How to lose weight: Reduce fat content while increasing the quality of nutrition

How to lose weight: 1. Statistical approach

The easiest way to lose weight is to eat less fatty foods, and eat more lean ones!

The fat content of the diet will be significantly lower if you eat more bread, pasta and cereals. Due to their high satiety, these products very quickly cause satiety, and we reflexively reduce the consumption of other foods, including fatty ones. There is direct research showing that complex carbohydrates protect us from weight gain and promote weight loss. Vegetables have the same effect. The more vegetables in the diet, the lower the fat content of the diet.

This also includes the desire to eat more fish and dairy products. By increasing their share in the diet, a person naturally reduces the consumption of meat, and therefore fat. After all, meat on average contains more fat than milk or fish. Great opportunity to lose weight!

A gain in the form of a reduction in fat content can be obtained if you more often use soups without so-called frying - onions and carrots fried in vegetable oil, as well as if you eat dairy and vegetable soups more often than meat ones.

With an increase in boiled and stewed dishes in food, we will observe a decrease in the proportion of fried foods, and, accordingly, the oils that we use for frying.

By the way, statistical methods are well received by those losing weight, because instead of the usual “you can’t do this!”, or “you should eat as little as possible!”, they recommend, on the contrary, eating more of this or that food.

Which diet should you choose?

Let's start with the fact that there is no special diet based on the consumption of fat-free foods. Constant consumption of foods with a minimum amount of calories is considered the most effective method of losing extra pounds in a short period of time. But it is impossible to maintain such a diet for a long time - the lack of fat has a detrimental effect on the health of both women and men.

How to lose weight: 2. Analog approach

We use less fatty products among similar ones.

For example, cottage cheese can have a fat content of 0, 5, 7 and even 18%. It is clear that by using low-fat cottage cheese instead of fatty one, we avoid a fat load of 18-20 g per serving.

Standard mayonnaise has a fat content of about 72-80%, but there are also light varieties with a fat content of 25-30%. The use of this mayonnaise instead of the traditional one allows you to reduce the fat content of each serving of salad by an average of 5-6 g

How to choose dumplings if you want to lose weight? Dumplings with the addition of lard have a fat content of 35-40 g per serving. Poultry dumplings have a fat content of about 5-7 g. Win, about 30 g of “uneaten” fat for each serving.

Milk. Its fat content can also vary from 0.05% to 6%. Accordingly, a glass of milk can contain 0.1 and 12 g of fat. It is clear that the first is much better for us than the second. This fully applies to fermented milk products - yoghurts, curdled milk, and so on.

It is somewhat more difficult to find replacements for cheeses and sour cream. But here, too, you can pick up something. For example, instead of sour cream, the so-called “sour cream” is ideal, which we actively recommend to our patients - soft, low-fat cottage cheese mixed in a 1:1 ratio with fermented baked milk. In taste, consistency and properties, this mixture is very similar to regular sour cream. But it contains 15 times less fat.

Instead of cheese, you can sometimes use thick sunflower cottage cheese. By the way, pay attention - according to GOST, the fat content in cheeses is indicated in terms of dry residue. Since cheeses always contain water, their actual fat content is usually one and a half to two times lower than declared. That is, if the label of Russian cheese indicates 45% fat content, then in reality it is unlikely to contain more than 25%. The so-called soft cheeses have even less fat content - Suluguni, Adygei, feta cheese, and so on. There, the actual fat content usually does not exceed 12%. Finally, homemade cheese is now on sale, which, by the way, is very tasty. So, its fat content is not higher than 5%.

Desserts and sweets. A serving of dairy ice cream contains 10 g less fat than a serving of cream ice cream. The fat content of a standard 100 gram chocolate bar is 45-55 g, while in no case should you forbid yourself from fatty foods. There are many ways we can eat them, enjoy them, and lose weight at the same time.

A 100 g serving of marshmallows, or marmalade, contains no fat at all.

Let's repeat it again. We are not talking about a complete 100% replacement of fatty foods with less fatty analogues. To lose weight, simply change the ratios. For example, previously a person ate 4 servings of regular dumplings and one serving of dumplings with poultry meat per week, and in total received 145 g of fat per week with dumplings. Now, on the contrary, 4 servings of poultry dumplings and one serving of regular ones. Total - 60 g of fat. A gain of 85 grams per week, or 12 grams per day, or more than four kilograms per year.

Well, and of course, do not forget about non-fat products for losing weight, specially developed at the Research Institute of Dietetics and Diet Therapy, which, despite their low calorie content, have a high satiating ability. Today these are cocktails, cereals and soups. All these instant products are enough to have a kettle with hot water on hand. Maximum pleasure for every calorie consumed!

