In pursuit of a beautiful figure, many women are ready to do anything. Do not eat sweets, avoid flour, salted and fried, sit on apples with kefir or on one oatmeal. Such diets give a quick result, but it can be short-lived and subsequently harm the body. A person needs vitamins, minerals and nutrients for the normal functioning of vital organs and a full existence. That is why the best option is to follow a balanced diet, the menu of which is presented below. But first, a little theory, it will be useful to understand why and what we eat.
Nutrient balance
If you look at the packaging of any product, you can see the abbreviation KBZhU and strange numbers. We’ll talk about them. KBZhU - the content of calories, proteins, fats and carbohydrates in 100 g of the product. About calories will be discussed later, but now we learn about nutrients:
- Protein is the building material of our body. It is necessary for a person to grow muscles, maintain them in shape and create muscle relief.
- Fats are organic substances responsible for reproductive health and many other important processes. Diets that suggest eating low-fat foods are fraught with serious health problems.
- Carbohydrates are nutrients that provide energy to our body. Thanks to carbohydrates, we feel vigorous, therefore, on a low-carb diet, a person experiences a breakdown and does not feel well.
All of these substances are necessary for our body, and adherence to norms when counting calories will give excellent results when following a diet and a balanced diet. So, for a comfortable and safe weight loss, you must use:
- Fats - 20-25%.
- Protein - 30-35%.
- Carbohydrates - 50-55%.
Important! In the afternoon, you should reduce the amount of fast carbohydrates consumed, giving preference to food, rich in fiber and protein. We are less active in the evening, so carbohydrates will not turn into energy, but will be deposited on the sides.
Calculating all this will be very simple if you keep track of calories consumed. That is what is a balanced diet, the food on which is varied and very tasty!
Fast and slow carbohydrates - the main differences
In addition to containing fats, proteins, and carbohydrates, foods may vary. There are fast and slow carbohydrates that have different effects on our body.
Slow carbohydrates are cereals, whole grain bread, durum wheat pasta, fiber. They are absorbed for a long time and energized for several hours, the body spends a lot of fat, digesting them.
Fast carbohydrates, on the contrary, are absorbed in 20-30 minutes and turn into excess deposits. They are found in chocolates, chips, sugar-containing drinks, white bread and other sweets. So why does Snickers get a short jump in energy? Everything is simple. Due to the high sugar content, the glucose level in the blood jumps sharply, it seems that a person is full and ready for new achievements, but after 20 minutes the sugar is quickly absorbed and turns into fat, and we again feel hungry. Students are familiar with this feeling, after a snack on the run on the next pair, the stomach again makes rumbling sounds.
The solution is simple: healthy snacks! A balanced diet menu implies meals that saturate for a long time and bring maximum benefits. Take some nuts, dried fruits, or cereal bread to a university, school, or work place — it will definitely be easier for you to reach dinner without a feeling of hunger!
Calories: what is it and what do they eat with?
So, we figured out what calories are in every product. But what is it, why are they not in the composition and what do they taste like?
Everything is a bit more complicated. Speaking scientifically, calorie is a unit of measure for heat. And if it’s simpler and more understandable, calories measure the energy value of a product. And if we consume this energy more than burn it with sports and any activity, then we will begin to accumulate excess that will be deposited in the fat mass.
How did people find out that there were thirty calories in strawberries and one hundred in chocolate? It turns out that methods for this have been invented for a long time. For example, you can put the finished product in a special machine in which it is burned, then the measured heat is measured. This is precisely how the caloric content of any product is considered. In water, for example, 0 calories, because it does not burn.
With what calories are figured out. But how to correctly calculate them so that a balanced diet for every day does not bring discomfort?
Calorie Counting: Formulas
First you need to determine your daily calorie intake, then subtract 15-20% from it - this is the figure you need to adhere to throughout weight loss, because without a lack of energy, fat will not start to burn.
So, the simplest formula for calculating daily calories is:
655 + 9.6 (weight in kg) + 1.8 (growth in cm) - 4.7 (age in years).
Here is an example: Masha weighs 82 kg, she is 22 years old, her height is 167 centimeters. According to the formula 665 + 9.6 * 82 + 1.8 * 167 - 4.7 * 22 = 1652 calories. Subtracting 15% from them, it turns out 1405. That is how much Masha needs to use in order to lose weight on a balanced diet. And you can not bother with the formulas and just find a ready-made calculator in which it is enough to enter your parameters and everything will be calculated automatically.
Calorie Calculators
So, you have calculated the daily calorie intake for a balanced diet for weight loss. A logical question arises: how do you know how many calories are in a finished home or restaurant dish? In the first case, you can calculate the calories of each ingredient in a dry / unprepared form, in the second you can find out the calorie content of each dish from the waiter. There are many sites with lists of products from all manufacturers, there are applications on the phone, so as not to run to the computer all the time. In such applications, it’s enough to drive the name of the product or dish and their weight into the search bar, then you will recognize the KBLU and enter it into the daily norm.
