According to the survey, 42% of women, when asked what would bring you more happiness, answered losing weight. And, in fact, for a huge number of people, losing excess weight is the key to a happy life. It is no coincidence that over 50% of women in developed countries follow diets.
However, despite the fact that many people dream of losing weight, achieving their dreams is not so easy. Dietetics says the main points here are proper nutrition and physical activity. Now we will talk about weight loss with proper nutrition at home.
Does proper nutrition help with weight loss?
Proper nutrition is one of the key elements to getting rid of extra pounds.It is very important here to emphasize
- what to eat
- when there is
- in what quantity?
No wonder the most popular book in history says, "Take heed to yourself, lest your heart be weighed down by overeating. "Yes, overeating will definitely lead to unwanted weight gain and bring with it physical and emotional problems.
But what is the relationship between weight loss and healthy eating?
- No harmful products enter the body. Like, for example, fried pies and hamburgers.
- Food is taken in small portions, at short intervals. As a result, the person gets full and the body does not experience stress, as during starvation.
- Food compatibility and circadian rhythms are taken into account, which ensures the best digestion and maximum benefit from what you eat.
- The action is long lasting, there are no breakdowns or reversals. Weight loss is smooth and very normal.
So, proper diet for weight loss is the surest way. We are created this way. Overeating and junk food do us no good.
Therefore, for weight loss and health it is very important:
- healthy food,
- in the required quantity,
- at the right moment.
How much weight can you lose with proper nutrition?
The result here is very individual. But it will definitely be there. We don't need to expect any special miracles. PP is not the best choice for quick weight loss. However, the improvement in health and gradual weight loss are very pleasant and encourage us to move forward.
At first, people usually lose 1 to 3 pounds per week. But this literally takes 1-3 weeks. During this period, the body gets rid of swelling and restores proper metabolism. If one also increases their physical activity, the effect becomes even more evident.
Thus, an average weight loss per month occurs by 3-5 kg. This is the best option from a physiological point of view. However, this only happens in the first two to three months. Then the weight loss becomes less. About 0. 5-1 kg per week. But this is also a great result. According to this plan, you can lose up to 50 kg in a year, if it is extra. Great result, right? Worth a try!
After all:
- excess weight disappears completely,
- health improves,
- the person becomes more active and positive.
Therefore, people who have tasted the beauty of proper nutrition rarely abandon it later. The difference between proper and improper nutrition for health and figure is very visible.
Basic principles of proper nutrition for weight loss
- With strict diets, amazing results are achieved quickly. However, the lost pounds, as a rule, then return just as quickly. And PP becomes the rule of life, in which excess weight disappears more smoothly, but then does not form again.
- A proper diet allows you to eat delicious and varied meals at home without creating depression or anxiety. The menu becomes accessible, from simple products, no special expenses are required. There are new delicious dishes every day, they never get boring or boring. There are no strict standards, which is why PN is often called a "free diet. "
- The menu for the day and week is drawn up taking into account the presence of essential fats, proteins and carbohydrates, as well as vitamins and minerals. Exhaustion of the body or lack of strength is not allowed.
- Eating right means eating often enough. There should be three main and two additional meals. About 25% of the daily diet is consumed for breakfast, 40% for lunch, 15% for dinner and two snacks for 10%. In this mode, a person does not have a strong feeling of hunger, he seems to be constantly full, but he eats less, digestion is more efficient.
What does proper nutrition mean?
Proper nutrition means an almost complete transition to healthy foods and removing harmful ones from your diet. Also, the answer to the question of what is proper nutrition means:
- eliminate unhealthy cooking choices.
- make the frequency of meals as normal as possible,
- consider the compatibility of foods in a dish or meal.
These are the basics of the PP course. To a greater extent, such a plan is not designed for weight loss, but for improving health in general, where getting rid of extra pounds is just a bonus.
A balanced diet improves metabolism, increases performance and improves well-being. Surprisingly, many chronic diseases improve in humans. Well, there are no contraindications to switching to a proper diet.