Types of fats

Fats are of vegetable and animal origin.

By consistency - solid and liquid.

Also, all fats that enter the body with food are divided into 3 groups:

1. Saturated.
2. Unsaturated.
3. Trans fats.

Saturated

Saturated fats are so called because they have a simple structure and single bonds between atoms.

These are mainly animal lipids that have a solid consistency at room temperature.

They are quickly absorbed and, with a lack of physical activity, are deposited in adipose tissue.

Saturated fats are involved in the production of cholesterol, sex hormones, and regulate heat exchange.

The products in which they are present are nutritious and contain vitamins A, D, and lecithin.

Therefore, they should be consumed, but in limited quantities.

With an excess of saturated fats, cholesterol levels increase and excess weight accumulates.

They increase the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

I will definitely tell you today about the most rational proportion of fats of animal and vegetable origin.

Unsaturated

Unsaturated fats are found mainly in plant foods and fish.

According to their structure, they have double and triple bonds between atoms.

Therefore, such lipids are easily oxidized in air and destroyed during heat treatment.

Unsaturated fatty acids are called Omega 3, Omega 6 and Omega 9.

Remember I wrote a cool and detailed article about flaxseed oil and fish oil?

These fats are divided into monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.

• Monounsaturated are Omega 9. They can be produced in the body, so they are not essential. These acids strengthen the immune system, normalize the absorption of glucose, reduce cholesterol levels, and accelerate metabolic processes. But if consumed in excess with food, they can accumulate.
• Polyunsaturated Omega 6s have more bonds between atoms. They are considered essential because they are not produced in the body. They perform important functions: improve skin condition, relieve inflammation, normalize blood clotting.
• Omega 3 polyunsaturated acids enter the body only with food. They are the most useful and necessary for the normal functioning of all organs. These acids strengthen cell membranes, accelerate regeneration processes, and improve the functioning of the nervous, reproductive and immune systems.

Trans fats

It is a type of saturated fat that has been artificially modified and processed. I gave you a link to an article about this type of fat above. Be sure to read it.

You can't use them!

They are very harmful to health, as they increase cholesterol levels (specifically, “bad cholesterol” LDL), worsen metabolism, and increase the risk of obesity and cardiovascular pathologies.

It is not recommended to consume products containing them. They lead to increased insulin synthesis and accumulation of fat cells.

How to lose weight: 3. The third approach is culinary

We reduce the fat content of the dish during its preparation.

How to lose weight by cooking foods? For example, when cutting meat, you can partially remove visible fat; the fat content of poultry meat is reduced by 2.5-3 times if you simply remove the skin.

A very well-known technique is to place the meat broth in the refrigerator overnight, and in the morning remove the fat that has risen to the top. This operation allows you to reduce the fat content of a standard serving of soup by 10-12 grams.

We get quite a lot of fat from fried foods. Hence the common idea that in order to successfully lose weight, you should never eat fried foods. Indeed, when frying in oil, foods absorb a lot of fat. For example, standard potato chips have a fat content of about 30 grams per 100 g of product, home-fried potatoes contain about 15% fat, but there is practically no fat in the potato itself. All the fat gets there from the frying pan. But everything changes miraculously if you use non-stick cookware. Then, to prepare 3-4 servings of fried potatoes, it will take literally 1, maximum two tablespoons of vegetable oil, and you will get a product with a fat content of no more than 3%. One spoon of oil is enough to fry 8-10 pieces of fish. This will increase the fat content of each serving by only 2 grams.

I managed to fry a whole dish of pancakes, using only 5 g of vegetable oil for the whole thing. And the pancakes turned out very good. I took a non-stick frying pan, heated it, and instead of pouring oil, I greased it with it, using half a raw potato as a brush. As a result, from a glass of flour, a glass of milk with 1.5% fat, one egg and 5 g of vegetable oil, I got 7 pancakes weighing 50 g each. The energy value of one pancake is 95 kcal, fat content is 2 g. By the way, the calorie content of a pear or a standard slice of bread is approximately the same. A glass of ryazhenka with 4% fat content has a calorie content of 140 kcal.

Another interesting technique for losing weight without compromising the quality of your diet. Quite a lot of fat is absorbed when frying zucchini and eggplant slices. Their fat content can be reduced by drying the pieces with napkins. The “gain” from one serving can reach 15 grams of fat.

