Lecture by Denis Borisov. Release from 23.10.2011.

Beware of quackery

Nowadays there are a huge number of ignorant and fundamentally absurd diets, which are designed only as an attempt to bring something new into nutritional science, and to attract the attention of the reader. The history of attempts to lose weight 

 is instructive. Sometimes there is complete idiocy: a diet of only purple-colored vegetables, garlic diets, and even enemas with laundry soap. Don't trust authors who recommend very complicated cycles, ridiculous food combinations, various complexes, "cleanses" and other pseudoscientific approaches. Don't trust those who claim that eliminating a certain product will lead to significant weight loss either. Remember that short weight-loss diets (three-, two-day diets, and so on) are dangerous to your health, with little or temporary results.

"Caution" There are also no effective diet programs for eliminating the belly, sides or other parts of the body, since localized fat burning cannot be achieved with dieting methods. Another important note: Do not try to achieve rapid weight loss. Only with systematic and methodical progress the best results are achieved

The Kremlin diet creates unnecessary difficulties with the calculation of units, points, and weight in grams, while not showing good effectiveness. In fact, it is the Russian analogue of the Atkins diet, but it is less balanced and greatly simplified to the detriment of the result.

The Japanese diet - giving up meat and uncooked rice will not make you slimmer. Minimal heat treating food can lead to digestive upset. The recommendation to take large quantities of green tea is also unsubstantiated. It is called the Japanese diet only for advertising, because the menu of Japanese restaurants is considered to be one of the healthiest and most useful in the world, otherwise no original solutions are offered.

The buckwheat diet is a completely unbalanced diet, which quickly develops a deficit of vitamins and protein, which will affect the skin, hair, nails and health in general. Despite the fact that buckwheat is a very useful cereal, it does not contain the full range of essential substances.

The rice diet is, as in the previous example, an unbalanced mono-diet with a number of flaws. It should be noted that very often rice contains elevated amounts of arsenic. While this is not so dangerous in a varied diet, during a mono-diet, excess rice in the diet can carry a serious health risk.

Grapefruit diet - became popular due to the discovery of the substance naringin, which promotes fat burning. Of course, grapefruit is a good product for weight loss, but excessive consumption can cause gastritis and digestive disorders.

Kefir diet is not balanced enough. Moreover, kefir can be replaced and supplemented with other fermented dairy products and probiotics.

The blood group diet is a completely unscientific diet, not supported by any serious research.

The Elena Malysheva, Larissa Dolina, Nicole Kidman and other programs with names of famous people added to the name only as marketing gimmicks do not produce the best results, as a major independent study has shown.

A marketing ploy on the label of a product that is marketed as a "snack" leads to increased consumption and continued overeating, reports a new study in Appetite magazine[6].

Certainly there will be proponents of one or another of the eating plans listed above who have been able to achieve the goal. However, this has been done to the detriment of health or the quality of results.

The basic principles of weight loss

Food Ratio.

1. Gradual reduction of the caloric content of the diet.

Human psychology is such that in order to make a decisive step he needs a certain impetus. Another failure in personal life, another pound on the scale, another centimeter of fat pile on the abdomen, the need for larger clothes or the influence of a loved one - it doesn't matter. After this suprathreshold stimulus, a powerful dominance to achieve the goal of weight loss is formed, and the person proceeds not even to diet, but rather to starve himself out. This is not the way to do it, because it is fraught with serious disturbances in the metabolism and powerful stress for the body, which already in a few days will make you give up weight loss. You need to set yourself up for a long and systematic program, which should not be based on emotions. For example, a 2017 study showed in a randomized trial that daily caloric restriction was more effective than alternative diets. Another study conducted by a team of researchers from the Center for Physical Activity Research (CFAS) proved that the Ramadan model of fasting does not statistically significantly affect body composition, glucose metabolism, and cognitive function in healthy people.

For people after 40, weight loss has its own additional characteristics. This is due to the fact that from the age of 35 the metabolic processes in the body begin to slow down. Therefore, it is much more difficult for people at a mature age to lose weight than young people. But, as science says,] age is not a hindrance to losing weight. Another thing is that people after 40 have to spend more time and effort to achieve their goals.

"Warning" If you decide to reduce your weight, then reduce the caloric content of your diet gradually, no more than 10% per day. You can give up sweets and fat right away, and after that reduce the amount of other foods.

