On the question of which diets are the most effective for weight loss, there are countless opinions, proportional to the number of people in the world who manage to lose weight, nutritionists and websites.
This question is like which sweet is tastier, which country is the best to live in, or whose mother is the most beautiful. . . engages the minds of children of all ages; ).
No, this is not a sign that the answer is not available. This is a caveat that goes beyond the specific name of the single-best diet that works for everyone.
Despite a somewhat uncertain start, I promise that below you will still learn which diets are the most effective for weight loss (we will list the top 5 most effective diets), why there are many of them (not just one) ) and all the "mostthe good ones "have things in common".
Today we will tell you how the most popular diets work and why they are not always the most effective.
The most effective of all diets. . .
There are several hundreds or even thousands of diets.
They are created by cultures (Japan, Brazil), personalities (Pierre Dukan), centered on individual products (pumpkin, kefir, eggs, rice, oatmeal, cottage cheese) or groups of products (protein diet), in some cases almost everything. you can eat (intermittent fasting), for others - nothing (fasting).
And guess what?
The creators and proponents of each of these hundreds of diets, so different and contradictory, claim that their diet is the most effective for weight loss.
And in answer to the question asked in the title of this article, we can list all these diets, and the result you will leave here will depend only on how convincing the name of a particular diet, which is the best and most effective, will be. we described here. . .
At the same time, I am sure that there are few people who are interested in listening to stories about everything or just want to be sure of something again. When we say "effective diets", each of us understands something very concrete and specific, narrowing down the list of hundreds of diets to a few units.
Classification of diets
All the variety of existing diets can be reduced to several groups based on their principle of action:
- removal of fluid from the body with the help of drugs;
- removing fluid from the body by reducing the amount of carbohydrates in the diet;
- restricting calories by eating the same foods and completely eliminating certain food groups;
- calorie restriction by reducing the amount of food eaten;
- limiting calories by consuming certain foods with a high satiety index;
- activation of fat burning by limiting the time of food consumption.
This is a very conventional classification that well reflects the principles of action of almost all diets. They differ in the degree of possible harm to health and the ease or difficulty of following them over time.
Many of the most effective diets are often based on a combination of all these factors, which allows you to lose weight as quickly as possible, but is not always effective in terms of health protection and long-term results.
The most effective diet for weight loss. . .
First we need to make sure we speak the same language.
An effective diet can be understood as at least the following:
- an enabling dietlose weight quickly;
- weight loss dietno harm to healthso thatthe weight did not come back;
- diet thatit just helps you lose weight, because many of them don't work at all for some people.
Which one did you come here looking for?
I guess the answer would be everyone. And with fast, harmless and long-lasting results.
Then let's talk about everything in order.
How popular pseudo-effective diets work
Different people have different meanings for the concept of "losing weight". For some it's a drop in scale readings, for others it's a drop in body fat percentage.
Do you feel the difference?
During weight loss, weight loss is not always due to fat: in many diets that are said to be effective for rapid weight loss, weight is lost due to the removal of fluid from the body.
Among such diets: detox diet, use of laxatives or diuretics for weight loss (diuretics).
They are very effective at changing scale readings quickly, but they docontrolling body water content, not fat content.
This may be acceptable to some, but it is important to understand that there are all such dietsdo not give long-term results: As soon as the "diet" stops, the weight comes back very quickly.
In addition, such diets are full of long-term adherencerisk of very serious damage to health.
All of the most falsely effective diets for rapid weight loss manipulate the composition of body fluids, not fat. None of them give long-term results and all of them are very dangerous for health.
About the famous "super effective" diets of the fashionable star
The most popular diets named after show business stars, the Kremlin and Hollywood have two common features:
- They areseverely limit the number of product typesnutrition in the diet;
- are characterizedvery low carb.
How does this work? Very simple.
On the one hand, strictly limiting the variety of foods makes the task of counting calories easier; on the other hand, it reduces the possibility of overeating, because the diet becomes monotonous and tasteless.
Why do people gain weight quickly with carbohydrates, but lose weight quickly without them?
When you eat carbohydrates, the blood levels of the hormone insulin rise, whose function is to transport energy (carbohydrates) into cells to be used as energy.
If the energy demand is low, then carbohydrates are stored in short-term storage - glycogen in the liver and muscles. When these stores are full, excess carbohydrates are converted to fat and stored in long-term stores, such as the familiar fat.
Why does one lose weight quickly when eliminating carbohydrates from the diet?
