In common parlance, the definition “weight loss diet” has a universally recognized meaning: eat less to lose weight. There are also “diets” to which more or less effective or unique effects are attributed despite not having the term slimming in the name. Diet of minestrone, jockey, banana, syrup based on … dissociated, hyperpyretic points, that of Dr. X, and so forth. Those who intend to lose weight often choose one of the many diets recommended by friends or read in some newspaper, always with poor results; those who want to lose weight healthily and obtain a result that can be maintained over time should rely on medical science.
The professionals qualified to administer a particular diet aimed at reducing weight are:
- Doctors specialized in Food Science.
- Family doctor supported by a graduate in Dietetics or Nutritional Biology.
- The multidisciplinary team of doctors for particular pathologies such as severe obesity or diabetes.
Why Are Do-It-Yourself Diets Not Recommended
Eating habits have multiple effects on health. The guidelines of a correct and balanced diet suggest diets that bring all the macro and micronutrients useful to our body and reduce the risk of contracting significant diseases, including some types of cancer. On the other hand, “do-it-yourself” diets are those that usually drastically reduce the amount of food or those based only on animal proteins and fats (meat and cured meats) and also those that only include carbohydrates (lots of fruit and various beverages), etc., are unadvisable for the various reasons described in the following points, to mention only the most important ones:
- In a week or two, you can lose 3 or 4 kilos, but usually, it is a loss of water, not fat, kilos that you will regain when you return to the necessary hydration.
- After a phase in which you have lost weight, you begin to gain weight again, and the lost kilos are recovered with interest, a yo-yo effect. Then you start not eating again, but the more diets you take, the more difficult it will become to lose weight.
- Lean mass is reduced with consequent reduction of metabolism; one kg of lean mass lost reduces the metabolic capacity by about 40 calories (Kcal).
- They stimulate hunger and reduce the sense of satiety, effects that lead to loss of control and induce “nervous” hunger (binges and nibbling).
- They can change the hormonal balance with a drop in thyroid function and hormones such as serotonin resulting in a drop in mood, which often increases the craving for sweets.
- They expose the most significant risk of producing damage to organs and systems: kidneys, liver, nervous system, musculoskeletal system, wakefulness – sleep rhythm (sleep less or poorly makes you fat). 7. In the absence of some micronutrients, cognitive and reactive abilities are reduced, with consequences in work, study, and sport.
- They can provoke moments of euphoria or depression and induce eating disorders up to contracting severe illnesses such as anorexia or bulimia.
- Losing weight and gaining weight again demoralizes, takes away self-confidence, and lowers self-esteem until one is convinced that losing weight is impossible.
Also Read: Let’s Compare – Gastric Band Cost Versus Alternative Weight Loss Methods
Losing Weight Well Is Good For Your Health
What is commonly called a “weight loss diet” is defined by doctors or dieticians as a “low-calorie diet”; it provides several calories lower than those the subject is used to taking. The calculation of the daily calories that will have to be consumed during the diet is carried out for each individual based on different parameters, the main of which are:
- Calculate the basal metabolic rate based on sex, age, weight, and height, which determines the body’s energy needs without physical activity, i.e., when we sleep and at rest: breathe, and make the heart and all other organs work even if not stressed by movement.
- Determine the amount of lean mass, such as muscles and fat, to evaluate our metabolism’s functionality (capacity) in transforming food into energy.
- The individual’s food history (anamnesis) to verify what goals can be achieved. Those who have lost weight and gained weight several times (yo-yo effect) will hardly be able to give themselves goals as a subject facing a low-calorie diet for the first time.
In addition to this, the doctor must evaluate other essential parameters:
- Check if there are intolerances or allergies to certain foods so as not to include them or limit them in the diet, but also if there are deficiencies in particular nutrients to increase the intake of the foods that contain them.
- It is creating a diet that provides all the necessary nutrients and adapts to the needs of the person, as well as encouraging new and healthy habits, even within a low-calorie diet.
