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Where to start losing weight: Developing an action plan

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

To complete the matter, you need to know where to start losing weight and how to create a proper plan - not only diet and training, but also adjustments to your usual lifestyle. To make such a decision, one must be aware of the complexity of the approach to weight loss. From now on, every step should bring you closer to the goal and must be carefully thought out at the beginning.

The simplest and most correct solution

If you want to lose weight, you need to limit your diet

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 to an appointment.
  4. Follow all his recommendations.
  5. Visit regularly to adjust the plan you originally created.
  6. Find a professional fitness trainer who specializes in weight loss and schedule an appointment with them.
  7. Get advice from him and create an individual training plan taking into account the recommendations of the nutritionist.
  8. Follow all his recommendations.

You need money to pay for personalized nutrition plans and workouts. The amount is a guideline and may vary depending on the city and specialist. On average, each of these developments costs around $100. Only a nutritionist and trainer will help you start losing weight correctly and accompany you until you achieve the desired result.

Appointment with a nutritionist

First, you will receive a detailed survey to take your medical history. Get ready to answer many questions:

  • whether chronic illnesses are present;
  • 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 from in the last 2 years?
  • Do you have bad habits?
  • What is the nature of your work (sedentary or requires constant movement – on foot or by car)?
  • What kind of life do you lead after work?
  • Do your parents have a problem with being overweight etc.

After data collection, tests and instrumental 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.

Based on all the data collected, an individual nutrition plan is created, which you must strictly adhere to. You must also follow any advice given by the nutritionist in this regard (go for a walk in the evening, go to the upper floors without an elevator, exercise, etc. ).

Coach advice

After the nutritionist with all his recommendations and the nutrition plan, it goes to the trainer. He should tailor a weight loss program in the gym to suit you individually. Here it is important to understand the following point: as soon as the instructor begins to criticize the nutritionist's behavior, turn around, leave and look for another specialist. Doctors have the appropriate training and know what they advise, 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 100kg), the plan can last anywhere from six months to two years. If you need to lose 10-20kg, 6 months is usually enough.

This makes it easy to start losing weight the right way. This method is good because you don't need to independently calculate BMI, daily calorie intake, BJU ratios, etc. Errors are impossible here, health risks are minimal and the end 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 want to organize the weight loss process yourself at home, you will have to invest a lot of time in preparation. Regardless of gender, age and weight, it is recommended to start with the following steps.

General points

The first is motivation: clearly state your goal and determine why you need to lose weight. You can create a selection of photos from when you were slim and who you are now. You can hang your favorite dress in a prominent place where you have to "fit". Read relevant literature, watch films. There are a variety of ways to motivate yourself, and they should be used in the months whenYou work on your body, function.

The second is a medical examination. Without him you can't go anywhere. What it brings you:

  • Some diseases cause excess weight, and you cannot get rid of the latter without treating the former.
  • All diets and certain sports have contraindications - using the examination data, you can be sure that this or that nutritional system or sport will not harm your health.

Keep a weight loss diary: record all your mistakes and successes, 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, when you don't have the courage not to eat before bed, let your husband distract you from this temptation and prevent a relapse. Effective, but needs to be thought through right at the start of the trip.

Required Purchases:

  • Scale;
  • kitchen scale;
  • dumbbells.

Think about what caused the excess weight: poor diet, overeating, lack of exercise, age, or an illness. Understand: without eliminating the provoking factor, you cannot lose weight.

Nutrition

Prepare immediately for the fact that the first steps to losing weight can take up to 1 month. Of course, the preparation period can be shortened to 3-5 days, but in 90% of cases such a start inevitably leads to failure. So be prepared to invest time in it.

Preparing for weight loss includes weighing yourself and reducing daily calories.

Start by calculating your BMI. Determine how many extra pounds you have. Write down three numbers: your ideal weight (the ultimate goal of losing weight) - your current actual weight - the number of kg you need to lose. Then follow the plan below.

First week

  1. Write down what you eat during the day and in what quantity.
  2. Count the number of calories you consume in the evening.
  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. Normally it is between 1500 and 2000 kcal for men and between 1200 and 1500 kcal for women.
  5. Use the formula to calculate the difference between what you consume now and what you receive.
  6. Think about which foods or dishes you should reduce your daily calorie intake (food calorie tables will help with this).

Second week

This preparatory phase is already the beginning of losing weight, because with proper nutrition you can lose 1-2 kg. You need to avoid fast food, fried foods, alcoholic and carbonated drinks and limit the consumption of sweet and salty foods.

Third week

  1. Start with a day of fasting.
  2. Study the topic of complex and simple carbohydrates. Leave only the first ones in the diet.
  3. Create a weekly menu and reduce your daily calorie intake by 100 kcal. Stick with it.
  4. Drink at least 1 liter of water per day.

Fourth week

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

Remember - this is not about weight loss itself, although you will probably lose a few kilograms, but just the preparation for it. It minimizes the stress your body will face in the coming weeks or months.

Start choosing a diet in the last, fourth week of preparation. We immediately reject express options for 3 days and a week that promise a weight loss of 1 kg in one day. Firstly, it is harmful to health. Secondly, after the hunger strike ends, the weight will return with interest.

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

That's it: you're nutritionally ready to lose weight.