On the contrary, this diet is recommended for every day in patients with diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, problems with the musculoskeletal system, and all other diseases without exception. So we are not just talking about a slimming menu, but about a program to improve the health of the whole body.
What does proper nutrition include?
Currently, nutritionists do not have a clear view of what constitutes proper nutrition. There are different options. But most of them still agree that proper nutrition is the food that is the most organic. It does not contain various food additives - flavor enhancers, artificial colors and flavors.
As a result, it turns out that the basis of PP is a list of products, very simple and without chemical processing:
- vegetables,
- fruits,
- cereals
This is the basis of the diet of modern healthy people. Then, if desired, dairy products and meat are added in small proportions. It's interesting, but vegetables, fruits and grains are usually considered economical products and are prepared quite quickly.
Thus, the secret of the success of the health and weight loss program in the form discussed is that we are talking about healthy eating on a low budget: the products are simple, easily accessible, cheap or one could even say cheap. And these are natural products. We were originally created to eat them.
Also, when preparing them, a woman or a man does not have to spend a lot of time preparing complex dishes. Every smart is simple. And very convenient. Recipes for each day and a sample PP menu only confirm this.
And the detailed list of products recommended for simple proper nutrition is very long and appetizing:
- vegetables (carrots, cabbage, onions, garlic, potatoes, beets, radishes, pumpkin, cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, peas, chickpeas, corn and so on).
- grains (buckwheat, oatmeal, barley, rye, wheat, quinoa, rice and so on).
- fruits (apple, pear, apricot, quince, orange, banana, pomegranate, grapefruit, melon, fig, kiwi, lemon, mango, peach, persimmon and many more).
- berries (watermelon, barberry, lingonberry, grapes, strawberries, cherries, blackberries, strawberries, viburnum, cranberries, gooseberries, raspberries, sea buckthorn and so on).
- greens (green onions, dill, parsley, basil, asparagus, oregano, rhubarb, rocket, lettuce, celery, etc. ).
According to WHO recommendations, cereals should make up 40% of the modern man's diet. Another 40% is recommended to be given to vegetables, 15% to fruits and herbs. And only 5% should be allocated to food of animal origin (meat, dairy, fish, seafood). We can safely say that this is a dietary food that nutritionists around the world advise all people to follow.
And we specifically mentioned many things so that people who are starting to lose weight do not think that if they buy and prepare only simple food, then "then there will definitely be nothing to eat. "
What foods should you avoid when eating healthy?
- any canned food,
- semi-finished and ready industrially prepared dishes,
- store bought candy,
- cured meats,
- refined products (sugar, vegetable oil),
- white bread, white rice,
- mayonnaise, margarine,
- store-bought sauces,
- sweet fermented dairy products,
- meat broths,
- any fast food,
- fizzy drinks.
Unfortunately, the weekly diet of many people consists only of these products. They eat processed foods, canned fruits, drink soda, eat sausages, cakes and chips. They don't see it as a bad thing. Although there will definitely be negative consequences.
The principle "what goes around comes around" works here 100%. Due to poor nutrition, there are more and more sick people in our society. What is their main problem? These are oncology, high blood pressure, diabetes, rheumatism. Even without weight loss, there are enough problems here, although obesity and overweight are the scourge of modern society.
Where to start losing weight with proper nutrition?
In the process of losing weight, the most difficult thing is of course to start. So now we're going to figure out where to start and how to transition into the type of diet we're talking about.
The unlimited and free starter weight loss program here provides:
- Get your goals right. This will be the answer to the question of how to adapt to a new type of diet. Maybe someone's goal is a certain number of pounds to lose, someone's goal is a disease that they would like to get rid of, and someone's goal is simply to stay sick for as long as possible and have a blooming appearance. Everything is individual. However, here you should focus not on quickly losing weight, but on a systematic regime to get in the right shape.
- Set screensavers on your phone and computer to images or photos that will motivate you and reflect the essence of your dreams. For example, for girls, this could be a photo of them in a swimsuit before they were overweight, or just a beautiful athletic lady they would like to be like.
