How to lose weight in a healthy way without miracle diets

Each year, they are longer. Before, Christmas excesses lasted for three weeks, from Christmas Eve to Reyes. Now, company lunches and dinners begin almost in November for fear of running out of space in our favorite restaurant. To this we must add that the shopping centers are increasingly advancing the sale of Christmas products, which is a temptation.

Total that we marked a month eating without control and we planted on January 7 with an average of between 4 and 5 kilos more .

What do we do now? The first thing not to panic. The kilos we have taken in a month cannot disappear in a week .

The priority must be to recover our routine of work and healthy diet, something that surely even our own body will be shouting at us because we are saturated with polvorones, nougat, copious foods and alcohol.

With something as simple as stop eating Christmas products and alcohol we lose 2 to 3 kilos easily.

WHAT NOT TO DO?

1. DETOX DIETS

They are fashionable and tell us that they are to purify our body. The reality is that there is no real need to clean our body since it is not intoxicated and, in addition, our kidneys are already in charge of it.

The most important thing is to maintain a healthy diet throughout the year and not a purification for 'x' days .

These 'resources' not only will not be able to purify us, nor that we lose weight in the long term, but they can be dangerous. They can cause us nutritional deficiencies, in addition to generating stress to our body causing more hunger or anxiety. In addition to the possible rebound effect, these types of diets can lead to excess water consumption and can cause serious health problems .

2. STOP EATING

Another of the most common ideas is to start skipping some or all of the meals of the following days without following any control.

The concept is similar to that of detox diets: if we don't eat today we will be able to compensate for the excesses of the previous days. The reality is, if we talk about healthy eating, there is no concept of 'make up' . All we can do is either modify our habits or return to them if we have deviated from the right path.

We cannot lose in a few days what we have gained in weeks. Deciding to skip meals without any medical supervision not only will not make us feel better, but will generate a totally unnecessary hunger and affect our metabolism and our health. The body will suddenly believe that it has entered a calorie reserve and will slow down the metabolism.

3. DIET OF THE SIROPE DE ARCE

The maple syrup diet is reputed to be detoxifying and depurative, since it involves a fast that helps eliminate toxins from the body and, supposedly, helps the digestive system to regenerate. But, beware, like the rest of 'miracle diets, maple syrup can be unbalanced and dangerous .

The 'trick' is to drink two liters a day of a preparation based on: about 150 ml of maple syrup; natural juice of 4 or 5 lemons; water and even a pinch of red cayenne pepper.

Obviously, we are faced with a diet that promises that we will quickly lose weight by the mere fact of consuming natural sweetener and water with lemon, ingested as the only food for a period of three days.

Obviously, 'feeding' in this way leads to deficiencies of essential nutrients, especially in vitamins and, on the other hand, there is no essential fat contribution for the proper functioning of our body.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO

If you're really worried about the weight you've taken these weeks, the first thing you would have to do is put yourself in the hands of a nutritionist who helps you lose it in a healthy way, without stress, without starving and without risking your Health.

Your great mission for this beginning of the year should be to adopt healthy lifestyle habits to avoid that you are in the same situation next January 7. Remember, your pillars must be: balanced diet, exercise and rest.

HYDRATION

Drink the necessary water. Not only does it help us stay hydrated, but it also helps eliminate toxins, especially when we have drunk alcohol, but also when we have eaten too much. Staying well hydrated is our best ally in the recovery of our well-being.

Infusions can also become your great allies. If you don't know where to start, take note:

Blue tea It is the secret of Asians to show off an enviable figure. Burn calories thanks to its content in catechins that influence the oxidation of fats.

Rosehip tea. Its diuretic properties will make you feel less inflated and lighter.

Mint tea. It has diuretic properties. It helps the kidneys to eliminate excess water and sodium.

Green Tea. It is the antioxidant par excellence, but it also helps eliminate fluids and fight swollen belly. Essential to reduce centimeters of waist and abdomen.

Red tea. Accelerates the metabolism and burns the fats that have accumulated in these days of excesses and eaters. It is a powerful detoxifier that improves the immune system and helps reduce cholesterol and triglycerides

Horse tail. It is the best known infusion to fight fluid retention. Its high diuretic power means that care must be taken because it can produce unexpected stress drops. It has a high satiating power.

CHOOSE FOOD WELL

The really important thing is to return to a healthy eating routine that you can maintain throughout the year. In any case, there are some guidelines that, on these dates, are especially useful to restore normalcy:

1. Return to five daily intakes, in addition to abandoning excess alcohol gradually.

2. Take carbohydrates of slow absorption , foods such as pasta or whole grains, legumes, vegetables, some fruits (such as strawberries, cherries or red fruits) and forget about those of rapid absorption (sweets, nougat, polvorones, pastries, etc.) .

3. Avoid fats , try not to drink too much and especially forget about unhealthy ones, such as saturated ones.

4. Consume protein, It is essential to take fish rich in omega 3, such as salmon or tuna, and also white, since they are hypocaloric. Meats, better lean like chicken or turkey.

5. Intensify the consumption of vegetables . Rich in vitamins, having a high fiber content exert a satiating effect.

6. TAKE VEGETABLES. Being in winter, you want a plate of spoon, but you have to try that these are not too blunt. Lentils with vegetables are not very caloric and very nutritious and satiating.

The most important thing is to go, day by day, marking and fulfilling objectives to lose those kilos without anxiety, or harm health. Remember that gaining weight and losing weight means psychological stress and a body attack.

RECOVER THE DREAM PATTERN

Another of the usual effects of Christmas excesses is that the sleep pattern is disturbed and we feel more tired and even exhausted. It is important, therefore, that we make use of a good rest. In this way, we will help the metabolism to recover and return to its normal state, in addition to facilitating the recovery of our organs after the important effort of these days.

DO SPORT

Or re-practice it, if you have left it during these days. At first, if you feel heavy, it will cost you a little more to start moving. However, as soon as you do, you will begin to feel better and better. And, sport, unlike miracle diets, does help you feel better and feel lighter,

For this, there are some simple exercises that you can do even in the living room of your own home, such as squats, abdominal irons, push-ups or HIIT circuits.

Take care of yourself all year long

It is very important that we remember that our state of health does not mark what we have been able to exceed during the holidays, but everything we do during the rest of the year. Therefore, it is of little use to us that during these days, because we are ill, we start to make detox diets if we are not going to take care of our food.

Happy 2020!

María Amaro is a nutrition expert at Feel Good Clinic (Madrid).

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