Our nutrition tips for effective weight loss
Weight loss is primarily through food, but that does not mean that you have to deprive yourself of food! Here are our nutritional tips to help you achieve quiet weight loss with minimal frustration and visible results.
Weight management, calories and energy balance
What are calories?
A calorie is a unit used to measure the energy expended in nutrition. Often, the word calorie is used to refer to the nutritional value of food, but in fact, it is expressed in kilocalories (kcal). An entire article to learn all about calories is available on the site.
Calorie and energy balance
To maintain a stable, balanced weight, you must burn as many calories as you consume. If you burn more, you lose weight, because the body depends on its reserves to ensure its functioning. If you burn less, you gain weight because the body stores unused calories as fat.
An individual's caloric needs vary according to several criteria: age, gender, level of physical activity, height, amount of muscle, and more. To lose weight, it is believed that it is necessary to consume about 15% fewer calories than your actual energy needs. To do this, there are two methods available to you: Either reduce the amount of calories you eat at each meal, or increase your energy expenditure by increasing movement. Obviously, the ideal is to work on these two parameters at the same time!
What foods should you eat to lose pounds?
lean proteins
Protein is essential for maintaining muscle mass as part of the diet. However, you should not consume any type of protein if you want to benefit from the slimming process. It is preferable to switch to proteins of animal origin from white meat (mainly poultry), white fish, eggs, seafood or dairy products and vegetable proteins (legumes, oil fruits, whole grains, soy and its derivatives, seitan).
Protein consumption is essential for people who are physically active or exercise a lot.
all grains
Whole grains are also rich in fibre, vitamins and minerals, and are a source of complex carbohydrates that help maintain a steady level of energy throughout the day. They are ideal for avoiding fatigue and supplementing your vitamin intake. Make sure to avoid refined grains that don't have the same benefits to health or on the line.
Fruits and vegetables
Low in calories and rich in dietary fibre, fresh fruits and vegetables, raw or cooked, have many benefits as part of the diet. They fill you up faster than other foods, and above all, they are a source of healthy vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
In addition, they provide a large amount of hydration, which is an essential point for promoting the proper functioning of the body and eliminating toxins.
Dietary fiber has the beneficial effect of helping to regulate blood sugar, helping to prevent daytime food cravings and storing energy as fat. It also stimulates the elimination of fats and sugars, a true asset of the diet. At the same time, it improves intestinal transit and contributes to the balance of the gut microbiota, which is suspected to be involved in weight stabilization.
Should you be on a diet?
Whoever says diet, says dietary restrictions that, in general, chime in with frustration. In the long run, depriving yourself of this or that food or watching the composition of your meals at all times is detrimental to morale. It is often difficult to maintain the results of a weight loss diet.
On the other hand, after a few weeks, cracking is frequent. On the other hand, many diets rely on a temporary change in diet to induce rapid weight loss, without preparing for the end of the diet. By going back to your previous diet, you will then regain all the pounds that flew away and sometimes more! This is called the yo-yo effect.
To lose weight in a healthy way and stay slim, what is required is a profound change of your eating habits. By making sure to consume everything, and in reasonable quantities, you will maintain the pleasure of eating while losing weight gently.
The results will be slower than following a strict low-calorie diet, but they will last in the long run. In addition, it is the best way to stay healthy by not causing extreme changes in weight that are difficult for the body to adapt to.
What about intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting is not a diet. It is a way of eating that does not depend on the usual traditional meal times, morning/noon/evening. It consists of alternating phases of eating with one or more long fasting phases. In general, people who choose this way of eating fast from 12 to 4 pm.
Meals consumed during the eating period should remain as balanced as possible. Intermittent fasting is not a license to eat anything, but another way of looking at food! Offering so many health benefits, it should not be applied just to lose weight, but on the contrary to take advantage of its physiological benefits, in particular the better regulation of blood insulin.
Finally, here are some additional nutritional tips for weight loss
Hydrates to eliminate toxins, but also for the appetite suppressant effect of water at meal times.
Listen to your feelings: if you are hungry, you have to eat, but if you want a snack, try to resist the temptation.
Bet on eating foods rich in fiber.
Don't just reduce calories and increase your physical activity time.
Avoid processed foods that contain excess saturated fats and refined sugars.
Spread the calories out throughout the day to reduce the body's fat storage reaction.