In almost any newfangled glossy publication, on thematic shows, in advertising brochures, you can learn about the benefits of refusing or strictly limiting the consumption of sweet foods. Beautiful photographs amaze with the “before” and “after” results. Film stars are openly proud of their wasp waists, and athletes vying with each other to boast about their achievements. The picture emerges quite tempting, and the path to ideal parameters seems straight and easy. But an approach to this type requires particularly deep knowledge, which cannot be avoided. Let's look at the main approaches to choosing products without mistakes.

The absorption of ingested food begins in the process of chewing it. The coarse fibers of plant fiber, like nets, retain glucose and nutrients, gradually releasing them. It depends on the rate of glucose release.

Once in the body, glucose requires the hormone insulin for its processing. It is this hormonal substance that decomposes it until the release of energy, without which life in general is unthinkable. But, if more energy is released than the body currently needs, then it is deposited in fat cells. A fat cell is a kind of granary where energy reserves accumulate. It is noteworthy that one molecule of glucose produces two mast cells.

So what folk methods are suitable for proper and noticeable weight loss? Let's look at some of them.

Separate nutrition: simple, affordable, effective

Even ancient observant healers noticed that fats and carbohydrates are absorbed only when they are together in the intestines. This fact has been proven, substantiated, systematized by modern advanced thematic scientific works. Having acquired an indisputable evidence base, the separate began to win its fans with renewed vigor.

It is suitable for many people losing weight due to its special accessibility, ease of use, and effectiveness. First of all, it is necessary to divide all types of products into carbohydrate analogues and products with the presence of fats.

Features of “carbohydrate” days

Carbohydrate products include:

  • Vegetables.
  • Citruses.
  • Kefir (yogurt) with zero fat content.
  • Bakery products.
  • Porridge.

You can create a very diverse menu from such products. It will include: stews, salads (boiled and raw), compotes, jelly, borscht and soups in vegetable broth, solyanka. Salads are seasoned with lemon juice or 0% fat kefir. You need to eat similar dishes for 3 days. Then take activated carbon. Its dose is calculated based on body weight. For every 10 kg take 1 tablet. For the next three days, the consumption of fatty foods is allowed, but with the complete exclusion of carbohydrates.

What to eat on fat days

On days of eating fat, your diet should not be scanty. It can include:

  • Not fatty meat.
  • Liver.
  • Lean fish.
  • Seafood and caviar.
  • Seeds.
  • Nuts.
  • All dairy products.
  • Various vegetable oils.

The meat is cooked in foil, but do not forget about the spices. There is a list of spices that suppress appetite and stimulate digestion. They will be extremely useful. Fish in the oven, boiled seafood will bring proteins into the body as building material. Dairy products will eliminate calcium and potassium deficiency, and vegetable oils will provide essential fatty amino acids. Try not to overeat. Sufficient caloric content of dishes will prevent the feeling of hunger. Don't forget that all carbohydrates are taboo on days like these. After three days, we repeat the intake of activated carbon, and the cycle of alternating products resumes.

Everything is quite simple. The main thing in separate nutrition is to achieve complete isolation of food groups. And there are no exceptions. If you constantly follow the basic recommendations, you will notice that already in the second week the hated volumes will begin to go away. If you are prohibited from eating this kind of food, then try herbs that reduce appetite.

Herbs that reduce appetite

Excessive appetite is considered by many to be the main reason for weight gain. The feeling of hunger forces you to eat large portions of food, eat more often, and snack a lot and often. It has long been noted that in the natural diversity of plants, many herbs, decoctions and infusions coexist with us, which dull and delay the appearance of the feeling of an “empty” stomach. And one of these herbs is quinoa.

Quinoa is found everywhere. In our gardens, in forest belts, in open sunny areas, it has gained fame as a malicious weed. It is an absolutely harmless herb, the use of which has no side effects, because it does not contain toxic substances. Perfectly suppresses appetite. To prepare the infusion, dry or freshly collected raw materials are used. You need to take a tablespoon of the crushed workpiece and pour a glass of rapidly boiling water. Leave to cool in a thermos. The tea has absolutely no taste and no smell. Young leaves are added to salads or simply chewed, sucking out the juice. It is better to harvest quinoa at the moment of maximum sap flow. The whole plant is perfect. It is necessary to dry in partial shade and store in a dry, shaded, well-ventilated area.

You can combine quinoa with herbs that neutralize the feeling of hunger. These include the well-known licorice, burdock, chickweed, and nettle. Then the decoctions will turn out tastier and more healing.

Spices help burn fat (Video: Ginger tea)

Actively use spices that have the ability to reduce weight. They stimulate metabolic processes, which is very beneficial in a situation of forced weight loss. Let's look at the most popular food additives. So:

  1. Cinnamon is a powerful factor in stabilizing glucose levels. In the absence of critical rises and falls in this indicator, the feeling of satiety remains. Add to coffee, baked apple, tea.
  2. Cardamom, ground into powder, will do a good job. Tea, herbal decoctions with cardamom will become much tastier, and body fat They will start leaving much faster. Along the way, this seasoning neutralizes the negative effect of coffee on the body.
  3. Eating cayenne pepper will add flavor to bland dishes. If you want to remove excessive pungency, then drink cold infusions from this overseas drug.
  4. Turmeric is not only an anti-inflammatory food, but also an amazing antioxidant. It is especially good for people with fatty liver degeneration, obesity, and a large waist.
  5. Vanilla helps overcome excessive cravings for sweets and baked goods. It significantly stimulates the destruction of “fat” cells and the release of energy reserves. This seasoning is especially useful before significant physical exercise. loads.
  6. There is a misconception that horseradish stimulates appetite. But meat dishes with this additive are removed from the intestines faster, thereby not having time to be completely absorbed.
  7. Hot seasonings effectively accelerate the cellular release of gastric and intestinal juices and increase heart rate. At the same time, the expenditure of energy reserves on the life support of the body increases, which means that mast cells melt.
  8. Cocoa will replace chocolate, but it is very high in calories. Use in moderation only when the desire to feel the chocolate taste in your mouth becomes completely irresistible.

The list goes on. But, not a single product or spice will help you remove the hated kilograms if you don’t add the right physical activity.

Physical activity will help all people who are losing weight

Wise and observant people noticed long ago that physical activity perfectly copes with the problems of excess weight. Hard manual labor was the norm in the old life. Smart machines, vehicles, tonnage cranes have made human existence much easier. That is why, in search of such loads, we go to fitness clubs and gyms.

Before visiting such sports institutions, consultation with a qualified specialist is necessary. You should be examined by your local physician. An ECG of the heart, a basic set of tests, measuring blood pressure - this is the minimum that cannot be ignored. The number of exercises, frequency and duration are directly dependent on the results obtained.

A competent fitness instructor will advise you on the right choice of exercise equipment. He will monitor the accuracy of the block of exercises. Sports equipment with abnormal and unregulated loads will only do harm. It's better to study at home. Arm yourself with dumbbells, they will perfectly and gently increase your efforts on the path to losing weight.

