Introduction
What does weight loss mean?
Lose weight does not mean only losing weight, but rather reducing the amount of fat mass (fat mass - FM) while keeping the lean mass (free fat mass - FFM) unchanged, which consequently increases in percentage (%).
Principles
Basic principles for weight loss
To lose weight, the body must:
- Stop the adipose deposit action
- Affect the fat reserves for energy purposes.
Both of these effects are obtained through 2 fundamental precautions:
- Take less energy than you consume; the adequate quantity corresponds to about 70% of normal energy
- Place the organism in an adequate metabolic - hormonal condition, in which insulin levels must be kept as low and constant as possible.
However, it is always necessary not to neglect the nutritional balance, which is essential for losing weight while remaining healthy.
Lose Weight Well
To lose weight correctly: how to do it?
To be sure of losing weight correctly, in a perfectly healthy body, we must respect these trappings:
- Lose weight around 700-800 g per week, no more; this is achieved by reducing the calorie intake by around 30%
- Follow a balanced diet, that is:
- Consume 5 meals a day, preferably respecting this caloric subdivision: breakfast 15% of energy, two snacks 5%, lunch 40% and dinner 35%
- Do not remove any of the VII basic food groups. In this sense the vegetarian lacto-ovo regime is acceptable, whereas they are NOT considered balanced: vegan, free of cereals and legumes, without fruit and vegetables, etc.
- Share the energy macronutrients in: 25% fatty acids (of which ¾ of unsaturated type and ¼ saturated), proteins about 1.2 g / kg of physiological weight (up to 1.8 g / kg for athletes) *, carbohydrates for all remaining calories (keeping a fraction of the simple ones between 10-16%)
- Make all the saline and vitamin nutrients in sufficient quantities to meet individual needs, despite the reduction in general food intake
- Do not exceed with cholesterol, keeping it below 300 mg / day (in healthy people)
- Ensure a fiber share useful for maintaining intestinal function
- Introduce all useful molecules such as, for example, polyphenolic antioxidants.
* How many proteins?
The g / kg coefficient cannot be applied to overweight people, ie those who have a greater than normal amount of fat. Alternatively, it is therefore possible to choose a percentage also for proteins which, in the normocaloric diet of a healthy and adult subject, should not be less than 12% or higher than 18%.
Note : the protein amount in the diet is still the subject of controversy, which is why it is not possible to establish a precise value without opposing one or the other popular source. According to the "Institute of Medicine (2002)" the acceptable percentage, taking into consideration a wide range of cases, is 10-35%.
In the month
How much can you lose weight in a month?
As anticipated, a weight loss of about 700-800 g per week is considered "optimal". In a month (30 days), the weight loss should be around 2.8-3.2 kg.
Exceptions on the speed of weight loss
A weight loss of more than 4 kg is generally considered excessive, while, in relation to normal or slightly overweight people, the weight of less than 1.5-2 kg is NOT considered too slow. This is because the slower it is to lose weight, the lower the general psycho-physical stress, and vice versa. The only cases in which it is necessary to accelerate weight loss concern obesity-dependent pathologies; for example: metabolic syndrome, gout, severe hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hepatic steatosis or onset of cirrhosis, high risk of cardiovascular events, severe sleep disorders, severe joint diseases, etc. As for normal people or those who are slightly overweight, we must also deal with a possible reduction in motivation; various subjects, expecting greater progress, tend to abandon the system failing in their attempt to lose weight.
Evaluate your weight
Evaluation of extra pounds
Body mass index (BMI) or BMI
To assess whether it is really necessary to lose weight, or to determine if one's weight is really excessive, it is necessary to evaluate the so-called body mass index (BMI); alternatively, it is possible to rely on instrumental analyzes such as bioimpedance (BIA), which however often require expensive tools and an operator able to use it correctly.
IMC (BMI in English) is a method of estimating body composition, which takes into consideration two simple variables: stature and weight. The BMI defines whether an adult human being (NOT an athlete) falls into one of the following categories: underweight, normal weight, overweight (non pathological), obesity (pathological).
The formula for calculating the BMI is as follows: weight in kilograms divided by height, measured in meters, squared BMI = [Ps kg / St m2] (the online calculator in this article can also be used).
The result, or the coefficient, is to be included in a specific evaluation ranking.
| Table 1 - Evaluation of body mass index (BMI or BMI) | |
| Rating | Coefficient |
| Underweight | Up to 18.4 |
| Normal weight | 18.5 - 24.9 |
| Overweight | 25.0 - 30.0 |
| Obesity | From 30.1 |
Body constitution
As anticipated, the BMI calculation is a useful system in the "approximate" evaluation of the state of nutrition. More specifically, it is a "spanometric" measure since it does not take into consideration parameters such as body proportions, the skeleton, the amount of muscle mass (which is why it is never applicable to athletes, especially those who practice sports of strength) etc. To compensate at least in part for these shortcomings, a further subdivision means has been conceived that exploits the discriminations of the constitution and the body morphology.
