Every person who is obese, or who has at least 4-5 extra pounds, dreams of an effective diet for weight loss. It seems simple, affordable and effective: you can eat everything, in any quantity, and at the same time the weight will melt quickly. Too bad it's just a dream. According to experts, rapid weight loss is dangerous to health, especially if you lose 10-15 kg or more in a short time. This can lead to serious problems with metabolism, hormones and internal organs. Of course, there are a number of diets that are balanced, low in calories and adequate in nutrients, but lead to gradual weight loss. Let's try to understand how a good diet differs from a dangerous one and which are the most effective?
Fast weight loss diet: why is it dangerous?
Naturally, significant weight loss in a short period of time is the most expected result for any overweight person. But doctors do not tire of repeating that rapid weight loss can seriously damage both physical health and soul.
First, the weight lost after the end of the weight loss program can be regained. In addition, as a result, the weight may become even heavier than it originally was. It is believed that the optimal rate of weight loss is not greater than 1. 5-2 kg per week. So, to lose 10 pounds, you need at least 5-7 weeks or more.
Second, rapid weight loss is usually achieved through severe calorie restriction, fasting, or a combination of both with strenuous exercise. But these changes in life are not permanent and after reaching the "ideal" weight, the person returns to his normal eating and activity habits. As a result, the weight returns and you have to lose weight again.
So, in order to be truly successful, you need to change your whole lifestyle, diet and activity, creating conditions for constant calorie expenditure and less food intake.
An effective diet for weight loss: is there?
If we are talking about whether there is a universal and effective diet for weight loss that will help everyone, the answer is no. The reasons for the increase in body weight can be various factors, ranging from ordinary overeating, inactivity and laziness, to serious endocrine disorders and neurological diseases, pathologies of internal organs. For example, weight gain is typical of type 2 diabetes, Cushing's disease or hypothyroidism, Pickwick syndrome, a tumor in the pancreas (insulinoma) and many others.
Similarly, for relatively healthy people, almost any balanced diet is suitable, which somewhat reduces the caloric content of the diet, while providing the body with all the necessary nutrients. If you add regular exercise to this, you expand your daily activities - the weight will gradually disappear. But for patients with serious diseases, a special therapeutic diet is required, taking into account the peculiarities of metabolic changes, as well as the concomitant treatment of the underlying disease - tumor removal, correction of hormone levels, hypoglycemic drugs or insulin injections.
Good nutrition: characteristics in men
In addition to health status, gender differences also play a role in weight gain and loss. In men and women, the body stores and metabolizes (breaks down) body fat in different ways, something that is related to evolutionary mechanisms. Therefore, a good diet that is ideal for men may have no effect at all and may not reduce a woman's body weight. But why is that?
Men, as in ancient times, had to hunt to provide food for their families. Therefore, they need strength, endurance and muscle mass to run, drag mammoths and escape predators. Although times have changed today, the metabolic characteristics of the male body have remained the same. Therefore, they lose weight faster and easier if they reduce the caloric content of food and exercise. The male body burns fat faster than the female and builds muscle mass. Testosterone helps with this. As testosterone levels decrease with age, men gain weight faster and lose it worse.
Men need more calories, more protein and fat, they consume faster. But they can eat less sugar, it gives fast energy, but it is not enough and will not be enough for active muscle work in the long run, it is better to prefer complex carbohydrates than cereals.
"Women's" diet
The main goal of a woman, in terms of biology and evolution, is the successful birth and birth of children. To actively develop the fetus, you need a lot of energy and nutrients. Therefore, the female body initially stores fat in the hips, partly in the waist and chest, back and arms. In addition to the cost during pregnancy, the cost of energy during breastfeeding is equally important. Therefore, all women gain extra fat during pregnancy. This is an emergency provision for the duration of breastfeeding, if food is not enough.
Because of these characteristics, women need less protein - their muscle mass is lower, but the beautiful half of humanity has an "evolutionary" craving for sweet foods. It is one of the carbohydrates that you can easily and quickly get a lot of energy that can be stored in the form of subcutaneous fat. The total caloric content of the female diet is lower. Evolutionarily, women were involved in concentration and housework, their bodies did not need as many muscles as men. A woman's diet should include saturated fats, some proteins and complex carbohydrates. If light carbohydrates are prevalent, the frugal body will immediately transfer the excess energy to a backup form - fats in problem areas.
Modern diets: good or bad?
Every diet, no matter how good it is, has its pros and cons, contraindications for use. So, for example, the keto-diet that is popular today, according to researchers from Austria, can cause psoriatic rashes. Scientists have noted that keto diets containing medium chain triglycerides, along with omega-3 fatty acids derived from nuts, seeds and fish oil, may be predictive of an exacerbation of psoriasis. A study entitled "The Effect of Ketogenic Diets on Psoriasis-like Skin Inflammation" was published in August 2019 in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. Thus, people with a hereditary predisposition to this disease should avoid losing weight by using this diet which is fashionable today.