Do not forget that monotonous, time-consuming, repeated repetition even simple exercises, is much more useful than a peak short-term “power” complex. We underestimate the benefits of squats, bending, and strengthening the abs. around the waist is an effective measure that will make your waist much slimmer. Long walking and nightly running are great for anyone losing weight.

In winter and during the off-season, visit swimming pools. It's better to join a group of like-minded people. This practice is now used everywhere. Full-fledged programs for visitors losing weight have been developed, medical specialists work, .... It is very useful, after water procedures, to turn to massage.

Lose weight with massage

Massage has been known for hundreds of years. The sages and healers of China elevated acupressure to the rank of a panacea. Modern massage therapists have also mastered many massage techniques. Stimulating certain areas of the body opens up self-healing and regenerative processes. The body begins to lose weight on its own, which is unnatural for a person.

No less popular is general massage, which increases blood circulation. The muscles and subcutaneous layers of tissue begin to be intensively washed with blood, better saturated with oxygen and nourished. Oxygen is an ideal catalyst for redox reactions. The faster they occur, the more energy the body draws.

Acupuncture is sometimes used for weight loss. This technique is not without irrationality, because it has repeatedly proven the positive aspects of its application. Nowadays there is a serious surge in the popularity of acupuncture, so finding a quality specialist is quite easy.

To lose weight, go to the steam room or sauna

Russian steam rooms and baths are very common in our area. The fact that they are an inexhaustible well of health is evidenced by folk wisdom, because in hundreds of proverbs, stories and legends, the genuine love of the Russian person for the bathhouse is expressed. And it’s all due to the tandem of beneficial properties of such establishments. Let's take a closer look at them. So, visiting a bathhouse or steam room:

If there are no contraindications (previous heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure), then use this precious method of burning fat. You can steam with a birch broom. The essential oils of the leaves will reduce the feeling of hunger, and the twigs will simultaneously repeat the massage movements.

Honey wraps are very suitable for weight loss. They will bring special results immediately after leaving the steam room. Honey is rich in enzymes, active biological substances, and an extensive vitamin complex. After the pores are completely opened, the entire composition of the product is absorbed into the deep epidermal layers. Thanks to the wraps, the destruction of mast cells is much more active.

Choose the appropriate methods, combine them wisely, lose weight correctly. Stay healthy always!

Excess weight is always a health hazard, and it doesn’t matter how much it is in your body. A lot of excess weight means a lot of risks of disease. Another side of this problem is the psychological denial of oneself by many overweight people. People with a curvy figure often find it difficult to be successful because their self-esteem is low due to an inferiority complex about their appearance. But no matter what stage your weight is at, there is always a solution. The article contains answers from nutritionists, psychologists and fitness instructors to the most important questions about how to find the figure of your dreams.

Causes of excess weight

Among the causes of excess body weight, there are those that do not depend on us. These are genetic predisposition and endocrine diseases. Regular diet or exercise cannot help these people and they need a specialized program.

For most people, excess weight is caused by one or more of the following factors.

  1. Lifestyle. The modern generation of people leads a physically passive life. Many professions involve sedentary work. When resting, a person also prefers to be at peace. It is not customary to reduce the caloric content of food. Food has become another way to relax, which, if not enough motor activity often develops into obesity.
  2. Eating behavior. Eating habits are one of the main reasons for extra pounds. The constant bustle has taught people to eat whatever they can whenever they have to. We skip breakfast and lunch, but during dinner we fill up for the whole day. Due to lack of time, it has become the norm to neglect natural food in favor of semi-finished products that are easy to store and prepare, and fast food.
  3. Unmet needs. Food has become a universal substitute for many human needs. For example, wanting to experience something new, a person tries an unfamiliar dish. Wanting to improve his status, he visits prestigious restaurants. Often such needs have nothing to do with food, but food is always available in contrast to what a person actually needs.
  4. Stress and nervous shock. Experts have identified a connection between stress and the accumulation of fat in the abdominal area. When we are overcome by unpleasant thoughts, tension, dissatisfaction with life, anxiety, the body produces a special enzyme responsible for binding and deposition of fat around the internal organs. The more stress you experience, the greater the risk of obesity in your internal organs.
  5. Lack of sleep and quality rest. Constant lack of sleep provokes the release of hormones that are involved in the accumulation of fat and lead to. An overweight person is often perceived as good for nothing. Therefore, he tries to become more active and prove that he is not lazy. Such hyperactivity requires constant feeding. As a result, the person becomes even more fat and ends up in a vicious circle.

Excess weight - diseases

  • The cardiovascular system suffers primarily from excess weight. Extra pounds provoke high blood pressure and heart disease, angina pectoris, and stroke.
  • The risk of diabetes in obese people is twice as high as in thin people.
  • The greater a person's weight, the greater the load it places on the knee and hip joints, resulting in the development of osteoarthritis.
  • Obese men are often familiar with erectile dysfunction. Obese women face difficulties conceiving. And excess weight during pregnancy is almost always associated with complications in the development of the child.
  • About 20% of people with cancer are overweight. There are types of cancer that are caused specifically by obesity: tumors in the uterus, ovaries, breasts, gallbladder, colon in women and prostate, rectal and colon cancer in men. The more fat in a person’s body, the more difficult it is to carry out early diagnosis oncological diseases.
  • Snoring is often associated with excess weight. This is a manifestation of a disease called apnea. Apnea also provokes short pauses in the breathing of a sleeping person, during which the body is left without oxygen. Sleep apnea does not bring complete rest.
  • Fat stores are a common cause of kidney and gallstones.

Nutritionists develop a nutrition program for a person, guided by the individual characteristics of his body and lifestyle. Typically, when we hear about nutritionists, we imagine that their job is to create a nutrition plan. However, representatives of this profession are primarily doctors who understand how dangerous excess weight is for health. Before talking about a diet for a particular patient, the nutritionist prescribes a series of medical examinations.

To independently determine the amount of excess weight you have, take an identification test on one of the Internet resources. On the website with the test you will also find a description of the group you belong to and general recommendations for correcting your figure: losing or gaining weight.

What excess weight is considered the most dangerous? Any body fat that is outside the normal range increases the risk of disease.

What do competent doctors from different countries advise overweight people to do to lose weight? Of course, they are all against most diets that can be found in abundance on the Internet. Such diets, even if they help you lose a couple of kilograms, will seriously harm your health. Dramatic weight loss always occurs due to a decrease in muscle, not fat, tissue.

After leaving an express or mono diet, the kilograms return in almost 100% of cases. Having lost muscle while losing weight, you quickly gain adipose tissue in its place. The result of strict diets is a worsening of the problem of excess weight, a slowdown in metabolism, the development of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and other ailments, deterioration of the condition of the skin, hair and nails, and depression.

American nutritionist Mike Dansinger does not convince overweight people to immediately go to the doctor. Even with obesity, the first stage of weight loss can be completed without the supervision of a specialist. It is better not to trust information from the Internet and buy a book from a trusted author in a bookstore. Guided by it, you can correct the shortcomings in your diet and take the first step towards being slim.

But the role of the doctor in the process of losing weight is sometimes very important. If you don't have iron willpower, a nutritionist can be someone to whom you feel accountable and don't allow yourself to break down. It's even better to find a nutrition coach who will be with you throughout your weight loss journey.