- A nutritionist's advice is to gather information about unhealthy and healthy foods. Understand the impact of what we eat on the body - positive or negative. Understand healthy and unhealthy foods and dishes. The clearer the essence of the process is to you, the easier it will be for you to get used to the new diet. Then the new rules will not seem burdensome to you, you will understand their benefits.
- It is recommended that you download some apps to your phone. For example, we can talk about "helpers" for counting calories in food, for the ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in them. Also, because PP requires you to drink enough water, it is recommended to set up a suitable reminder program. Additionally, apps that remind you of your meal plan have proven themselves well.
- Start keeping a food diary. You will write down what, when and how much you ate. There you can also record the results of your new diet, create a menu, make daily plans for what to cook and plan dishes by day of the week.
- In addition to switching to a new eating routine, make time for physical activity. Including, introduce specific sports exercises into your lifestyle. They will make your body even more healthy and attractive. Also adjust your sleep schedule. You must sleep at night and be awake during the day. Such a complex of PP, shape and physical activity will allow you to get the desired results faster and more effectively.
How to create a proper diet plan?
After you have done everything necessary on how to start living with proper nutrition, you need to move on to the actual process. But for everything to go smoothly here, a little preparation is also needed. A weekly diet should be drawn up, indicating the dishes for each day. How to choose it? Now we will explain step by step.
First stage
You need to determine how many calories you need to burn daily. For this calculation, you can use ready-made tables, which are available in sufficient quantities on the Internet. The main thing is that the energy value of food corresponds to the cost of the body.
If you are obese, then the total calorie content of meals per day should not exceed 1000 kcal. For people of normal weight and moderate activity, according to the standard, the average daily value of energy is defined as 1200-1500 kcal. And if a person performs heavy physical activity during the day, then his daily diet should be from 1600 to 1900 kcal.
Second phase
The daily caloric intake is divided by the number of meals. The best option here would be five meals a day. If you need to eat food worth 1000 kcal per day, then conditionally it will be 200 kcal per meal.
But we have already said that with PN it is better to stick to the "three main and two additional meals" scheme. If, with five meals a day, you follow a schedule of breakfast corresponding to 25% of the total daily diet, lunch - 40%, dinner - 15% and two more snacks 10% each, then in calories it looks like this :
- breakfast – 250 kcal,
- first snack - 100 kcal,
- lunch - 400 kcal,
- second snack - 100 kcal,
- dinner - 150 kcal.
Thus, the feeling of intense hunger will not arise, which is important for the soul, and for the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract this is the best option.
Third stage
The most convenient time to eat is assigned. The recommendations from nutritionists here are:
- Breakfast - from 6: 00 to 8: 00.
- First snack - from 9: 00 to 12: 00.
- Lunch - from 13: 00 to 15: 00.
- Second snack - from 16: 00 to 17: 00.
- Dinner - from 18: 00 to 20: 00.
Time, of course, is approximate, everyone can choose the most suitable option, but the main thing is that:
- intervals between meals should not exceed 3 hours,
- You don't need to eat a lot at night.
And don't be afraid of the last point. You get used to it quickly. Especially when sleep in this mode becomes of high quality and a person looks good and full of energy in the morning.
Fourth stage
For each meal a specific menu is written for each day of the week. At the same time, the menu should be varied and the dishes appetizing and desirable. The Internet will help you again, where there are many menu options for free.
Also in this article below, we offer a cheap sample menu, the dishes from which will be both tasty and healthy. There you will clearly see what you can cook and what you should stay away from. Well, there are tons of options on how to prepare food so as not to harm yourself, but with maximum benefit for your body and emotions.
At the same time, the diet should contain a sufficient amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, as well as minerals and vitamins, respectively. They should be on the plates, you just have to get a little confused and count them.
Proteins, fats, carbohydrates according to the standard should correspond to the ratio 1: 1: 4. Also, the calculation is based on the fact that per 1 kg of weight a person needs:
- proteins - 1. 5-2 grams,
- fat - 0. 5 grams,
- carbohydrates - 2. 5-3 grams.