There are frying methods that not only do not increase the fat content of the product, but, on the contrary, reduce it. First of all, this is grilling, barbecuing, grilling and other forms of so-called infrared cooking. So, when roasting on a skewer, the fat content of a standard portion of kebab is reduced by 8-10 grams. A similar result will be obtained if the meat is baked in foil.

Fish

Fish in the diet is a valuable source of protein, calcium and phosphorus, which should not be abandoned under any circumstances. Products without fat in the diet are boiled or baked fish. Nutritionists include the following low-fat varieties:

• hake;
• river perch;
• pollock;
• cod;
• pike;
• flounder.

Salmon meat is considered an ideal dietary dish. But regularly preparing such a product will be too expensive for the family budget. Among all fish, salmon has a high content of healthy protein and at the same time a low amount of fat (1.7 grams of fat per 100 grams of product).

How to lose weight: 5. Hedonic approach

Perhaps the most important one.

How to lose weight with treats? We divide food into everyday and tasty. The task of the first is to saturate us, fill us with energy, the task of the second is to give pleasure and pleasure.

Gorging yourself on treats is like pouring French perfume into your car's gas tank. The car may run, but at what cost!? And it’s unlikely that such fuel will do her any good! So, eat treats when you are already full, when your body is already filled with energy and nutrients. Then you will be satisfied with a very small quantity.

A few more words about chocolate. Often my patients, in order to lose weight or maintain weight in order, refuse this delicacy. But they keep fermented milk products in the diet. But a glass of 4% fat fermented baked milk contains about 10 g of fat. The same as a quarter of a regular chocolate bar. And the fat is the same here and there, milk...

Well, a very simple wish for those who want to lose weight. The slower you eat the delicacy, the better you catch all the subtle nuances of taste.

The following table will help you navigate the fat content of your usual foods. Agree, it is much easier to use than a multi-page calorie table.

To visualize the benefits of a particular nutritional substitution per standard serving, pay attention to the table below.

Dairy

The dairy diet is not like the others, as it does not bring the body to complete exhaustion. This is due to the fact that frequent consumption of milk products makes up for the deficiency of calcium, vitamin D, B2, B12 and phosphorus to the maximum.

When consuming milk, metabolism accelerates and the rate of burning fat deposits increases. Try to choose dairy products without fat, for example, 10% sour cream or 1% fat milk. Hard cheese can also be called dietary if the amount of fat in the composition does not exceed 15%. Manufacturers offer their consumers a large selection of low-fat kefir and cottage cheese. Yogurt, kefir or sour cream 0% fat is an excellent base for dressing a side dish or sauce for a dish. The combination of dairy products and berries is considered excellent; it will bring maximum benefit to the body of an adult and a child.

How to lose weight: 6. Pre-meal method

Quite often, the so-called pre-meal helps to streamline your diet, slightly reduce your appetite and make you feel full faster.

10-15 minutes before main meals, you can drink a glass of warm water or slightly sweet tea with milk, or a glass of milk in small sips. You can eat a small portion of low-fat cottage cheese or a curd mixture with fermented baked milk and cereals or fruits, or drink a portion of a weight loss cocktail. Typically, the calorie content of such a portion turns out to be two times less than the number of calories by which it is possible to painlessly reduce the main meal. For example, a person typically ate 600 calories worth of food for lunch. Having a 50-calorie snack before a meal (a cocktail), he then eats 400 calories for lunch. And he gorges himself. Winning - 150 calories!

Reducing the sugar content in food is also quite simple. Of course, provided that you do not try to ban them completely. A person very quickly gets used to using less sugar in drinks. More often uses soft drinks with sugar substitutes. As for bread, he often uses rye and bran bread and somewhat less often white bread. For cereals, it would be good to have a little more buckwheat and a little less semolina.

It is advisable, when building your nutrition strategy, to use not just one method of reducing fat content, but several at once, choosing those that best suit the given situation.

We have repeatedly researched what the calorie content of a person’s diet is if he reduces his fat intake to 35-40 g per day and does not abuse sweets. It turned out that in this case the calorie content of his diet does not exceed 2000-2100 kilocalories per day. This completely prevents weight gain even in people who lead a relatively quiet lifestyle and are not engaged in physical labor.

Fruits

Fruits also appear in the group of foods with the least amount of fat, except for avocados and olives. Frequent consumption of fruits in the first half of the day helps not only to cope with fat deposits, but also prevents weight gain. Just remember that fruits contain a lot of sugar.

List of fat-free foods (fruits):

1. Oranges.
2. Grapefruits.
3. Bananas.
4. Apples.
5. Apricots.
6. A pineapple.
7. Cherries.