Nutrition and weight loss

Recent studies tend to give more and more blame for the problems of overweight genetic inheritance, however, genes should not always be charged the extra fat. If your mother spoiled you- or if she allowed you to be spoiled when you were children, if she was a frightened mother, who believed that all problems are solved by food, if she consoled you with sweets, she helped to install several billions of adipocytes (fat cells). These cells multiply faster in the first year of life and into adolescence, especially under the influence of a high calorie diet rich in carbohydrates.

In most cases, the extra pounds are caused by a bad nutrition. Even if you think you are not eating much.

Diet and supplements

Your diet should provide the necessary macronutrients besides (proteins, carbohydrates, lipids) and micronutrients and trace elements necessary for your body (vitamins, minerals, enzymes, bioflavonoids, etc.)..
Caution! A strict diet or starvation are not bringing you all this!

One quick example: without a sufficient intake of antioxidants (vitamin C and E mainly) free radicals from various metabolic processes that occur at a higher intensity can be very harmful to your body.

You need to reduce calories. Everything must be done progressively. A sure way to failure is trying to sharply reduce the number of calories consumed.

But what you should cut off?

1. Unhealthy fats. Beware of hidden fats in meat or pastries, fat milk, margarine (use butter instead of margarine if necessary, margarine is an unnatural product, toxic to your body), fast food products (chicken mc’nuggets contain a huge fat and carbohydrates amount, and are not actually meat, they are a mixture which contains meat, soy, additives and fat), etc.. Fats should be eaten as much as possible from natural sources (olive instead of olive oil, for example) and thermal uncooked (raw, not roasted).

Pay attention to sharply reducing the fats from your diet also, which is again an illogical and dangerous practice. You need to know how to choose healthy fats. There are fats as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) that actually help you to burn fat. This helps your body to absorb fats and transport fat soluble vitamins, A, D, E, K.

A very low fat consumption may lead to high cholesterol to men and a diminished secretion of testosterone.
Some supplements like chitosan (or drugs Xenical and Alli type) and thus reduce fat absorption of vitamins, avoid taking this type of “fat-blockers” with vitamins and minerals.

2. Carbohydrates with high glycemic index – Confectionery, sweets, cakes, candy, soft drinks, white bread, rice, potatoes, even natural fruit juices (because they have to slow the absorption of fiber carbohydrate their blood level rises too fast and is likely to deposit as fat).

Be careful with artificially sweetened products. Sometimes artificial sweeteners may be more harmful than sugar itself.

In contrast, proteins in your diet should be kept at a medium level, avoiding both excess and lack of protein. Why?

- help muscles growth
- burn more calories in digestion,
- provides a longer feeling of fullness
- is less likely to be deposited as fat.

Proteins could be dangerous?

Proteins are safe if you’re healthy, but they are dangerous if you’re ill. It is therefore very important that before starting any diet or exercise program to consult your doctor about the regime you want to follow and make your analysis more comprehensive.

How many times to eat a day?

To keep metabolism high and to keep control of hunger and fat deposition, at least 4 meals a day are necessary.

Your body has many mechanisms of control, it detects when there are excess nutrients in your blood (after a meal) and turns them into fat and fat is deposited in the most unsightly places. If it has a steady flow of nutrients (obtained by frequent small meals) it will use for tissue repair and energy production.

Last meal of the day should not be one hour earlier than your bed time as recommended by some experts, just avoid excess carbohydrates in this meal and foods with fast absorption.

Food tips:

Learn to count your foods and supplements calories and keep a journal, it will help you track your food habits and correct them if needed.
Buy only foods that you know are healthy and useful in your diet ( read food labels every time ! ), because if you don’t have them reach to you, the temptation will be lower.

Choose food in natural form, thermal unprocessed. Avoid canned vegetables, white flour, pastries, fried meats. Try to eat as many vegetables, legumes (peas, beans, chickpeas, lentils), nuts, seeds (sources of essential fats and fiber).