The last meal should be three to four hours before bedtime.
For some reason, many people who are losing weight associate their last meal with six o’clock in the evening.
This is fundamentally wrong, because after a long break, the body feels threatened and begins to store everything! Karina Yarosh, @karina5632
Candidate of Medical Sciences, endocrinologist, St. Petersburg
Your best friend's wedding, vacation, or important event is coming soon, but we can't fit into our favorite dresses anymore? Then the question on the agenda is: is it really possible to lose weight in a month? Our experts say this is possible. The main thing is to adhere to proper nutrition, but not to go on a debilitating diet and not limit yourself to food after 6 pm. We have compiled a list of ten allowed and tasty dishes that will help you quickly lose a few kilograms.
Kefir with bran
During the period of weight loss, bran is our salvation. They are low in calories, contain a huge amount of fiber and swell in the stomach. Due to this, you can quickly feel full and stop wanting to eat. Bran alone is not worth gnawing on. Throw them into 1% fat kefir. For taste, you can add a pinch of cinnamon or coconut flakes for a sweet and nutritious smoothie.
According to Karina Yarosh, we give preference to light foods that will fill you up but will not interfere with healthy sleep.
Why do you crave sweets and high-calorie foods at night?
Remember when you want to fill your stomach at night - this always happens either against the background of severe stress, which you want to “eat,” or you are talking about a chronic eating disorder, which is also somehow related to stress. Also, excessive appetite may appear under the influence of hormonal changes or insomnia. In such cases, most of all you want to eat something high in calories - soda, pizza, ice cream, chips.
There may be very good reasons for having a late dinner - for example, people who work night shifts most often have late dinner, including quick snacks: pies or pizza.
Cottage cheese with berries
Any low-fat fermented milk products (cottage cheese, fermented baked milk, tan, ayran) are an ideal evening snack for quick weight loss. They contain protein, which is so necessary if you combine diet with exercise. But you shouldn’t eat cottage cheese and yogurt with additives - they contain a lot of sugar. It is better to buy fresh or frozen berries (they have minimal calorie content) and mix with low-fat cottage cheese.
It must be remembered that safe weight loss is no more than 4 kilograms per month.
But if there is a protein deficiency, then weight will not decrease.
To calculate your protein intake, you need to multiply your weight by 1.2 and divide the resulting figure by 2. Thus, 50% will go to animal protein, 50% to plant protein. And distribute the proteins into 7-8 servings per day. Shavag Sadigova, @dr.dietolog.spb
Clinical nutritionist, St. Petersburg
List of foods that can be consumed without harming your figure
For snacks in the evening, foods that keep you full for a long time and are quickly processed in the body are ideal. The evening diet must necessarily consist of long-digesting carbohydrates and proteins (preferably plant-based, since their digestion puts less strain on the gastrointestinal tract). Fats are allowed only in minimal quantities.
List of products suitable for a second dinner at night when losing weight:
- Cottage cheese with a low fat content. It is advisable to choose a product without sweeteners and flavors. To improve the taste characteristics, you can add a little honey, fresh berries or pieces of fruit to the cottage cheese. You are allowed to eat no more than 100 g of product at night. Instead, you can consume a small piece of cheese (up to 30 g).
- Fermented milk products. Suitable for eliminating evening hunger and containing valuable microelements - calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, etc. Fermented milk products are also rich in proteins and amino acids, which are “building materials” for the body’s formation of new cells and the full functioning of existing ones. These components improve sleep quality.
- Greenery. Ideal for people trying to get rid of extra pounds. The product contains a large amount of fiber, which requires the body to process a large amount of energy. In addition, it improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, as it stimulates rhythmic contractions of their walls (peristalsis) and helps normalize the intestinal microflora. You can consume greens in their pure form or make salads with low-fat sour cream dressing. You can also season salads with olive oil, which is rich in substances beneficial to the body.
- Berries and fruits. Almost any type of fruit is suitable for an evening snack, with the exception of bananas and overly sweet fruits (peaches, grapes). For more information about what fruits you can eat at night when losing weight, read our article.
- Vegetables (except potatoes). The products contain a minimum number of calories and a lot of fiber. They can be consumed raw, boiled or baked. Frying is excluded. Vegetable soups without meat broth will be useful for those losing weight.
- Dietary meats. Pork and beef are unsuitable foods for an evening snack (especially when losing weight) due to their difficult digestibility. They can be consumed at least 4 hours before going to bed.
