Obesity is one of the most pressing problems of the modern world. In some countries it has already reached epidemic proportions. In our country, about 47% of men and 52% of women live with overweight. Being overweight is not just a defect in appearance. It can cause many physiological or psychological disorders. To get rid of fat deposits, you must first change your eating habits.
What are the dangers of obesity
Obesity is due to the fact that the amount of food entering the body of a modern person significantly exceeds what is needed for energy production. As a result, the unspent residue is transformed into fat. The quality of the products consumed also matters. If the basis of the diet is composed of easily digestible carbohydrates, they will certainly be deposited in the form of ugly folds.
Excess weight should not be perceived only as a visual defect. It is a risk factor for the development of many diseases. The more adipose tissue grows, the stronger its destructive effect on the body.
Caution: overweight patients are three times more likely to suffer from diabetes mellitus and twice as often suffer from pathologies of the liver and cardiovascular system compared to people of normal weight.
Obesity is a systemic disease that can affect the functioning of all internal organs.
Among the diseases caused by excess weight:
- hypertension;
- Alzheimer's disease;
- strokes;
- arthritis;
- male impotence;
- phleburism;
- angina pectoris;
- pathologies of the respiratory system;
- depression;
- apnea (sudden cessation of breathing during sleep);
- heart attack;
- gallbladder pathology;
- osteoarthritis;
- diseases of the digestive tract;
- atherosclerosis;
- menstrual irregularities.
Obesity has been scientifically proven to increase the likelihood of developing breast, thyroid, colon, gall bladder and kidney cancer. The most clearly visible is the relationship between excess weight and malignant neoplasms of the esophagus, as well as of the endometrium. On average, body fat reduces a person's life expectancy by 12-15 years.
The situation is aggravated by the fact that obese people have a disturbed metabolism - this slows down the process of losing weight. But the situation is reversible. It is possible to "lose" even the heaviest pounds. To do this, you must first change your diet. The main mistake many people make is that they try to give up food completely. As a result, periods of fasting are replaced by crashes. The weight returns in even greater volumes and health problems arise. A professional nutritionist should choose a diet for a person with obesity.
Basic principles of nutrition in obesity
A diet to treat obesity should be balanced. The body cannot remain without essential substances, amino acids and vitamins. An incorrectly selected diet can cause serious endocrine disorders, liver, heart and other organ dysfunction.
The main nutritional rules for normalizing weight are the following:
- daily calorie content varies from 1700 to 2000 kcal. It is calculated individually, taking into account the gender, age, height, physique and physical activity of the patient;
- limiting the consumption of foods containing fast carbohydrates and animal fats;
- filling the diet with fiber, which is low-calorie, but fills the stomach for a long time, creating a feeling of satiety;
- The recommended protein intake per day for an adult with average physical activity is 0. 75 g per 1 kg of weight;
- split meals make it easier to control hunger pangs. It is recommended to eat 5-6 times a day;
- the daily amount of salt should not exceed 5 g;
- exclusion of spices, herbs, smoked foods, pickles, spicy dishes that increase appetite;
- You should drink one and a half liters of water a day. Before each meal, you should slowly drink half a glass of liquid;
- Boil, bake or steam all meals. Fried foods should be avoided;
- eat at the same time. Additional snacks are prohibited.
Attention: the norm is considered a monthly loss of 3 kg of weight due to fat. Faster weight loss is a big stress for the body!
A healthy diet for obesity should be combined with dosed physical activity. You should start with 10 minutes of exercises, gradually increasing the duration and complexity of the exercises.
The listed rules must be followed especially strictly during the first month of treatment. After that, the body adapts to the new diet and daily routine. The risk of crashes and returning to previous eating habits will decrease.
Prohibited and permitted products
Patients with obesity are usually recommended the so-called diet table No. 8. It is intended directly to reduce the volume of fat and normalize metabolic processes.
Attention: for patients with concomitant diseases of the cardiovascular system, liver and digestive organs, individual diets are selected!
Despite the strictness of this diet, it allows you to eat varied and tasty. The list of eligible products is very extensive. We present the main ones in the form of a table.
| product group | allowed | prohibited |
| flour products | black or whole grain bread (up to 150 g per day) | White bread; baked goods; puff pastry |
| meat | lean beef; rabbit meat; chicken meat without skin and fat; turkey; (any, up to 150 g per day) | pork; goose; duck; Lamb; smoked meats; sausages; stew; lard |
| fish | low-fat types (up to 150 g per day); seafood (up to 200 g per day) | all fatty breeds; salted, smoked fish; canned foods |
| vegetables | cabbage; cucumbers; radish; zucchini; pumpkin; tomatoes; turnip; greenery; seaweed | potatoes; carrots (sometimes allowed); green peas |
| toppings | buckwheat; pearl barley; barley meal; green beans | pasta; rice; semolina; pulses |
| eggs | cooked | fried eggs; fried omelette; |
| fruits and berries | sour fruits and berries; jelly; mousses | grape; bananas; figs; dates |
| drinks | coffee; tea; natural juices from sour fruits and berries; mineral water; rosehip decoction | sweet compotes; jelly; Packaged juices; Carbonated drinks |
| spices | sauces with herbs in weak broth; tomato sauce; white sauce with vegetables | mayonnaise; mustard; horseradish; ketchup |
| dairy products | kefir; fermented milk; cottage cheese (all low-fat) | hard cheeses; cream; Full-fat milk; cream |
It is good to write the menu in advance, buy all the products and divide them into meals. In this case, you will not have to prepare food "in a hurry" after work - this can lead to overeating.