The body constitution evaluates the extent of the skeleton by measuring the circumference of the NON dominant wrist (in centimeters, measured at the narrowest point) and contextualizing the result in a special ranking.
| Table 2 - Evaluation of body constitution based on the circumference of the wrist | ||
| Woman | Constitution | Man |
| > 15cm | Slim | > 1cm |
| 15-16cm | Normal | 17-18cm |
| > 16cm | Robust | > 18cm |
Body morphology
The body morphology, instead, attributes the right importance to the relationship between the stature and the circumference of the wrist in centimeters:
MRF CRP = [Saturated in cm / Crf. wrist in cm].
Also in this case, the measure must be inserted in a special judgment scale.
| Table 3- Evaluation of body morphology | ||
| Woman | Constitution | Man |
| > 9.9 | Slim | > 9.6 |
| 9.9 - 10.9 | Normal | 9.6 - 10.4 |
| > 10.9 | Robust | > 10.4 |
Desirable physiological body mass index (BMI FD)
Finally, to determine with greater specificity, in numerical terms, the NORMALITY of one's own weight, we can combine all these three means of evaluation by relating them to a single table of the desirable physiological body mass index (BMI FD):
| Table 4 - Desirable physiological BMI with respect to body constitution and body morphology | ||||
| Slender Longilineo | Slender Normolineo | Slender Brevilinear | Normal Longilineo | Normal Normolineo |
| 18.5 | 19.3 | 20.1 | 20.9 | 21.7 |
| Normal Brevilineo | Robust Longilineo | Robust Normolineo | Robust Brevilineo | |
| 22.5 | 23.3 | 24.1 | 24.9 | |
So, summarizing everything in a few steps, we could define the following points:
- Using a well-balanced scale, read the weight (in kg, not in lb) in the morning, on an empty stomach, after having fulfilled the physiological needs in the toilet
- By means of a statimeter, by getting help and respecting the guidelines (read How to Measure Height), note the height (in cm)
- Using a metric tape, or a simple dressmaker's tape, measure the circumference of the NON dominant wrist at the narrowest point (in cm)
- Establish, with the formula BMI = [Ps kg / St m2], the BMI and evaluate it with the appropriate table 1 above. If the BMI exceeds the lower limit of the overweight there is a good chance that these 10 kg are "really" too much
- If it is within the normal range, proceed by establishing, with respect to tables 2 and 3 above, the body constitution and body morphology [Stature in cm / Crf. wrist in cm]
- Enter the value in table 4; if the BMI, although normal, is superior to the desirable physiological one, there is a good chance that these 10 kg are, even partially, too much.
Can the extra pounds be lost in just one month?
In case of a body mass index higher than the desirable one, it is also possible to perform an INVERSE calculation to establish the actual size of the excess kg. With the values obtained above we will therefore have to perform two mathematical operations; one to establish the desired physiological weight (P FD) and the other to determine the difference between the latter and the actual weight (P R.). Then:
- P FD = [BMI FD * St m2]
- Kg too many = [P R. - P FD].