It is very important to weigh the products in raw form, in order to accurately indicate their weight in the calculator, for this you should purchase a kitchen scale. They are small and compact, they certainly won’t take up much space, but you won’t pour something “by eye”. The error can be up to 100 grams, and for example, rice has as many as 300 calories, which you will not even know about.
Body weight and volume measurements
Regardless of the duration of weight loss, whether it is a balanced diet for a month or a week, it is very important to take measurements of the hips, chest, waist and be weighed. But you need to do this correctly, otherwise the results will upset your inaccuracy.
You need to weigh yourself in the morning, on an empty stomach, since even a drunk glass of water will add 200 grams on the arrows. On average, a person loses from 150 to 300 grams of fat per day on a balanced diet. This is a slow but long way to reach the goal!
You need to measure body volumes in the same places, once a week is enough, because a person can swell in the morning from a large amount of drinking water, and in general, the results will be inaccurate and will only disappoint.
Water is an important element of the diet
Everyone knows that water is the source of life. A man is 90% water, without it no living creature will survive. But in the fast pace of life, few drink their daily rate of fluid, but in vain, because it:
- Nourishes cells, saturates joints, thereby reducing the risk of physical injury.
- Cleanses the body of toxins and toxins.
- It speeds up the metabolism.
- Promotes weight loss.
30 ml of water per kilogram of weight - this is the daily norm for each person.
A few tips to make water a balanced diet the most effective:
- Do not drink plenty of fluids at bedtime. It is better not to drink 3 hours before bedtime, it threatens with swelling in the morning, which are not at all healthy. Drink most of the water in the morning.
- Start your morning with two glasses of warm water with honey and lemon. Such a drink helps to wake up, start metabolism and avoid heaviness in the stomach after breakfast. After 20 minutes you can start your meal.
- Drink during exercise. Drink plenty. It is a mistake to say that you should not drink during training. The body is dehydrated, for him it is stress, it is necessary to maintain a water-salt balance.
- Half an hour before the main meals, drink a glass of water. Thus, you will eat less, filling the stomach, and dilute the gastric juice, promoting a comfortable digestion.
- Do not drink food. So you eat more, especially if you drink cold drinks. Drink water or tea / coffee no earlier than 40 minutes after eating.
Important! Tea, coffee, juices, broths and other drinks cannot be considered as drunk water, as they contain calories. This should be considered as food.
Exercise for a taut body
In a healthy body healthy mind! But only nutrition is not enough, it is necessary to give the body a load, temper and train it. If you lose weight on a balanced diet with a lot of weight, then without exercise the skin will sag and stretch marks will appear. You can work out at home, sign up for fitness, the gym or yoga. Be sure to include in the cardio training program, which burn fat, and strength, contributing to the growth of muscle mass. Here is a basic list of exercises that will take no more than 20 minutes, it can be done at home without special equipment:
- Warm up - 5 minutes. Never skip it, it warms up the muscles and prepares them for exercise. Starting from the head and ending with the feet, perform turns and twists 4-12 times for each part of the body.
- Squats Legs shoulder width apart, arms bent at the elbows and abut against the waist. Slowly lower, keeping your back straight, torso parallel to the feet. Do not lift or lower your heels below the knee. Hold in this position for a couple of seconds and slowly rise. 10-15 times.
- Strap. Stand in a push-up position, resting on your toes and keeping your torso parallel to the floor. Tighten your abdominal and back muscles. Stand in this state for 15-50 seconds, depending on physical fitness.
- Lunges. Initial state - legs shoulder width apart, arms along the body. Putting your foot forward, reach for it, bend it at the knee and make 4 deflections to the floor. Change your foot. 4-12 reps.
- Jumping The starting position is the same as in exercise 4. Make jumps, bringing your legs apart and spreading, while raising your hands and making a pop over your head each jump. 12-20 repetitions.
Depending on what you need: to pump up or lose weight, you can change and add exercise at your discretion, but remember that a warm-up should be required!
Balanced diet
A balanced diet menu does not mean that you can eat anything and fit it into your daily calorie intake. With a daily intake of 1300 calories, you can eat a couple of burgers, drink a bottle of Coca-Cola and score all the "allowed" calories, and be hungry again after a couple of hours.
It is necessary to eat fractionally, eat 5-6 times a day in small portions. 3 main meals and 2-3 snacks - this is the ideal formula for a balanced diet for weight loss for every day!
Memo of the main products for a proper diet:
- Cereals: oatmeal, buckwheat, brown or wild rice, durum wheat pasta, chickpeas, peas, beans, couscous, red lentils, beans.
- Non-starchy vegetables: white and cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, asparagus, carrots, zucchini and eggplant are most rich in vitamins and fiber.
- Unsweetened fruits: green apples, oranges, pears, berries. With bananas and grapes you need to be careful - they have a lot of fructose and starch, reduce their consumption.
- Dairy products: cottage cheese with a fat content of 1-5%, low-fat cheese, milk with a fat content of up to 3.2%, kefir, fermented baked milk and ayran.
- Meat products: chicken, turkey, low-fat beef, offal.
- Low-fat fish: squid, tuna, mackerel, pollock, red fish, pangasius.
- Dried fruits and nuts in small quantities.