Sample menu for the day
breakfast
- boiled meat (100 g)
- roasted beets
- coffee without sugar
Lunch
- vegetable stew
- baked fish (100 g)
- fruit jelly
Dinner
- borscht without meat (150 g)
- low-fat cottage cheese
- dried fruit compote
Snack
- fresh apples
Dinner
- carrot salad with garlic
- buckwheat
Before going to bed, you should drink a glass of low-fat kefir.
Alternative diets
There are many options for low-carb diets. Not too strict diets include the exclusion of so-called fast carbohydrates. The principle of creating a diet is similar to the "table No. 8" described above. Such restrictions are really useful. They allow the body to get all the necessary substances and burn the accumulated fat.
Another type of low-carb diet is the strict one. They exclude almost all products containing these substances. For example, the basis of a protein diet is proteins. They represent up to 80% of the daily diet. Such food quickly saturates, takes a long time to digest, freeing a person from hunger. In addition, the processing of vegetable and animal proteins requires a lot of energy - it takes up to half of the calories consumed.
Such diets are effective, but must be combined with serious physical activity. Otherwise, proteins not used for muscle mass form nitrogenous compounds that are excreted through the kidneys. The load on the organs increases, creating prerequisites for the development of urolithiasis.
The lack of carbohydrates negatively affects the condition of the bones, skin and hair. From these chemical compounds, the body produces glucose, the main nutrient for the brain. Experiencing a lack of energy, the body begins to use not only subcutaneous fat, but also muscle tissue for its production.
The popular keto diet, which involves a complete rejection of carbohydrates, is not recommended for beginners. It is allowed to consume only fats, proteins of plant and animal origin. The purpose of such a diet is to introduce a person into a state of ketosis. This is a type of metabolism in which the body uses ketone bodies (derived from subcutaneous fat) instead of glucose. The diet is also harmful, because along with carbohydrates, a person stops consuming fiber, vitamins and trace elements contained in the excluded products.
It is possible to lose weight with such a diet, but this through complex physiological changes is undesirable. The diet was originally developed for patients with epilepsy because a link was found between ketosis and a reduction in seizure frequency. The keto diet is not recommended for weight loss, but only for therapeutic purposes.
In any case, before switching to this diet, it is better to consult your doctor. Not everyone can impose restrictions on their diet.
For whom are diets contraindicated?
In many diseases, as well as during certain periods of human development, strict diets are contraindicated.
First of all, you cannot adhere to a low-calorie and restrictive diet in childhood. The basis of metabolism is laid during intensive growth. Lack of nutrients can cause underdevelopment of the skeleton and internal organs and cause chronic diseases.
In adolescents, the lack of fats and carbohydrates provokes an incorrect synthesis of sex hormones. In adulthood, this can cause irregular menstrual cycles and reproductive dysfunction.
During menopause, most women gain weight. This is due to the fact that hormonal imbalance affects all processes in the body, including fat metabolism. Strict diets during menopause are not only harmful, but also useless. You can stop weight fluctuations only by taking estrogen drugs recommended by your gynecologist.
Restricted feeding of pregnant and lactating women is strictly prohibited. Lack of nutrients during pregnancy can negatively affect the course of pregnancy. In addition, malnutrition often results in the birth of a weakened child with neurological, immune problems and developmental delays.
In nursing mothers, the weight usually returns to normal on its own within a year, as the accumulated reserves are "used up" by the body to produce milk with a reasonable, balanced diet. Dietary restrictions can provoke hormonal imbalances and even morelarge weight gain.
There are certain diets for patients with certain chronic diseases. Among the pathologies:
- gastritis;
- heart disease;
- ulcer;
- intestinal diseases;
- kidney disorders;
- pathologies of the liver and gall bladder;
- Pancreatitis.
People with diabetes and thyroid dysfunction cannot independently experiment with nutrition. In these cases, weight correction is carried out under the strict supervision of the attending physician, who selects an appropriate therapeutic diet for the patient.
How to lose weight without dieting
In most cases, in order to lose weight, it is not necessary to impose strict restrictions on the body. It is enough to minimize the consumption of fast snacks, processed foods, cream cakes and other unhealthy foods.
Following a few simple rules will help you achieve your ideal figure:
- drink enough clean water. This will not only provide the cells with the necessary amount of moisture, but also help reduce appetite;
- Exercise will help speed up your metabolism. It is enough to spend 10-15 minutes a day for exercises;
- eat often, in small portions. Do not eat while reading or watching TV. In this way, you can get distracted and eat much more than necessary;
- spend more time in the fresh air, breathe more deeply. In this way, tissues are saturated with oxygen, metabolic processes occur faster;
- get a good night's sleep;
- do not overeat "by force". It is good to take short breaks during meals, if you feel full, then you have enough food.
Between lunch and dinner, you can suck on a few slices of dark chocolate with a high cocoa butter content (at least 70%). You can replace it with some dried fruits which should be chewed slowly. Thanks to this, the brain receives a signal that there is enough glucose and the appetite decreases.
Obesity is not just a harmless cosmetic defect. This is a dangerous pathology that can cause disability and premature death of the patient. It is necessary to normalize the weight, but the thoughtless desire for an ideal figure can cause no less harm to a person's health than fat deposits. You need to lose weight properly, under the supervision of a qualified nutritionist.