Professor Kanevskaya explained how much weight you can lose in a month without harming your health

Many overweight and obese people try various methods of losing weight, from strict diets to grueling workouts. However, the wrong approach can not only have the opposite effect – weight gain – but also have a negative impact on health.

What are the dangers of obesity and overweight?

MD, professor, specialist in integrative and anti-aging medicine

“Being overweight and obese can trigger serious health consequences.”

A high body mass index (BMI) is associated with an increased risk of:

• Cardiovascular disease (atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, heart failure, ischemic stroke);
• type 2 diabetes mellitus, diabetic polyneuropathy, diabetic foot and limb amputation;
• musculoskeletal disorders.

Obesity has also been shown to be associated with certain types of cancer (endometrial, breast and colorectal).

All of these diseases cause a significant reduction in quality of life, disability and premature death.

How many pounds can I lose on rigid diets and grueling workouts?

The number of pounds lost directly depends on the observance of proper nutrition in combination with physical exercise, but everything should be gradual. If a person begins to follow an extremely strict diet, it will lead to a pronounced deficiency of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, trace elements and vitamins.

This, in turn, will cause a failure of metabolic processes in the body, hormonal imbalance, sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass) and gallstone disease, which threatens to block the common bile duct, the development of mechanical jaundice and acute pancreatitis.

How much weight can I lose in a month without harming my health?

A healthy rate of weight loss is considered a loss of 0.5 to 1 kg per week. Thus, for a month you can lose weight by 2-4 kg, depending on the initial weight, level of physical activity and individual characteristics of the body.

How to lose weight without harming your health?

For weight loss, it is important to follow three basic principles.

The first principle is proper nutrition

At the initial stage of weight loss it is necessary to count calories. The diet should be low-calorie, but not below 1200 kcal per day. It is also necessary to limit the use of quickly digestible carbohydrates (sweets, pastries, sweet sodas and so on).

Properly reduce weight without severe restrictions – it is possible.

In the body, the fat-storing hormone – insulin – is responsible for the synthesis of fat. It is important to remember that its level in the blood rises when glucose enters the body: the higher the glucose peak, the more insulin. Consequently, to lower insulin levels, you need to reduce the peak of glucose and slow its absorption from the gut.

How to do this? There are some simple but effective tips:

• follow the sequence of meals: first fiber → then proteins, fats → only then carbohydrates.

That is, you should start your main meal with a salad.

• Make your breakfast unsweetened.

• Sweets should not be consumed on an empty stomach, only for dessert – after the main meal. This approach will slow the absorption of glucose and fructose, which will not cause a sudden spike in insulin.
• Move after the meal. Do 10-20 squats in front of the TV, go for a walk on the treadmill, or take a stroll in the nearest park.
• Fruit is also a source of simple carbohydrates (fructose). Do like the British: eat fruit at the end of a meal and a small amount.

• Eliminate snacks so as not to create conditions for unnecessary insulin spikes. Leave only the main meals.
• Love fruit freeshes and think they are healthy? They definitely shouldn’t be consumed every day and for breakfast.

Fruit is fructose, and therefore a source of simple (fast) carbohydrates.

“Imagine: you ate one whole fruit, as a result, both plasma glucose and insulin jumped. And in a frosh is not one, but two or three (or even more) whole fruits, that is, the concentration of fructose in the glass is many times higher than in a whole fruit, and fiber is removed, which contributes to even faster absorption of fructose, and thus high peak insulin in the blood.

• The same principle applies to dried fruit. We usually don’t limit ourselves to one or two pieces, but pile on the fruit. It is better to eat a whole fresh fruit, because dried fruit is a concentrate of fructose: there is much less water in it, and the calorie content is many times higher.

For example, the caloric value of apricots per 100 g – 46 kcal, and apricots – 234 kcal.

Snacks with dried fruits are dangerous from two positions: they cause a greater release of insulin than a whole fruit, and calories are many times higher.

• Remember that sweeteners are not magic salvation, and some of them are even dangerous. With an untarnished reputation for today, only stevia remains.

• Try to use vegetables as snacks, not sweet bars (cucumber, celery, salad leaves).

Better yet, try to switch to a diet without snacks, so as not to raise insulin unnecessarily.

The second principle is mandatory physical activity

Remember, muscles burn fat: rebuild your muscles, and they will help you break down fat quickly and irrevocably.

It is important to exercise at least five times a week, of which three times a week cardio exercises (brisk walking, light running, cycling) and twice a week strength training. The duration of one session should be at least 3-40 minutes. It is also important to get your heart rate up during cardio workouts.

You can calculate your heart rate for fat burning by using the formula: (220 – age) × 0.64 and (220 – age) × 0.76. It is necessary to keep the heart rate during exercise exactly in the obtained range. For example, a person 50 years old should train with a pulse from 109 to 130 beats per minute.

The third principle is the observance of sleep

The sleep hormone melatonin performs many important physiological functions. In recent decades, more and more attention has been paid to its unique function in regulating energy metabolism, especially glucose and lipid metabolism.

This hormone is clinically effective in the fight against obesity. It is important to go to bed before 11:30 pm and to sleep in a dark, quiet, cool and well-ventilated room.

It is important to remember that the weight loss process takes time and patience. Losing weight in a month is realistic – you can lose a few pounds by following a balanced diet, regular physical activity and a healthy lifestyle.