How To Lose Weight?
The current state of the science is that the key to weight loss is a calorie deficit. Period. There are no magical loopholes, no miracle cures. Eat less than the energy your body needs.
However, there are some important things to consider.
Supposedly, the primary reason for failure in weight loss diets is that the subjects don’t notice the small results, so they stop the diet prematurely. The solution to this is to systematically weigh yourself every morning after using the toilet and record your weight on a daily basis. Our body reacts differently to different foods and movements, and a change of 3-4 kilos can occur in a week, either positively or negatively. And that’s not even mentioning the weight changes caused by hormonal changes in women. Patience is an essential part of weight loss.
Our body is an evolutionary superstructure designed to survive and adapt in a professional way. This includes calorie restriction. In fact, it adapts faster to withdrawal than to abundance, which may be the main cause of the yo-yo effect. In other words, you start your diet with calorie restriction, to which the body responds with less exercise typically even people who are forever moving slow down. When you stop calorie deprivation, and your calorie intake goes back to what it was, the body waits a long time, much longer than it took to get used to fewer calories: i.e. you start to gain weight. That’s why I recommend experimenting with continuous weighing and calorie counting to find the way that works for you at the time.
Quality sleep is important. Good quality, regular sleep is a great aid to weight loss. In the bedroom, you don’t need light to sleep, so it’s a good idea to eliminate all light sources, such as clocks with a luminous face or indicators on electrical devices. Shading is also important, and blackout curtains or blinds should be used. Noise should also be reduced. And, of course, there are ear plugs and eye masks if there is no other solution. It is also important to sleep in as much darkness as possible, but daylight after waking is also essential. Our bodies need clear signals to set our circadian rhythms.
Weight loss also involves a good diet, which should include essential fatty acids. This can be plant-based, such as flaxseeds, nuts, eggs and so on, or animal-based, such as fatty fish and seafood.
Eating essential fatty acids can help reduce cravings for sugary foods and drinks, but it’s also worth mentioning the boost in amino acids, especially glutamine. For example, cottage cheese is a good source of glutamine, but a protein-rich diet is also a good starting point.
We cannot neglect to consume adequate amounts of iodine. Although most of the salts in Hungary contain iodine, you can carefully supplement your diet with, for example, seaweed. I supplement with dried wakame seaweed, but don’t overdo it; half a gram a day is my daily dose, and I usually add it to my meals for about a month in the autumn. Iodine consumption and thyroid hormone levels go hand in hand, and should only be approached with great care. Thyroid patients should seek the advice of their doctor before making any iodine-related changes.
Supplementation of selenium is also important. Brazil nuts contain large amounts of it, up to 2-3 nuts a day may be enough. But fish, meat and eggs also contain selenium. As with all food sources, selenium should not be over-consumed.
To maintain the microbiome and the intestinal tract, it is advisable to eat fermented foods such as fermented sauerkraut. Or kefir and yoghurts. It’s a good idea to eat them every day.
A surprising aid to fat loss is shivering. For those who can stand it, take a cold shower until you start shivering from the cold. Get out of the shower, don’t towel off, wait a few minutes and get back in the cold shower. Repeat three times and apply 3-5 times a week. Brrr.
Both human and animal studies have proven the effectiveness of intermittent fasting. The easiest way to take advantage of it is to not eat or drink any caloric beverages after an early dinner (is 6pm considered early?) until noon the next day, i.e. only water, empty coffee and tea.
Which may outrage some, but it seems that intermittent fasting has no effect on weight loss. In terms of weight loss, it doesn’t matter how many times you take in calories. BUT! Intermittent fasting has a role to play in achieving a longer and healthier life. For example, fasting for 13 hours a day has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence in a study of Latin American women.
Speaking of fasting, a lifelong calorie deficit of around 10-20% has also been found to contribute to longer life in blue-zone communities of people who live to be old enough to be a Methuselah. Fasting does not seem to have any harmful side effects.
IF is also well complemented by fasted exercise, such as running or cycling in the morning. If you haven’t eaten in a while anyway, and you’re also exercising, your body will switch into fat-burning mode faster.
There are three types of exercise you should combine, SIT (sprint interval training: 8-30 seconds of effort at full maximum, then a few minutes rest), HIIT (high-intensity interval training: 1-4 minutes at near maximum and then the same amount of rest) and MICT (moderate-intensity continuous training: at least 20 minutes of cardio or zone 2 exercise).
However, not related to weight loss, but endurance training is the most important for a long and healthy life because it strengthens muscles and skeletal structure - it can also work against natural decline in old age.
I left the topic of what foods can help you lose weight to the end. Less carbohydrates? Less fat? Vegan meals? This is the most difficult question to find the right answer to. One reason is that it is very expensive to do this research. Imagine how much it would cost to observe even 200 people in a lab for six months. What is easy to do with rodents is much harder to do with humans. Moreover, because obesity can be seen as a kind of disease, no matter how you lose weight, you are already healthier by losing weight. It doesn’t matter what diet you follow, just be persistent and lose weight.
Not to be left out of my own experiences (again, these are from my own experimentation), eating a higher protein diet combined with exercise helped me lose weight, but high carb or high fat diets, for example, didn’t feel right and didn’t give me lasting success.
IMPORTANT! Like everything you read on the internet it can be true or false. Or it may be right for the average person, but it may not be right for you. This applies to this article too. If in doubt, consult a professional!