Each gram of glycogen binds several grams of fluid.
If we reduce the amount of carbohydrates in the diet, then very quickly (within a day) the glycogen stores are emptied, the water used to store it is removed from the body, and the body weight decreases.
The vast majority of popular "super effective" diets that promise quick results are based on removing fluid from the body and severely restricting allowed foods.
The basic principle of all properly effective diets
Remember one simple rule: all diets based onreducing caloriesdiet, effective for weight loss.
In fact, there are many such diets. Why? Because you can restrict calories in a number of ways: from inducing vomiting, to accurately counting calories in meals on a scale, or by severely limiting carbohydrates and fats in your diet.
It provides the nutrients (vitamins and minerals, proteins, fats, carbohydrates) and hunger necessary to maintain health, among the most effective in terms of the lack of harm to health and the ease of adherence for a long time (ideally, throughout life).
All the most effective diets are based on calorie restriction. This is achieved in different ways, with varying degrees of damage to health.
Why is the calorie count so important?
Scientists call excess calorie content the main cause of obesity in our time. Although modern people have indeed begun to move less, this is by no means a lack of physical activity.
See what the researchers of the scientific portal, whose mission is to study the effectiveness of various nutritional supplements and debunk popular myths about nutrition, say based on scientific research:
". . .
The fact that the main reason for obesity is the fact that there are too many calories in the diet of a modern person is proven by a large number of scientific studies.
A large number of scientific articles have been written on this topic.
On the Internet, there are many examples of how to lose weight with completely unhealthy food in the form of fast food, pizza, potatoes, which prove this.All it takes to start losing weight is eating less.
So, the main thing to learn is:
Only the number of calories is important for weight loss, but what exactly we eat is important for health. All diets based on reducing calorie intake are beneficial for weight loss.
The most effective diet is the one that works for you and that you can stick with for a long time.
There are many stories on the Internet about successful weight loss on completely different diets. There are liars and truth tellers among them.
Some say the most effective way to lose weight is intermittent fasting, some the ketogenic diet, and some the Dukan protein diet. And someone shouts that nothing works.
Not all diets work for all people, primarily because each person requires different efforts to follow them due to their individual characteristics.
It will be quite difficult for meat lovers to "sit" only on vegetables, fruits and cereals. But they will certainly like Pierre Ducan's protein diet or the Kremlin diet, which are essentially the same thing.
Those who do not want to change anything in their food basket can appreciate the benefits of intermittent fasting, which does not require drastic changes in the diet, but only suggests eating at a certain time.
Well, those who are not bound by their taste preferences can try for themselves the benefits of the ketogenic diet, which is rumored to be one of the healthiest.
At the same time, the ketogenic diet is not recommended for athletes, and it is extremely difficult for physically active people to follow, as it almost completely eliminates carbohydrates, which are the main source of energy for our body.
So that:
The best diet for you is the one that works for you and that you can follow for a long time, ideally your whole life.
A diet that leads to a state of chronic hunger and irritability is impossible to follow for a long time.
This is why there is often a return to favorite eating habits and previous weight after achieving the desired scale readings.
Fat cells are very durable. When they lose weight, they do not die immediately, but their size decreases. Start feeding them - and very soon (and quite easily) they will return to their "normal" state.
To lose weight forever, you need to change your eating habits forever.and only a diet that you can live with for life will help with this.
To lose weight permanently, you need to change your eating habits permanently.
The 5 most effective diets for weight loss
So, the most effective diet is the following:
- aimed at reducing the percentage of fat, not water, in the body;
- restricts calories;
- allows it to stick for a long time;
- It provides all the nutrients the body needs to stay healthy.
Calorie restriction is important for weight loss, and food composition is important for health.
The most effective diet for weight loss is a diet that limits the number of calories in your diet, leads to a decrease in the percentage of body fat, not water, and is not harmful to health.
Many popular diets are effective. Below is a list of the top 5 of them.
Low carbohydrate diets
Most popular diets achieve calorie restriction by cutting carbohydrates. Of primary importance are sugar and fructose, the excess consumption of which is recognized by scientists as the main cause of obesity.
Examples of low-carb diets:
- ketogenic diet– a diet high in fat, very low in protein and carbohydrates;
- dIeta Atkins– high fat, protein and very low carbohydrate diet;
- Paleo diet(hunter-gatherer diet or stone age diet) – high fat content, high protein content and low carbohydrate content;
- The protein diet by Pierre Dukan– high protein diet (for meat lovers), low carbohydrates.
