Diet and menus to lose weight

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), obesity is characterized by "an abnormal or excessive accumulation of body fat that can affect health". It is therefore important to act. As such, the diet to lose weight offers recommendations to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight. It aims to provide the body with what it needs when it needs it. By focusing on the right foods to lose weight, you increase your chances of losing weight without frustration or deprivation.

The 5 essential points of the diet to lose weight:

Listen to his food sensations
Favor foods with low energy density
Include more fibers
Avoid fats, sugar, and industrial products
Fight against a sedentary lifestyle

Introduction

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), obesity is characterized by "an abnormal or excessive accumulation of body fat that can affect health". It is important to act.

Diet and menus to lose weight: understand everything in 2 min

As such, the diet to lose weight offers recommendations to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight. It aims to provide the body with what it needs when it needs it. By focusing on the right foods to lose weight, you increase your chances of losing weight without frustration or deprivation.

The 5 essential points of the diet to lose weight:

Listen to his food sensations
Favor foods with low energy density
Include more fibers
Avoid fats, sugar, and industrial products
Fight against a sedentary lifestyle

Benefits of a diet to lose weight

The diet to lose weight has many health benefits:

Take into account the concept of energy density of foods
Lose weight without feeling hungry, frustrated or tired
Does not require excessive control of the amount of food consumed
Does not require calorie calculations
Learn to listen to the sensations of food: without any deprivation, you will stop eating naturally when you will not be hungry anymore.

The most important rule of this diet is to eat only when you are hungry and stop as soon as you feel full.

Attention, for health, it is considered that weight loss should not exceed 1kg per week.

What should a diet meal contain? Our recommendations

The diet for weight loss is a set of recommendations on the best food choices to make to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. It helps to continue the process of losing weight gradually.

Here are our dietary recommendations for lasting weight loss.

Food for weight loss

Some food categories, in addition to satiating, can actually help the body lose weight. Foods for weight loss are very useful within a diet meal to lose weight without deprivation.

Foods with low energy density

The best way to lose weight, and maintain a healthy weight, is to increase your consumption of satiating foods chosen based on their energy density. The energy density takes into account the amount of calories contained in a food relative to the volume of the food. For example, you will need to eat several apples to have consumed 100 kcal. However, it will take a small handful of chips to achieve the same energy intake of 100 kcal.

as part of this diet, it is therefore recommended to consume mostly low energy density foods: fruits and vegetables, whole grain products and legumes. Rich in fiber, water, and micro-nutrients, they satiate by providing very few calories.

Here is a ranking of foods to focus on and foods to limit according to their energy density

Consume fruits and vegetables

It is important to eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day as part of a diet. These are low in calories, high in fiber, water, and antioxidants. A plate must be filled to 50% of plants. So your diet meal will have a much better chance of filling you up for a smaller amount of calories.

A portion of fruits and vegetables is equivalent to:

250g of vegetables
1 bowl of salad
1 apple
250g strawberries
2 kiwi
Half a melon

Promote proteins

Proteins are satiating foods, they constitute the consistent part of the meal. They are very important in a balanced diet because they provide stable energy and can not be hungry between meals. They act a little like regulators of speed: to consume at each meal makes it possible to supply energy to the body throughout the day. To lose weight, proteins must make up 20% of the total calories.

Some high protein foods to incorporate into the diet to lose weight:

Poultry
eggs
Pisces
Lean meats
Dairy products 0%
legumes
Meat substitutes made from soy and tofu
Oleaginous butter (to be limited to 1 teaspoon per day)

Focus on dietary fiber

Dietary fiber has its place in a diet meal. They reduce appetite and promote weight control in two ways. On the one hand, they slow down the absorption of sugar in the blood, on the other hand, they swell in the presence of water and provide the stomach with the sensation of being filled. It is recommended to consume 25 to 30g of fiber per day. By eating fruits and vegetables at every meal, whole grains and legumes this 30g intake is quite attainable.

Some tips to increase your fiber intake as part of a diet:

Choose whole bread and starchy foods
Add oat bran to the dishes (yogurts, soups, salads, etc.)
Make your own juice by mixing fresh fruits
Add seeds and nuts to the dishes
Consume legumes by adding them to your salads, soups, and dishes

Make a light meal in the evening

In the evening, the body does not need as much energy as the day. It is, therefore, necessary to adapt the meal accordingly and not to consume more than 30% of the calories of the day at dinner. For an adequate meal, you can refer to the model designed by the Harmonie Santé nutritionists, shown opposite.

Here are some tips to reduce the calorie intake of dinner:

Choose an average base
Half of the plate should be filled with vegetables
A quarter of the plate should be filled with starchy foods (about the size of the palm of the hand)
In the other quarter, place the portion of meat or substitute (100 to 150g maximum)
Take the time to eat calmly
When you are no longer hungry, stop eating. You must never force yourself to finish your plate if you are full

Other recommended foods:

legumes
Dairy products low in fat

Foods to avoid in a diet to lose weight

As part of a diet to lose weight, some foods are to be avoided. Often sources of calories, bad fats, and sugars, it is recommended to limit their consumption to facilitate weight loss and be in good health.

Limit bad fats

Without insisting on the calorie content, it must be remembered that it is the lipids that provide the most calories in the diet (more than carbohydrates and proteins). In addition to that, lipids are less satiating than carbohydrates and proteins. Even if fat is essential for the proper functioning of the body, it must be limited to 30% of total calories.

It is recommended to limit the following foods because of their high saturated fat content:

fried
breadcrumbs
fritters
Sweet and savory biscuits and cakes
pastries
Pastries
cheese
Milk and whole dairy products
fast food
Prepared industrial dishes

Industrial products

Many industrial products are made from ingredients harmful to health. For example, these products are often high in sugar. Sugar serves as a preservative and flavor enhancer. Also, the fats used in these products are often of poor quality because they are cheap (trans and saturated fatty acids). Finally, we often find that these products are saltier than homemade products. As part of a diet, it seems important to limit the consumption of industrial products.