To lose weight adequately and lastingly, it is not enough to embark on an excellent low-calorie diet; it is also necessary to simultaneously carry out adequate physical activity. The program “The Grana Padano Diet” was created to educate people about weight control. The “basic” rules of the program are exemplary and suitable for the average person who must lose a reasonable amount of weight; the obese person who has clinical needs should not adopt diets already written, not even the most serious and accredited, because in every case an “already written” weight loss diet for the average person is educational and not curative.
The Basics Of A Good Diet
It is evident that a good diet cannot be among those that promise to lose 7 kilos in 7 days or other excellent results, but must have basic personalized foundations for each subject. In general, for all healthy people, the basic principles for a “good diet” should be taken into consideration precisely to evaluate diets that don’t work, those that make us regain the lost weight with interest and that can cause damage to our health.
The Concept Is:
- Lose weight gradually.
- Reduce fat mass.
- Stop being sedentary.
- Change the lifestyle that has made us gain weight.
The following points exemplify how, in general, good results can be achieved.
- Lose weight slowly, trying not to lose more than 10/15% of your weight over a year.
- Eat everything, varying your food daily: pasta, bread, rice, potatoes, legumes, milk and dairy products, meat, fish, at least three portions of vegetables, and two fruits daily, and limit alcohol.
- Eat five meals daily: breakfast, morning snack, lunch, mid-afternoon snack, and dinner, which must be the last meal, no evening snacks before going to sleep.
- Proportionately reduce the calories introduced daily by 100/200 Kcal among all foods, depending on the starting weight.
- Eat foods that provide all macronutrients at each meal, balancing the percentage intake of calories from carbohydrates, proteins, and fats to reach the daily requirement of each nutrient.
- Eat foods that provide different micronutrients daily to meet the weekly requirement of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
- Drink at least 1.5 liters of water a day.
- Get out of a sedentary lifestyle or increase your usual physical activity to consume 200 Kcal daily.
The above suggestions aim to get as close as possible to the correct and balanced diet and have an energy balance that favors a slow weight loss given by the 200 Kcal less taken with food and the 200 Kcal more spent with physical activity.
How Many Calories And Which Foods
The above rules are also valid for those who do not have to lose weight, but following them can be difficult. Calculating the calories we need daily, evaluating how much Kcal the food provides, and finally, which nutrients they contain is a complex job, even for an expert. The free program “Menu for your calories” helps us calculate the daily caloric needs of males and females from 18 years onwards, providing comments and advice to improve everyone’s well-being.
Still, it offers eight personalized menus for calories you should consume. Each menu includes five meals a day for seven days, including tasty recipes. The menus are sent to the program users at a rate of 2 each season, allowing you to follow a balanced diet and learn how to eat correctly. If desired, they can also remove 200 Kcal per day by slightly reducing all the foods on the menu. To evaluate and choose what to eat, use the table that indicates the calories and macronutrients of the main foods consumed.
The Basics Of Physical Activity
In addition to giving general well-being, physical activity improves mood and helps eliminate excess fat. However, some small rules must be followed, as illustrated in the article: “Physical activity that makes you lose weight,” particularly the chapter on physical activity to burn fat.
Free Radicals And Antioxidants
Free radicals are waste molecules that form in our body while it produces energy and can also accumulate due to pollution, stress, and poor nutrition. Free radicals are one of the causes of premature aging, so it is essential that a low-calorie diet, as mentioned, does not neglect foods that can ensure the correct dose of antioxidants, which fight excess free radicals—determining.
if you have the right amount of free radicals and protective nutrients in your diet are not accessible. The free “Test Anti-age” program comes to your aid. By answering simple questions, you will get a score showing you if you are on the right path and many tips to improve your lifestyle and fight the passing of time. You will be able to read the personalized advice immediately and receive the guides, 2 for each season, 8 in a year, which will teach you how to gain health and slow down premature aging.
Also Read: Weight Loss Miracle Lemon Diet: Does Sour Not Only Make Fun But Also Slim?