Obesity is a worldwide chronic disease that is due to the accumulation of fat in the body. We have two types of obesity shapes naming apple and pearl. There are many risk factors for obesity, but most of them cannot be changed. The best way to beat fats is a big evolution in lifestyle, eating habits, and following a weight loss diet.
Overweight and obesity are the basis for various other chronic or acute diseases such as metabolic syndrome, hypertension, diabetes, heart diseases, hyperlipidemia, hypercholesterolemia, cancers, stroke, etc.
The easiest way to find out our body's condition is by using body mass index or BMI. The ratio of weight divided by the square of the height.
There is a chart for ranges of BMI which describes the body condition:
These ranges are different for people under 18 years old, athletes, and very tall people, and we use special charts for them.
If the intake calorie were more than the calorie we need to expand, we would gain weight.
The calorie we need each day depends on what we eat, what we do, what we exercise, our sexuality, our age, our genetic, our endocrine hormones from thyroid, pituitary, adrenal glands, etc.
If you lose about 1000 calories every day, you can lose 2 pounds (1 kilogram) a week.
People can reach their ideal weight by controlling their eating behaviour and diet. Following an appropriate diet can modify eating habits and prevent obesity. An unbalanced diet leads to more calories and may include eating high fat or high carbohydrate foods. Alcohol consumption causes severe weight gain and obesity. The artificial sugars and sweeteners in the diet cause a sudden increase in blood sugar and insulin secretion, which stores fat in the body. The presence of trans fats in fried foods or fast foods is another cause of obesity. Besides, in packaged foods such as cakes and sweets, trans fats are added to increase the food's shelf life. Consumption of these substances causes weight gain and obesity.
Prader-Willi syndrome, Bardet-Biedl syndrome, Cohen syndrome, Alstrom syndrome are some genetic syndromes that cause obesity.
Endocrine disorders such as Hypothyroidism can cause overweight and obesity, so people should check and monitor the level of their thyroid hormones occasionally. Cushing's syndrome is another endocrine disorder with high cortisol levels in their blood that increases appetite, changes the normal body metabolism, and the risk of obesity. The Tumors which take place near the hunger controlling part of the brain can cause obesity.
There is a lot of medicine like antidepressants that can cause weight.
Many hormones control the appetite, and any dysfunction or change in their level can have effects on body weight.
Binge eating disorder is such a condition a person eats a lot of food in one meal until it gets full and is another cause for obese ones.
Obesity can lower the lifespan of people. More overweight means shorter longevity.
Obesity can cause many signs such as knee pain, osteoarthritis, increased CVD risk, and diabetes. Abdominal obesity can cause fatty liver in obese people. The changes in levels of hyperlipidemic factors, meaning an increase of LDL-c and a decrease in HDL-c, are very common in obesity that will lead to heart attacks and strokes. Other complications include respiratory failure, asthma, varicose veins, hypertension, enlarged heart, gallstones, and many other complications of obesity.
There are many diets for weight loss and getting slim that each has its pros and cons. It depends on each person's circumstances and abilities to find out even they can follow and continue the diet or give up. So, the diets may differ from person to person.
At the start point of a weight loss diet, you may be wondering which weight loss diet is best for you or following which diet you can get better results. The fact is that a particular diet is not suitable for everyone, and everyone should have their diet.
In the following, we will review some of the best slimming diets in the world so that you can choose the most suitable slimming diet for yourself with a more open mind and more awareness.
The Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet, and the Flexitarian diet are the top 3 diets overall. They can be the best choice for weight loss and getting healthy. They have been mentioned as the most effective weight-loss diets.
It is important to know that rapid weight loss is not recommended. Because fast weight loss may have complications such as wrinkles on the skin, fast gaining weight afterward, hair loss, muscle loss, constipation, menstrual dysfunction, dehydration, gallstones, etc., these three diets which are mentioned are good diets to follow for the long term.
The diet should include various foods from each group of foods, including grains, vegetables, meats, dairy, etc. The foods should be available in the stores and easy to find. The food in your diet should be healthy and help your body lose weight, and they should be rich in nutrients. You should like what you eat in your diet and do not bother yourself.
This diet is based on a system of points for each food, meals, and counselling.
You can start a new lifestyle and make new habits by making new changes, for example, eating habits or attending exercises to lose weight. The entire plan is about a diet with low carb, low saturated fats, low added sugars and calories, and protein-rich.
Foods have values that participants can choose her/ his food from them and compare them to the other.
Pros: There is no limit for foods, and you can eat what you want, and you can design your diet.