There are many ways to lose weight. If one doesn’t suit you, then don’t despair right away. A conversation with a nutrition specialist will help you decide on the program that will finally lead to success.

Every nutritionist understands that losing weight is a complex process. In addition to changes in your food intake, you need to ensure you have enough. Doctors ask immediately not to be afraid of those who are familiar with sports. You can start with a regular half-hour walk a day, gradually increasing its pace. This is a good exercise to start with, especially with heavy weights. After a few days, increase your walking time to an hour and then stick to a 7-day/week walking plan.

When the weight begins to decrease, you will feel how much easier it has become for you to exercise. Slowly introduce exercises with light dumbbells (0.5-1 kg), running. Don't stand still and increase the load so that your body doesn't stop losing weight. Enjoy the movements. As a result, playing sports will not be a punishment, but pleasant and in a useful way spend time.

It is often difficult to find support in your struggle for slimness. The people around us get used to our fullness and do not believe in a miraculous transformation. And if you have done several unsuccessful attempts lose weight, then this mistrust only grows. Close people do not understand the importance of this event for you, so they will eat high-calorie food in front of you, and many will tempt you to treat yourself.

Experienced experts recommend in such cases to seek support outside the family. Many women don't mind joining groups to visit. On online forums, people are looking for like-minded people to go on a diet together and compare results. You can find motivational videos about people who have managed their weight. There are a lot of little tricks that will make your path to slimness easier. We will talk about them in the following sections of the article.

General rules of nutrition for weight loss

1. Don't starve. Fasting causes many disturbances in the functioning of the body, as a result of which it becomes very difficult to lose weight.

2. Count calories. First, determine your metabolic rate. You can take the test on one of the sites dedicated to metabolism. Once you know the daily caloric intake needed to maintain your body, multiply it by the activity factor. This coefficient depends on the physical activity you are exposed to every day. All necessary data will be available to you on the test website. Subtract 500 calories from the result obtained - this is exactly the energy value your menu should have so that the body begins to give up fat reserves.

3. Stick to your diet. This is 5-6 meals a day with an interval of 2-3 hours. This is a mandatory breakfast, a hearty lunch and a light dinner. Plan your last meal 2-3 hours before bedtime. To prevent excess weight, after 20.00 in the evening, eat only low-fat dairy products.

4. Distribute foods so that you get complex carbohydrates, protein and some fat in the morning. For lunch, cook meat or fish with vegetables. It is best to make dinner protein - lean fish, cottage cheese, low-fat dairy products. For a person losing weight, the share of slow carbohydrates should be 50% of the diet, the share of protein - 30-40%, fat - 10-20%.

5. Maintain the correct water balance in the body. Lack of water makes a person lethargic, irritable, reduces his ability to perform mental and physical work, and provokes headaches and other ailments. If you drink less than 1.5 liters of fluid per day, your body is most likely experiencing a hydration deficiency. During the period of weight loss, water is an integral component of the entire weight loss system, because it facilitates the removal of the breakdown of fat cells.

Fighting excess weight - changing your habits

  • Eat only while sitting. This will allow you to concentrate on the dish and not eat too much, which happens when we snack on the run.
  • Go to the store only after eating, because hunger forces us to take food in excess. Take a piece of paper with you with the ingredients written down on it and do not buy anything that is not on the list.
  • Place each product on a separate plate. Scientists have found that you can eat more food from one container. Several plates create the illusion of more food, and the person ends up not eating too much.
  • Don't take a supplement even if you don't feel full after a meal. Let this be an inviolable rule. If the urge to eat becomes overwhelming, promise yourself that you will have a snack 20 minutes after eating. As a rule, it is during this time that the feeling of fullness comes.
  • Eat in peace. Watching a movie or reading a book greatly distracts you from eating. As a result, you may not even notice how the food disappears from the plate. A feeling of psychological hunger will arise, which will be satisfied by a new portion of the dish.
  • Have something in stock for snack time. This could be yogurt, a glass of kefir, a handful of nuts, fruit. If you don’t have anything at hand, and your body requires food, it is likely that instead of a light meal, you will offer it high-calorie food.
  • Eat slowly and chew each bite for a long time. This will allow you to get full faster and also feel the true taste of the food.

Excess weight - a diet based on proper nutrition

Just like a slim person, an overweight person needs... The lack of one or another element will affect your appearance, well-being, health and weight loss itself. Let's talk about healthy food and special foods that help break down and remove fat cells.

1. Vegetables should make up a third of your total daily diet. These are a variety of vegetables: cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, lettuce, etc. But it is better to avoid foods such as beets, potatoes, legumes, pumpkin, turnips, because they contain a lot of carbohydrates and starch.

2. Fish is the richest source of useful elements. By choosing lean varieties, you will provide yourself with high-quality protein with minimal fat content.

3. Giving up meat is a big mistake many people make strict diets. In addition to the protein itself, which is indispensable for the body when losing weight, you should get a full set of amino acids. Meat contains amino acids that cannot be obtained from other foods. Eat only lean and natural meat. It is better to cook dishes from it without oil and hot spices, which provoke appetite.

4. Poultry is the best option for diet. Experts recommend buying sirloin or breast without skin. There are many options for preparing poultry meat, and if you eat it regularly, your body will receive valuable animal protein.

5. Fatty acids are also needed by the body during weight loss. Complete exclusion of fat from the menu is a big mistake when losing weight. Without fatty acids, it is impossible to absorb nutrients from food. Dress salads with a spoon of vegetable oil or lean sour cream.

6. Dairy products will be healthy due to their high protein content and low fat content. During the period of weight loss, dairy and fermented milk products should have a fat content of no more than 2.5%.

7. A few low-calorie sweets will not harm the weight loss process. We are talking about products such as marshmallows, marmalade, marshmallows. You shouldn't overuse these treats either. But you cannot completely deprive yourself of the pleasure of eating something tasty with tea - this will negatively affect your mood. And a positive attitude is the key to success. Nutritionists advise periodically eating a cube of dark chocolate, which contains many antioxidants, or a spoon.

Various experts recommend foods that are especially useful for burning fat deposits:

  • pineapple;
  • citrus fruit;
  • olives and olive oil (in small quantities);
  • green tea;
  • garlic, onion, mint, parsley, coriander;
  • low-fat fermented milk products;
  • hot pepper

Losing excess weight - deceiving hunger

Little tricks will help you deceive hunger, and over time they will become useful habits that will prevent you from eating too much.

  • Before a big feast, drink a glass of low-fat fermented milk drink. This will curb your desire to pounce on all the unimaginable dishes from the festive table.
  • At the beginning of your lunch meal, eat a cup of vegetable or chicken broth. By filling your stomach with it, you will not allow yourself to overeat at lunch.
  • Let there be no harmful or high-calorie food in your refrigerator. They'll tell you how to avoid gaining excess weight healthy products, artistically arranged in beautiful dishes. Instead of a bowl of sweets, place a plate with sliced ​​fruit on the table.
  • Instead of juice, it is better to eat fruit, as it contains fiber, which is necessary for normal digestion.