2. Gradual withdrawal from the diet

Remember that after a long fast your body thinks you are in dire straits, so it makes sure you have a rainy day supply of fat. Once you are done, do not increase the calories in your diet, otherwise your body will actively replenish the fat from your diet. Increase your portions gradually until your weight is stable, and do not consume sweets at all, because fast carbohydrates are the most likely to be converted to fat. Limit the amount of fatty foods and continue to follow the other rules. Try to form your diet completely from the products listed in the table. "Caution" Going back to your old eating habits will make you overweight again.

3. 5 or 6 meals a day.

This may sound strange to many people, but when you lose weight, you should try to eat more often. This is due to the fact that rare and larger portions will be spent by the body not only for energy, but also for the formation of fat as a reserve, so the process of burning fat will be intermittent, forcing your metabolism to work in different directions, which is not good. If you eat more frequently, 5-6 times a day in small portions, all the food will be continuously converted into energy to sustain life, with the lack of energy forcing your body to constantly use up fat. In addition, frequent eating reduces hunger and eliminates the risk of gastrointestinal disease.

This principle has not found reliable scientific proof, so it is not obligatory to follow. Read more: Optimal Frequency of Eating

4. Low-calorie foods.

Your diet should consist of 80% low-calorie foods. This allows you to reduce hunger and keep your gastrointestinal tract healthy. Some foods can be consumed in unlimited quantities. Foods rich in plant fiber are especially helpful - they tend to be very low in calories and support intestinal function. In addition, fiber reduces the absorption of other nutrients (fats and carbohydrates) and ensures their gradual entry into the bloodstream. At the same time, you don't have to be shy about your choices; you can eat just about anything, as long as it doesn't go against the rules.

In a 2017 study scientists from the United States proved that a low-calorie diet increases longevity and quality of life in rhesus macaque primates, which in a prognostic sense will have the same effect on humans.

5. Elimination of fast carbohydrates and reduction of fats

Many people, especially women, are awe-struck by confectionery. So you need to decide what is more important to you - a beautiful figure, attention from the opposite sex and high social adaptability, or satisfying your lower biological needs for sweets. Fast carbohydrates are dangerous when losing weight because they are digested very quickly. The powerful flow of nutrients triggers fat deposition, which means the weight loss process slows down. "Caution" Use foods with a glycemic index below 60.

Fatty foods should also be limited due to their high caloric content. A 2015 study showed that eliminating fats leads to a greater loss of body fat than eliminating carbohydrates alone. Especially saturated animal fats after heat treatment (such as frying) and margarine are undesirable, as they contain high amounts of trans fats.

6. Drinking regimen.

Consume enough fluids. The optimal volume is 3 liters per day, including water found in foods. When losing weight, more fluids are needed because they are used in the fat burning process. Water does not contribute to weight loss, but the weight loss process slows down when fluid intake is reduced. Also, lack of water can cause metabolic and electrolyte disturbances. It is necessary to keep in mind the drinking regime also because during a strict diet the feeling of thirst decreases, so the amount of fluid intake should be kept under conscious control. Read more: water for weight loss.

7. Portion distribution

Fat (A) and carbohydrate (B) oxidation rates after exercise (min)

80% of all daily food should be eaten before 6:00 p.m. It is believed that the first half of the day is spent more on energy and the second half is converted to fat. A recent study has shown that late meals result in slower resting metabolism, reduced carbohydrate oxidation, impaired glucose tolerance and reduced thermogenic effects of food. In a study by scientists from the Autonomous University of Chile, it was found that late dinners (after 8 p.m. 00) increased waist size by 5 cm compared to the control group. Another study found that eating within a strictly limited time frame (such as 9 to 6 pm or 11 to 8 pm) helps you lose weight faster, reduces the risk of diabetes and normalizes cholesterol levels.

Some sources indicate that eating before bedtime does not contribute to obesity: only the calories, the quality of the food and the frequency of eating matter. You can eat before bedtime, but only healthy foods, and dinner should contain fewer calories than breakfast and lunch. Protein foods (protein shakes, vegetables, salads, cottage cheese, etc.) are optimal choices in the evening.

Don't eat anything 2 hours before and 2 hours after your workout. Studies show that fasting before exercise increases fatty acid mobilization and brown fat activity. It is acceptable to eat small amounts of protein or amino acids if it is important to maintain muscle mass. If you eat before a workout, your body will use food, not fat, as energy. After a workout, there are large amounts of free fatty acids in the blood and the metabolic rate is very high. If you eat immediately after a workout, all the free fat will return to the adipocytes; if you are hungry, these fats will be destroyed.

You can take amino acids before and after your workout, they can protect your muscles while not interfering with fat breakdown.

