Where to start losing weight: develop an action plan

Why is losing several dozen kilograms considered almost a feat? People who have achieved significant weight loss and changed beyond recognition become heroes of television shows and social networks. This happens because, according to statistics, 85% of the female population and 55% of the male population have set such a goal at least once in their lives, but 25% and 10%, respectively, reach the goal. final stage. Fighting the feeding instinct inherent in nature itself is a real challenge. The outcome of the battle largely depends on what served as the starting point.

To end the matter, you need to know where to start losing weight and how to make an appropriate plan: not only nutrition and training, but also make adjustments to your usual lifestyle. Making such a decision must be accompanied by an awareness of the complexity of the approach to losing weight. From now on, each step should bring you closer to the goal and it is necessary to think carefully from the beginning.

The simplest and most correct solution.

If you want to start losing weight correctly, achieve the desired result and not harm your health, you need:

1. Save about $200.
2. Find a nutritionist in your city and make an appointment with him.
3. Go on a date.
4. Follow all their recommendations.
5. Visit periodically to adjust the plan you initially made.
6. Find a professional fitness trainer who specializes in weight loss and schedule a meeting with them.
7. Consult with him, order an individual training plan, taking into account the nutritionist's recommendations.
8. Follow all their recommendations.

You will need money to pay for nutrition plans and personalized workouts. The amount is approximate and may vary in different cities and between different specialists. On average, each such development costs about $100. Only a nutritionist and trainer will help you start losing weight correctly and guide you until you achieve the desired result.

Appointment with a nutritionist.

First, you will receive a detailed examination aimed at collecting a history. Get ready to answer many questions:

• if there are chronic diseases;
• what you eat, how many times a day (down to the smallest detail, down to seeds and a bottle of mineral water);
• how quickly you gained weight;
• What illnesses have you suffered in the last 2 years?
• Do you have bad habits?
• what is the nature of your work (sedentary or do you have to move constantly, on foot or by car);
• What kind of life do you lead after work?
• Do your parents have any problems with excess weight, etc.?

After collecting data, instrumental tests and studies are prescribed:

• general blood and urine tests;
• blood sugar test;
• blood chemistry;
• blood test for thyroid hormones;
• tomography;
• Ultrasound of the abdominal cavity;
• gastroscopy / other endoscopic examinations of the gastrointestinal tract.

From all the data collected, an individual nutrition plan will be developed, which you must strictly follow. You should also follow all the related advice that the nutritionist gives you (walking in the afternoons, going to the upper floors without an elevator, exercising, etc. ).

Trainer consultation

After the nutritionist with all his recommendations and nutrition plan, it is passed to the trainer. He should tailor a weight loss program at the gym to her needs. It is important to understand the following point here: as soon as the instructor starts criticizing the performance of the nutritionist, turn around, leave and look for another specialist. Doctors are properly trained and know what they are advising, but in the fitness industry there are too many amateurs who can ruin everything.

If you need to lose a lot of weight (more than 100 kg), the plan can last from six months to 2 years. If you need to lose between 10 and 20 kg, usually 6 months is enough.

That is why it is extremely easy to start losing weight properly. This method is good because it is not necessary to independently calculate BMI, daily calorie intake, BJU indices, etc. Errors are excluded here, health risks are minimal and the final result is guaranteed. The disadvantages are the high cost of developing individual nutrition and training plans, as well as the duration of the course - from 3 months to 2 years.

Independent weight loss

If you plan to organize the weight loss process yourself, at home, you will have to spend a lot of time preparing. Regardless of gender, age and weight, it is recommended to start with the following steps.

General points

The first is motivation: clearly formulate your goal and determine why you need to lose weight. You can make a selection of photos from when you were thin and what you are now. You can hang your favorite dress in a prominent place, where it should "fit in. "Read relevant literature, watch movies. There are a lot of ways to motivate yourself and they should work for the months you will be working on your body.

The second is a medical examination. You can't go anywhere without it. What it will give you:

• some diseases cause excess weight and it is not possible to get rid of the latter without treating the former;
• All diets and certain types of exercise have contraindications: using the examination data, you will be sure that this or that nutrition or exercise system will not harm your health.

Keep a weight loss diary - you will write down all your mistakes and achievements, changes in weight and volume.

Find like-minded people: Join groups on social networks where people share their successes, give advice and support each other. Please contact them if you have any problems.