- Cold pressed vegetable oils: olive, sunflower, sesame.
Add any spices, but in moderation: many whet the appetite. You can salt food, but do not overdo it, it can lead to swelling and other unpleasant consequences. Below is a menu of a balanced diet for a week, a month and one day, which can be adapted for yourself.
Diet menu for the day, week and month
You can cook a lot of delicious right dishes, do not chew chicken breast with unsalted buckwheat. The following is a balanced diet for the day, week and month. Meals can be swapped and changed according to your preferences.
- Breakfast: oatmeal on the water with a slice of butter, walnuts and honey.
- First snack: a handful of dried apricots.
- Lunch: boiled buckwheat with baked turkey breast in sour cream sauce.
- Second snack: banana and green apple.
- Dinner: steamed pangasius with lemon juice.
- Third snack before bedtime: a glass of ryazhenka with cinnamon.
As you can see, with such a diet, a varied and tasty diet. The following is a balanced diet for weight loss by day.
1st day:
- Breakfast: millet porridge in milk with a slice of butter, bread with low-fat cheese.
- First snack: a slice of whole grain bread with curd cheese, cucumber and herbs.
- Lunch: trout ear with potatoes and vegetables (you can do overcooking!)
- Second snack: fruit bar without sugar and additives.
- Dinner: baked beef with zucchini and spices.
- Third snack: a glass of kefir and one loaf of bread.
2nd day:
- Breakfast: oat pancake with cheese and herbs (beat 2 eggs, add 3 tablespoons of ground oatmeal, bake in a dry frying pan without oil).
- First snack: any fruit on the approved list.
- Lunch: chicken fillet stew with vegetables, stewed with tomato paste, brown rice.
- Second snack: oatmeal cookies with tea / coffee.
- Dinner: beef steak with tomatoes and eggplant.
- Third snack: cottage cheese with natural yogurt and honey.
3rd day:
- Breakfast: healthy cottage cheese pancakes (from cottage cheese, rice flour and eggs, make dough that does not stick to hands, leave alone for 15 minutes, bake cottage cheese pancakes in the oven or in a dry frying pan). Serve with natural yogurt or low sugar homemade jam.
- Snack: a loaf of bread with low-fat cheese or chicken breast.
- Lunch: baked zucchini with minced meat, pasta from durum wheat.
- Second snack: berry smoothie with strawberries and raspberries.
- Dinner: vegetable salad with boiled squid, seasoned with natural yogurt. Very satisfying.
- Third snack: a couple of cheesecakes with breakfast.
4th day:
- Breakfast: buckwheat porridge with overcooking of carrots and onions, bread.
- First snack: jelly or light milk pudding.
- Lunch: stewed chicken hearts in sour cream with couscous.
- Second snack: baked apple with cinnamon.
- Dinner: baked mackerel in sour cream sauce.
- Third snack: cottage cheese with lingonberries and honey transferred.
5th day:
- Breakfast: lazy oatmeal (pour oatmeal into a jar, add kefir, yogurt or milk, add nuts, jam and dried fruits to taste, close the lid and leave in the refrigerator until morning. Stir and heat if desired).
- First snack: kefir with crackers or oatmeal cookies.
- Lunch: Braised red beans with tomatoes, bell peppers and eggplant.
- Second snack: a loaf of cheese with cottage cheese.
- Dinner: chicken fillet chop, fried in a dry pan on both sides.
- Third snack: ryazhenka with cinnamon.
The menu of a balanced diet for losing weight for a week is varied, you can experiment as much as you like!
On the day off, you can give yourself a little indulgence and add 300-400 calories to the diet of any of 5 days, highlighting them for dessert or another favorite treat. Diet for weight loss, although it implies a menu for a week, but in order to avoid breakdowns, you need to give the body "gingerbread". There is nothing difficult in maintaining a balanced diet for a week. You just need to turn on a little imagination and use your culinary skills!
Using the memo, you can easily create a balanced diet menu for a month.
Breakfast: any carbohydrates - cereals in milk or water, cottage cheese pancakes, pancakes made from oat or rice flour, pancakes, cottage cheese casseroles, sandwiches (without sausage, of course, it can be replaced with chicken or beef shank).
Snacks: dried fruits, sandwiches, unsweetened cookies, bread, fruits, smoothies, homemade ice cream, low-calorie desserts, cottage cheese with natural toppings, berries, dark chocolate.
Important! If you follow the menu of a balanced diet for a month, use recipes for healthy and delicious desserts, which can be easily prepared at home, spending a little time. It’s hard to eat for a month without variety.
Lunches: soups from lean meat and fish, side dishes from any cereals, legumes, meat and fish dishes stewed, baked, steamed or fried in a dry pan, vegetables, whole grain bread.
Dinners: meat and fish dishes, vegetable stews, cottage cheese, low-fat yogurt, salads
It's so simple to create a menu of a balanced diet for weight loss for a month. And most importantly, you can stick to such a diet all your life, while remaining healthy and beautiful! Now you yourself can become experts in the matter of nutrition, easily creating a balanced menu for losing weight for a week, a month, and even for a year!