Anyone who's been on a diet until the bitter end knows that underlying excess weight has an unpleasant tendency to rebound—typically, less than 13 percent of people who successfully lose weight gain it back within a year.
Why do people gain weight after losing weight?
The main reason for weight regain is that people who lose weight do not believe that they need to continue to reduce the number of calories in their diet.Many people just look forward to the last day of the diet and pounce on food immediately, so that the 4-5 kilograms they lost will soon come back.Virtually any diet will allow you to lose a little weight initially because you are consuming fewer calories.
However, this occurs due to losses of water and glycogen, which are then easily restored.This phenomenon is called weight regain, where you subsequently gain more weight than you lose.When weight is lost rapidly, a person's appetite increases as the body's stress response to dietary restrictions.
A limited, single-ingredient, unbalanced diet can put real stress on the body, both on a physical and psychological level, because for many people prone to obesity, food is a favorite way to avoid problems, and the diet denies them this opportunity.
Any diet creates a connection between the body's hormone levels, neurotransmitters, and the subtle structure of the brain.Therefore, panic about gaining weight by eating one more piece, prohibiting oneself from favorite foods, ignoring the natural cycle of "hunger-nutrition-satisfaction", leads to a person no longer understanding when he is full, the perception of food changes, that is, the opposite effect occurs: food deprivation in the form of a strong need for food.
Many people who try to lose weight through dieting and fasting are faced with the fact that that last kilogram on the plan won't actually disappear with any effort.This is called "standing point" - the result of slowing your metabolism for more economical calorie consumption.The roots of the problem can be traced back to our cavernous past, when, due to constant food shortages, only those who accumulated fat during periods of satiation could survive the years of hunger.From that point on, our genetic memory interprets food restriction as a signal to use up fat "reserves" more economically.Only 10% of lucky people successfully cope with the problem of weight maintenance after dieting to lose weight.For others, longer weight loss sessions than a "weekly plan" are needed to achieve lasting results.
Important!Doctors prove that repeated cycles of weight loss and weight gain can have a negative impact on the state of the cardiovascular system, triggering strokes, diabetes, gallstones and kidney stones, gout and immune disorders, which means that no matter how hard nutritionists try, the diet cannot be considered an absolutely reliable and safe way to lose weight without gaining weight.
How to lose weight and stop gaining weight
So the main question for anyone prone to obesity is: how to lose weight long-term without letting the excess weight settle back into the belly, waist, or hips.According to doctors, the most important way to prevent a return to previous levels (or even gain) is not to be tempted by crash diets that promise to lose 5-7 kg in a week.
You should focus on choosing healthy foods (according to the Proper Nutrition System - Proper Nutrition), prefer homemade meals to store-bought semi-finished products, and gradually reduce the number of calories in your diet.In the initial phase, it is recommended to eat your usual food but in smaller portions.
In order to maintain the additional psychological stimulation of losing weight, it is necessary to weigh yourself regularly and record the results.Nutritionists believe this method is more effective than keeping a "food diary" and counting calories.Psychological support from the environment is very important because it is much more supportive during the active weight loss phase than during the phase of trying to stay slim and light.
Since any diet causes an overall slowdown in metabolism, exiting it is a very important period that will determine further eating behavior and the likelihood of not gaining weight after losing weight.During this phase, normal metabolism is returning, so it is now easiest to establish new eating patterns and consolidate the weight achieved.
For those who decide to follow this advice, nutritionists and psychologists offer the following advice:
- Fall in love with your newfound slim figure and make it a permanent part of your new life and stop thinking of yourself as a fat, awkward person;
- Be careful about what you put into your mouth and avoid excess (sometimes "delicious but harmful" things are allowed);
- Let your body slowly adapt to smaller, more balanced meals using the simple "split plate rule", where half of your plate is plant-based and the other quarter is divided between carbs and protein, and you can eat a little bit of everything;
- Make every meal a mini-vacation, without being interrupted by rushes, reading, or watching TV—such conditions will unknowingly bring you closer to the moment of fullness;
- It is recommended to gradually abandon canned, frozen and fried foods in favor of baking, steaming or grilling;
- For those wondering how to lose weight without gaining it back, the ideal portion size should be about the size of your palm, and a handful of side dishes;
- Alcohol consumption must be kept to a minimum; absolute sobriety is not necessary, but it should be remembered that strong drinks greatly increase appetite;
- It is best not to go to shops and restaurants/cafés hungry to avoid giving in to the temptation to buy or eat more.
Additional Information.It is not advisable to eat large amounts of exotic vegetables and fruits (food in general) - they disrupt normal metabolism.
Develop new living habits
Changing your lifestyle habits is hard work on your part, but the results are worth it, not just in the ability to maintain the weight you lose, but in the overall improvement in your quality of life.
Almost the most important condition for maintaining your ideal weight for a long time is physical activity.This component of weight loss is often forgotten.However, this new lifestyle is extremely important for consolidating a slim figure and new food metabolism.It doesn’t have to be a gym or sports area, the most important thing is regular and sufficient (maximum 5 hours per week) physical activity: brisk walking, jogging, cycling, roller skating, swimming.
Notice!After you start exercising regularly, you can gain 0.5-1kg. This is not fat, but muscle.Develop healthy habits for an active lifestyle by gradually ditching minibuses in favor of walking, ignoring lifts, and replacing coffee breaks with drinking water.
Another good habit that will last a lifetime with due diligence is to reduce portion sizes and switch to healthier foods rather than going back to your "pre-diet" diet.
Regular consumption of vitamins should also become a habit because when there is a lack of vitamins in the body, metabolism is disturbed.
A correctly chosen diet will help you lose excess weight, but the question always arises: how to maintain the weight after losing weight, how to stay slim and stop gaining weight.It is necessary to develop a reasonable long-term optimal nutrition plan to promote health and longevity.