  • If you decide to fry meat or vegetables, use water instead of oil.
  • Those who like scrambled eggs in the morning can prepare it not from several eggs, but from one egg and 2-3 whites. Such a replacement will not affect the taste of the dish, and you will save yourself from fat, which is a lot in the yolk.
  • If you have a habit of snacking on chips or nuts during a movie, try eating sliced ​​fruits or vegetables instead.
  • Instead of high-calorie potatoes, add pieces of pumpkin to soups.
  • The end of summer is a great way to suppress your appetite while still getting plenty of fluids. We are talking about watermelon, which you can enjoy as often as you want.

Fitness instructors are also nutrition experts. After all, no amount of physical activity will lead to the desired result without a proper diet.

Many trainers see the problem of obesity not in overeating, as is commonly believed, but in the consumption of foods with high levels. By overeating healthy foods, you will not gain as much excess weight, and it will be easy to get rid of it. Abuse of foods with a high glycemic index forces glucose, which is in excess in the blood, to be stored in fat reserves. And sudden spikes in sugar in the body lead to reactive hypoglycemia, which makes you want to eat again. Excess weight is deposited very quickly during rapid changes in glucose levels.

Fitness instructors recommend regularly checking your blood sugar levels and monitoring the amount of glucose in your foods. If you feel sleepy after a meal, if you quickly have a thirst for another snack, and the desire for sweets is sometimes unbearable, then you should be more attentive to the glycemic level of the food you consume.

Here are some practical tips on how to lose excess weight.

  1. Eat little and often. Imagine your metabolism burning inside like fire. The more often you feed it, the smoother the metabolic flame will be.
  2. When you start working on your weight, don’t think that only at the end of this journey will you be worthy of your love. Love yourself now. Self-denial is a common reason why people can't handle the weight loss process and give up.
  3. While playing sports, meditate. Resort to affirmations - frequent repetitions of some useful statement within yourself. For example, “I will overcome everything.” This can be any positive phrase that sets you up for victory.
  4. Exercise under. A musical background can both increase your energy and work against you. For intense workouts, choose catchy compositions; for stretching and strength exercises, choose slow ones.
  5. Create a place where you note everything you ate and drank. This will help you track your nutrition and prevent overeating. Take photos periodically and compare photos and rejoice in your successes.
  6. Wear only clothes that you like. Having achieved some result, please yourself with a new wardrobe item. This will have a positive effect on your mood to continue practicing, and will also help you see the results of your work more clearly.

The video will tell you where to start playing sports as a beginner.

Excess weight - weight loss from a psychologist

  • View motivational photos. Attach a picture of slender or fit girls in a visible place. If you have a photo of yourself before you got those extra pounds, use it.
  • Don't be idle. Bored and not knowing what to do with ourselves, we often turn to food.
  • If you feel an irresistible urge to eat something out of schedule, convince yourself to have a snack after 20 minutes. Now find something to do that can successfully distract you from thinking about food.
  • Look carefully at yourself in the mirror. The more often you pay attention to the flaws of your figure, the more you want to get rid of them. But don't overdo it so as not to develop an inferiority complex. Better imagine how healthy and light you will feel when looking at your slim body in the future.
  • Determined to take care of your figure, find tight-fitting clothes in your wardrobe and try them on. After just a week, you will be able to see the first results from these clothes, which will become looser.

Common mistakes when losing weight

  • Enema procedure. In 1 session, it can reduce your weight by 1 kg or more. In fact, an enema cleanses only the intestines and has nothing to do with removing fat from the body.
  • Starvation. Not a single fasting diet has produced long-term results. In order to lose weight once and for all, you need to change your lifestyle and attitude towards food.
  • Laxative. This popular way to lose weight quickly only cleanses your intestines. And with long-term use, the drugs can slow down your metabolism, making weight loss even more difficult.
  • Diuretics. These are potent medications intended to treat diseases and in no case for weight loss. Even if you notice weight loss, it will be achieved through dehydration. Regular use of diuretics can cause kidney problems.
  • Fat burners. We are not talking about sports supplements that act during physical activity, but about dietary supplements that promise weight loss without effort. Such products do not allow fat or important vitamins to be absorbed into the body. The consequences of fat absorbers are very different, including the development of chronic diseases.

Possible causes of obesity

At first glance, the reason for obesity seems obvious: if you consume more calories than you burn in the process of life, you gain weight. But, as is often the case, the most obvious explanation is not always the most comprehensive.

Risk factors in the case of obesity can be: unfavorable genetic predisposition, socio-economic conditions, features (or disorders) of metabolic processes, and lifestyle can also play an important role. Some endocrine disorders, certain diseases and medications can also lead to severe weight gain and the beginning of the fight against obesity.

The most common causes of obesity

Genetics. Studies have shown that the predisposition to obesity is inherited. Your chances of being overweight increase by 25 percent if one or both of your parents are obese. Heredity also affects where fat accumulates most - on the hips or in the abdomen.

Metabolic disorders. We all spend energy differently. The course of metabolic processes and the functioning of hormonal secretions are individual for everyone, but these are one of the determining factors in the issue of gaining excess weight. Recent research demonstrates how levels of ghrelin, a peptide hormone known to regulate appetite, and other peptides, both create feelings of hunger in us and signal satiety.

Lifestyle – The habit of overeating combined with a sedentary lifestyle contributes to obesity. Everything can be changed by choosing one way of life or another. If you go on a diet where a higher percentage of your calories come from sugary, high-fat, refined foods, you are likely to gain weight. Because it's getting rarer modern families people manage to find time to calmly gather at the dinner table for a meal, people are looking for inexpensive ways to relieve hunger during the day, and most find a solution to the problem in such high-calorie and unnatural foods and drinks as fast food.
Add to this the lack of regular physical activity, and now an adult has a problem - it is difficult for him to start fighting obesity, maintain an optimal weight or lose extra pounds. For children, risk factors will be ways of spending time that do not consume energy, for example, sitting in front of the TV or at the computer.

Goal setting in the fight against obesity


The most important part of any program to combat obesity is proper goal setting. Yes, you can lose weight for pleasure public opinion or to keep up with fashion, but it may be more important to consider that losing just 5 to 10 percent of excess weight will have a significant positive impact on your overall health.


It's hard to find two people who are exactly alike, so it's important to come up with a weight loss plan that works for you. The question is whether it would be right for you to lose 0.5-1 kg per week or is it better to take your time and strive for 0.3 kg in the same period. At the same time, even a more gentle option for combating obesity means that in a year you lose about 11 kg, and if you stick to this course for more than three years, you will reach about 35-36 kg. No matter what anti-obesity program or obesity treatment plan you choose, not rushing will be more effective and healthier in the long run because rapid weight loss often results in rapid return of the lost pounds.

There are five main methods for treating obesity and weight problems: diet, exercise, lifestyle changes, non-surgical treatment and finally surgery.

Diet for obesity - effective programs to combat excess weight


Fad diets appear and disappear from the pages fashion magazines. Some of them, such as low-calorie, high-protein, or low-fat diets, may have the desired effect here and now, but they can also threaten your health in the long term. In fact, the most effective long-term weight loss programs rely heavily on the principle of limiting the number of calories consumed while increasing daily physical activity so that the body spends more than it receives and the fight against obesity is effective.