- intermittent fasting– in addition to limiting the amount of carbohydrates, it limits the time allowed for food intake (see below).
Why are low-carb diets so effective for weight loss?
Fats and proteins are digested more slowly than carbohydrates, so they givefeeling more fullfor a longer period of time.
Almost all such dietsIt is recommended to eat "loaded" foods with fewer calories, which contains more vegetable fiber and water: half a kilo of broccoli contains fewer calories than half a kilo of cereals and more cake; ).
Carbohydrates lead to overeating, and as a rule, you always want to eat more of them (especially if they are sweet).
This is explained by the fact that their absorption is accompanied by certain hormonal changes in the body:
- they participate in the synthesis of serotonin, the so-called "hormone of happiness" in the brain, which increases the desire to eat; That's probably why we love sweets and eat chocolate because of depression.
- affect the level of satiety and hunger hormones (leptin and ghrelin) that control appetite; with regular consumption of carbohydrates (especially sugar and fructose), immunity to these hormones can develop, resulting in uncontrolled appetite and overeating;
- after eating sweets, there is a sharp increase in the level of insulin in the blood, the task of which is to control blood sugar; after finishing work, sugar drops sharply, which creates a feeling of hunger.
Scientific studies confirm thislow carbohydrate dietsare among the most effective for weight loss because they make you eat less, eat fewer calories, and are less likely to overeat.
The list of the 5 most effective diets includes low-carb diets. All of them are effective for weight loss because. . . Limit calories and avoid overeating
Intermittent fasting is one of the most effective diets
Intermittent fasting is called by many modern scientistsit is one of the most effective diets not only for weight loss, but also for health.
Unlike traditional fasting, it does not require complete abstinence from food, which is very difficult to tolerate and, as shown below, is far from the most effective weight loss strategy.
Intermittent fasting involves eating only at certain times of the day, within an 8-hour window. Why? Because it allows you to maximize the fat burning process.
There is no strict restriction on the set of foods allowed in this diet: only simple carbohydrates, primarily sugar and fructose in the form of common foods that harm weight loss, are excluded. This is an element of a low-carb diet.
Everything is quite simple and the health benefits are huge.
Intermittent fasting is recognized by many scientists as one of the most effective diets for weight loss.
Some popular misconceptions about dieting
Finally, let's look at a few popular myths that many diets hold as the key to effective weight loss.
Balanced and separate diets (mono-diets) differ in the degree of damage to health
Eating proteins, fats and carbohydrates together (balanced diet) or separately (separate diet or mono-diet) does not in any way increase the effectiveness of weight loss, although the health benefits of a balanced approach are obvious.
Let's reveal a secret: even fast food, cakes, sweets. . . you can lose weight even if you eat carefully, following the principle of calorie restriction.
The following statement is true for all mono-diets:
"
For weight loss, it is not particularly important whether proteins, fats and carbohydrates enter your body in a balanced or separate form: their quantity is important. But in terms of health, mono-diets are more harmful to health.
Eating time and frequency is not important for weight loss
Only total calorie intake during the day is important for weight loss.
Of course,Eating small, frequent meals allows you to better control your appetiteand avoid overeating after long hours of abstinence. But it's important to see the same basic principle at its root—it's simply a way to limit and control calories.
If the calculated daily calorie intake is 1500 kcal, it does not matter whether you eat them in one meal or several meals in terms of weight loss.
About fasting: how effective is fasting for weight loss?
One of the popular diets for weight loss is complete abstinence or fasting.
Radical refusal to eat seems quite logical as a method of effectively solving the problem of excess weight.
But this is not true.
The problem is that it causes a significant decrease in fastinginternal metabolic rate.
According to scientific data, resting metabolism (the energy used during rest only to maintain the body's internal functions) accounts for the lion's share of calories burned each day: about 70%. Reducing this value significantly reduces weight loss.
The benefits of fasting for weight loss are a myth.
If the state of starvation lasts for several days, the metabolic rate decreases very significantly.
Weight loss during fasting is mainly due to a decrease in the amount of fluid in the body. Also during prolonged fastinga lot of muscle mass is lost, as the body begins to break down muscle protein to provide energy for its most important life functions.
Mild calorie restriction, however, does not have such a dramatic effect.
Fasting is very ineffective for weight loss because it slows down the body's metabolism, which is the main consumer of calories. Weight is lost mainly due to fluid loss and loss of muscle mass.