Tips on how to best lose weight

introduction

People want to lose weight for a variety of reasons. Being very overweight can be detrimental to health in the long term; some have just a few pounds too much on their ribs and want to lose weight in order to feel good in their bodies. There are at least as many tips for losing weight as there are people who want to lose weight. But which strategy really helps? Losing weight is actually quite simple: you have to consume less energy (via food) than you consume or increase your calorie consumption through activity (such as sport). It is therefore far from easy.

The 10 best tips for losing weight

1. Eat less than you use. Your body goes to fat reserves when it receives less energy than it needs during the day. If there is a deficit between the amount you eat and the amount of calories you burn, you will lose weight.

2. Write down your meals. Make a note of the time and amount and in which situations you resort to unhealthy foods. Make a note of the amount of calories you eat each day.

3. Calculate your calorie needs. There are computers for this on the Internet. Fitness tools like wristbands can determine your daily calorie needs even more precisely.

4. The bigger your calorie deficit the faster you will lose weight. Make sure, however, that you consume all of the essential nutrients and that you can cope well with the deficit in everyday life. You should especially consume enough protein so that the body does not run out of valuable muscle mass. If you feel uncomfortable, you can reduce the deficit a little.

5. Replace juices, juice spritzers and soft drinks with calorie-free drinks. Drink between 2 and 3 liters of water a day, you can also use unsweetened teas and light drinks. Do not confuse thirst with hunger!

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6. Reach for foods that are low in calorie density for high volume. This includes many vegetables and types of salad. You can eat your fill of them without consuming too many calories.

7. Increase your calorie expenditure through more exercise. Long walks or climbing stairs instead of the elevator can bring more movement into everyday life. Find a sport that you enjoy and burn calories with fun. Strength training prevents muscle breakdown and at the same time forms a beautiful, lean and strong body.

8. Don't let a slip throw you off course. If one day doesn't go according to plan, attack again the next.

9. Celebrate small achievements. Take photos and measure regularly, don't pay too much attention to the weight on the scale. In the mirror you will see changes that will motivate you to stick with it. Reward yourself when you have achieved small intermediate goals, go shopping or go to the cinema.

10. Stay on the ball. Losing weight can be slow at times. It is important that you do not lose sight of your goal and that plateau phases and lows do not dissuade you from the path.

Also read our article: How can you boost fat burning?

What are the best diets to lose weight?

The strategy for successful weight loss is always the same: the amount of energy supplied must be less than the amount of energy used. Only then does the body go to the reserves and melt the fat pads. In the short term, a radical diet can be very successful - but it is much more important to find a diet that you can stick to in the long term and that does not restrict you in your own lifestyle. Nevertheless, the most important diet trends with which one can lose weight should be mentioned at this point.

1. Counting calories, counting points, mixed diets: In these diets, no food is generally prohibited as long as you stay in your daily calorie or point budget. This diet is very suitable because it can be adapted to any lifestyle, but it requires a lot of discipline and accuracy and allows only minor estimation errors.

   Read more on the subject at: Mixed diets

2. Low carb diets: Low carb diets rely on a low intake of carbohydrates, but a high content of proteins and healthy fats. The feeling of hunger is less due to the slow burning of energy, but many people suffer from symptoms of a carbohydrate deficiency. Food cravings and physical weakness can result. Even in a social context, diets in which carbohydrates are only allowed to a very limited extent can hardly be implemented.

   Read more on the subject at: Low Carb Diet, Crash Diet - How Effective is It?

3. FDH: Eat half. The meals and thus the calories consumed are reduced by half. See below for details.

4. Weekly programs: In the online area in particular, little or no personalized weekly programs are sold for a lot of money. The makers promise an enormous weight loss, which results from a strict nutrition plan, usually combined with an exercise program. As long as the specifications are adhered to, great success can be achieved. However, many people fail to maintain their weight after completing the program. The reason is that stubborn adherence to guidelines means that you don't deal with the topic of nutrition very much and there is practically no learning effect. For many people, such a program can be a great incentive to deal with a healthy lifestyle. However, they do not give a lifelong guarantee for a slim body.

Read more on the topic: BCM diet

1. Eating intuitively: Our body actually knows best what it needs. Intuitive eating is about following the needs of the body. Unfortunately, over the decades we have forgotten to pay attention to the signals he is giving us. Thirst is confused with hunger, nutritional deficiencies are expressed by cravings. We are also manipulated through advertising and marketing. If you want to lose weight through intuitive eating, you should definitely seek feedback, such as by counting calories in parallel. Usually we underestimate the energy content of food.