Fasting can lead to rapid weight loss, but both muscle mass and fat are lost. It makes sense to resort to so-called “liquid” diets, which can be followed only under the supervision of a doctor, for a short period of time, as a cleansing of toxins, for example. But you shouldn’t expect long-term results from them.

Fad diets that have not been labeled by doctors as posing an immediate threat to the body's health are still not a healthy solution to the problem of obesity. However, if you follow certain dietary recommendations, they can lead to weight loss and weight loss.

But in order to lose weight and, most importantly, maintain this result, instead of looking for another miracle “diet,” try to create an individual nutrition plan. An anti-obesity plan tailored to your personal eating habits will have a greater chance of not only being successful, but also providing lasting results. A balanced diet that limits caloric intake to 1,200 to 1,400 for women and 1,500 to 1,800 for men should do the trick. A professional nutritionist can help you create a personalized diet plan based on your specific situation.


Not all fats are bad. We know that polyunsaturated and monosaturated fats provide health benefits, such as helping to maintain a healthy cardiovascular system. That is, nuts, seeds and certain types of oils, such as olive, safflower and canola, deserve pride of place in your plan. healthy eating.

Opt for unrefined foods like brown rice and whole grain bread, and leave white rice and muffins on the counter. Whole grain foods will give you more nutrients and gut-healthy fiber. The body digests rougher, unprocessed, overly processed foods more slowly, which means they will not contribute to sudden spikes in insulin in the blood. This means that attacks of hunger and the ineradicable desire to “chew something again” will remain a thing of the past.

Make it a habit to include at least five servings of a variety of fruits and vegetables in your daily diet. This variety will provide your body with the full range of types of nutrients it needs.

When dining out, don't try to eat everything on your plate; ask the waiter to take away what you haven't eaten, and avoid ordering large portions. Often, portions in cafes or restaurants are too large for one person, so invite a friend to share a portion for two or order an appetizer instead of a main course.

Read labels when buying prepared foods at the supermarket. Please pay special attention on the number of servings contained in one container and the serving size. If the label says a serving is 150 calories and the package contains three servings, keep in mind that if you eat the entire contents of the container, you will be consuming as much as 450 calories.

Exercises to combat obesity


If you are obese, physical activity is vital because it will help you maintain and increase muscle mass while losing fat stores. And because muscle tissue requires a higher metabolic rate and burns calories faster, as long as you eat healthy foods according to a smart nutrition plan, exercise speeds up your weight loss process.

Exercise lowers blood pressure and can help prevent type 2 diabetes. An active lifestyle can also improve your emotional well-being, reduce your appetite, solve sleep problems, increase flexibility, and lower your blood cholesterol.

Walking is a great option for obese people. Walking should start off as a light activity, say 30 minutes a day a few times a week, and gradually increase to longer daily hikes.

Consult your physician before following any exercise program.


Most of us are accustomed to a sedentary lifestyle, and the transition to physical activity is associated with certain problems. To the office - by car, at work - sitting motionless at a desk. The habit of spending all your free time in front of the TV screen or at the computer can also contribute to the development of a sedentary lifestyle.

There are simple steps you can take to increase your daily activity levels. Remember, even the little things matter!

  • Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator.
  • Park your car at the far end of the parking lot and walk to the store or office.
  • Get off the bus one stop early on the way home if possible.
  • Turn off the TV or video games and go into the garden, grab a rake and tidy up leafy walkways or wash your car. Just take a walk and get some fresh air!
  • Find active ways to spend time that you and your whole family enjoy, such as tennis, roller skating or camping.
  • Simply by taking a critical look at your daily routine, you can find ways to schedule more time for physical activity each day beyond your mandatory fitness routine.
  • Perhaps your place of work is not conducive to maintaining excellent physical shape. However, there are positive changes that are easy to make part of your daily routine in any conditions:
    • Bring healthy snack options, such as sliced ​​fruits and vegetables, so you can always have them on hand when hunger strikes.
    • Avoid going to office parties and get-togethers on an empty stomach—plan ahead to avoid the temptation to binge on high-calorie treats like birthday cake and sweets.


If your own efforts to lose weight have been unsuccessful and/or if there are underlying health problems that are preventing you from losing weight, it is worth contacting your doctor. Possible treatment may include:

  • Drug treatment of obesity-related health problems.
  • Implementing certain changes to improve eating habits and increase activity levels.
  • Therapy to address any eating disorders (medication may also be required).


Surgery to treat obesity (bariatric surgery) is the only option available today that is effective in combating morbid obesity in people for whom more traditional measures such as diet, exercise and medications have not been effective. Potential candidates for surgery include:

  • People with a BMI over 40
  • Men who are 100 pounds (45 kg) over the recommended body weight, or women who are 80 pounds (36.2 kg) over the recommended body weight.
  • Persons with a BMI of 35-40 who have concomitant diseases, such as obesity-related type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, or cardiovascular disease.


All of the above methods of combating excess weight may not give good results if the root of the problem is eating disorders. In such cases, a slightly different technique is needed, which includes, first of all, psychotherapy under the guidance of a competent specialist.

Compulsive overeating has the same nature as bulimia - it is an eating disorder. However, if with bulimia a person artificially induces vomiting after eating or abuses laxatives to get rid of what he has eaten, this does not happen in this case. A person simply consumes an excessively large amount of food in a short period of time, “bingeing” negative emotions, stress and depression. Binge eating disorder (BED) is treated in the same way as bulimia and other eating disorders, with an emphasis on psychotherapy as a key component of successful treatment. Although there are many different techniques, it is always recommended to start by seeing an experienced therapist who specializes in treating eating disorders. Evaluation and drug treatment under the supervision of a specialist are also part of the standard approach to managing BED. A medical examination is carried out to identify possible problems health related to the underlying disease, and selection of the optimal treatment program.

Psychotherapy for compulsive overeating disorder


Psychotherapy is the most common treatment for eating disorders and, according to research, the most effective. Psychotherapy may take some time and require certain financial costs, but it will help not only solve the problem of painful overeating and, as a result, excess weight, but also improve emotional health and help improve the quality of life in general. The focus of psychotherapeutic treatment is to identify, treat, and prevent relapse of the underlying emotional and cognitive disturbances that led to the onset of the compulsive disorder.

Cognitive behavioral psychotherapy for obesity

This approach helps identify and correct dysfunctional thought patterns that trigger and perpetuate unhealthy food abuse. In other words, a person is helped to understand, identify and change his irrational thoughts (the “cognitive” part of consciousness), which, in turn, directly affect behavior (for example, encouraging healthy eating through proper goal setting, a reward system, etc.).

If you have an eating disorder, treatment will be given over a period of time with specific goals in mind. As with any other psychotherapy, sessions can be conducted either on an outpatient basis (once a week) or in a hospital setting.

CPT will help a person with compulsive overeating disorder to break the established pattern of unhealthy eating, adjust habits and learn to avoid situations that may trigger cravings for overeating. In parallel, therapy helps the patient find healthier ways to cope with stress.


Obesity is a chronic disease affecting an increasing number of children, adolescents and adults.

