Steer Clear of These While on a Weight-Reduction Diet!

A healthy and safe weight reduction requires adherence to some basic principles. The reduction diet should be balanced in terms of energy and nutrients. Even with a calorie deficit, it should provide all necessary nutrients. So what are hunger strikes and where did this idea come from? Hunger strikes, which are based on a complete or significant restriction of food intake, are often chosen by people who want to quickly reduce their body mass index. However, this is not a real victory. If we decide on a hunger strike that lasts longer than one day, we also decide on the negative side effects of this diet. It is important to know that, even if it seems to us that we do not need to eat, our body still needs that food.

It greatly depends on the number of meals eaten in a day. It's a good idea to conduct a thorough analysis and write down all consumed or drunken foods in a food diary. This list should also include fruits, bread with ham or a glass of juice, which are often not considered as a meal. According to the rules of a healthy diet, the number of meals per day should be 4-5, but there should also not be more than 3-4 hours between meals. Regularity is especially important when trying to reduce body weight, as it affects the carbohydrate metabolism. In the case of hypoglycemia, a drop in blood sugar, a feeling of hunger also arises. In the hypothalamus, there is a hunger center that can be stimulated by many factors, such as stomach cramps or a drop in insulin levels. Therefore, it's important to eat regularly to prevent uncontrolled snacking. If we consume, for example, 10 meals a day, it's a good idea to give up some of them. However, if we only consume one or two meals a day, it's worth considering increasing this number to at least 4 meals.

Over the years, and with the growing interest in ways to lose weight, the morning meal often becomes a problem for us. We wonder whether to eat or not to eat, or whether it's better to have a carbohydrate or a protein-fat meal. Eating breakfast is a good habit that allows us to better control our appetite. It's important that breakfast be a complex meal that contains carbs, protein, and fat. Breakfast should be consumed within an hour of waking up, covering our energy needs at a level of around 20-30%. Why should breakfast be a complex meal that does not restrict any of the nutritional components, especially carbohydrates? During sleep, the amount of glucose in the body is maintained at the correct level through the hydrolysis of liver glycogen. Normally, the amount of stored glycogen in the liver is 100 g, but after nighttime rest, only 20 g remains. If the break between the last and the first meal of the next day is too long, it can lead to hypoglycemia, i.e., a drop in blood sugar levels, worsening of well-being and cognitive processes, as well as an increase in the feeling of hunger. Therefore, it's not worth giving up on breakfast, as the meal consumed within an hour of waking up provides energy for the rest of the day.