Read more on the subject at: diet

Lose weight through exercise

Exercise is not a must to lose weight, but it can bring some benefits. Because sport as well as sufficient Movement in everyday life increases energy expenditure of the body, i.e. the calories it consumes each day. In this way you can achieve or increase a deficit in calorie intake and consumption. When choosing the sport is important that one the right thing for you personally finds. If you are very overweight, you have to discuss with your doctor which kind of sport is safe for your joints. This includes swimming, for example. Other endurance sports such as running, jogging and cycling can also support the loss.

This has an additional advantage Strength training, the targeted strengthening of muscles: It burns calories and stimulates the muscle at the same time. A muscle breakdown due to a calorie deficit is prevented. In addition, muscles burn a significant amount of energy even when at rest and the overall metabolism of the body increases. If you want to lose weight in the long term and have a slim, firm and well-shaped body, you should not do without exercise.

Lose weight through a change in diet

If you want to lose weight, there is no avoiding a change in diet. Obesity ultimately results from the fact that you have supplied energy in the form of food in excess of the body's actual energy consumption, which the body then stores in the form of fat for "bad" times. In order to implement a diet change successfully and in the long term, you should find a diet that suits you. Forbidding yourself to do things that you like, such as chocolate or pizza, can backfire and you suffer from food cravings in which you eat everything you can find.

Read more about this under Lose weight by changing your diet

An important step in changing your diet can be to become aware of your own eating habits. To do this, you should keep an eating diary for a few days and write down everything you eat. Here you often discover small adjusting screws that you can turn. For example, do you eat a lot on the side? If you are thirsty, do you use juices or soft drinks instead of water? Do you eat in front of the television in the evening without consciously enjoying the food? Even small changes in daily eating behavior can lead to weight loss in the long term.

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Ultimately, the decisive factor is how high the energy content is that is consumed through food. If you want to lose weight in a healthy and long-term way, you can hardly avoid changing your diet. However, you don't have to change your entire lifestyle because as long as you stay below your daily consumption, you can fill your available calorie budget with whatever you want. However, you will quickly find that some foods, such as vegetables or healthy proteins, are more satiating than the same amount of carbohydrates or fats.

A particularly well-suited diet, in which one tries to eat like people in the Stone Age and avoid industrially produced foods and dairy products, is the Paleo diet. Because that's how you lose weight in the long term thanks to a healthy diet without going hungry.

The automobile diet follows the idea of ​​food combining diets. The principle here is to separate high-fat and high-carbohydrate meals. Accordingly, carbohydrates should be consumed in the morning and at noon, and in the evening the focus is on protein-rich foods.

Calorie counting can provide very precise control over what you eat during the day. There are also a variety of apps for the cell phone as well as books that make it easier for you to note down the food. It takes little time and you can quickly see which foods are more substantial than others. It is important to be as accurate as possible when counting calories. A kitchen scale is almost indispensable in order not to incorrectly estimate the weight of the food.

Read more on the subject at: calorie-conscious nutrition, diet, metabolic diet

More weight loss tips

Drink plenty of water

Our body consists largely of water. Water is essential for our survival. In many places, people who want to lose weight are advised to drink plenty of water. Usually you assume about 2 to 3 liters a day, with high physical activity or outside temperature even more. Thirst is a signal that the body only sends out when there is already an insufficient supply. Many people even mistakenly interpret it as hunger.

Drinking a large glass of water can satisfy the supposed feeling of hunger. If you also use water instead of juices or soft drinks, you can save a lot of calories here. Drinking a lot of water can support the weight loss, provided you stay below your daily energy consumption.

Can you also lose weight with slimming drops without having to go hungry? Read our article on this: Gracia® slimming drops

Leave out carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are multiple sugars that can provide the human body with quick energy. With 7 kcal per 1 g, they have just as much energy as the same amount of protein. In contrast to proteins, carbohydrates are not essential food components, which means that they are not absolutely necessary in the diet. Skipping carbohydrates from different meals can have a big impact on the total amount of calories you eat.

A low-carbohydrate diet, a so-called low-carb diet, leads to rapid weight loss at the beginning of a diet and can also achieve long-term success. Most of the weight that is initially lost, however, is not fat. This is water that is withdrawn from the body when the sugar stores (Glycogen stores) are no longer replenished by the muscles and liver. Due to the calorie deficit, a low-carbohydrate diet also leads to weight loss through the melting of fat reserves. So, for many people, the strategy of cutting out carbohydrates works. Of course, care should be taken to ensure that the rest of the food does not add more energy in the form of fat, proteins and alcohol.

