The "heroin chic" of the 90's gave way to a fashion for a healthy lifestyle and sports. If a few decades ago a model's thinness was enough to be considered a beauty, then the modern standard is a fit and athletic figure. Regular workoutshowever, in the gym requires time, which not every woman has. Yes, and strict diets promising a loss of 10 kilograms per month are by no means a panacea. But how to lose weight without dieting and exercising? Do not believe those who say, it's impossible, maybe if you approach weight normalization judiciously.
How to calculate your body mass index and why you need it
If you are looking for a way to lose weight without dieting, the first thing you should do is calculate your own BMI - Body Mass Index. This is necessary in order to objectively assess the weight and figure and correctly set the goal. Without a BMI, the desire to lose weight will be vague, vague because you won't know your optimal weight.
Body mass index is a conditional value created by doctors to assess human weight. It is the relationship between body weight and height. Calculate it using the formula: weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. Example: You are 170 cm tall, that is 1. 7 m, so we multiply 1. 7 by 1. 7 and get 2. 89 m squared. Let's say your current weight is 75 kg. So to calculate BMI you need to divide 75 by 2. 89. It turns out 25, 95. This is your body mass index.
We compare this number with the interpretation of the World Health Organization. Please note that there may be other ways of interpreting BMI on the web, but these are questionable. Focus on the WHO assessment:
- 16 and less - a significant lack of mass;
- 16-18, 5 - insufficient body weight;
- 18. 5-25 - the norm;
- 25-30 - overweight;
- 30-35 - the first degree of obesity;
- 35-40 - the second degree of obesity;
- 40 and above - severe obesity.
So 25. 95 is the lower threshold for "overweight". That means you don't have to lose that much from the norm: 5 kg. If you lose 10 kg, the weight is still within the medical norm. Therefore, you can take aset such a goal.
But what if your BMI is already in the 20-22 range? That means you almost certainly shouldn't lose weight at all. Of course, the body mass index does not take into account the features of the complexion, you may not have enough muscle tissue or light bones. However, if after losing weight your BMI is below normal, it is better not to risk your health and not to chase thinness. If at the same time you are dissatisfied with your figure, then perhaps the reason is not the weight, but the need to strengthen muscles.
If you have a BMI of 30 or more, you should definitely consult an endocrinologist before losing weight. Because there is a high probability that you will need medical help to normalize your weight.
This must not be forgotten
- Do not use automatic BMI calculators, calculate the index yourself. Some calculators intentionally inflate the results in order to force you to buy goods and services offered on the same website.
- Remember that BMI is an approximate value, the index does not take into account many parameters such as facial features, skeletal weight, even gender and age. Therefore, take BMI as a guide, but not as the ultimate truth.
- For a more accurate assessment of your condition, use a special device to determine the percentage of adipose tissue in the body. This indicator gives a more accurate idea of how many kilograms you need to lose weight and whether you need to lose weight at all. Because 75 kg of muscle is by no means the same as 75 kg of fat tissue.
reasons for weight gain
To determine how to lose weight without dieting, you need to understand the causes of weight gain. It's one thing to eat a whole chocolate cake every night before bed. It's a different story if you suffer from endocrine disorders, lead a sedentary lifestyle and regularly get insufficient sleep. So what are the reasons for weight gain?
- Unbalanced diet. The only way to get an objective picture of your diet is to write down what and when you eat. Sounds boring, but otherwise your opinion of your own diet is not objective. You may feel like you're not eating much, but in practice you lose sight of the many snacks or high-calorie alcohol. Therefore, keep a food journal for a week or two, then re-read it and assess how healthy your diet is.
- Eating disorder. Keeping a food journal can also help identify this problem, but eating disorders are a serious medical problem that you cannot deal with on your own. You need the help of an endocrinologist and a psychotherapist who specializes in eating disorders. Symptoms of the disorder may include feeling guilty after eating, eating without feeling hungry, strict dieting with "breakdowns", discomfort when having to eat with others, and so on.
- Sedentary lifestyle. Maybe your diet is fine, but you don't exercise enough. Special applications or a regular pedometer in your smartphone help you to evaluate your own activity over the course of the day.
- Regular lack of sleep and chronic stress. Unfortunately, lack of sleep can be the cause of many health problems, indirectly even an impetus for the development of diabetes. In addition, when the body is exhausted from lack of sleep, it uses food as an additional source of energy, so you eat more.
- endocrine disorders. Metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus, PCOS are not a complete list of conditions that can be associated with weight gain. Assess your physical and mental condition: Are there other symptoms that indicate health problems?
Find out why to determine how to lose weight at home without dieting. Eliminate the root cause of obesity first: consult a doctor and get treatment if necessary. Try rearranging your sleep-wake schedule if you're not getting enough sleep. It is not necessary to exercise hard to correct a sedentary lifestyle. Sometimes it is enough to walk regularly, to walk in the fresh air.