Prepare your family for the fact that you will lose weight. Ask them for help. Sometimes, if you don't have the courage not to eat before bed, let your husband distract you from this temptation and prevent you from relapsing. Effective, but you have to think about it from the beginning of the trip.

Purchases required:

• scales;
• kitchen scales;
• dumbbells.

Think about the cause of excess weight: poor diet, overeating, sedentary lifestyle, age or some illness. Understand: without eliminating the provoking factor, you cannot lose weight.

Nutrition

Immediately prepare for the fact that the first steps in losing weight can take up to 1 month. Of course, the preparation stage can be shortened to 3-5 days, but in 90% of cases such a start leads to inevitable failure. So be prepared to spend time on this.

Start by calculating your BMI. Determine how many extra kilos you have. Write down three numbers: your ideal weight (the ultimate goal of losing weight), your actual weight at the moment, the number of kg you need to lose. Then proceed according to the following plan.

First week

1. Write down everything you eat during the day and how much.
2. At night, count the number of calories you consume.
3. On Sunday, determine the average daily calorie content of your diet.
4. Using a special formula, calculate how many calories are needed for effective weight loss. Usually for men it ranges from 1500 to 2000 kcal, for women from 1200 to 1500 kcal.
5. Calculate the difference between what you consume now and what you get according to the formula.
6. Think about which foods or dishes to reduce your daily calorie intake (food calorie tables will help with this).

Second week

This preparatory stage is already the beginning of weight loss, since with proper nutrition you can lose 1-2 kg. It is necessary to abandon fast food, fried foods, alcoholic and carbonated drinks and limit the consumption of sweet and salty foods.

Third week

1. Start with a fasting day.
2. Study the topic of complex and simple carbohydrates. Leave only the first ones in the diet.
3. Create a menu for the week, reducing your daily caloric intake by 100 kcal. Stick to it.
4. Drink at least 1 liter of water a day.

Fourth week

1. Start with a fasting day.
2. Eliminate another 100 kcal from your diet.
3. Increase the amount of water you drink per day to 1. 5 liters.
4. Avoid fatty foods: meat, fish, milk (more than 2%).

Remember: this is not the weight loss itself, although you will probably already lose a few kilograms, but only the preparation for it. Minimizes the stress your body will experience over the next few weeks or months.

In the last, fourth week of preparation, start choosing a diet. We immediately reject the express options for 3 days and a week, which promise a loss of 1 kg in 1 day. First of all, it is harmful to health. Secondly, the peso will return with interest once the hunger strike ends.

If you want to lose weight correctly, choose long-term nutrition systems for weight loss, designed for 1-3 months. They are mostly developments of authors: Montignac, Atkins, Dukan, Liepaja. Carefully study everything related to them, prepare a menu for the first week, look for recipes for dishes and calculate the calorie content.

That's it: in terms of nutrition, you are ready to lose weight.

Sport

If you want your weight loss to be truly effective, organizing your meals will not be enough. The calories you consume must also be spent. To do this, you will have to increase physical activity and physical activity. But if tomorrow you start training for several hours in the gym, your body will rebel out of habit: the next day you won't be able to get up due to muscle pain. And all because this also requires preparation. Fortunately, there is something to do in those 4 weeks while you conjure up your new diet.

The training program recommended below is called "From Scratch". It is designed for those who have never exercised, but understand that they will have to do so to lose weight.

First week

1. Avoid the elevator: you should walk between 5 and 6 floors daily.
2. When working sedentarily, get up for 5 minutes every hour and warm up: walk, stretch.
3. Walk for at least half an hour in the afternoons.

Second week

1. Find a series of simple exercises for morning exercises for 10 minutes that should tone and improve your mood, not exhaust you. Do it daily.
2. Learn several breathing exercises (qigong, bodyflex, oxysize), try to master one of them.
3. Increase your evening walk time to 40 minutes.

Third week

1. Include 2-3 new, more complex exercises in your morning exercises.
2. Continue to improve proper breathing.
3. Walk for 50 minutes at night.

Fourth week

1. Morning exercises should last 15 minutes.
2. Then walk (Finnish, sporty) for half an hour at a fast pace.
3. Night walks last an hour.
4. Make a training plan.

If you start losing weight by implementing such a plan, your body will be fully prepared for a new physical activity. The correction of the figure will occur much more intensely and with minimal losses. Of course, your muscles will hurt at first, but not that much.