8. Proportions of proteins, fats and carbohydrates (in % of calories, not by weight)

Carbohydrate content should be 40-50%.

Try to consume only slow carbohydrates.

Protein Content - 25-35%

Ideally 50% of protein comes from food, and the rest from sports nutrition.

Fat Content - 20-30%

Do not limit the amount of fat below 15%, it will cause unwanted metabolic rearrangements. As evidence for these recommendations, there are at least 3 modern meta-analyses of studies[23] that show that fat can be a source of more than 35% of the calories we consume without harming our health (previously this was considered the highest mark). Eat oily fish. Fish oil is very healthy.

Keep in mind that there is no perfect GI ratio that works for absolutely everyone. Here we give average figures that are suitable for most people, this is where you should start, while you can experiment. Protein, fat and carbohydrate ratios do not differ much from nutritionists' recommendations for normal people, and this is not surprising, as these are the proportions that work best for both the average person and during weight loss.

9. Hormonal background.

The body's metabolism is known to be controlled by hormones. Therefore, hormonal disturbances can often be the cause of excess weight. In addition, calorie restriction can lead to serious hormonal changes in the body, which need to be detected and prevented in time.

10. Small dishes

Plate size can have a real impact on your calorie intake

Using smaller dishes and smaller portions results in fewer calories consumed]. This simple recommendation is supported by evidence from real research. A larger portion will not always correspond to the maximum satiety level. In other words, if subjects have a large portion of food in front of them, they tend to ignore satiety cues and consume more food than they should In particular, one study noted that subjects consumed 31% fewer calories when they were offered a half-sized sandwich as a meal compared to those who ate larger sandwiches . Larger meals were clearly correlated with an increased risk of obesity . A systematic review of more than 72 randomized controlled trials showed that people tend to consume more calories when their daily diet is divided into larger portions.

11. Getting enough sleep

Scientists have found that sleep restriction leads to metabolic changes to conserve energy. After 5 days of restricting sleep to 4 hours, basal metabolic levels decreased by 2.6%.The authors of another 2016 study concluded that sleep deprivation leads to increased food intake.

12. Eat fiber first

It is best to start your meal with a salad of greens, tomatoes, onions, raw and cooked green vegetables, and heat-treated mushrooms. The foods with which you start your meal affect how much and what you eat next. Fiber-rich foods will fill your stomach quickly and slow down the absorption of fast carbohydrates.

The main principle of the diet

Causes of obesity (more often in girls)

"Attention" Body weight begins to decrease only when the amount of incoming energy in the form of food is lower than the amount of energy consumed by the body. In addition, you must remember that the body is always trying to maintain homeostasis (constancy of the internal environment), so sometimes you need to significantly reduce the caloric content of the diet so that body weight begins to decrease. Don't be surprised if you start eating 5, 10 or 20% less than before and the weight stays at the original level. Often, progressive weight loss requires a gradual reduction in calories by 50 or even 90% to achieve good results. Determining this percentage is quite simple, you need to follow a simple rule:

Gradually reduce the caloric content of your diet, until your weight loss starts to be 800 - 1000 grams per week. If the weight does not go down - then you need to eat even less, if the loss exceeds these figures, increase the caloric intake a little.

It is recommended that you weigh yourself once every three days. A study by Elina Helander showed[30] that weighing more often increases the effectiveness of weight loss, while weighing less frequently than once a week significantly reduces the effectiveness, mainly due to insufficient nutritional control. After a month you can decide on your optimal diet and continue until you get the results you want. Do not lose more than 1200 grams per week, otherwise there are metabolic disorders and toxic substances are formed. Your skin will not have time to rebuild, and your muscles will begin to break down intensely, and by the end of the cycle you will have a flabby body that will look even worse than it did before you started losing weight.

"Warning" I would like to repeat once again, especially for women: it can't be that you don't eat anything and the weight doesn't go down! If the weight is stable, then you are eating more than you need to! Either you don't follow the other rules of diet.

Or there are disorders in endocrinology - with thyroxine deficiency (hypothyroidism, when the thyroid gland is not functioning properly) really "can eat nothing", reducing the diet to 800 calories a day, and thus almost (and very long) do not lose fat mass (although it can destroy muscle, dry and cracked skin, dull and fall out hair). If you follow the rules of the diet and a similar situation arises, do not hesitate and consult an endocrinologist. Perhaps you will be prescribed drugs, such as L-thyroxine. Loss of fat mass can also be very slow if the diet is not balanced in terms of vitamins (it may be worth changing vitamin complexes or reviewing the dosages).