Experts are seeing the emergence of type 2 diabetes in more early age(usually affecting adults), as well as cardiovascular disease and obesity-related depressive disorders in children and adolescents. How longer person suffers from obesity, the more significant the risk factors associated with it become. Given the chronic diseases and conditions associated with excess body weight, and the fact that obesity is difficult to treat, prevention is extremely important.

The main reason why obesity prevention is especially important for children is that the likelihood of obesity after reaching a certain age in children with excess weight problems is expected to increase from 20% at age four to 80% at age four. adolescence.

Preventing obesity in infants

The longer babies are breastfed, the less likely they are to develop weight problems later in life. Breastfed children are 15-25% less likely to become obese. For those who are breastfed until six months of age or longer, the chance is 20-40% lower.


Young people usually suffer from overweight or even obesity for one simple reason - because they do not get enough physical activity and have bad eating habits. Genetic predisposition and lifestyle in general also contribute to the occurrence of such problems in a child.

There are several steps you can take to prevent overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence. (It will be useful not only for children, but also for adults!) Our recommendations include the following:

  • Gradually work to change family habits, including diet and activity levels. The focus should be on this and not on the scales. Change your habits, and your body will get rid of unnecessary ballast in the form of extra pounds.
  • Be a role model. Parents who eat well and lead an active lifestyle become a guide and role model for their children, which minimizes the likelihood of future weight problems.
  • Encourage physical activity. Children should get at least an hour of moderate physical activity every day. More than an hour will be good for weight loss and maintaining the achieved results.
  • Reduce your time sitting in front of the TV and computer to two hours a day.
  • Encourage children to eat only when they are truly hungry. Teach them to chew their food slowly without being distracted by the TV screen or book.
  • Avoid using favorite treats as rewards or punishments.
  • Keep skim or low-fat milk and fresh fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator instead of soft drinks and snacks high in sugar and fat.
  • Try to give children at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
  • Encourage children to drink water rather than high-sugar drinks such as soda, sports drinks, and fruit juice drinks.

Prevention of obesity in adults


Many strategies that lead to successful weight loss and maintenance are also effective for preventing obesity. Choosing healthier eating habits and wisely increasing daily physical activity play a vital role in preventing obesity. Among the things that can be taken with confidence now are the following steps:

  • Eat 5-6 servings of fruits and vegetables daily. One serving = one cup of raw vegetables or half a cup of cooked vegetables or vegetable juice. A serving of fruit is one cup of small to medium-sized fresh fruit, or one-half cup of canned fruit or fruit juice, or one-fourth cup of dried fruit.
  • Choose whole grain foods such as brown rice and whole wheat bread. Avoid overly processed foods made with refined white sugar, white flour and saturated fat.
  • Weigh and estimate the serving size to get an idea of ​​its size. For example, three ounces of meat (85 g) is a piece as thick as a deck of cards. Avoid extremely large portions on the menu, especially at fast food restaurants. You can only make good progress if you keep your portions within optimal sizes.
  • Keep track of your calorie intake Consuming more calories than you can burn in a day for energy will lead to weight gain.

Weigh yourself regularly!


Avoid foods with high “energy density,” that is, those that contain a large amount of calories in a small piece. For example, a large cheeseburger and a large portion of fries can add up to almost 1,000 calories and 30 or more grams of fat. By ordering a grilled chicken sandwich or a simple hamburger and a small salad with low-fat dressing, you can avoid mindlessly consuming hundreds of extra calories and cut down on unnecessary amounts of fat. For dessert, it is better to eat fruit or a piece of white sponge cake, rather than a tooth-aching chocolate cake or three slices of homemade pie.

Don't be afraid to work up a sweat: aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity several times a week, or preferably, every day of the week. For example, a 15-minute brisk walk or weeding in the garden.

Create opportunities for yourself during the day to take 10-15 minute breaks to burn off some extra calories. Let it be a walk down the halls or up and down a few flights of stairs at work. Don't forget that a drop wears away a stone!

We stopped eating and that was it! Well, where then do you get the energy for training? A deficiency of food calories automatically means a loss of strength, which means low, almost zero, training effectiveness.

No, fitness requires something completely different: “improving” everyday nutrition. No starvation! All you need to do is make small but fundamental changes to your diet. Together with training, they fundamentally change your figure.

8 Strategies for Losing Weight

1. Start with your head
The fact is that we all eat either because it is time to eat, or in response to an intuitive impulse. In both cases, food intake occurs unconsciously. We bring a fork to our mouth while chatting with friends, or unwrap a candy while thinking about something of our own, something else. Why be surprised by overeating? The secret to the success of women who managed to lose weight is this: they have mastered what is called “conscious eating.” Here is the main rule: first listen, then eat. It's about focusing completely on the taste of food, its smell and even its color, and listening to your stomach. Try it, and you will be surprised to feel how your stomach talks to you, giving signals audible only to you: I would probably eat another piece, but I don’t want this at all... Communicate with your stomach as with a living interlocutor. Did you get the candy? Just ask: do you want it? And listen to the answer. Exercise this way for a week and you will fundamentally change the nature of your diet. It turns out that your stomach doesn’t need most of the “snacks” at all, and at the table you will eat at least a third less.

Action plan
  • Don’t be lazy to understand your subjective feelings every time. Do you really need to refuel or are you craving a snack for company? Or maybe you poured yourself another cup of coffee simply out of inertia? Stop! There's two extra spoons of sugar in there!
  • Create a nutrition program for yourself personally. Taking into account your lifestyle, work schedule and training. For example, on the day of an evening workout, around 5 pm, you need to have a protein bar snack right at your desk. But on a rest day you don’t need to do this.

2. Divide and conquer
To lose weight, you need to at least have a general understanding of the biological mechanism for gaining excess weight. In this sense, the main hormone for you is insulin. After eating, the blood becomes dangerously sweet and thick. The pancreas secretes insulin, and it “cleanses” sugar from the blood. Part of the excess insulin is “delivered” into muscle cells, and the rest is converted into fat. If you do not exercise, then your muscles' need for “sweet” fuel is minimal. This means that almost all of the excess blood sugar will be converted into fat and deposited under the skin. It is important for you to remember the following. The more you eat, the more insulin will be released. Well, the greater the release of insulin, the more fat will be deposited. Overeating occurs when a person eats rarely, after 4-5 hours. This leads to an important conclusion: in order to reduce insulin secretion, you need to eat little and often.

Action plan
  • Don't skip meals!
  • Eat small meals five times a day, approximately every three hours.
  • Every meal should contain protein, complex carbohydrates and some healthy fats.
  • Watch your portion size. It should be the size of your palm - no more.

3. Winners always eat breakfast
Sports doctors have done a great job interviewing thousands of people who have lost weight. The survey showed that they all have the same thing in common.

  • Every day they have a hearty breakfast.
  • Follow a low-fat diet.
  • Weigh yourself weekly.
  • Get about an hour of physical activity a day.

