Did you also plan to finally lose weight this year? What happened to your good intentions? Many people throw themselves into the “loss of excess weight” project with euphoria, but soon realize that their plans were not suitable for everyday use.
This health special gives you practical tips on how to reach your desired weight step by step.
How much weight should I lose?
The so-called body mass index (BMI) is calculated to evaluate the body weight . To do this, divide your body weight by the square of your height in meters.
For example: You are 1.75 m tall and weigh 74 kg. Then the BMI = 74/(1.75*1.75) = 24.2.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined the limits so that a normal weight has a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9. A score below 18.5 is considered underweight, while scores over 25 are considered overweight.
Obesity is associated with a number of secondary diseases. These include metabolic diseases such as diabetes, but also cardiovascular diseases. The distribution of fat on the body also plays an important role in this: Studies have shown that abdominal fat in particular increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases. The risk increases when the waist circumference is over 94 cm in men and over 80 cm in women. Obesity is also a risk factor for a number of cancers. Being overweight reduces lifespan and quality of life.
Which diet is the right one?
If you look around the magazine market, you will hardly find a women’s or health issue that doesn’t have a new diet suggestion on the cover. Opinions differ widely as to which composition of the food offers the best success. If one applies scientific standards, however, a completely different picture emerges. A Harvard University study published in early 2009 examined the effect of various diets on body weight. The sobering result: it doesn’t really matter which diet you use. The main thing is that fewer calories be supplied. This brings a concept back into focus that is known in nutritional science as a “low-energy mixed diet”. Admittedly, the name sounds boring and much less spectacular than, for example, “Hollywood diet” – but the concept offers the best guarantee that you will Diet also perseveres in everyday life.
Less is more
If you want to reduce your weight in the long term, you have to start in two places: on the one hand, reduce the calorie intake and, on the other hand, increase the calorie consumption. It doesn’t have to hurt – even small tricks can help to improve the calorie balance without much effort.
The paradox applies here: If you want long-term success, you have to start slowly. You shouldn’t lose more than 0.5 – 1 kg per week – this can be maintained over a longer period of time. Crash diets that promise 5 kg weight loss in 5 days have several disadvantages: Most of the time, such diets are very one-sided, so that you are not sufficiently supplied with all micronutrients if you use them for a long time. In addition, it’s no fun to constantly eat the same thing or to be hungry – so yo-yo effects are pre-programmed.
Instead of counting calories
For a weight loss of 0.5 kg per week you need to save about 500 kcal per day. You don’t need a calorie table for this. It makes much more sense to observe your eating habits in everyday life: Do I tend to take something out quickly when walking past the fridge? Is my calorie trap in front of the TV in the evening? Or can I not stop at the main meals? The counter-strategies can look accordingly: Eat consciously and slowly – this is how the feeling of satiety sets in before you have eaten large amounts of food. A salad and a large glass of water before a meal reduces hunger and you don’t need a second portion of the main course. The chips in front of the TV can perhaps be replaced with a delicious fruit plate. The muesli with no added sugar for breakfast keeps you fuller longer than a wheat roll thanks to the roughage – so you avoid the quick trip to the bakery in the morning and the nut-nougat croissant. With meat, sausage and dairy products, you can save calories by using low-fat products.
Movement that is fun
The second pillar in losing weight is physical exercise. This does not mean a sports program that can qualify you for the next Olympics. Rather, the same applies here: Where can I accommodate more exercise in my normal everyday activities? For example, do short errands in the city by bike and not by car. Or take the stairs to the fourth floor instead of the elevator. Don’t call the colleague in the office on the next floor, go there yourself.
Listlessly trotting through the city park – that’s not how sporting activity should look like. Which sport would you enjoy? Maybe the weight loss program is a good start to try something new. And your colleague would also like to? All the better – if you meet up with friends to do sports, you will overcome your weaker self more quickly and be more motivated. Or you can kill two birds with one stone: With courses such as Pilates or bums, legs and buttocks, you not only burn calories, but also tone your muscles so that you can see the kilos you have lost right away.
Speaking of motivation: Don’t forget to reward yourself for your success in losing weight. How about that fancy dress in the window that you can fit into by now? Or you put five euros in a piggy bank for every kilo you lose – and in the end you can afford the luxury DVD edition of your favorite series. In this way you use the psychological principle of positive reinforcement – and your body will thank you for it.
Also Read: How To Lose Weight Fast And Healthy?
