Introduction to Weight Loss – [4] # Detailed introduction to various weight loss diets #

The key to successful weight loss is:Able to stick to the weight loss plan; It has little to do with which type of weight loss diet you choose. Therefore, I suggest choosing a diet that suits you and has lower calories than daily energy metabolism in order to achieve long-term and continuous weight loss. The traditional weight loss diet has at least 800 kcal/day, roughly divided into several types:

1. Portion-controlled diets with balanced nutrients
2. Low-fat diet
3. Low-sugar diet
4. High protein diet
5. Mediterranean diet

◆ Balance low-calorie diet

Daily intake of appropriate carbohydrates, protein and lipids is necessary, and a balanced low-calorie diet focuses on reducing alcohol consumption, desserts and other snacks that cannot provide balanced nutrition.

◆ Low-fat diet

Low-fat diet is also one of the diet plans that are often recommended, which focuses onReduce daily fat intake; But not just a low-fat diet, most weight loss diets recommend reducing the fat intake to about 30% or less of the total daily calories.

In a large cross-statistical study, low-fat diet (daily fat intake accounts for 20~25% of total calories) can achieve more weight loss than medium-fat diet (daily fat intake accounts for 35~40% of total calories) . In addition, there are research statistics that for people who can maintain their weight for a long time, one of the weight loss strategies is to consume a low-fat diet.

In addition, the Women's Health Initiative Dietary Modification Trial surveyed nearly 50,000 postmenopausal women, and found that if they adopt a low-fat diet and a relatively increased intake of healthy sugars (fruits, grains), even if they do not intentionally reduce their total calorie intake Or given the goal of weight loss, an average weight loss of 2.2kg was reached after one year. Even after 7.5 years, this group of people still maintained the state of weight loss, and the decline was more obvious than the control group; overall lower The fat diet group showed no signs of gaining weight, and the lower the fat intake rate, the more obvious the weight loss. As for the increase in the amount of healthy carbohydrates, there was no significant difference.

Even if you do not deliberately reduce calorie intake or set weight loss goals
Low-fat diet can still lose weight for a long time

There are usually two ways to implement a low-fat diet plan.

[1] The menu suggested by the nutritionist:
The menu especially emphasizes a variety of low-fat foods for cooking. If you find it troublesome to compare the menu, a simple way to distinguish is: as long as the food has the feeling of "melting in your mouth", it usually contains more fat. Don't choose.

[2] It calculates how many grams of edible fat are edible by calculating the daily calorie intake of fat
Take 1600 kcal/day as an example. If you want fat to account for only 25% of calorie intake, 1600 × 25% = 400kcal/day, and the caloric density of fat is 9.4 kcal/g, so the daily fat content is about 400 ÷ 9.4 ≒ 40g . In general, experts recommend that fat intake should be lower than 30% of total calorie intake.

But remind everyone that it is impossible to completely reduce the amount of fat in the process of weight loss. Even under the best weight loss effect, 5% will be protein in the weight lost.

◆ Low-sugar diet

Many supporters of low-sugar diets believe that the increasing obesity rate of the population nowadays mainly comes from the low-oil and high-sugar "weight loss diet", but this may not be so objective, because it needs to consider which carbohydrate food is consumed. (Such as high fructose drinks, high energy density snacks...).

For short-term weight loss (less than two weeks), low-sugar (<130g/day) and super-low-sugar (<60g/day) diets have a place; limiting sugar intake will cause glycogen conversion, which causes rapid weight loss Most of it comes from the consumption of glycogen and the loss of water, not from fat consumption. According to a large cross-statistical study, the weight loss caused by the low-sugar diet in the first 6 months after the start of the plan is much greater than that of the lower-fat diet, but after 12 months, there is no significant difference.

However, taking a low-sugar diet and choosing a better and higher-quality sugar source (such as brown rice) will have some additional benefits, such as reducing the incidence of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and so on.

If you want to make a low-sugar diet plan, you can start from two directions──Reduce total carbohydrate intake,orEat foods with low glycemic index/load (low GI). Of course, we also recommend eating healthy fats (unsaturated fats) and protein foods (beans, fish, poultry). The reasons are as follows:

According to research (26 years of follow-up of women in the Nurses' Health Study and 20 years of follow-up of men in the Health Professionals' Follow-up Study), under the same low-sugar diet, a higher proportion of plant-based Fat and protein will have a lower average mortality rate, especially the mortality rate caused by cardiovascular disease. The opposite is true for those who eat a higher proportion of animal fat and protein.

◆ High protein diet

Although many best-selling books suggest a high-protein diet, in large cross-statistical analysis studies, whether a low-fat diet is combined with high-protein or low-protein food intake, there are no significant differences in weight loss, waist circumference, blood lipids, and blood pressure. However, if the amount of fat in the diet is fixed, the more protein you consume, the less carbohydrates you consume (which may be beneficial for diabetics). In addition, according to research, low-fat and high-protein diets are more effective than low-fat and high-sugar diets in long-term weight maintenance.

However, a high-protein diet will increase the excretion of urinary calcium, thus increasing the probability of bone loss and stones. There are two small studies in this area that indicate that increased protein in the diet will reduce the effect of bone resorption; in addition, studies have shown that the increase in urinary calcium excretion mainly comes from the increase in calcium absorption from the intestine, rather than from bone.

◆ Mediterranean diet

This type of diet is commonly found in olive-rich areas along the Mediterranean coast. Its characteristics are:Eat more monounsaturated fat.Moderate drinking.Eat a lot of vegetables, fruits, beans, cereals and dairy products (mostly fresh milk and cheese); In addition,Relatively little meat intake.

Large cross-statistical studies have shown that such a diet can improve health, and the average mortality rate, cardiovascular disease mortality rate, cancer mortality rate, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease incidence rates will all decrease.

◆ Super low-calorie diet

Diets with calories between 200~800kcal/day are called, and those with less than 200kcal/day are called "starving diet". The starting point is that the less calorie intake, the faster the weight loss.This method has been less used to reduce weight.

According to a large cross-statistical study, the short-term weight loss effect of the super low-calorie diet is indeed better than that of the traditional low-calorie diet, but there is no significant difference in the long-term weight loss effect between the two.

In addition to weight loss, the super low-calorie diet has two other effects: blood pressure reduction and blood sugar reduction. Therefore, if you use hypertension drugs, it is recommended to stop temporarily except for severe hypertension; and for diabetic patients, maintain super A low-calorie diet can reduce the dose of drugs and insulin taken, and patients with mild diabetes may even have the opportunity to stop using drugs.

However, a super low-calorie diet can also bring side effects: hair loss, thinning of the skin, and chills. It is absolutely prohibited for breastfeeding or pregnant women, and growing children.

Since this diet cannot be maintained for a long time, it is not recommended for weight loss at present, and only used under certain special conditions, such as surgery.

◆ Proportional diet

mainUse ready-made frozen meal packs to ensure that the weight loss diet is implemented. Frozen low-calorie meal packs contain about 250~350 kcal per pack, which is a very convenient choice for weight loss diet. It is usually recommended to take a standardized diet or nutrition bar for breakfast, a standardized diet or a frozen main meal for lunch, and a good night. It is a frozen main meal with fruits and vegetables.

Through such a diet, it is indeed possible to ensure that the daily calorie intake is about 1000~1500kcal, and studies have shown that long-term weight loss can be achieved; however,It is not recommended to continue to consume only a standardized diet, because of its insufficient nutritional diversity.