Myths about nutrition for losing weight
Once upon a time... In a previous life before enlightenment... Before practicing with demons and working with people... There was a time when I worked as an editor of a large magazine that was distributed in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. I have met with many people whom I considered experts in certain fields. Now I call such bright personalities Masters. And today I am glad that I have high-quality information that I am ready to share.
I would like to thank Vadim Fateev, a personal bodybuilding and fitness instructor, who told me in detail about the most common mistakes in making a diet.
So, let's go...
Have you ever thought that burning 100 grams of subcutaneous fat requires spending 900 kilocalories. How can this be compared? Well, for example, two hours of squats, it's just 100 grams of fat, and then what about the kilograms that you decided to get rid of? But there is a way out. Success in the fight for a beautiful figure consists of proper nutrition, training and recovery. It's not even discussed here.; you have already, right now, made the decision to go to the gym, and not to console yourself with lazy leg lifts at home in front of the TV.
Whatever your goal is (to gain weight or lose weight), the main thing is nutrition. At the beginning, you can leave it the same, but after a few workouts you may feel that you don't have enough energy: it tends to sleep and you feel a loss of strength.
This is a sure sign that you are not eating what you need and not at the time you need.
The basic rules are as follows:
- the need for protein is 1-3 grams per 1 kg of body weight,
- in carbohydrates, not less than 1g and not more than 7 grams per 1 kg of weight,
- in fats 0.5-1 grams per 1 kg of body weight.
Carbohydrates
It is the excess of carbohydrates in the diet that causes obesity (and not fats, as many believe). Although, fats, especially saturated ones, along with carbohydrates, also contribute to the sides and ears. There is a limit beyond which it is not necessary and even harmful for those who want to lose weight to go down. If a person does not move, then the body spends a certain amount of energy on his life support: approximately 1g of carbohydrates per1kg of body weight. This is the minimum after which the metabolism slows down.
Attention!
If you abruptly begin to deny yourself nutrition, the body gets scared. And after receiving food, it begins to store it in the form of fat, in case of another hunger strike.
Slowing down metabolism means that excess calories will not turn into heat, as in normal conditions, but will go directly into fat depots. That is why fans of extreme weight loss gain weight so quickly afterwards.
In addition, during hungry days, the body "eats" muscles first of all, since they are very energy-intensive and require a lot of energy, and fat just "hangs" nearby.
Any hunger strike depends on weight. For example, if an athlete weighing 100kg drops the amount of carbohydrates below 100 g per day, then he will slow down metabolism, because for him it is already starvation. (I don't focus on pre-competition training, there are special conditions and medications, and sometimes bodybuilders go to 0 carbohydrates). But ordinary people who train for health and a beautiful body should not go below 1g of carbohydrates per kg of weight. If a girl weighing 50 kg will hold 50 grams of carbohydrates per day, then I give you my word, she will be a slender beauty with drawn muscles. Therefore, look at the labels. Now the content of the main nutrients is indicated on each product. And don't overdo it with carbs.
If your goal is to lose weight, and you really want simple carbohydrates (in the form of chocolate or cakes), eat a little(!)In the first half of the day, so that the body can spend all the extra calories during the day.
Proteins
Attention!
Information for protein lovers: do not cram yourself up to 5 grams of protein per kg of weight, because you can't deceive the body. The body will calmly turn all excess protein into carbohydrates or fat. That's why all these fat absorption blockers are so ineffective.
I would like to recall the most common "truth" about 30 grams protein per meal...
It was invented by nutritionists in those distant times when no one bothered with nutrition research. There were just certain norms. The diet of the average Soviet person should have contained 90-120 grams of protein. Based on this, nutritionists made a calculation based on 3-4 meals per day. And here's 30 grams of protein. And then the assumption went to the masses that the body cannot assimilate a large number. But, for your information, whey protein is broken down very quickly and without residue, and 30, and60 grams. And here is casein — slowly (up to 7 hours), and anyway, all is not digested. And what should professional athletes who consume 400-600 grams of protein per day do? Eat 20 meals a day? No, of course not! So let's bury this myth.
The only thing that is important to note is that you do not need to eat all your protein at once. For a more complete assimilation, distribute it over several meals.
Fats
The emphasis in nutrition should be on vegetable fats, and specifically on omega-3 fats. Eat fish! It is generally a unique product: there is a necessary protein, and useful fats are present. Hard cheeses are protein and fat. Animal fat, but it is poorly absorbed and therefore not so scary. I want to remind you that the body also needs cholesterol. He gets sex hormones from it. But this does not mean at all that you need to lean on animal fats. Just the amount contained in cheese or egg yolks is quite enough. The main thing is to know the measure.
To summarize
With proper nutrition, for those who lose weight and for those who keep fit, we succeed:
- 1-2 grams per kg of carbohydrate weight,
- 2-3 grams per kg of protein weight,
- and omega-3 fats.
For weight gain, the numbers are different:
- carbohydrates from 3 to 7 grams per kg of weight,
- protein 2-3 grams per kg of weight,
- and fats, sometimes animals.