This must not be forgotten
- If you have gained more than 5 kg in a month, despite the fact that your diet and lifestyle have not changed, then consultation with a therapist and endocrinologist is a must. You are almost certainly dealing with a medical problem.
- If you don't complain about your health but do decide to discuss weight loss issues with a specialist, it should be a board-certified doctor and not a fitness trainer, coach, or someone who runs "weight-loss marathons" online. sold. The human body is a very complex system and sometimes even a medical education is not enough to give good weight loss advice. Athletes, models, fitness enthusiasts cannot be considered "professionals" in these matters.
How to lose weight without dieting
Oddly enough, but the first thing you need to do to lose weight is hide the scale in the pantry. You don't have to weigh yourself every day, although you can. Once a week is enough. Regular weighing creates neurosis, additional stress, and this interferes with the normalization of weight.
To get in shape without dieting and heavy training, you need to change your lifestyle. Yes, it's not easy, but it is the existing lifestyle that has made your body overweight. In addition, you will not only lose weight but you will generally feel better as you try to adopt a healthier lifestyle. What does that mean?
Even with a healthy lifestyle, you need to see a doctor in a timely manner. Regardless of whether your health problems affect the figure or not. Behind everyday worries, finding the time and money to see a doctor can be difficult, but it is a task of paramount importance. Your health and well-being should come first.
A healthy lifestyle is a good night's sleep. The advice to get enough sleep is easier than following this advice, especially if you work hard and have kids in the family. However, an 8-hour night's sleep is half health. Try to always choose sleep. Do you get up two hours earlier to run or sleep in before work? get enough sleepSleep longer or walk through the city at night? sleep more
A healthy lifestyle is moderate physical activity. We're not talking strenuous exercise here. However, lack of exercise damages the spine, nervous system and endocrine system. Take a walk every day, get easy home exercises for morning or evening practice. Find a form of physical activity that you enjoy and that can become part of your routine. This can be long walks, jogging, yoga, dancing, active outdoor games - anything, as long as you like to move.
Finally, in order to lose weight without dieting, you need to rethink your approach to nutrition. A balanced diet is not synonymous with a low-calorie diet. On the contrary, it provides you with enough energy but does not contribute to weight gain.
Principles of a balanced diet
- The basis of the diet is grains, legumes, vegetables and fruits, and meat products should make up less than a third of the portion. Add nuts, seeds, and herbs to your diet.
- Minimize alcohol, sweets, rich, fatty, smoked and fried foods. If you cannot completely do without these products, eat them in small portions, and not every day. Let them be the pleasant exception, but not the rule, in nutrition.
- Gradually reduce the amount of sugar. Sugar is a great source of energy, but it raises blood sugar levels and also makes other foods less enjoyable.
- Eat 5 times a day. Unexpected, right? To lose weight without home-made diets, you need to eat more often, not less often. Don't skip any meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner and at least two afternoon snacks in between. However, the portions should not be too big.
- Try to eat the highest calorie foods in the morning. If you want to treat yourself to a bun or a piece of chocolate, do so in the morning. Dinner should be light.
- Do not eat less than two hours before bedtime. Give your body a chance to take in food before you go to bed.
- Don't skip breakfast. This is the main meal, the lack of a full breakfast often makes you overeat at lunch and dinner, or scavenge on fast food and sweets along the way.
- Not to starve. Among people who want to lose weight, there is an opinion that the most effective way to lose weight is to arrange a hunger strike for the body. It is harmful, ineffective and threatens overeating and metabolic disorders in the long term.
Avoid alcoholic beverages - they are high in calories and will make you feel hungry. Replace frying in a pan with dishes from the grill or in the oven. Let fried, fatty, smoked be a rare delicacy on the table. For snacks, you can grab unsweetened yogurt, fruit, nuts, and whole wheat sandwiches. However, if you want to lose weight without dieting and exercise, avoid all kinds of fast food.
Common mistakes when losing weight
The worst mistake you can make when trying to lose weight is trying to lose weight fast. A normal, healthy weight loss is 2-5 kg per month. If you lose mass faster, that's stress for the body. In addition to being unhealthy, in the future it is fraught with the fact that the lost mass will return and you may weigh even more. In addition, over time, radical diets and exercises stop working: even with starvation, the body does not lose fatty tissue. In order not to get into this situation, do not try to lose weight too quickly.
The second common mistake is the complete rejection of fats. Fats are an essential part of the diet. However, you should prefer vegetable fats to animal fats and ensure that they are kept to a minimum in your diet.
The third mistake is a sharp reduction in calories. For example, a person calculates the optimal number of calories and drastically reduces portions. However, scientific studies have shown that it is impossible to reduce the diet by more than 20% of the usual number of calories. Therefore, reduce calories gradually, even if you overeat.