Fifth stage
The volume of portions is determined in grams. Yes, the main thing here is that the portions are small. Usually their volume is 200-300 grams. This will be enough for an adult to eat, but not too much. Also, this, as a rule, corresponds to the volume of the stomach, which can accommodate about two fistfuls of compressed food. So from a physiological point of view, this approach is the most correct.
After drawing up a weekly meal plan, all that remains is to stick to the set schedule and prepare food according to the prepared "price list". But at first it might seem difficult. However, a conscious approach to food is quickly justified by lost pounds, lightness in the body and good health.
You quickly get used to such a system, and literally after 2-3 weeks, creating a menu for the day and week brings more pleasure than stress.
Additional advice from a nutritionist
- Think of the transition to proper nutrition as a kind of exciting gastronomy that will bring you only positive emotions. If the approach is exactly this, then the attitude towards the process will no longer be "necessary", but "want". Let's cook and eat for fun!
- Drink more water. It accelerates metabolic processes and removes harmful substances from the body faster. Water also quenches thirst, which many today perceive as a desire for food. There's a good rule of thumb here: if you want to eat, drink a glass of water, and if the urge hasn't gone away after 20 minutes, then eat. But most of the time you don't want to eat at the "wrong" time, you just want to drink.
- Don't skip meals. Otherwise, it will cause a greater feeling of hunger. The body will go into a state of stress and start accumulating fat deposits again "for a rainy day".
- Discover a new world of interesting products and dishes. Use more spices and herbs. They will make food tastier and healthier. The diet should generally be as varied and interesting as possible.
- Replace unhealthy sugar with honey, sweets with dried fruit, white rice with brown. For baking, use wholemeal flour, pasta only from it or stand up, and instead of instant yeast make your own sourdough.
- It is recommended to eat the last time 3-4 hours before bedtime. And if you want to eat, you better drink some water. Then, if that doesn't help, then you can solve the problem with a cup of your favorite herbal tea. Or else, eat something light - like vegetables and fruits. And gradually move the administration time away from sleep.
- Choose your products wisely. Give preference to natural foods. If you still decide to buy something with written "ingredients", then study it carefully. And remember, the shorter it is, the more beneficial it is for the body. Give preference to simple vegetables, fruits and grains. You can never go wrong with this.
- Remember that fatty, fried, high-calorie foods are no longer for you. Cook, boil, bake, steam dishes, but do not fry. When frying, firstly, a lot of high-calorie vegetable or animal oil is used, which, secondly, more often turns into harmful carcinogens that cause cancer.
- Chew your food well. When eating, don't watch TV or use gadgets. Enjoy your meals. Then you will eat much less and have more pleasure.
Menu for a week with proper nutrition
We present you an indicative menu for the week. It is based on the following principles:
- The diet should be healthy, but tasty and the dishes should be varied. In this case, we also focus on their budget choice. To make them available to as many people as possible.
- Since the body needs energy, vitamins and minerals in the morning, vegetable salads, cereals, cottage cheese and (or) fruits are an excellent choice.
- At lunch time, the digestive system is ready to process large amounts of food. Here you can use meat dishes with cereal and vegetable side dishes, soups and vegetable salads.
- At the end of the day, when digestive processes slow down, fish, boiled vegetables and fermented dairy products are good choices.
- Vegetable salads, nuts, fruit, whole-grain bread sandwiches, and healthy toppings are great snack options. At the same time, snacks are slightly less than breakfast and dinner in terms of calories. They can be considered full meals.
And now the menu itself
Monday
- Breakfast – buckwheat with vegetables, green tea with lemon.
- The first snack is an apple and a pear.
- Lunch – vinaigrette, vegetable soup with turkey, sugar-free berry compote.
- The second snack is a sandwich of whole wheat bread with slices of low-fat cheese, herbal tea.
- Dinner – rice with vegetables and cod, salad of cabbage, cucumber and tomato, rose broth.
Tuesday
- Breakfast – wheat porridge, a piece of cheese, green tea.