If you have a good (and correct) breakfast, you won’t have time to get hungry by lunchtime and won’t eat too much. But the main thing is different. If you regularly skip breakfast, your metabolic processes will gradually slow down. The need for energy drops and the calories eaten are unnecessary. As a result, by the age of 30, you will have added 3 to 5 extra kg just from skipped breakfasts! Conversely, a regular and hearty breakfast, despite age, maintains a high metabolic rate even in old age. How to force yourself to eat in the morning if you don’t feel like it at all?
First: Have your last meal at 7-8 pm, no later. During sleep, digestion stops, so after dinner at midnight you will greet the morning with a full stomach. What a breakfast this is!
Second: go for a run in the morning. It happens that the stomach is empty, but simply did not have time to “wake up”. Just for this case, you need a jog, and then a cool shower and rubbing with a rough towel.

If you want to lose weight, never leave the house without a hearty breakfast! What's for breakfast? Only complex carbohydrates! Here is a classic example of a morning menu. Oatmeal cooked in water; it contains protein powder, a teaspoon of peanut (or any vegetable) oil, a little chopped fruit or berries. Plus a slice of whole grain bread and a cup of coffee without sugar. Plus a multivitamin capsule.

Action plan
  • Don't skip breakfast!
  • A “correct” breakfast will help you lose weight faster. The morning menu should include complex carbohydrates, proteins and fats.
  • If you really don't have time, quickly mix a couple of packets of “food substitute” (with skim milk, water or juice) in a mixer.

4. More fiber means a smaller waist.
You already know that fiber slows down the absorption of carbohydrates. Because of this, little insulin is released. But where can we get this very fiber in our age of refined foods? Nutritionists advise adding fiber to regular dishes. Have you cooked the rice? Add vegetables to it. In pharmacies you can find fiber powder. This can be added to a protein shake or oatmeal.

You should eat corn flakes at least once a day. Good option: salad made from ordinary fresh cabbage. In any case, when it comes to losing weight, fiber is your first friend. Always carry a small apple in your purse. There's a lot of fiber in there. Eat a fruit salad twice a day.

Action plan
  • Increasing your fiber intake is very simple - switch to whole grain products and add bran to your dishes when cooking. The benefits are obvious: you will feel full longer, there is less danger of overeating, and your intestines will work much better.
  • Replace refined carbohydrates (white bread, rice, soft pasta) with fiber-rich carbohydrates (porridge, whole grain bread, brown rice).

5. More water!
Without water there really is no life. Water plays vital role in digestion processes, regulating body temperature, lubricating joints, maintaining skin moisture and high muscle tone. Water supplies oxygen, glucose and nutrients to every cell of the body, and then removes harmful waste from there. If you drink too little, your body begins to store water for future use. The results are obvious: swelling under the eyes. In addition, due to lack of water, we begin to get tired faster than usual, suffer from constipation, suffer from brutal hunger... But it’s so simple - drink ordinary water!

When you are struggling with excess weight, water should be your number one fat burner. Recent research has found that water plays a key role in regulating metabolic rate. It turned out that dehydration slows down metabolism, and with it the “burning” of fat. In addition, the less you drink, the higher the concentration of sodium ions in the body. Well, sodium, as you know, retains water in tissues. As a result, you “swell” and become even fatter. For example, half a teaspoon of salt causes one and a half liters of water to be retained in the intestines. Your waist becomes wider by 2.5-4 cm!

Action plan
  • First, calculate how much water you need per day. To do this, multiply your weight in kg by 30 ml. For example, if you weigh 63 kg, you need to drink almost 2 liters of water per day. And this is about 9 glasses.

This is how you control the correct amount of water. You will have to run small every 2-3 hours. Urine should be clear or at least pale yellow. A rich yellow color indicates an acute lack of fluid.

6. Health has a color
Nature gave bright colors to vegetables and fruits for a reason. Biologically active substances of plant origin, the so-called phytochemicals, are responsible for the color of a tomato or lettuce. These are the same antioxidants, but much more powerful. They protect cell DNA from natural damage and thereby save cells from cancerous degeneration. In addition, antioxidants inhibit inflammation in the body. The bright color of many vegetables and fruits is a warning that inside them lies a powerful weapon against a variety of diseases. Colorful chemical pigments are what protect our genes, vision, heart, and what reduces the risk of developing cancer and other ailments. Experts recommend eating 5-9 servings of vegetables and fruits daily. However, statistics say that the average Russian receives only 2 servings per day. And about 10% of our fellow citizens do not eat any vegetables or fruits at all!

You can tell if you're eating right by the color of the contents in your refrigerator. If faded beige-white tones predominate, then your diet is low in phytochemicals and too high in calories. Color up your diet and you'll definitely lose a few extra pounds because vegetables and fruits contain far fewer calories than baked goods, muffins, pasta or potatoes. Take a closer look at your plate. Isn't there too much white and beige on her? If your typical still life is Olivier salad, deep-fried potatoes and a piece of fried pork in breadcrumbs, you need to radically change your diet!

Action plan
  • Choose more dark green, rich red, deep purple, bright orange and cheerful yellow plant foods. As a rule, they contain the most vitamins, minerals and protective herbal substances.
  • Substitute vegetables for traditional side dishes like pasta and potatoes. Serve fruit instead of baking.

7. Don't be afraid of fats
Complete refusal from fats is a fatal mistake. Fats are not only an essential component of the diet. They also help you lose weight! At first glance, such a statement seems completely meaningless. Meanwhile, not only excess fat in the diet is to blame for body fat, but also hormones, in particular insulin. Fats inhibit insulin secretion, and the less there is, the less fat you have on your sides.

But that's not all. The less fat you eat, the worse your fat metabolism goes. Simply put, fat burning slows down because the body no longer considers it a serious source of energy. And rightly so, because there is unacceptably little fat in the diet! However, fats are different. You need vegetable and omega-3 fats (from fish). But animal fats are prohibited. If animal fats increase blood pressure, blood cholesterol levels and significantly increase the risk of a heart attack, then vegetable fats and omega-3 fats are exactly the opposite.


Action plan

8. Drive away sadness - melancholy
Stress prevents you from losing weight. And this is a scientific fact. It happens like this: when the brain “registers” stress (no matter what it is caused by - a scandal with your husband or the heat outside), it sends an alarm signal to the adrenal glands (tiny hormonal glands on the tops of the kidneys), and they secrete the “stress” hormone cortisol. Formally, this hormone should increase your strength due to the additional energy received from “burning” muscle tissue. However, scientific studies have shown that it also provokes fat deposition in the waist area. This, in turn, increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, in order to prevent extra pounds and heart disease, it is very important to avoid stress. Such a wish seems impossible to fulfill. But only at first glance.

Any irritant has its own critical threshold, beyond which it becomes stressful for us. So, the more endorphins you have in your blood, the higher this threshold is, beyond which the secretion of cortisol begins. Endorphins are actively released during sports. So what do you think? Athletes really suffer much less from both heat and cold. Their everyday “stress resistance” is much higher than that of mere mortals. The second factor is growth hormone. The more it is, the lower the sensitivity to stress. Growth hormone is produced during sleep, including during the afternoon fiesta. That is why a conscientious night's rest and afternoon relaxation (as well as sports) can be called the main points of a weight loss program.

