HOW TO LOSE 20 KILOS: THE TIPS TO FOLLOW - IN SHAPE

Is it possible (and reasonable) to lose 20 pounds fast?

Do you want to lose at least 20 pounds or more? First, think about your starting weight, so that your search is an achievable and not unreasonable goal. One of the indicators that can tell you if you really need to lose weight is your body mass index.
On the reference site dedicated to the BMI, it is possible to calculate it, to understand if you are overweight and how many kilos you would need to lose. In any case, we always recommend that you consult a professional before embarking on any diet, so that you can lose weight in total safety.

Another thing to keep in mind is that it will take (and should take) several months to achieve this.

In order for your weight loss goal to work, you must plan for weight loss and above all not act against common sense. Depriving yourself of the food you need for a period of time is not enough and above all it is not appropriate, as it would only negatively affect your health.

Learn to eat better and adopt a better lifestyle. This takes time as habits have to change and this is not always immediate.

The first thing to do to lose the 20 pounds is to stay motivated, keep track of the goal and try to get as much support as possible.

Nutritionists are unanimous: if you currently have a BMI around the age of 30, it is much safer to get help from a professional to lose a lot of weight.

If you want to lose 20 kg (or more) on your own, follow these tips. At first, you can lose weight quite quickly, as if the pounds disappear easily. But beware of the famous yo-yo effect and the weight that comes back faster than it should! Weight gain is so much easier for the person you are. just lost weight, because the fat cells have shrunk but have not disappeared.

Here's what you need to do to lose weight and maintain it for the long term.

Do you change your diet?

If you really want to lose weight and stabilize it, then you will need to change your lifestyle in the long term.
Silke Restemeyer, an "expert from the German Society for Nutrition (DGE), confirms this:" A fast diet leads to short-term weight loss, but to lose weight permanently you need to change your eating habits and opt for a slow, natural and gradual weight loss ".
In particular, he recommends losing a maximum of 2 pounds per month and no more than 500 grams per week.

Changing your diet for better balance, instead of a crash diet, has three benefits:

You eat your fill.
All the necessary nutrients are introduced.
Your metabolism changes (without slowing it down, as happens in radical diets that play on food deprivation).

Once you have reached the desired weight, you need to act on how you eat and your nutritional balance, going to stabilize.

No to (too many) bans, more "self-management"!

In order for the diet change to work permanently, it is important not to ban any type of food.
Silke Restemeyer says: "The key to losing weight is to introduce the correct amount of food at the right time - so, in principle, everything is fair."
In short, here are the foods that are right for you:

Low-calorie foods such as vegetables, fruits or low-fat dairy products can be eaten several times a day.
High-calorie foods, such as processed foods or sweets, should be consumed as rarely as possible and in small portions (at most once a week).
We must not forget the slow sugars such as legumes (rather at breakfast) and the protein intake that guarantees satiety and nourishes the muscle mass.

Tip: Make sure you include vegetables in every meal, up to half of your plate or even more in the evening. Make sure you cut back on the meat, especially the red (more fatty) meat. Attention, gratin and fried are not really a vegetable!

Food of the day and the food diary

Lovers of sugars and burgers, you for whom eating a balanced diet seems boring, learn to vary the menus! Food curiosity is your next challenge to discover the foods that you will like and that will be good for your body!
Keeping a food diary will help you a lot in identifying your bad habits and fighting them successfully. The diary should be kept for at least a week, on which you will write down everything you eat for 7 days, which will allow you to evaluate how many calories you have consumed each day.

The right food, the right nutrients

The fewer calories a food contains, the more you can eat. At least that's the theory, because in detail calories aren't the only thing that matters. In fact, the quality of the food you eat, its glycemic index, and the time it takes your body to digest matter a lot.

Vegetables and fruits are perfect, of course, because they contain a lot of fiber, vitamins and minerals.
As for the vegetables, be careful how they are cooked if you don't eat them raw. So freshly sautéed or steamed vegetables are ideal. The seasoning is a little extra virgin olive oil, banishing butter and fat.

Likewise, prefer fresh, whole fruit. It is important to know that fruit contains sugar and that it is better to eat it with its fiber and vitamins unaltered than as a juice, with a high level of sugar, a high glycemic index and a consequent loss of vitamins.

These foods can be eaten several times a day:

Cooked vegetables
Raw vegetables
fresh fruit
Low-fat dairy products
Whole foods (bread, pasta, rice)

These foods can be on the table several times a week:

Legumes
Low-fat meat
Lean fish

Eat at the right time

Eating three to five (healthy) meals a day is a "recommended habit - rather than snacking all day! Five is a number that includes two snacks (a low-fat yogurt and almonds, a fruit, a slice of ham, etc." ...)
Pay particular attention to snacks, as snack products typically provide a lot of calories when they don't have a high glycemic index.

Instead of eating unhealthy ready-made meals, try cooking yourself more often. This way you know exactly what you are eating and how many calories you are consuming.

