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 permitted foods.
Look at 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 in weeks;The bottom graph is the rate of weight loss on a low-carb diet, and 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 fat.
After that, your well-being will improve significantly, as will your health.
Scientists say that a low-carbohydrate diet improves blood sugar levels, reduces the concentration of bad cholesterol and increases the concentration of good cholesterol, and normalizes blood pressure.
How fast 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