«Hope that a strict diet makes up for it lose weight and maintain results it's a'illusion, if you don't change the way you eat every day. Only by joining one philosophy of life which includes, in addition to good food, training and anti-stress practices, it is possible to conquer a stable weight. Otherwise, there is the risk of running into continuous fluctuations in the balance ». Thus begins the doctor Marco Ciambotta, nutritional biologist and researcher in biology at the Tor Vergata University of Rome. According to him, the secret to losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight is learning to eat well. But what does this mean? Read on to find out our expert's tricks.
To help everyone find their shape and well-being, Dr. Ciambotta has developed a nutritional plan. Here 6 tricks important to follow, a series of strategies to get to lose weight "spontaneously", as a consequence of a healthy lifestyle.
- The rule of the Healthy Plate
Let's see the first rule for losing weight and maintaining results. What macronutrients does your dish normally consist of? Perhaps you abound with pasta, rice or pizza and then, to wash your conscience, add a few leaves of salad. Instead, we must learn to respect these proportions: 50% vegetables (raw, cooked, steamed or sautéed), 25% carbohydrates and 25% protein. As fats, two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil per meal.
End of the old school-learned food pyramid, therefore, which assigned 55-60% to carbohydrates? «Generally speaking, yes», Dr. Ciambotta replies. «But a lot also depends on the physical activity performed. Who does functional workout high intensity or run 4-5 times a week can also afford a different composition of meals, ed get up to 55% of carbohydrates, always with plenty of vegetables at will.
If, on the other hand, you lead a good enough life sedentary, better to dedicate half meal with vegetables, taking into account the second golden rule: flexibility. Once a week, for events, parties, going out to restaurants, it's good indulge in a free meal, where you eat what you want, notwithstanding all the rules. But be careful! The free meal should not be seen as a sgarro, to be experienced with feelings of guilt, but precisely as an integral part of a healthy diet ». - Sugars: The rule of 6
«Before buying any packaged product it is necessary read the nutrition label carefully shown on the package: it must not contain more than 6 grams of sugar per 100 grams », continues Marco Ciambotta.
"Let's take fruit yoghurt for example: even the lean ones often contain more than 6 grams of sugar per hectogram because they are added with various sweeteners, in addition to the fructose naturally present in fruit. So they're not good". Be careful, then, to carefully choose all the baked goods that often conceal a much higher percentage of sugars than you think.
To this "rule of six" must be added the debts exceptions: fresh fruit, honey, jam e dark chocolate with 85% bitter cocoa represent the classic exception to the rule, in the sense that they can also contain a higher percentage of sugars, without affecting the diet - No to processed industrial foods
Another key rule of the Nutrition Plan is that of choose and consume foods that are as similar as possible to the original food. «Highly industrially processed foods generally contain preservatives, additives, artificial colors and flavors », comments Dr. Ciambotta. «They poison the organism, alter intestinal function and in the long run make you fat.
Instead, we should gradually eliminate all of the junk food that fills our pantries. I am referring above all to candies, To Chocolates and to machine snacks, as well as alle carbonated industrial drinks". Alcoholic beverages are also moderate: they are high in empty calories. Ok to two glasses of wine a week, one per meal is too much. In short, the more you follow a natural diet, the shorter the road to the rediscovered line becomes - Train intensely
Among the non-food strategies, the most important is to practice strenuous physical activity regularly at a frequency of not less than 30 minutes three times a week, to change body composition and develop lean mass (muscles) at the expense of fat.
«Council to adopt the so-called HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) which includes intense training sessions interspersed with moments of active recovery: for example run with pauses in which you walk, use heavy dumbbells or jump rope, perform a push-up, pull-up, crunch and squat workout ”, explains Dr. Ciambotta.
“This is the only way to teach our body to burn carbohydrates. In fact, by training intensely, glycogen is consumed, that is the sugar deposited in the muscles, and therefore the carbohydrates are affected as an energy reserve ready to replenish the muscle. Otherwise excess carbohydrates, if not used, are transformed into fat of deposit that form the infamous "rolls". A healthy and trained body, on the other hand, can afford an extra plate of pasta because the excess is dissipated in heat ». - The strategy of abdominal breathing
Another key point is become aware of why we eat. Do you get up from your desk and go to the kitchen to browse the fridge? It is not appetite but just boredom, desire to disconnect from work and take a break. Because instead of nibbling here and there, you don't try some anti-stress exercises, aimed at calming the nervous hunger?
«Who works in smart working you can take advantage of being at home by taking a fitness mat, ”suggests our expert. «Whenever you feel the need to disconnect a little, dedicate yourself to abdominal breathing: lie down on the mat with your eyes closed, abandon yourself by unloading the weight of each part of your body on the ground and begin to inhale and exhale slowly, synchronizing with your breath.
This simple gesture allows you to reduce stress hormones, such as cortisol, which prevents weight loss and causes water retention». - The strategic break of the semi-fast
Eating 5 times a day (three meals and two snacks) can be too "bulky" for your body. Instead, one should get used to not eating anything for five hours straight, for a detox effect that allows the stomach, pancreas, liver, kidneys and intestines to function well.
«Once or twice a week we should try to do it a semi-fast, leaving 16 hours to pass between meals (for example, skipping breakfast or dinner), during which you only drink water ”, explains Dr. Ciambotta. "But since I know from experience that it is very difficult to fast for 16 consecutive hours, it is possible to break the fast with a small proteolipid snack: one white yogurt with a handful of dried fruit (walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios) and possibly, if this were not enough to break hunger, two chunks of 85% black chocolate and a teaspoon of coconut oil '.
Always make sure you have a protein quota at breakfast
The Nutrition Plan, with its simple and natural foods, is inspired by the Mediterranean diet. But it offers a very sweet breakfast, penalizing the proteins. Here's how to do it below:
Always introduce a protein quota: a yogurt, an egg, protein powder or a low-fat cheese such as ricotta, first salt or cottage cheese.
Add some carbohydrates: a fruit, an orange juice or a slice of rye bread with a veil of honey or jam.
Expect a small percentage of fat: 30 g of dried fruit, two chunks of 85% dark chocolate and a teaspoon of coconut oil.
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