Slimness Without Harm to Health: 5 Common Mistakes of Those Losing Weight 0 9

Mistake #1. Skipping Breakfast

Today, many nutritionists emphasize the importance of breakfast as a key meal. Breakfast provides energy for the entire day, replenishes the nutrients expended overnight, and sets the tone for the eating regime throughout the day. Skipping breakfast can lead to quick fatigue and weakness, as well as provoke the consumption of high-calorie foods, often rich in carbohydrates. The feeling of fullness from carbohydrates lasts for a short time.

Some people believe that a cup of tea or coffee can replace breakfast, which is a mistaken opinion. Tea only slightly stimulates gastric secretion, while coffee does this more actively. However, if there are no other foods in the diet, such secretion can irritate the stomach lining, and essential nutrients do not enter the body.

Skipping breakfast can become one of the reasons for weight gain. Over the course of a year, those who regularly skip breakfast may gain from 4 to 7 kg of excess weight.

If you skip breakfast or dinner, your body may go hungry for more than 12 hours. This disrupts the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, especially the gallbladder, as bile is released only when food is consumed. The risk of developing gallstone disease significantly increases with such a dietary regime.

Many people have no appetite in the morning, while others justify skipping breakfast by a lack of time. However, these are just excuses! A full and balanced breakfast can be prepared in just a few minutes, for example, by making a smoothie from vegetables and fruits with the addition of yogurt or plant-based milk.

Mistake #2. Neglecting Snacks

Eating small meals helps control appetite throughout the day. If you feel hungry, the likelihood of overeating at the next meal significantly increases. Therefore, it is always useful to have snacks on hand: between breakfast and lunch, between lunch and dinner, and also 3 hours before sleep.

For snacks, it is better to choose foods that contain carbohydrates and proteins. For example, this could be 150 g of berries (wild, fresh, or frozen, depending on the season) or a ripe fruit of your choice (3 apples, oranges, or mandarins; ½ grapefruit; or 4 plums) with a small amount of nuts (4 almonds or 2-3 walnuts). At night, you can eat a leafy salad with aromatic herbs and lemon juice, adding a piece of low-fat cheese. You can also drink kefir or buttermilk with bran before bed.

Mistake #3. Evening Overeating

It is not recommended to consume foods high in carbohydrates at night, such as fruits, baked goods, and confectionery. If you want to drink something from fermented dairy products, it is better to add greens to kefir or bran to buttermilk. This will help carbohydrates be absorbed more slowly and provide a lasting feeling of fullness. Yogurt can also be a good option for an evening snack, especially if it is homemade.

Mistake #4. Following a Mono-Diet

Mono-diets do not provide a complete chemical composition, so they should not be used for an extended period. A long deviation from the principles of balanced nutrition can negatively affect health. Mono-diets can be considered as unloading diets, but they should not be abused: a sharp restriction in nutrition is perceived by the body as starvation, and after returning to a normal diet, it begins to accumulate the lost weight with double force. The results of a mono-diet are difficult to maintain, and prolonged use can be harmful to health.

Mistake #5. Insufficient Physical Activity

Exercising twice a week is not enough for weight loss! Diversify your workouts: include functional, strength, and cardio exercises. Consult a trainer who can help create an individual program that takes into account your characteristics and goals.