For example, the night before you can prepare a healthy breakfast the night before by swelling the oatmeal in water or vegetable milk or skimmed milk overnight. To sweeten it a little, use vanilla powder and some puree. of banana.
For a more complete protein intake, adding chia seeds and adding a fresh fruit or two, such as kiwifruit or raspberries are perfect.
For lunch, enjoy a meal with lots of vegetables, fish or lean meat and basmati rice, or some wholemeal pasta.
Avoid starchy foods in the evening. It is also better to reduce the consumption of sweets.

However, do not deprive yourself of carbohydrates, but choose them correctly.
Carbohydrates are what will fuel your brain and provide you with energy. Also, the body cannot do without it. On the other hand, avoid carbohydrates that have long been called "simple carbohydrates," which are naturally sweets, pastries, white bread and even white rice.

How to manage special moments?

To lose weight gradually, you need to cut down on certain foods - although this is certainly difficult.
Remember one important thing: everything is fine, but not every day and only in small quantities.
For instance:

Candies
Chocolate
Ice creams
Cakes
French fries
fast food
Fatty cheeses (camembert, brie, parmesan, gorgonzola, buffalo mozzarella ...)
Cured meats (except bresaola)
Alcohol
Sodas

All these foods are to be consumed as exceptional pleasures.

Tip: Many of us are unaware of the number of calories hidden in drinks and consume flavored waters or diet sodas without knowing what is really in them. In fact, sugary drinks (including fruit juices) should be consumed in moderation.

Also beware of sweetened coffee with milk, cocktails, beer, alcohol in general, which are real calorie bombs. Are you thirsty? Then drink all the water you want, unsweetened herbal teas or tea.

The importance of physical activity

Getting your dream weight isn't just about changing your diet.
Losing weight without toning up doesn't change your metabolism in depth. Exercise is needed.

Why is it so crucial?
Because it is through exercise that more calories are consumed. Physical activity strengthens muscles, increases energy consumption and also makes you happier by releasing endorphins and serotonin. Three good reasons to play endurance sports for at least three days a week for 30 minutes or more and really sweat.

In this case, any sport is good for you: walking, jogging, cycling and swimming are suitable as an aerobics class. In addition, some strengthening exercises will be welcome to firm up the abdomen, legs and buttocks.

It is not only by doing sports that we radically change our life and our body, but also by taking the habit of seizing every opportunity in our daily life to move.
Whether you take the stairs instead of an elevator or escalator, or cycle to work, don't hesitate to walk and move whenever you can.

Set achievable goals in order to progress

When you want to lose 20 kg or more, you can be frightened of the feat or even discouraged by this double digit number!
That's why it's one thing to try to lose weight, but it's even better to do it by giving yourself the option of not regaining it. A real guarantee of well-being over time. The idea here is not to lose weight to fit a perfect figure, but rather to feel good about yourself and be healthy.

It actually takes several months to lose weight, sometimes up to a year or more. For this it makes sense to forget the number of pounds, but focus on progressive weight loss.
Silke Restemeyer, our German nutrition expert, says: "Always think about the next three or five kilos and celebrate success as it deserves."

Also, you need to avoid making too many demands on yourself and your body.
"Naturally, you can't lose weight as fast as you would like, and after a weight loss of ten percent of your body weight, you often can't continue at the same pace."
You need to listen to your body and keep the weight you lost earlier. After a few weeks, you will start losing weight again.

When the rewards arrive ...

If you are truly motivated to lose weight, this becomes your engine and this motivation works almost by itself. Each step, that is, every 5 kg lost is a reward in itself, but do not hesitate to put something rewarding into it to make it happen: it can be a small trip, a shopping session, a show or a day at the wellness center.

Don't ban everything!

Beware of frustration.
While you need to change your habits and learn to enjoy other foods, don't deprive yourself of everything you love. In fact, bans and complete renunciation of the foods you love very often lead to uncontrolled desires.
And it is then that, after eating, for example, a cake, you feel guilty and start to lose motivation and enter a vicious circle.

Do you like chocolate? Indulge in a square of dark chocolate from time to time with coffee. An aperitif with friends? Grab a glass of red wine and sip it slower than usual so you don't give in to a second.

In fact, your weight loss program must also become a coaching of yourself on your will and control!

Our tip: the day after the crash, make sure you're alert and get back to your good eating habits.

The right motivation, where to find it?

Finally, take a little "trip" to your closet: try on your favorite clothes again and fix things that have gotten too big!

Tip: Write down your goals and main points of motivation on a piece of paper and put it in a place you see every day (on your fridge, bathroom or closet). If you've had a bad day and want to give up everything , just take a look at your motivations and you will know again why you are so determined!

Take your measurements, instead of just relying on the scale ...

Weight is one thing, but your success doesn't just depend on the scale. Indeed, significant success can be measured, for example, with your favorite outfits. A nice pair of jeans can serve as a "yardstick" and measure the space created in the thighs, buttocks and waist circumference.

If you are a true perfectionist, you can record your measurements in your diary. Sometimes fat mass is lost due to lean mass (muscle) and this is less noticeable on the scale than in the waist circumference!

For more information, consult the Humanitas website.

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