Action plan
  • Try to get at least eight hours of sleep a night.
  • Exercise more, but alternate intense workouts with rest days to allow tired muscles to recover. Otherwise, excess physical activity will become stressful in itself.
  • To prevent the monotony of fitness activities from turning into stress for your psyche, try new types of aerobic activity - sports dancing, tennis, badminton, cycling. At the same time, increase your endorphin levels!
  • Be sure to make time to sit quietly with a book, listen to music, or do something that calms you.

Which woman does not dream of an ideal figure? IN different eras standards perfect figure were different. Thus, during excavations in Austria, they found a firuka of Venus from Willendorf, the age of which was determined to be 20 thousand years BC. The figure of this woman is very far from the idea of ​​an ideal figure in the modern concept: she had huge breasts, hips and a stomach.

During the times of Ancient Egypt and Rome, sizes close to our modern ones were considered the standard of femininity and beauty. And this can be understood by looking at the sculptures and images of Aphrodite of Knidos, Nefertiti, Cleopatra. But later, during the Middle Ages, they completely forgot about the standards of female beauty. These times were considered “dark”; culture was dying out. The religions that existed at that time, including Christianity, did not welcome external beauty. It was only in the 13th century that attention was again paid to female beauty; in those days it was considered beautiful women small in stature, with small breasts and a fragile build.

Another century passed and the Renaissance began. And at this time, plump women again became the standard of female beauty. You will notice this if you look at the paintings painted by artists of this era. In their paintings you will not notice a single thin woman.

Already at the beginning of the 20th century, women with boyish shapes, thin, with small breasts became the standard of beauty. And this fashion has survived to this day. Nowadays, any girl, and women too, at all costs, try to bring their figure to 90-60-90. This is good because excess weight has always been and is an enemy of health. But everything is good in moderation, being very thin is bad, and obesity will not improve our health.

Today we will talk about obesity how it affects our health and whether we need to fight it overweight and how to do it?

Obesity is a condition in which an increase in body weight occurs due to the deposition of adipose tissue on the hips, abdomen, and mammary glands. A body mass index table, which can be found from an endocrinologist or even on the Internet, will help you find out whether you are obese.

Adipose tissue is not normally a simple fat depot. It has high metabolic activity. It continuously undergoes intensive metabolic processes, such as the synthesis and hydrolysis of lipids: the synthesis of fatty acids, including from carbohydrates, their esterification into triglycerides or neutral fat, its deposition and breakdown to form fatty acids, and the use of the latter for energy purposes. In a healthy person, the processes of lipogenesis and lipolysis are balanced.

There are 4 stages of obesity:

  • Stage 1 - excess weight up to 20%,
  • Stage 2 - excess weight from 20 to 50%,
  • Stage 3 - excess weight from 50 to 100%,
  • Stage 4 - excess weight more than 100%.

Causes of obesity

The causes of obesity can be systematic overeating, excessive and late dinners, a sedentary lifestyle, the predominance of carbohydrate foods in the diet, metabolic disorders, and lack of sleep.

Obesity can also be caused by:

  • diseases of the endocrine system: hypothyroidism (thyroid disease), hypogonadism (a disease caused by a deficiency of androgen hormones in the body);
  • a tendency to stress, which results in a psychological eating disorder; a person tries to eat away any stress.

Everything would be fine, but the most unpleasant thing is that increased weight and obesity can cause complications. The most common are atherosclerosis and hypertension, which have recently become frequent companions of obese people and, as a result, such people have a high risk of developing such serious complications as stroke or myocardial infarction.

Increased weight very often leads to type 2 diabetes mellitus, cholecystitis and the formation of gallstones, pancreatitis, fatty liver degeneration, and cancer. Obesity contributes to disruption of water-salt metabolism, resulting in complications such as deforming osteoarthritis, herniated intervertebral discs, and gout.

Recently, people with terminal obesity have been shown on television in various talk shows. But what brought them to this state? First of all, low physical activity and poor diet. If you are overweight, it is usually very difficult to exercise physical activity, thereby further aggravating your condition and causing even greater fat deposition.

How to reduce your weight

  1. The most important thing is to get up from your chair or sofa. Literally and do any physical exercise or work. To become Aphrodite, you need constant physical activity. This can be any housework. I recommend, for example, that you wash the floor the same way you did when there were no vacuum cleaners, bending over and holding a rag in your hand. No one canceled walks fresh air, running, swimming, fitness classes, dancing. The most important thing is to move as much as possible.
  2. Be moderate in your eating, try to eat every 3 hours, this dulls the feeling of hunger, eat more protein foods. Limit your intake of flour and sweet foods - they inhibit the breakdown of fats. Eat more vegetables and fruits rich in vitamins and fiber (cabbage, cucumbers, carrots, wheat bran, sprouted cereal seeds, etc.) Do not give up bitterness and spices, they regulate fat metabolism (mustard, coriander, horseradish, rib, spicy pepper). But at the same time, try to limit salt to 2 grams per day and do not forget to drink plain unboiled water up to 2-2.5 liters per day. To somehow reduce the feeling of hunger, drink water half an hour before meals, this way you will trick your stomach and eat less food.
  3. Gradually reduce the calorie content of meals to 1100-1400 kcal per day. This can be achieved not only by consuming low-calorie foods. You can allocate a small plate and spoon for yourself. A small plate holds less food, but with a small spoon you will eat longer and feel fuller faster. It has been proven that no matter how much food is put on a plate, in most cases the entire portion is always eaten.
  4. Salt baths (2 grams of salt per bath), sea, and mustard baths help normalize weight.
  5. There are plants that improve metabolism and promote weight loss: barberry, dandelion, cucumber, tansy, burdock, lingonberry leaves, celandine.

You can make the following collection: take 20 grams of corn silk, dandelion leaves, yarrow herb, sage, mint, chicory root or herb, buckthorn bark, parsley fruits, mix everything. Then pour 2 tablespoons of the collection into 0.5 liters of boiling water, leave, strain and drink half a glass 3 times a day 15 minutes before meals.

Reflexology

There are several biologically active points on the human body, massaging which can dull the feeling of hunger and reduce appetite. Try massaging the following points:

- At the junction of the earlobe and the jaw.

- If you place your index finger and middle finger at the top of the lower jaw near the ears, then when opening and closing your mouth, you will feel the place where the jaw moves under your fingers, grab a little nearby area of ​​skin that protrudes into the inner part of the ear, just above its lobe and massage for 3 minutes.

- Massage the point located between the upper lip and nose. Thumb place under upper lip, and the index finger is outside.

- Find the most voluminous part of the lower leg and massage it.

In his book Zone Therapy, author Joseph Corvo recommends massaging the fleshy (thickest) part of the palm to reduce appetite and control your weight. In addition, this massage promotes normal functioning of the thyroid gland and normalization of metabolism. Massage this area for 3 minutes, then gradually move up to the wrist, thereby further stimulating the pancreas, allowing you to regulate insulin production and normalize its level.

Follow these simple tips. And then, without any diets, you will know how to deal with your excess weight or obesity. And in conclusion, for those who want to lose at least a little weight, watch and do exercises with Laysan Utyasheva.

With wishes for good health Taisiya Filippova