6 life hacks from people who lost weight without diets

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There are many unusual diets in the world – however, there are enough ordinary ones too. Doctors sound the alarm and warn that a reasonable approach, sequence of actions and logic are guaranteed to lead to the desired result, but without side effects. As proof, we have compiled a list of life hacks from people who have shed extra pounds, but never followed any strict weight loss methods.

You don't have to starve yourself< /h3>

Eat as much as you need. “Eating less than 1,000 calories a day is outside the norm,” says Harley Pedrick of The Nutrition Coach in London. — And if you keep such a low bar, then you simply switch the body into starvation mode, which means wasting muscle tissue for survival. Yes, the needle on the scales will go down. But in fact, you will have a higher percentage of fat mass, which, obviously, no one wants. Due to the reduction of muscles, the body will become flabby, and you will burn fat less efficiently during sports. In response to an insufficient amount of glucose, the body will begin to produce more insulin, which is responsible for the synthesis and accumulation of fat. And this means that the fat layer will inevitably increase in the future.” In Japan, for example, a mandatory annual medical examination includes body weight measurement and ratio analysis of all data. If the weight loss occurs due to a decrease in muscle mass, the doctor must inform the employer about this, and the employee is sent for consultation to a specialist.

Use mobile applications< /h3>

“Healthy lifestyle apps have the added benefit of providing feedback, encouraging us for each goal we set,” says clinical psychologist Helen McCarthy. — And it increases motivation. Such programs are easy to use and help relieve the brain from memorizing routines.” It's no wonder that studies conducted year after year show that those who followed a healthy diet and exercised using smartphone apps lost an average of 3.6 kilograms more than those who did without. The most popular app is still MyFitnessPal, it has more than 5 million products in its database that you can check by simply counting the barcode. It also sets your daily calorie intake and calculates the effect of exercise. The program Lose It! lets you set shared goals with a group of like-minded people and connect to other apps like Nike+.

Drink only water after exercise

Have you been working hard at the gym and now you deserve a cupcake? “Unfortunately, people don't realize that just two-thirds of that muffin will negate the effects of a half-hour run,” says fitness and diet expert Laura Williams. To confirm this, official data from the University of Ottawa: we exaggerate our subjective estimates of energy expenditure by a factor of four, and therefore, as a rule, our “reward” contains two to three times more calories than we actually burned. In addition, after sports, we often tend to mistake thirst for hunger. That is why experts advise, after finishing training, to drink water first and to listen carefully to yourself. If the attack of hunger becomes less, it means that it was thirst after all. If after 20 minutes the desire does not go away, then you can eat a handful of nuts and urgently leave the kitchen. By the way, another option is to simply find a non-edible reward for yourself!

Eat protein for breakfast

Researchers at Tel Aviv University compared weight-loss individuals who made breakfast their main meal of the day with those who ate most of their calories at dinner. It turned out that the heavy breakfast eaters lost an average of 8 kilograms more, despite the fact that the total number of calories was the same. “This happens because our body needs energy in the morning, and if it doesn't get enough glucose from food, the adrenal glands prompt the liver to release sugar,” says Harley Pedrick (The Nutrition Coach). – In response, the body secretes insulin, and this upsets the balance of blood sugar for the whole day.” However, if you eat the right foods containing protein in the morning, this balance remains normal. Experts recommend eating breakfast no later than an hour after waking up. “At that time, the body requires fuel to start an active day,” adds Pedryk. Coach recommends protein-rich options like a two-egg omelet, plain yogurt, or cottage cheese with a handful of nuts. These foods reduce the level of ghrelin (known as the “hunger hormone”).

Don't relax on the weekend

During the work week, you may have the endurance of a Buddhist monk, but most of us wait for Friday nights to relax. This is one of the main reasons why we lose fewer kilograms than we would like. “If we rate our behavior Monday through Friday as 'good', while rewarding our 'bad' behavior on the weekend as good, then healthy eating habits gradually become restricted,” says Dr. McCarthy. – And this gives the effect of “let's go, let's go” when we allow ourselves too much and think: “Okay, I can afford once a week.” Such a failure can destroy all the efforts spent. According to recently published data from Cornwell University in New York, almost 90% of people gain weight over the weekend and lose it during the weekdays. Clear weekly fluctuations were found: study participants weighed more on Sunday and Monday, and by the end of the working week the situation changed for the better. To maintain stability in this matter, Professor McCarthy advises to proceed methodically, eliminating one bad habit at a time. “If you just stop snacking in the evening or reduce the amount of food you eat at lunch, it will already bring results. We need to retrain ourselves gradually by making small changes in the way we eat every day.”

The White Monkey Rule

Do not exclude a whole group of products from the menu. “If you're asked not to think about a white monkey for five minutes, all you can think about is a white monkey,” says Dr. McCarthy. – The same thing happens when you are not allowed to eat something – it is this forbidden fruit that you will want the most. So if you're on a diet that bans dairy or carbs, it's no wonder you're dying to eat a cheese sandwich.

All strict restrictions can't be sustained in the long run, and you doom yourself to failure. Follow a healthy eating plan and see it not as a diet, but as a lifestyle change – in this case, the chances of success will be much higher.” In addition, our body needs different groups of products to function normally.

A simple but very clear example: the body needs 130 g of carbohydrates every day to make enough glucose for the brain to function. If this does not happen or carbohydrates are supplied in smaller quantities, the body begins to burn its own fat. It sounds healthy, but it actually leads to an increase in ketones, acids that in excess lead to headaches, nausea, fatigue, dehydration, and bad breath.