Diet for weight loss | Pattern and how to build your own

It’s time to take off the rose-colored glasses and abandon the idea of ​​a miracle diet that will make you lose weight quickly and not gain it back after it ends. If it existed, the planet would be mostly full of thin people and the Czech Republic would not be at the top of the European obesity rankings. Six out of ten Czechs are overweight and one in five is obese. If you want to get rid of extra pounds and maintain your weight in 2023, it’s time to adopt healthy habits.

Be completely honest with yourself. Write down (on paper or in the application) for several days exactly what you eat, and find out, for example, according to calorie tables, what nutritional value you really have. Analysis of eating habits will help you move forward.

You can notice whether you eat too little or too much, when you receive the most energy, if you are significantly lacking any component in your diet, and also when and why you have a sweet tooth.

Calculate your energy intake including your physical activity and compare it with how you have eaten so far. You will find that you either eat too little or too much, and you can adjust your intake accordingly in the new menu. The average energy intake for weight maintenance is 8,000 to 8,500 kJ for women and 10,000 to 11,000 kJ for men. But also monitor the composition of the diet, which is often underestimated.

Throw ideas on extreme diets in the trash. You would slowly gain back the kilos you lost quickly. Going at it gradually and adopting healthy habits is a more difficult path that requires patience. Do not press for quick results and do not stress that you will not lose 5 kg per week. Success will come more slowly, but it will be more permanent and healthier. It won’t even endanger you unpleasant yo-yo effect.

In a reduction diet, proteins should make up 15-25% of energy intake, and at the same time you should eat around 1.5 g of protein per kg of ideal body weight per day. Fats make up roughly a third of the energy intake and carbohydrates the remaining 45-55%. 1 g of proteins and carbohydrates contains 17 kJ and 1 g of fat 38 kJ.

Example: intake of 8,000 kJ

Now divide each resulting number by 17 for carbohydrates and proteins and 38 for fats.

It is also necessary to pay attention to representation plant and animal protein sourcesso alternate lean meat, fish, low-fat cheeses, eggs, legumes and soy substitutes. If plant sources of protein predominate in your diet, add to their amount so that you reach 1.8-2 g of protein per kilogram of ideal body weight.

Do not forget about the drinking regime, instead of sweet lemonades, mineral drinks, energy drinks and fruit juices, supply your body with pure water or unsweetened tea. Regardless of whether you drink coffee, juice or alcohol during the day, do not forget to include their energy value in your menu.

If you already know your approximate intake and plan to lose weight, you can reduce it by 1,000 to 2,000 kJ, but proceed slowly and make sure that your diet remains balanced.

Do you know if you will have time to cook, or will you rather buy food? It is important to plan when you will eat and in what way. From the beginning, you will have to think through your menus in advance, primarily so that you know what to buy and what not to buy. Some people cook for several days in advance, some more in bursts and so-called quick meals. Someone is used to five meals a day and someone for three. It is a good idea to adapt this process to suit you. However, it may happen that if you have been eating three fattier meals a day, you will suddenly need to add at least one snack, because less fatty foods will fill you up for a shorter period of time, but at the same time help you lose weight.

Observe the reactions of your body, it will tell you a lot. If you for example in the evening he has a sweet toothit means that you haven’t had enough during the day or haven’t eaten in a balanced way. If you have problems with digestion, you may have a fiber deficiency. Also notice when you are tired, you may have given your body fast sugars, which you soon consumed or stored and after two hours you are without energy again. If you are irritable and have a headache, you may be lacking carbohydrates.

It may seem banal, but writing down your income and compiling menus (on paper or in the app) can significantly help you at the beginning of losing weight, to monitor where you make mistakes and when you are hungry. If you are used to snacksplan your main meals first so you know whether to give snacks that are more carbohydrate or protein or to add fat. Over time, you will master the composition of the menu and will not write it down. In the long term, it is advisable to gradually stop writing down so that you do not become “addicted” to counting and thereby disrupt your relationship with food.

Active movement is the basis. Although it is not part of the menu, energy expenditure and intake are closely related to it. It should be as important as what you eat. Therefore, include it in your program.

If information from the Internet and books is not enough for you and you need to discuss your diet individually, contact a nutritionist. They will help you set the correct values ​​and advise you on how to adjust the menu so that your favorite foods remain in it.

Professional cooperation: Mgr. Andrea Jakešová & Ing. Mgr. Veronika Pourová, nutritional therapist and founder of the Ne Hladu counseling center.