| Table 5 - approximate consumption frequency of foods | |||
| Basic food group | Subgroup | Frequency | Portion |
| The fundamental group of foods: meat, eggs and fishery products | Fresh, red and white meat | 1-2 times a week | 100 g |
| Preserved meat | 3 times a month or once a week | 50 g | |
| Fresh fishery products | 1-2 times a week | 150 g | |
| Preserved fishery products | 3 times a month or once a week | 50 g | |
| Eggs, whole or only yolk | 1 and / or 2 times a week (depending on the portion) | 50 and / or 100 g (based on consumption frequency) | |
| The fundamental group of foods: Milk and Derivatives | Milk and yogurt | Even 2-3 times a day | 125 g / ml |
| Fresh cheeses | 1-2 times a week - as a dish | 100 g | |
| Seasoned cheeses | 1-2 times a week - as a dish; grated every day but in adequate portion | 50 g; Grated about 5-10 g | |
| III fundamental group of foods: Starchy legumes | Fresh, frozen, dried-rehydrated, canned vegetables | 2-4 times a week, in first courses or as a side dish (to replace those below) | 150 g |
| Dried vegetables | 2-4 times a week, in first courses or as a side dish (to replace those above), based on the use of cereals and potatoes | 50 g | |
| IV fundamental food group: Cereals, Tubers and Derivatives | Pasta, wheat, rice, corn, spelled, barley, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, semolina, polenta and other flours | 3-4 times a week, in first courses, based on the use of legumes and potatoes | 80 g |
| Bread | 2-3 times a day | 50 g | |
| Potatoes | 1-2 times a week, in first courses or as, depending on the use of cereals and legumes | 200 g | |
| Breakfast cereals | In varying quantities based on the use of other foods for breakfast | 30 g | |
| V fundamental group of foods: Condiment Oils and Fats | Vegetable oils, cold-pressed, not subjected to chemical extraction, fractionation, hydrogenation, etc. | 2-4 times a day (both as a cooking base and as a condiment) | 5-10 g |
| Butter | To a lesser extent than oils | 5-10 g | |
| Lard, tallow, margarine, hydrogenated or fractionated oils or solvent extracts | Less possible | 5-10 g | |
| VI and VII fundamental group of foods: Fruits and Vegetables rich in Vitamin A and Vitamin C | Fresh sweet fruit and vegetables | 3-4 times a day. One portion of vegetables at lunch and one at dinner, plus possibly one in recipes for first courses; two portions of seasonal sweet fruit per day | 150 g cooked or raw vegetables in stem, root, fruit; 150 g fruits |
| Preserved fruit: jam and jams, fruit juices, dehydrated fruit etc. | Jam and jams even every day; better if low in added sugar. The rest one-off | 20 g for jams and jams. 200 ml fruit juices | |
| Oilseeds | Almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, pistachios, macadamia, pecans, cashews, Brazilian nuts, etc. | Even every day in low portions; 2-3 times a week in larger portions (respecting the total amount of fat in the diet) | 15-30 g |
| alcohol | Red wine | 0 to even 2 times a day | 125 ml |
| Calorie sweeteners | Sugar and Honey | 0 to 2-3 times a day (respecting the total amount of sugars in the diet) | 3-7 g of sugar; 10-20 g of honey |
| Sweet and savory snacks | Bread substitutes: rusks, crackers, breadsticks, friselle, taralli etc. Soft sweet baked goods: croissants, croissants, croissants etc. Cookies. | In varying quantities based on the use of bread and other foods for breakfast. | 30 for bread substitutes. 50 g for soft baked goods. 30 g for cookies |
Correction to lose weight in a month
Let us now turn to the final correction. After changing the diet as previously suggested, making sure that the current diet is normocaloric (that is, that it does not lead to an increase or a reduction in weight), it is necessary to proportionally reduce the calories. This can be done:
- Changing the type of food (but remaining within the specific group)
- Increasing the amount of fibers
- Increasing the skimming level of dairy products (ie decreasing fats)
- Reducing the amount of oil
- Moderating the portion.
| Table 6 - Example of 30% caloric reduction | |||
| DIAL NORMAL = 2350 kcal | HYPOCALORIC DIET 70% = 1640 kcal | ||
| Breakfast | Breakfast | ||
| Whole cow's milk | 250 ml (1 cup) | Skimmed cow's milk | 250 ml (1 cup) |
| Cookies | 40 g (8 cookies) | Muesli | 30 g (6 tablespoons) |
| Snack | Snack | ||
| Banana | 200 g (1 large banana) | Apple | 150 g (1 apple) |
| Lunch | Lunch | ||
| Pasta with tomato sauce | Pasta with tomato sauce | ||
| Semolina pasta | 100 g | Integral semolina pasta | 80 g |
| Tomato puree | 100 g | Tomato puree | 100 g |
| Grain | 10 g (1 tbsp) | Grain | 5 g (1 teaspoon) |
| Boiled egg and boiled potatoes | Boiled egg and salad | ||
| Egg, whole | 50 g | Egg, whole | 50 g |
| Potatoes | 200 g (about 1 potato) | Lettuce | 70 g |
| Wheat bread | 50 g (2 slices) | Whole wheat bread | 50 g (2 slices) |
| Extravirgin olive oil | 20 g (2 tablespoons) | Extravirgin olive oil | 20 g (2 tablespoons) |
| Snack | Snack | ||
| Whole milk yogurt | 125 g (1 jar) | Skim milk yogurt | 125 g (1 jar) |
| Dinner | Dinner | ||
| Boiled rice | Boiled potatoes | ||
| White rice | 90 g | Potato | 200 g |
| Grilled pork and aubergine steak | Grilled chicken and eggplant steak | ||
| Pork loin | 100 g | Chicken breast | 100 g |
| Eggplant | 200 g | Eggplant | 200 g |
| Wheat bread | 50 g | Whole wheat bread | 50 g |
| Extravirgin olive oil | 20 g | Extravirgin olive oil | 20 g |
