Doctors, fitness trainers and nutritionists advise all questions about losing weight safely for the body to adhere to the principles of proper nutrition for weight loss.They recommend the same system for gaining weight and maintaining your figure, which helps you understand that a healthy diet is universal and with it you can achieve any bodybuilding goals.But how can general rules be adapted to a specific goal and should proper nutrition be understood as a strict diet with a ban on any deviation to the left?
What does proper nutrition mean for losing weight?
A healthy diet allows you to lose weight without compromising your health and experiencing stress from hunger.Some people are afraid of counting the volume of portions and weighing food, but after several weeks of proper nutrition, a person learns to determine by eye what he can eat and how much.This system does not require strict adherence to the number of grams, so a minimal error does not lead to weight stagnation.
The right ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates
Every food consists of nutrients and the basis is formed by the three most important ones - proteins, fats and carbohydrates.They are abbreviated as BZHU.The ratio of these elements in the daily diet is no less important for body quality than the total amount of food per day.According to nutritionists, the issue of BJU balance should be brought to the fore, because those who violate these principles will not achieve fat burning when losing weight.
Proper nutrition for weight loss requires an individual calculation of the amount of each nutrient and several basic principles associated with it:
- Carbohydratesis an important nutrient that provides the body with energy, so it should make up half or a little more of the daily requirement.When calculated individually, the amount of protein per day is 4 g per kilogram of body weight.
- Fats– is also a very useful element, which is mainly a source of vitamins and acids that the nervous system and the heart need.For the body to function normally, the intake of 1.1 g of fat per kilogram of weight is required.
- Squirrel- the “building blocks” of your muscles.Some open sources recommend focusing on them when losing weight, but the principles of proper nutrition to lose weight without harming the body refute this recommendation.A person who does not engage in sports training needs to eat no more than 1 g (per 1 kg of net weight).
Daily calorie intake
The amount of food a person can and should eat in a day is determined by their basal metabolic rate.This indicator is calculated individually, taking into account the following indicators:
- Gender;
- Weight;
- Growth;
- Age.
However, the resulting number is not final when you decide to start losing or gaining weight.It also does not take into account physical activity - not even a walk from home to work - that is, it implies the number of calories a bedridden person needs to live.According to the principles of proper nutrition, it is necessary to further multiply this indicator by the level of activity, and then, if weight loss is planned, reduce the existing figure by 10-20%.
Principles of proper nutrition for weight loss
In addition to the above calorie and nutritional standards, a healthy diet is based on several more rules that you must know and follow:
- Avoid fasting.
- Don't skip main meals.
- Breakfast and lunch are more filling than dinner.
- Prefer fresh vegetables over thermally processed ones.
- Try not to use salt when cooking.
Weight loss products
Sweets are a must, and buckwheat with salad is your best friend: this is how women imagine the daily diet of a person who adheres to the principles of a healthy diet.However, a healthy menu is much more varied and recipes for healthy dishes may even look no worse than “harmful” ones and visually resemble those in a restaurant.
The number of permitted foods is significantly higher than the prohibited list and after changing your eating habits (usually formed within 3 weeks) you will no longer feel disadvantaged.
What can you eat to lose weight?
The list of products that do not interfere with the breakdown of fat reserves is just long enough to create the right menu for the month with almost no repetition.Most often, dish ideas are limited by the assortment in grocery stores or the skills of the housewife.
Experts call absolutely dietary products:
- Grains are a source of slow carbohydrates and B vitamins.Particularly recommended: oat flakes, buckwheat, millet, pearl barley.
- Legumes are light vegetable protein.Chickpeas, lentils and beans are ideal for losing weight, but it is better not to rely on peas.
- Eggs – up to 2 per day if with yolk, and up to 4 if just white.
- Vegetables contain fiber, that is, fiber.Even potatoes are allowed, but the amount of their consumption is reduced.
- Fruits and dried fruits are an excellent substitute for factory-made sweets.
- Milk – minimal to prevent calcium deficiency, lactose-free.
- Fermented milk products - with caution, in the evening there is only natural yoghurt.
- Cottage cheese is preferably low-fat, but it is not necessary to pay attention to low-fat cheese.
- Cheese is usually hard.
- Honey, nuts.
- Vegetable oil – preferably olive oil, up to 30 ml per day.
What to avoid when losing weight
The main enemies of the figure and factors affecting weight loss are saturated fats and fast carbohydrates.