To lose weight, the balance of consumption and intake must be negative. A reduction in carbohydrates can also have significant side effects for some people. Headaches, dizziness, exhaustion and tiredness are possible consequences of sugar withdrawal. Circulatory problems can occur especially when exercising. It is advisable to reduce the carbohydrates gradually, initially in just one meal. Whether this happens at noon or in the evening is irrelevant. Fat is broken down if you stay below consumption.

Whether a low carb diet fits your lifestyle needs to be carefully considered. Switching to whole grain products can often be helpful, because they keep you feeling full longer and avoid blood sugar peaks that lead to a subsequent drop in performance.

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FDH

The concept of FDH is simple. Eat half! That is exactly the approach with this diet. You should just eat half of what you otherwise eat. A Halving your calorie intake So brings a calorie deficit with it, which leads to a decrease in the long term. Before you start this diet you have to take a close look at your eating habits. The second step is to halve your portions.

For very overweight people who have previously consumed a significant excess of calories, this can be a thoroughly successful method. Otherwise you should make sure you get enough nutrients so as not to endanger health. Those who do not change their diet and only try to eat half of it will quickly find that they are hungry. Here you should consider changing your diet, which includes many filling proteins and vegetables with low calorie density.

Don't go shopping hungry

Those who go shopping hungry may reach for foods that stand in the way of successful acceptance or at least make it difficult. Supermarkets are designed to instill certain consumer behavior in the buyer. Chocolate or sweets impress in attractive colors and packaging and lie close to the cash register, so that they end up in the shopping cart in a moment of weak will. If you want to make healthy decisions in the supermarket, you shouldn't go shopping hungry and, above all, be prepared: It is best to note in advance what should end up in the car when shopping. This prevents impulse purchases and allows you to plan your diet for the week in advance.

Refrain from alcohol

Alcohol has about 9 kcal per 1 g. So it belongs to the Front runners among the energy sources and is even above the fat with 7 kcal.White wine, for example, has 72 calories per 100 ml, beer about 40 kcal. Those who consume alcohol regularly and thus exceed their daily energy requirements can save a lot of calories by doing without. Alcohol is also broken down by the body with special priority, which means that in the breakdown phase of alcohol, fat burning takes a back seat.

For many people, however, alcohol is part of their social life and does not necessarily have to stand in the way of losing weight. You should choose varieties that contain fewer calories, such as dry white wine or wine spritzers. Alcohol-free beer can also be an alternative. However, avoiding alcohol and other high-calorie drinks can be a sensible measure, especially since these foods do not necessarily fill you up. Refraining from alcohol is also to be recommended for health reasons.

Swelling substances

Are swelling substances herbal or synthetic ingredientsthat can be added to food. This is indigestible fiber, that is, they are excreted from the body undigested. They also absorb a lot of water. In a diet they can be the ones you want Bring saturation effect which is often missing with a reduced calorie intake. They also ensure a delayed absorption of glucose and a slower rise in blood sugar levels, which Prevents cravings.

So bulking agents can support a diet sensibly. They are found in many natural products, including psyllium, flaxseed, lentils, beans, whole grains, and fruits like apples, plums, and bananas. It is important that the dietary fiber can only fulfill its effect if sufficient fluids are consumed. In addition to their digestive effects, bulking agents can also increased gas and stomach cramps to lead. The German Nutrition Society recommends an intake of 30g of dietary fiber per day. In addition, swelling substances can also be taken in the form of capsules or granules from the pharmacy or drugstore.

How can I avoid the yo-yo effect?

The yo-yo effect haunts the weight-loss world as a bugbear. He describes an apparently inevitable consequence that occurs after the diet phase: That lost weight is put back on and sometimes even more is added. In fact, many strict dieters report these consequences. The cause is usually that absurd lifestyles are followed in diets that can often no longer be maintained in everyday life. Many people fall back into old patterns after a diet and simply eat beyond their daily needs. An increase is inevitable.

Many diets are also aimed at short-term, major weight loss. This overlooks the fact that most of the weight lost is water. If the glycogen stores of the liver and muscles are replenished after a diet with normal eating behavior, a certain amount of water is automatically stored by the body. This is often rated as an "increase". If there is an actual loss of body fat as a result of a long-term reduction in calorie intake, the body also needs less energy overall than before. There is simply less mass to be heated.

In order not to gain weight again after a diet, it is important not to eat beyond its actual energy requirementsn. The body stores any additional energy in the form of fat reserves. The yo-yo effect is simply a myth that stubbornly persists. If you do not eat more than you actually need after a diet, you will not gain weight.