- Fish. Rich in amino acids and protein, which is absorbed faster than organic compounds in meat. It is better to eat sea fish because it is lower in calories and contains more unsaturated fatty acids.
- Nuts. This product is considered high in calories. One handful is enough to eliminate the feeling of hunger in the evening.
- Egg whites. Can be consumed with fresh vegetables.
Important! Those who have diseases of the digestive tract are not recommended to consume sour fruits and berries in the evening and at night, as they can lead to an exacerbation of the disease or aggravate the course of an already acute form of the disease.
Read more about what you can eat on a diet in a separate article.
Green smoothie
All kinds of smoothies can add variety to your evening snacks. They are made in five minutes, and taste no worse than in a cafe. The best fat burning drink is a green smoothie. The recipe is as follows: take spinach, parsley, cucumbers and bell peppers, grind it all in a blender or juicer. Fill it with water, throw in ice cubes, and your super-healthy detox shake is ready. Green ingredients can be changed. Instead of cucumber, for example, take kiwi, avocado, basil or kale.
Omelette
Oddly enough, you can eat an omelet not only in the morning, but also in the evening. Eggs and milk contain a lot of protein, which is useful after training, and are quickly absorbed by the body. It is recommended to cook the omelette by steaming or in the oven. You can add cucumbers, tomatoes and herbs. Again, remember to eat small portions!
Sometimes a person is not overweight at all, or it does not cause any harm to health, but uncertainty prevents him from loving himself. To cope with this problem, you can plunge into psychology: Start over: 8 books that will help you become happier.
How long before bed should you eat when you're losing weight?
At 18:00 they eat for the last time if bedtime occurs no later than 9:00 pm. Otherwise, a second dinner will be required to avoid starving the body for too long.
Gastroenterologists and nutritionists agree that only babies should eat right before bed.
For other groups of people, it is not recommended to have dinner shortly before bedtime. An hour before resting, you can eat green vegetables or a glass of low-fat milk. The products will not harm your figure and will perfectly satisfy your hunger. Those who are losing weight can have a snack at least 3 hours before bedtime.
Fruits or berries
What exactly can you eat after six in the evening? If you want to lose weight quickly, it is better to skip dinner altogether and after 18 hours just have a snack, for example, fruit or berries. Apples, pears, citrus fruits, kiwis, strawberries, cherries and any other fruits are suitable. It is better to give up bananas only - they are too high in calories. And don’t make mistakes while dieting that will prevent you from losing weight. For example, don't overeat fruit.
For a comprehensive effect, proper nutrition must be accompanied by physical exercise.
Moderate exercise is important.
Even 10 thousand steps a day is great for the initial stages of weight loss. Yulia Khokholkova, @khokholkova_official
Nutritionist, helthy coach, St. Petersburg
To make food a joy, you should take a look at the Good Morning selection: 10 places in St. Petersburg with the most delicious and beautiful breakfasts.
Don’t eat after six and give up fatty foods: Five main myths about healthy eating
The Mediterranean diet is not even really a diet, but rather a type of diet for people living in the region
Photo: Shutterstock
A LITTLE HISTORY
In America, for several decades now, May 11th has been celebrated (unofficially) as “National Eat Whatever You Want Day.” At the same time, in the United States there is a literally catastrophic increase in the number of people suffering from obesity. Which leads to a sharp increase in cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and some types of cancer. Therefore, Russian healthy lifestyle activists, in contrast to the American “Gluttony Day,” established their own holiday on June 2, 2011 - “Day of Refusal of Excess Eating.”
However, as in any issue, it is important to avoid excesses and not fall into fanaticism. What is healthy eating really and what myths are common about it, how to separate the dietary grains from the culinary chaff? We talked about this with the director of the National Research Institute, Zinaida Medvedeva. The expert highlighted the five most common misconceptions that exist in Russia and many countries around the world.
Myth 1: “one size fits all” diets
You can find many “super healthy” diets on the Internet. Many impressionable readers, and especially female readers, print them out, hang them on the refrigerator and strive to follow them. This is wrong, warns Zinaida Medvedeva. Because such diets cannot take into account the individual characteristics of a particular person.
“Israeli scientists recently conducted a study,” says the expert. — Different people were given the same foods, and then their blood sugar levels were measured. Let's say two people ate a banana. The first person's sugar level immediately jumped, while the second one's sugar level rose more gradually. Then they were given sweet cookies, and... the situation was the opposite.