It is ideal to completely eliminate them from the diet when losing weight, but proper nutrition is not a diet of lettuce leaves and chicken breasts.
You are not forbidden from eating ice cream (simple carbohydrates, lactose), chocolate (simple carbohydrates), or even fried potatoes (saturated fat), but you should:
- meet daily calorie needs;
- should be included in the diet rarely and not before bedtime.
Proper nutrition for weight loss focuses on healthy foods.Therefore, it is advisable to exclude from the diet as much as possible:
- Sausages and their “relatives” – sausages, bacon and so on;
- sugar (pay attention to the ingredients in the products);
- Mayonnaise;
- sweet;
- Bake.
Diet plan for weight loss
In addition to permitted and prohibited foods, there are a few points you should think about when planning your daily diet:
- type of heat treatment;
- portion size;
- frequency of meals;
- Drinking regime.
How to prepare healthy meals
The number of recipes for healthy dishes is slightly less than standard recipes, so you don't have to worry about a lack of culinary ideas.All methods of heat treatment are available to you, including frying, but without oil, in a special non-stick frying pan.You can:
- cook;
- bake;
- cook in a water bath;
- Stew;
- cooking on the grill.
How many times a day eat
A constant feeling of hunger is not something that promotes proper nutrition to lose weight, even if you urgently need to lose weight.If you follow the principles of BJU balance above, you will not starve because carbohydrates provide the desired level of satiety.However, in addition, it is important to strictly adhere to the diet in order to get rid of the constant desire to chew something.
According to nutritionists, proper nutrition consists of eating up to 6 times a day.However, this value is determined individually:
- If you eat a portion of meat, satiety can last up to 4 hours, and the product takes a long time to digest.
- If you eat a snack with vegetables, the body needs to be supplied with a new “dose” of food after 2 hours.
- According to the rules of a healthy diet, it is advisable not to take long (longer than 4 hours) breaks in the menu so as not to provoke a drop in sugar, which leads to insulin spikes and a slowdown in metabolism.
Portion size for proper nutrition for weight loss
Do you feel full or do you feel hungry after eating?A question that worries most women who take out their scales before cooking.For some, weight loss inexorably means reducing portions to ridiculous sizes, leading to meltdowns due to the lack of satiety.Doctors do not agree with this policy - even for weight loss, proper nutrition does not require fasting: the amount of food on the plate should be such that after half an hour you do not feel empty in your stomach, but also do not suffer from overeating.
Follow these guidelines:
- The amount of chicken or fish meat per serving is 100-150 g, visually it should not exceed the size of your palm.
- The amount of cereal and pasta is a handful scooped into the palm of your hand, so 50g or a little more.
- You need to eat a lot of vegetables, so a portion of them is cut into palms (the food is cut into pieces).
- It is advisable to match the correct portion size to the daily calorie content: do not exceed 400 kcal for the main meal and 200 kcal for a snack.
Compliance with the drinking regime
Some women and men underestimate the importance of water in the diet, especially when losing weight.Some people substitute the terms “drink” and “tea” or “coffee”, but the drinking regime is pure, still water, which does not actively burn fat, but is necessary for weight loss.Failure to comply with the correct drinking regime leads to lymphatic stagnation, blood thickening, dehydration, swelling, poor skin tone and a deterioration in well-being.
Important recommendations on what and how to drink for proper weight loss:
- A glass of water before meals is an essential part of your diet.
- Each cup of coffee must be balanced with 0.6 liters of clean water, because... This drink leads to dehydration.
- Juices, compotes and other drinks are food;They are not part of the regime.
- Forget the 2 liter rule: the optimal amount of water is calculated individually.The norm for humans is 30 mg/kg.
Proper balanced diet for weight loss - menu
To understand the method of compiling a daily diet, a weight loss menu that does not cause hunger is suggested below.This scheme can be expanded by adding 1-2 more snacks with vegetables/fruits, cheese, nuts.
Approximate daily nutritional program:
- Breakfast.Oatmeal or other porridge with water.A handful of almonds, a spoonful of honey.
- snack.Whole grain bread, hard cheese (up to 40 g), a bunch of vegetables.
- Dinner.Chicken broth with vegetables, a piece of boiled chicken.
- Afternoon snack.Canned red bean, pepper and cucumber salad.
- Dinner.Baked flounder with asparagus and orange.