Every person at least once in his life thought about the need to lose weight. It seems that in the 21st century it is very easy to do this - there are coaches, coaches and bloggers everywhere who teach how to lose weight and get a dream figure. However, there is a downside to the abundance and availability of information. Many popular advice that thousands of people follow in the hope of improving their physical condition can actually cause irreparable harm to their health. Doctors, nutritionists and sports instructors told the MIR 24 correspondent that it is absolutely impossible to do in pursuit of a slender figure.
Fasting can help you lose weight
Unfortunately, some experts still advise not to eat. Unloading diet therapy or absolute fasting for 7, 10 or 14 days is extremely popular both at home and in specialized clinics that purify the body. In fact, fasting slows down the metabolism so much that further attempts to lose weight will simply be ineffective, Yelena Tikhomirova, a nutritionist at SM Clinic, told MIR 24. “After three days of complete hunger, the metabolism slows down dramatically. Our body, remembering the experience of our ancestors, thinks that it will soon die. Therefore, in order to delay the approach of death, he most economically spends supplies. A person lives like a frog in a state of suspended animation, barely maintaining his basic functions. On the way out, weight is, of course, lost.
But physical and mental performance is greatly reduced, a person suffers. Coming out of starvation, he loses water, fat, muscle mass, which he later gains again. The most unpleasant thing is that the body, having remembered how they were bullied, with any, even correctly formulated diet, will slow down the metabolism, making weight loss almost impossible, "she explained.
Intensive workouts will help you quickly get in shape
Shock workouts do not guarantee rapid weight loss and body fat reduction. Sports provoke appetite, so once you start exercising, you will want to eat even more. “No one has yet lost weight from excessive exercise. During physical activity, of course, calories are wasted, but in fact it is an ode to a small chocolate bar that many people eat after exercise. After sports, like any active physical activity, appetite increases. They burned, for example, 300 kcal, and ate 600. Therefore, often at first there is a stable weight gain due to fat mass,”Tikhomirova said.
This does not mean that you do not need to do sports, but it is better to do it three times a week, while adhering to the correct diet, than five, but overusing chocolate and rolls.
“The main theme is limiting the daily calorie intake by reducing the carbohydrate component. And only then sports. If sports led to weight loss, then all professional athletes would be simply dystrophic. In fact, they very often gain excess fat mass and also struggle with it painfully,”the doctor added.
If you expel excess fluid, the body will become beautiful.
Another myth, fraught with serious consequences, is associated with the use of diuretics and laxatives that are sold in pharmacies.
“During the night or morning, the body loses important fluid, as well as feces, and an imaginary plumb line is visible on the scales. But he's literally for a few hours. Then the body stores water again, the intestines fill up, and the weight is restored. Not a single gram of fat disappears,”notes Tikhomirova.
According to the doctor, more and more young girls today suffer from furosemide addiction. They take diuretic pills, which lead to chronic fluid loss.
“Girls take dozens of pills throughout the day. They do not lose weight, but muscle pains, cramps appear, hair falls out, skin deteriorates, menstruation disappears, and a strong mental dependence develops. Kidney function is impaired, chronic renal failure occurs - this is a fatal disease. Never, except in extreme cases, the use of laxatives and diuretics is not justified. The only exception is taking herbal laxatives and diuretics: water with lemon, a decoction of parsley and dill, bran,”the doctor said.
By becoming a vegetarian, you can permanently lose weight.
In an attempt to lose weight, some go to vegetarianism. Refusal from meat and other animal products is perceived as a guarantee that the extra pounds will go away by themselves.
“We are northern people, and vegetarianism is not our style of eating. Vegetarians are forced to eat exclusively carbohydrates, which negatively affect weight loss. At first, of course, a person loses weight. But it happens on the idea - the obsessed with the idea always gets the result first.
But the fact is that the carbohydrate type of food is insatiable. First, there is a slight weight loss, but then due to the excess intake of carbohydrates, a person will certainly gain weight. And moreover, his muscle mass is greatly lost, because it is protein. And vegetarians do not eat protein food in just the right amount. Hormonal disorders occur. Vegetarianism is a road to nowhere, to obesity, anemia. This is the wrong food system,”the doctor said.
If you take fat burners, you can quickly find the figure of your dreams.
Fitness enthusiasts believe in the power of various fat burners. And if L-carnitine does not harm health, although its effectiveness is also questionable, then more serious drugs lead to the depletion of the body's resources, as well as to the disorder of the central nervous system. “The preparations based on ephedra extract directly affect the production of adrenaline and norepinephrine in the body. By stimulating the central nervous system, they increase performance. We exercise more and, as a result, spend more energy, which is taken from body fat and muscles. However, long-term use of these drugs leads to disorders of the central nervous system and depletion of the body's resources. As a result, the genitourinary, hormonal and cardiovascular systems suffer,”said Alexander Filimonov, a nutritionist and consultant to NL International.
If there is a lot of protein, fat will go away by itself.
Not only a lack of protein negatively affects weight loss, but also an excess of it. In no case should you go on protein diets that exclude the use of fats and carbohydrates, noted nutritionist Julia Khokholkova.
“Diets with high protein intake are extremely harmful. The norm is about one gram per kilogram of a person's weight per day. At higher doses, the protein simply rots in the intestines, creating a breeding ground for pathogenic bacteria. They lead to bloating, acne and acne, and premature aging,”she commented.
Exercising on an empty stomach will burn more fat
Among the popular tips is fasting cardio workouts, which supposedly trigger metabolic processes, which means they contribute to rapid weight loss. However, this is just a myth, says coach Nikolai Bokatyuk. “Proponents of this theory put it this way: on an empty stomach, the body has low levels of glucose and insulin, which means that the body has to use its fat stores for energy. In fact, exercising on an empty stomach leads to weight loss by reducing muscle mass.
Exercising without proper nutrition is very bad for the body's recovery from protein breakdown. Due to the lack of available amino acids for muscle protein synthesis, the body sacrifices muscle tissue. It is best to drink a protein shake before exercising. One serving of 20 grams of protein will be sufficient,”the athlete explained. Those who are looking after their health are often advised to take various oils on an empty stomach, for example, flaxseed, hemp or milk thistle. Experts say that this should never be done. Taking oil on an empty stomach is a blow to the gallbladder and pancreas, which can lead to hospitalization and further surgery.