Cons: You should have constant contact with the councillor, and it might be expensive.
foods are categorized into four groups: very low density, low density, medium density, and high density. In a volumetrics diet with the aim of weight loss, you should focus on the low-density food groups and monitor the portion of any food you want to eat. Watery foods help you use more amount of foods without any rise in the calorie intake. So, you should use more soup, fruits, and vegetables, yogurt, and pasta, which are high in water. The amount of nutrients in this diet is wisely balanced, and there is no concern.
Pros: The volumetric diet can be a successful weight loss diet and cut your calorie intake. It fills your stomach and fights the hunger for longer.
Cons: If you don't like vegetables and fruits and have problems with preparing meals, it is much better to forget this diet.
A vegan diet is a way of life in which there is a restriction on animal foods and animal-based compounds. This restriction depends on different categories of vegetarianism, including meat, fish, dairy, or a group of these foods.
The fibre content in this diet is very high, despite the low content of fats. These fibres help you fill full and delays the feeling of hunger.
Studies have shown that people who were following a vegan diet had a lower BMI and had lost about 4.5 kilograms more than the group who were on a standard diet. However, the calorie restriction should be considered even in the vegan diet if you aim to have a successful weight loss.
Pros: The diet is plant-based, environmentally friendly, and rich in fibre.
Cons: The vegan diet is low in animal-based vitamins, and followers may need supplementation. A
vegan diet in the long term may lead to kidney problems.
If you have problems with the limited choices on the vegan diet and want to access more foods, even animal-based ones, it's good to check on Flexitarian Diet.
Ornish diet is low in fats, animal proteins, and refined carbs. The focus is on exercise and a lifestyle devoid of stress. The Ornish diet has categorized food into five groups by the aspect of healthiness.
Pros: The food groups are heart-healthy
Cons: Following the rules may be challenging because it is a strict diet, and people should adhere to this diet for a long time.
There are various raw food diets these days, but the raw food diet is raw, and no cooking type has not been done. No microwave, irradiation, process, cook, etc., most of the foods are plant-based. Still, some of the followers may tend to raw animal products such as milk, raw fish, and raw kind of meats.
Pros: This diet is beneficial for weight loss because you eat fewer calories, and it is also rich in fruits and veggies.
Cons: Many rules following them; for example, ways of preparation may be boring.
The Atkins diet is the most well-known low-carb diet. In the Atkins diet, you can use as much protein and fat as you want, but you have to limit your carbohydrate intake instead.
One of the reasons you lose weight on the Atkins diet, and low-carb diets in general, is to lose your appetite.
The Atkins diet has four states. In the first and input phase of the diet, you reduce the number of carbohydrates to less than 20 grams per day, and you will be in this phase for two weeks.
In the next phase, you gradually increase your diet's number of healthy carbohydrates to slowly reach your ideal weight. The two other phases are 40 and 100, which the Atkins diet allows you to start 40 or 100 grams of net carbs per day.
Pros: Weight loss is very quick and rapid. You can eat fatty foods, and there is no limitation.
Cons: There is a strict restriction on the usual carbohydrates, such as bread. Uncontrolled fat consumption may lead to heart diseases, so this diet is not suitable for everyone.
If you want to know how many calories you should eat per day to lose weight, click on the below link:
Weight Loss Planning Calculator for Women & Men
Why does weight loss seem to be harder as you age?
Your metabolism slows down as much as you get older, so you need less energy and less food. For this reason, weight loss becomes harder as you age, and need a different weight-loss diet from a younger person.
Should I avoid carbs to lose weight?
Hi Malek,
Despite the popularity of low carbs diets, your body needs this important ingredient to work. To lose weight, you should avoid carbs from processed foods and sugars in your weight loss diet, not any carbs.
Should I drink water before meals for faster weight loss?
Hi,
Drinking water, especially before main meals, helps fill you up and makes you eat less and finally weight loss. Adults who drank 1 glasses of water before each meal lost more weight than those who didn't.
I am on a weight loss diet. Do I still need to exercise?
When you are on a weight loss diet to reach a healthier body, physical activity may support and help your weight loss efforts by helping you achieve an appropriate calorie balance and regulate metabolism.
How can I burn off my stored body fat?
The best strategy for losing weight and burn off fat is to combine a plan for a lifestyle change with calorie reduction and increased physical activity. We all need some fat in our body, but if stored fat is excessive, it may increase the risk of chronic diseases like CVD, heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers. This is particularly true if excess fat is in the abdominal area.