When creating a training plan, remember that the benefits of intervals are much greater. And don't exhaust yourself every day: you need to give your muscle fibers time to recover, so every other day is the most convenient time.

Consider the question of where classes will be held. Being a gym member is a financial hit, but it's worth it. There will be professional simulators at your disposal and you can always ask the trainer for advice. Or group fitness classes – it's captivating and doesn't let you break down.

Buy some nice sportswear – this is also a kind of motivation. And when buying it, think that in 2-3 months you will replace it with things 1-2 sizes smaller.

Recommendations for special cases

A good start to losing weight is 50% of the success of your plan. However, the above plans must be adjusted taking into account the individual characteristics of each person. Therefore, some tips for special categories of the population will help to organize the entire process more correctly.

Women over 35 years old

At this age, the body gradually begins to age and adapt to menopause. The metabolism slows down, few people are willing to play sports. So even the owners of the most slender figures begin to blur. The belly grows, the butt expands, the breasts increase in volume and sag a little.

In addition to the nutrition and training programs proposed above, there is a special step-by-step system for women over 35-40 years old who do not want to endure excess weight.

1. If you can skip visiting the doctor before the age of 35, then at this age it is mandatory before losing weight. Perhaps he will suggest the most suitable weight loss methods for you.
2. Start taking special vitamins.
3. High protein, low fat, low carbohydrate diets are not for you. Choose the most balanced nutrition system with a daily intake of at least 1500 kcal.
4. It is not necessary to perform strength exercises at this age, but you cannot exclude them completely from your training plan. When doing it, focus on cardiovascular exercises, but don't forget the dumbbells.
5. Replace morning jogging with sports or Finnish walks.
6. Of course, dancing is good. But, when you plan to lose weight at this age, opt for swimming.

And the most important advice for an older woman who is starting to lose weight: get examined by a doctor every 3 months. Any changes in the body during the premenopausal period are important.

Men with beer bellies

Deciding to lose weight for a man with a belly is a real feat. Diets are common for women, but they are not prepared for dietary restrictions. What is it like to refuse a can of beer in the evenings with salted fish, not to sit in the bathroom with friends on the weekend?

However, the process will need to start with this:

1. There is no need to look for a diet, just eliminate alcoholic and carbonated drinks, fast foods and snacks from your diet.
2. The daily calorie intake should be reduced to 2000 kcal. Men usually don't like to sit with these formulas and tables, so it's best to ask your wife, sister or mother for help.
3. Give preference to protein foods with low fat content.
4. Be sure to include morning jogging in your training plan.
5. Choose abdominal exercises.
6. Alternate strength and cardio exercises.

For a man who has set the goal of losing weight, the main thing is to get started. They get into the process much quicker, without allowing themselves any indulgence, as women like to do. Don't leave your plans on hold. If the four-week preparation described above is too long a journey for you, start immediately tomorrow so as not to drag it out for months, during which your beer belly will only increase.

Age after 50

The most dangerous and difficult thing for both men and women is to lose weight at 50-60 years old, when the body is exhausted and its organs no longer function at full capacity. It is age that often becomes the main cause of altered metabolism, which is why extra pounds are gained.

Here you should definitely start with a visit to the doctor; it is categorically not recommended to develop plans on your own. After all, any restriction in the consumption of fats or carbohydrates can worsen your health. An additional 10 minutes of sports causes shortness of breath and tachycardia. An exercise performed incorrectly can cause joint pain or even injury.

Therefore, the decision to lose weight after 50 must necessarily be agreed with specialists, without dubious initiatives or experiments.

How much weight do you need to lose?

If you need to lose 10 kg, it is enough to follow the four-week training program described in detail above. With it you can lose 3-4 kg per month. After implementing it, you don't even have to go on a diet, just continue following the nutritional recommendations during the fourth week and perform 40-minute workouts every other day. The main thing is to start correctly and then the need for hunger strikes will disappear by itself.

Another question is if you initially have a very heavy weight (more than 100 kg). Here the preparation stage also plays an important role. If you immediately start with a rapid weight loss of minus 10 kg per week, in the end, even if you manage to lose kilograms, this will affect your health and the skin will fold because it does not have time to shrink. The important thing for you is a gentle, gradual introduction to any diet and slow weight loss (1-2 kg per week). But then you will save on plastic surgery.

The start of any business is 50% of its successful completion. Losing weight is no exception. If you're motivated to go all the way, don't jump in headfirst: the immersion should be slow and gradual. This is the only way to achieve results.