Today, we resort to dieting to get rid of our excess weight and reach our target weight.
However, these diets that we unconsciously apply can also cause problems such as not being able to lose weight, regaining the lost weight, and losing weight in an unhealthy way.
There are some points that we should pay attention to for a healthy weight loss.
With a few important items that we will pay attention to during the diet process, it will be more accurate to not risk our health and to achieve a permanent weight loss.
Table of Contents
Things To Consider While Dieting
Behavior Change Must Be Won
Each unsuccessful dieting process increases the body’s resistance to weight loss and reduces the chances of success in the next diet attempt. For this reason, when it is decided to lose weight, it is necessary to achieve it at once and choose a method that will preserve the lost weight. Everything that is done for treatment should actually be based on changing the lifestyle. At this stage, behavior modification therapy becomes important. Irregular nutrition, irregular sleep and lack of physical activity facilitate the progression of weight gain and obesity. First of all, the person should stop these habits.
Studies show that in people who lose weight with the support of a professional specialist, continuing treatment has positive effects on psychopathology, eating attitudes, treatment motivations and perception of social support.
Adequate And Balanced Food Consumption Should Be Provided
Adequate and balanced food consumption is an important factor affecting our health. As a result of insufficient intake of nutrients in the body, we invite many diseases. When we eat only vegetables, we do not have a healthy diet. It is inevitable to see vitamin and mineral deficiency as a result of diet programs based on such a single type of food consumption. When we look at it in terms of weight loss, one type of diet may perhaps promise you the weight loss you want in a short time. However, let’s not forget that the weight lost with these diets will be regained in a short time. The reason for weight loss in a short time is that the diet we apply creates a shock effect on our body, causing water and muscle loss instead of fat loss. If the weight we lose is muscle-dense, we may not be able to achieve the physical appearance we want, even if our weight decreases. As a result of this situation, we may face regional lubrication and sagging.
Diet Is Personalized
On the other hand, each individual has a unique daily energy need. Therefore, the nutrition program should be specific to the individual. We cannot know whether the diet program that the individual applies himself is sufficient or more / less for himself. In order to lose weight, the energy taken must be less than the energy consumed daily. The energy we spend daily can vary according to many factors. For this reason, the daily energy expenditure should be calculated correctly and the amount of calories to be taken should be created according to this calculation. The amount of calories we determine ourselves may be insufficient for us. In this case, our metabolic rate may slow down
Care Should Be Taken Not To Skip Meals
Our body basically needs 3 main meals as breakfast, lunch and dinner. According to our lifestyle, we need to add snacks in addition to these 3 main meals. Since the prepared diet programs are planned on less frequent nutrition, individuals who follow a diet will not experience starvation. For example, if the person is not hungry in the snack between lunch and dinner, he may show the behavior of skipping meals with the thought of “I ate less”. However, this behavior negatively affects the weight loss process. This behavior can lead to digestive problems as a result of hormonal disorders in our body. On the other hand, it slows down our metabolism. When we take a lot of food into the body at once and stay hungry for a long time, our metabolism works as slowly as possible by protecting itself. In other words, long intervals of feeding will slow down the metabolism. For this reason, it is of great importance for individuals who want to lose weight to have adequate nutrition at frequent intervals without skipping meals.
Sufficient Water Should Be Consumed
On average, 55-75% of an individual’s body weight is water. Water has many effects on the human body. It has important tasks such as balancing body temperature, digestion and absorption of nutrients, and removal of toxins from the body. For this reason, the person should consume an average of 2.5-3 liters of water per day. We can also understand adequate water consumption by urine color control. Dark urine is an indication of insufficient water consumption. Light yellow urine color indicates that we have sufficient water consumption.
When taken before and after meals, at least 2.5-3 liters of fluid should be consumed daily because of its role in increasing stomach fullness and excretion of metabolic wastes. Drinking water is very important in preventing constipation. Constipation negatively affects the individual’s weight loss. For liquid consumption, ready-made fruit juices with added sugar and carbonated drinks, etc. should be avoided.
Fibre-rich Foods Should Be Included In The Diet
We should include fibrous foods such as peas, chickpeas, broccoli, corn, apples in our diet. Fibrous foods delay gastric emptying by increasing the density of stomach contents due to their water-absorbing properties. This increases the feeling of satiety. This will help a lot in the weight loss process. On the other hand, fibrous foods also affect intestinal health positively and regulate the intestines. Thanks to this feature of fiber foods, a positive effect is seen against constipation. Corn, wheat, oats are foods high in fiber content. The balanced distribution and consumption of these foods to meals will also help meet our daily fiber needs. However, most processed foods are low in fiber. Due to this and the many negative effects of processed foods on health, staying away from processed foods will contribute to our health in a positive way.
Physical Activity Should Be Included
In addition to the changes that individuals will make in their own eating habits, physical activities that they will do regularly will help individuals who want to lose weight. Individuals who regularly add physical activities to their daily lives lead a healthier and happier life compared to other individuals. It will also speed up their metabolism and help them lose weight. Studies show that people who do physical activity do not skip main meals.
Do Not Take Medication Unless You Are Overweight
Some people take the easy way to get rid of their extra weight and take weight loss drugs. However, this situation is not very safe without a doctor’s advice. One of the weight loss drugs frequently used in the United States is the drugs containing acxion (phentermine). This drug causes your appetite to decrease after it affects certain parts of the brain. Its use is considered safe only when recommended by a doctor. Using such drugs will not be good for your health unless the doctor recommends it.