Sports

If you want your weight loss to be truly effective, just organizing your meals is not enough. The calories you consume also need to be consumed. To do this, you need to increase physical activity and physical activity. But if you start working out in the gym for several hours tomorrow, your body will rebel out of habit: the next day you won't be able to get up because of muscle pain. And all because this too requires preparation. Luckily, there's something to do during these 4 weeks while you whip up your new diet.

Thanks to sports, you can lose extra pounds and gain a slim body

The training program recommended below is called "From Scratch". It is intended for those who have never exercised but are aware that they need to do it to lose weight.

First week

  1. Avoid the elevator: 5-6 floors must be walked daily.
  2. If you are sedentary, stand up for 5 minutes every hour and warm up: walking, stretching.
  3. Go for a walk for at least half an hour in the evening.

Second week

  1. Find a simple set of exercises for morning exercises for 10 minutes. It is meant to invigorate and improve your mood, not deplete it. Do it daily.
  2. Learn several breathing exercises (Qigong, Bodyflex, Oxysize) and try to master one of them.
  3. Increase the length of your evening walk to 40 minutes.

Third week

  1. Incorporate 2-3 new, more complex exercises into your morning exercises.
  2. Continue to improve proper breathing.
  3. Go for a 50-minute walk in the evening.

Fourth week

  1. Morning exercises should last 15 minutes.
  2. Afterwards, walk at a fast pace (Finnish, sport) for half an hour.
  3. Evening walks are extended by one hour.
  4. Create a training plan.

When you start implementing such a plan to lose weight, your body will be thoroughly prepared for new physical activities. The number is corrected much more intensively and with minimal losses. Of course, the 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: muscle fibers need to be given time to recover, so it's best to exercise every other day.

Consider the question of where the classes will take place. A gym membership is a financial hit, but it's worth it. Professional simulators are available to you and you can always ask the trainer for advice. Or group fitness classes – it's engaging and won't make you break down.

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

Recommendations for special cases

Getting started on your weight loss journey is 50% of the success of your plan. However, the above plans must be customized taking into account the individual characteristics of each person. Therefore, a few tips for special populations will help make the whole process more correct.

Women over 35 years old

At this age, the body begins to gradually age and adapt to menopause. Metabolism slows down, few people are willing to exercise. So even the owners of the slimmest figures begin to blur. The stomach grows, the bottom expands, the breasts increase in volume and sag a little.

In addition to the nutrition and exercise programs suggested above, there is a special step-by-step system for women aged 35-40 who do not want to endure excess weight.

  1. If you can forego a visit to the doctor before the age of 35, it is mandatory at this age before losing weight. Maybe he will suggest the most suitable weight loss methods for you.
  2. Start taking special vitamins.
  3. High-protein, low-fat, and low-carb diets are not for you. Choose the most balanced nutritional system with a daily intake of at least 1500 kcal.
  4. Strength exercises are not necessary at this age, but you cannot completely eliminate them from your training plan. When putting it together, focus on cardio exercises, but don't forget about the dumbbells.
  5. Replace morning jogging with exercise or Finnish walking.
  6. Dancing is of course good. But if you want to lose weight at this age, still choose swimming.

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

Men with beer bellies

Deciding to lose weight for a man with a stomach is a real feat. Diets are a common thing for women, but they are not ready for food restrictions. What is it like to refuse a can of beer with salted fish in the evening and not sit in the bathhouse with friends on the weekend?

A man with a beer belly can set a goal and lose weight

However, the process must begin with:

  1. You don't have to pay attention to a diet - just eliminate alcoholic and carbonated drinks, fast food and snacks from your diet.
  2. The daily calorie intake should be reduced to 2000 kcal. Usually men don't like to sit around with these formulas and tables, so it's better to ask your wife, sister or mother for help.
  3. Give preference to protein foods with a low fat content.
  4. Be sure to incorporate morning jogging into your training plan.
  5. Choose abdominal exercises.
  6. Alternating strength and cardio exercises.

For a man who has set a goal of losing weight, the most important thing is to get started. You get involved in the actual process much more quickly and don't cut corners, as women like to do. Don't put your plans on hold. If the four-week preparation described above is too long for you, start it 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 men and women is losing weight after 50-60 years, when the body is exhausted and its organs cease to function fully. Age is often the main reason for metabolic disorders, which makes you gain extra pounds.

Here you should definitely start with a visit to the doctor - planning yourself is generally not recommended. Because any restriction in the consumption of fats or carbohydrates can worsen your health. Another 10 minutes of exercise leads to shortness of breath and tachycardia. An exercise done incorrectly can lead to joint pain or even injury.

Therefore, the decision to lose weight after 50 years must necessarily be coordinated with specialists, without initiatives or dubious 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. Once implemented, you don't even need to go on a diet - just continue to follow the nutritional recommendations for week 4 and exercise for 40 minutes every other day. The main thing is to start right, then the need for a hunger strike will disappear by itself.

It's another matter if you initially have a very large weight (more than 100 kg). The preparation phase also plays an important role here. If you immediately start express weight loss minus 10 kg per week, in the end, even if you manage to lose kilograms, it will affect your health and the skin will hang in wrinkles because it does not have time to shrink. What is important for you is a gentle, gradual introduction to any diet and a slow weight loss (1-2 kg per week). But then you save yourself the 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 rush in headfirst: the dive should be slow and gradual. This is the only way to achieve results.