After spring, summer will soon be here, and all women want to wear tight-fitting short skirts to show off their figures. But how can they effectively lose the extra weight gained over winter? Women who don't like exercise often think of dieting first. However, weight loss should be scientific; dieting is unscientific and very detrimental to our health.
The dangers of dieting
First, dieting can trigger a variety of diseases. When nutrition is insufficient, the body consumes a large amount of protein. Since protein is not usually broken down, free radicals are produced, and free radicals are definitely a root cause of human diseases.
Second, dieting can also lead to a deficiency in high-quality protein. As we all know, the basic unit of the human body is the cell, and the main component of cell formation is protein. Since each organ doesn't absorb enough protein, insufficient intake of high-quality protein will affect the function of the entire body. This can result in dull, lackluster skin, metabolic disorders, decreased immunity, and accelerated aging.
Third, weight loss through dieting can lead to rebound. When dieting reaches a plateau, many people lose confidence and return to a normal diet. At this point, fat cells, which need to be suppressed, accelerate their growth and expansion, much like a taut spring regaining its elasticity. Combined with the low basal metabolic rate caused by dieting, fat will continue to accumulate.
Common misconceptions about dieting for weight loss
1. Moderation during the week, binge eating on weekends. If you live a life of moderate eating every day, you might think you can "treat yourself well" on the weekend, indulging in hamburgers, ice cream, and cake—whatever you want. But be careful! Just two days of binge eating can negate the results of five days of hard work, as nutrition experts have said. "If someone always wants to binge eat on the weekend, it means they don't eat much. So they can't wait for the weekend to have a big meal."
Second, completely stop dieting after reaching your goal. It's an undeniable fact that only about 10% of obese people worldwide successfully lose weight; the remaining 90% fail. A significant portion of the latter initially succeed, but within a year, their weight rebounds, becoming tragically "swimming" dieters (i.e., constantly cycling through weight loss and gain). One study demonstrated that if "swimming" dieters repeat the same pattern, they experience a vicious cycle of weight gain, primarily because they completely stop dieting after losing weight. If they revert to their original eating habits, their weight becomes alarmingly higher than before.
Third, skipping breakfast. Some people believe that skipping breakfast greatly helps the body burn fat, but this is a misconception. Recent MRI scans of the human brain have revealed that skipping breakfast does not lead to weight loss. Researchers found that in people who skip breakfast, the brain's energy centers become abnormally active when they see high-calorie foods such as pizza, cake, and chocolate. In fact, if you skip breakfast, your blood sugar will drop, making you crave food and unable to resist its temptations, leading to overeating later in the day.
IV. Healthy Foods, the More the Better. Many dieters have a "eat as much as you want" mentality when it comes to healthy foods. However, some healthy foods are very tempting, and excessive intake can be harmful to the body. Foods like pistachios and peanuts are rich in fat, often tempting people who initially planned to eat just one to give up. If eaten in excess, healthy foods can become weight-loss killers.
Fifth, to lose weight, fat is a no-go. The thing people fear most when dieting is fat, and we consistently eat only low-fat foods. However, in reality, successful dieters get 30% of their daily calories from fat. Fat is very satiating; people who don't eat fat will always feel hungry, which is why they often double their intake of high-fat foods like cakes, cookies, and ice cream after dieting. Furthermore, fat is rich in vitamins A, D, E, and K, which are essential for the human body.
How to lose weight effectively?
Currently, the internationally recommended scientific dietary control method is dietary substitution, also known as food replacement therapy. Soy protein-based diets are becoming a new trend in weight loss. Soybeans are a healthy food, rich in protein and dietary fiber, and contain antioxidants and cardiovascular protective substances. A scientific weight loss method combines "low calorie intake" with "frequent exercise"; any rapid weight loss method that only focuses on one aspect is unhealthy. It is recommended to engage in prolonged (over 1 hour) aerobic exercise when trying to lose weight. However, weight-bearing exercises should be chosen. Weight-bearing exercises counteract the Earth's gravity. Aerobic exercises such as walking, running, skiing, dancing, rollerblading, and climbing stairs are examples of weight-bearing exercises. Under the same exercise intensity, weight-bearing exercises can burn more calories than some other forms of exercise like swimming, cycling, or water aerobics.