Each person digests different foods in their own way, and the body’s reactions may differ, explains Zinaida Medvedeva. Therefore, it is important not to follow the lead of the compilers of various diets and nutritional recommendations, but also to be guided by your own characteristics and feelings. That is, in essence, creating a personal diet.
To do this, it is important to monitor the body’s reactions to certain products, the specialist advises. To create an optimal diet, you can contact a nutritionist and therapist.
ADVICE
To make sure you're eating right, you can take a blood test to check your cholesterol and glycated hemoglobin levels (this is your average sugar level over three months). If it’s normal for you, it means you’re not overdoing it with sugar. And if not, then you need to pay attention to soda, sweets and even, perhaps, sweet fruits. Another important indicator is excess weight, this is also a reason to think about adjusting your diet.
Zinaida Medvedeva
Myth 2: diets for weight loss
All weight loss diets, according to our expert, are also a myth. Parrying the amazement of the author of this text, Zinaida Medvedeva spoke about a reality show on one of the American television channels. The program includes super-fat people weighing 150-200 kg or more. During the season of the program, which lasts several months, in front of the audience they lose more than 100 kg, and their weight is approaching normal. But meticulous scientists conducted a study among former participants of the show. As it turned out, the lost pounds soon came back!
“This is the other side of diets, which no one usually talks about,” the expert shrugs. — You can lose weight with a diet. But once you return to your normal lifestyle, it won’t take long for the weight you lost to return. The only truly effective method is to switch to a healthy diet. At the same time, you slowly, gradually change your diet. And consciously switch to a new diet, which you will continue to adhere to.
ADVICE
According to our expert, you can use the Mediterranean diet as such a diet. This menu contains a lot of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and fish. This is not even really a diet, but rather a type of diet for people living in Mediterranean countries. No one counts calories there, and there are no other signs of diet. But at the same time, most people are healthy, many of them are long-livers. By the way, studies in other countries, including Scandinavian ones, have confirmed that the Mediterranean diet works everywhere.
Myth 3: giving up fat
The active fight against fat in foods, according to Zinaida Medvedeva, began after the English scientist Ancel Keys showed that saturated fats contribute to atherosclerosis. All subsequent years were aimed at reducing the consumption of such and any fats in general. In addition, fatty foods are much higher in calories. But for some reason, decades of eating low-fat foods have not led to overall health and slimness. On the contrary, people began to gain weight, and many hormonal problems appeared.
It turned out that fats are actually vital, especially in the female body. According to WHO recommendations, today the norm for fat consumption in food is 30%. Some countries have increased this share to almost 40%.
You should have twice as much vegetables on your plate as meat.
Photo: Shutterstock
ADVICE
Scientists advise consuming more unsaturated (vegetable) fats than saturated (primarily animal) fats. You should have twice as much vegetables on your plate as meat, the expert suggests. And it is desirable that these are vegetables containing vegetable fats. Avocado, nuts or salad, sprinkled with vegetable oil.
Myth 4: Don’t eat after 6 pm
According to Zinaida Medvedeva, there is now more and more scientific research showing that the optimal time for an evening meal is two hours before bedtime. What if a person goes to bed at 12 or 1 am? This means that it is better for him to have dinner at 10 or 11 pm. Stopping eating from 6 pm with this regime is simply wrong and harmful to health.
ADVICE
Many people of the older generation have retained the habit of drinking kefir before bed since Soviet times. But now scientists are calling for an end to this practice, the expert says. “Before bed, you can drink water that does not contain calories. But kefir, which contains calories, fats and carbohydrates, is better to drink two hours before bedtime along with the main meal,” says Zinaida Medvedeva.
Myth 5: To lose weight, you need to drink more water
This is a very common belief that carries over from one healthy eating publication to another. However, modern scientists do not support special drinking regimes and suggest drinking only in accordance with your feeling of thirst, our expert explains. This feeling is formed and regulated automatically in accordance with the natural needs of the body.
But excess drinking can negatively affect the condition of the kidneys, which will be forced to work extremely intensively to remove too much fluid from the body. If you drink too much water, swelling may appear even with minor problems with the kidneys or heart, doctors warn. In addition, if kidney function is impaired, excess fluid can provoke a hypertensive crisis.
ADVICE
It is recommended to increase water consumption in hot weather and during heavy physical activity. Saturation with fluid will promote sweating and prevent overheating of the body. At the same time, it is better to drink water containing mineral salts, primarily sodium and potassium salts, advises Zinaida Medvedeva.