Some tips for limiting industrial food:

Make homemade cookies and cakes
Cook in larger quantities and keep leftovers in the freezer for a quick meal
Prepare your lunch yourself
Read the food labels
Cook simple dishes based on raw foods (fruits and vegetables, lean meats, etc.)
Replace ready-made snacks with fruit and milk

Fine products

Refined products are cereal products obtained from refined cereals (white flour, white bread, traditional pasta, etc.). Refined products no longer contain fiber, or very little. This lack of dietary fiber can curb weight loss. On the one hand, because they are less satisfying products and on the other hand because they increase blood sugar more quickly after the meal. As we have seen previously, fiber is very important as part of a balanced diet meal.

Sugar

Sugar, by stimulating the secretion of insulin, promotes storage in the form of fat. Excess sugar can, in the long run, lead to overweight, obesity and insulin resistance. One thing is certain, sugar and sweet products should be avoided as part of a diet to lose weight.

Here are some tips to reduce your daily sugar intake:

Do not add sugar to your hot drinks
Replace sugar with honey in your yogurts and pastries
Make your own cakes and cookies
Use natural substitutes for sugar: honey, stevia, coconut sugar, etc.
Drink only water: sugary drinks and light maintain the addiction of the body to the sweet taste

Sedentary lifestyle

A diet should be accompanied by daily physical activity whenever possible. Physical activity, even if it is gentle, helps increase the body's energy expenditure and keeps it healthy. Moving after a meal, such as walking, increases metabolism and leads to significant energy expenditure in a diet.

To increase your energy expenditure smoothly you can:

Take the stairs instead of the elevator
Take a 30-minute walk a day
Get off the bus one stop before your usual stop
Do some exercises while watching your TV show
Cycling on weekends

Other foods not recommended:

Fried and breadcrumbs
cheese
Meats

Daily practical tips to follow the diet

Learn to read nutrition labeling

Fat is indicated by the term lipids. What is interesting is to look at the words "of which saturated fatty acids": if you have the choice between several products prefer the one that contains the least saturated fatty acids. Sugars are indicated by the term carbohydrates. What is interesting is to look at the words "which sugars": if you have the choice between several products opt for the one containing the least sugar.

To drink a lot of water

Water not only helps to fill the stomach but also moisturize the body and support it in its cleansing process. Water thus promotes various chemical and metabolic reactions. Water alone should be the main source of hydration, it is recommended to drink 1.5 to 2 liters of water a day. You need to increase your water intake in case of heat and exercise.

Be careful though, sugary drinks such as fruit juices, sodas and syrups should not replace water. They are rich in hidden calories and can curb your weight loss. Tea and coffee without sugar can participate in the hydration of the body but your consumption should not exceed 2 to 3 cups per day.

Have a snack in the afternoon

A quality snack in the afternoon is useful to lose weight. It allows you to split food and prevent cravings that grow to devour anything, anytime. By having a snack in the middle of the afternoon, you will naturally eat less at the evening meal. To be nutritious, the snack must contain carbohydrates and proteins. Here are some examples of balanced snacks:

1 apple and 5 to 6 walnuts
0% yogurt with honey and some flax seeds
0% white cheese with fresh raspberries
30g of muesli in 1/2 cup of soy milk
1 slice of wholemeal bread and 30g of light cheese

What menu to lose weight? Some recipe ideas

Menu to lose weight - Woman - 1400 kcal

Morning Berlin Breakfast (oatmeal, whole wheat bread, cream cheese, banana, and milk)

Snack cup of green tea

Midi Cajun fish fillets, spinach with raisins, One slice of bread (whole wheat) and yogurt and berries

Crudités and cheese snack

Evening Vegetarian Chili with Tofu (made in advance) and Parboiled Brown Rice

Menu for weight loss - Man - 1800 kcal

Morning Cancun Breakfast (yogurt, homemade granola, apple, whole wheat bread, and peanut butter)

Snack cup of green tea

Clam and orange fish soup, tomato salad and feta cheese and two slices of bread (whole wheat)

Milk and orange snack

Evening Stewed Chicken and Peppers with Citrus (made in advance), Steamed Brown Rice and Fruit Cup

For further

Stimulate thermogenesis

Thermogenesis is the metabolic process that transforms food into energy. Some foods and nutrients have the effect of increasing thermogenesis more than others but in a modest way. This is the case, for example, with proteins, green tea, and cayenne pepper. In one study, the active compounds of green tea (catechins and caffeine) and those of cayenne pepper (capsaicin) combined with calcium and tyrosine slightly increased energy expenditure.

According to a meta-analysis, it seems that Westerners react less to the effects of the active ingredients of tea than Asians. Incorporating some green tea into the diet can not hurt, but will not work miracles.

Another study shows that cayenne pepper is more potent than a placebo in lowering fat in an obese person. By cons, there is no difference in terms of weight.

Consume dairy products to lose weight?

An intake of less than 600mg a day would slow down weight loss and encourage more fat. This is what one study has demonstrated by confirming the following hypothesis: "The brain perceives calcium deficiency and seeks to compensate by stimulating food intake".

Be careful though, if you already consume at least 2 dairy products a day, an extra intake will not affect your weight. To reach 600 mg of calcium, it is recommended to consume 2 dairy products per day (yogurt, cheese or milk).

The Kitchendiet slimming program, with its fresh and ready-made slimming dishes, allows you to lose weight by following the recommendations mentioned above.

Discover more tips in the first part of the Weight Problems - Obesity and Overweight: Taking on New Habits.