- The first snack is a banana and kiwi.
- Lunch – mushroom soup, boiled rabbit with vegetables, sugar-free berry juice.
- The second snack is a spicy carrot salad, whole grain bread, herbal tea.
- Dinner – perch with vegetables, rosehips and apple compote.
Wednesday
- Breakfast – cottage cheese with berries (strawberries, raspberries), green tea.
- The first snack is a banana and a pear.
- Lunch – pea puree soup, fresh cabbage and carrot salad.
- Second snack – cottage cheese, tea with honey.
- Dinner – vegetable stew with pollen, green tea with lemon.
Thursday
- Breakfast – oatmeal with banana, herbal tea.
- The first snack is an apple and an orange.
- Lunch – salad with raw carrots, beets and apples, chicken breast with boiled vegetables, green tea.
- The second snack is a whole wheat bread and cheese sandwich.
- Dinner – cheesecakes in the oven with sour cream, rose broth.
Friday
- Breakfast - omelet, cabbage and pepper salad.
- The first snack is kiwi and apple.
- Lunch – pink salmon fish soup, cabbage and carrot salad, green tea.
- The second snack is cottage cheese with banana.
- Dinner – chicken and vegetable casserole, fruit tea.
Saturday
- Breakfast – barley porridge with vegetables, herbal tea with lemon.
- The first snack is carrot salad with raisins.
- Lunch – salad with cucumber and tomato, turkey with oatmeal and vegetables.
- The second snack is low-fat yogurt without artificial additives.
- Dinner – navaga with vegetables, beetroot salad with garlic and prunes.
Sunday
- Breakfast – omelette with vegetables, wholemeal bread, green tea.
- The first snack is a pear and an orange.
- Lunch – Caesar salad, borscht, fruit tea.
- The second snack is a sandwich of whole wheat bread and cottage cheese with herbs.
- Dinner – brown rice with vegetables and carp.
Recipes from the series of healthy food
In conclusion, we will give two more recipes. It is also from the series of proper nutrition. Quick, easy, economical and the dishes they make are very tasty and healthy.
Salad with raw carrots, beets and apples
Ingredients for 1 portion:
- carrots - half of a medium root vegetable,
- apple - half of a medium fruit,
- beets - half of a medium root vegetable,
- greens - whatever you choose, mint also goes well here,
- apple cider vinegar or lemon juice - 1 tablespoon,
- olive oil - 1 tablespoon,
- salt, pepper - to taste.
Friday:
- Clean the carrots and beets and grate them together with the apple on a coarse grater.
- Chop the greens and mix with the rest of the ingredients.
- Add apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
The dish is ready! Cooking time is only 10 minutes. But very tasty and healthy. People also call it broom lettuce. You can also add sauerkraut, garlic and ginger as an option. The result is an excellent taste.
Rabbit boiled with vegetables
Ingredients for 4 servings:
- rabbit - 0. 5 kg,
- carrots - 0. 5 kg,
- onions - 0. 5 kg,
- zucchini - 0. 2 kg,
- pepper - 0. 2 kg,
- tomato - 0. 3 kg,
- water - 300 ml,
- ground black pepper or any favorite spice, salt to taste.
Friday:
- Cut the rabbit meat into portions. Simmer in a small amount of water for about 20 minutes.
- While the meat is simmering, prepare the vegetables. Clean the carrots, grate them on a coarse grater, peel the onions and cut them into small cubes. Also cut the courgettes, peppers and tomatoes into small cubes.
- Add vegetables to the rabbit meat, cover with a lid and simmer for another 30 minutes. Add spices. Before serving, sprinkle with herbs.
The total cooking time is about 1 hour. But most of the time the dish will cook itself. And it literally takes half an hour to prepare and add the ingredients. With the same principle, you can cook fish or any meat, including chicken, combined with vegetables of your choice. Everything will be very tasty and healthy.
Good appetite! We wish you to introduce proper nutrition into your life, improve your health, lose extra pounds and ultimately become happier. You will succeed!