We continue to analyze the weight loss stories of various people in order to understand what works for losing weight and what doesn’t among the wide variety of existing recommendations. Our own experience is accumulated in the section How to Lose Weight? on our website, most of the materials in which are based on scientific research.
This time in the section Reviews of Those Who Lost Weight – a story about a 40-year-old woman who did nothing unusual: she simply changed her lifestyle habits, diet, and level of physical activity – what everyone often talks about and knows – and achieved a result that is pleasing to herself and not embarrassing to show others.
Main thoughts:
Nessa, 39 years old from Luxembourg, never had problems with excess weight. She was one of those women/girls who eat whatever they want and it does not affect their body parameters and weight.
This continued until she switched to a sedentary job and… unknowingly began to gain weight. “I was focused on work, not health. I ate whatever came to hand and constantly felt broken and tired.”
One day she saw an old photo of herself and was unpleasantly surprised. “I had no idea how much my body had changed during that time,” says Nessa, adding that her sleep worsened and she became very nervous at work.
In March 2016, the woman decided to change everything in hopes of becoming stronger, healthier, and more energetic, as well as enjoying looking at herself in the mirror. She began to take gradual small steps.
We recommend: Reviews of Those Who Lost Weight: This guy ate only potatoes for a whole year and lost… 53 kg!
Step 1: Sports
What was the first step?
She started exercising early in the morning.
Finding the motivation to go to the gym after work was incredibly difficult, as she simply had no energy; therefore, Nessa decided to do it in the mornings.
A 40-year-old woman??? Or a girl? Honestly, it looks like a fake 😉
At first, getting up at 5 AM was not very pleasant, but after a few weeks she got used to it, started waking up without an alarm, and even began to feel more energetic at work.
For her workouts, Nessa chose a high-intensity interval training course from Kayla Itsines.
For understanding, here is one example of such a workout from Kayla Itsines:
Nessa visits the gym 5 or 6 times a week and works out for 45 – 55 minutes. The workouts consist of cardio exercises or high-intensity interval training, and once a week – strength training.
The first step in Nessa’s weight loss journey: regular exercise, mainly high-intensity interval training, 5-6 times a week for 50 minutes
Recommended: 9 reasons “for” strength training for women
Step 2: Nutrition
During the first few months, Nessa noted a pleasant transformation of her body. However, despite all her efforts and persistence in following the chosen strategy, after some time she reached a plateau and stopped noticing progress.
Transformation: weight increased, but due to muscle mass gain
She realized that it was now time to address her nutrition and reconsider her diet.
Despite believing she was eating correctly, Nessa realized that she was absolutely not controlling portion sizes, sometimes skipping meals during busy work periods, and then making up for it in the evening with donuts.
The calorie content of her food varied widely from day to day: from 1000 to 3000 calories.
Nessa consulted a certified dietitian who developed an individualized meal plan for her that would provide the necessary amount of energy given her office work and regular training.
She started to eat 5-6 times a day in small portions, consuming about 1900-2000 calories throughout the day.
Eating every three hours is an important principle of weight loss, which helps to avoid feelings of hunger (which often leads to overeating) as well as energy depletion.
The new eating regimen required planning. It was necessary to prepare and take three portions to work every day. Each of them consisted of:
- chicken breast with sweet potato (batata), broccoli, and avocado OR
- cod with rice and green peas, dressed with olive oil, OR
- whole grain pasta with slices of zucchini, shrimp, and pesto sauce.
As a second step, Nessa made adjustments to her eating regimen: she started to eat more frequently (5-6 times a day) in small portions consisting of whole natural foods, and with the help of a dietitian calculated the necessary amount of calories for each day.
We recommend: What NOT to eat and what to EAT to lose weight?
Review of the dietitian on the chosen nutrition strategy
I have met people who came to me for consultation convinced that they eat correctly, – says dietitian Marlee Zweifach. – Very often they exclude fast food from their diet, add more whole grains, but.. do not consume enough protein.
This is how appetizing meal planning looks
Protein is important for weight loss. Foods rich in protein:
- are very filling, eliminating hunger for a long time;
- have a thermogenic effect, meaning they require more energy to digest than carbohydrates and fats (about 30%!);
- are beneficial for maintaining muscle mass, as when you lose weight by restricting calories and actively exercising, there is a high risk of losing it.
We recommend: Scientific facts about the benefits of protein for weight loss
When you set a goal to eat right, as Nessa did, it requires persistence and planning, – says dietitian Jane Detroyer. – For weight loss, it is important that proper nutrition becomes a daily priority.
You need to not only set aside time for meal preparation but also plan ahead for situations that may force you to deviate from your meal plan.
If you need to have lunch every day, it is important to find the best place for it, where healthy food is served, – says dietitian Marlee Zweifach. Planning in this way, according to her, is the path to success in achieving long-term weight loss goals.
Nessa followed her nutrition plan for 11 weeks, not deviating even a step, and is convinced that the reason for her success is her diligence.
Now on weekends, she allows herself to relax from the strict eating schedule, but continues to adhere to it on workdays.
Nutritionist’s review: “An important key to success in weight loss is planning the diet for each day; nutrition should become a daily priority“
We recommend: How to lose weight quickly and without harming your health? 4 principles based on modern scientific data
Small correct lifestyle changes – the secret to success in weight loss
Throughout her fitness journey, Nessa looks in the mirror rather than at the scale, because she knows that muscle weighs more than fat: she is not against gaining a few kilograms of muscle mass. And she feels happy and healthy.
Nessa’s success in weight loss is the result of hard work and determination. But she is also a vivid example of how small correct changes in life can lead to wonderful results.
In a new look… “small correct changes in life can lead to wonderful results”
The woman knew exactly how much she needed to eat to maintain her level of physical activity while also losing weight, says nutritionist Jane Detroyer.
Planning and preparing meals is not an easy task for those who are not used to it, as ordinary people simply do not know what their body needs.
Nessa’s diet was rich in high-quality foods and included enough protein and carbohydrates to support her level of physical activity throughout the day, continues Jane Detroyer.
It also did not lead to sharp spikes in blood sugar levels. By eating less food during the day than before, Nessa nevertheless did not experience feelings of hunger or weakness, which helped her refrain from consuming unhealthy foods.
Nutritionist’s review: “The right diet for weight loss should be based on nutrient-dense foods, including protein. This will help normalize blood sugar levels, which affects feelings of hunger“
We recommend: I want to lose weight, but I can’t… What to do?
Conclusion
The internet is filled with advice on how to lose weight, which often contradicts each other.
If you really have weight issues and want to lose weight but don’t know how, the best solution is to consult a certified experienced dietitian. They will be able to determine your individual needs and create a nutrition plan that takes them into account.
Dietitians typically consider your place of residence, level of physical activity, type of work, and personal history when developing an individual diet that will be effective for your weight loss while also helping to avoid a deficiency of essential nutrients for health.
We also recommend checking out the materials in the Weight Loss section on our website, where we discuss various aspects of weight loss from a scientific perspective.
The path to proper weight loss is not quick and should always be based on adjusting eating habits that you will need to adhere to for the rest of your life.
This is, by the way, a criterion by which you can always distinguish false methods: avoid anything that promises quick results through magical pills, for example.
We recommend: The Harm of Fat Burners and Side Effects: What Makes Natural Supplements Dangerous?
Without words…
