Lose weight healthily

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Introduction

This article explains how you can lose weight permanently with the necessary background knowledge about healthy nutrition - in combination with sufficient exercise. The path to permanent weight loss (weight reduction) therefore requires basic knowledge. That is why the goal is difficult for most people to achieve. Anyone who suffers from the problem of excessive body weight usually uses the path of least effort (resistance).

Thus, these people fall into the numerous traps of big promises like "belly fat gone overnight". The "weight loss industry" is a huge business that targets desperate people. One can say: The faster you lose weight with one-sided reduction diets, the faster you put the weight back on - usually even more than before (yo-yo effect).¹

Losing weight is defined as a negative energy balance. Basically, ten hormones control this process (we name them below and explain the effects). Whether we get impulses for gaining weight or losing weight and how strong they are, is in our hands with our way of life, but not with the supply of individual hormones because that can also lead to dangerous resistance and damage our health.

Technically, only the difference between calorie intake and calorie expenditure determines our body weight, nothing else. After all, we exhale every consumed calorie as CO₂ and give off 16% as water.

In addition to essential information about food intake and calorie burning, we inform you in the second part about the practical steps that you can take. We also address methods that are not recommended and describe emergencies.

PART 1: BASIC KNOWLEDGE

Obesity and its Consequences

Obesity (severely overweight with a BMI more than 30) is an important health risk factor. Obesity-related morbidity and complications generate enormous costs for individuals, families, healthcare systems and society at large. When the BMI is 30 or more, one would have to go to the doctor to determine the waist-to-height ratio (WtHR) for the first time. This way you know more about the distribution of fat that is crucial for your health. It should also be used to rule out rare diseases that can lead to this condition. They are briefly described below.

Through our lifestyle, we can epigenetically influence gene expression. Gene expression means how strongly the gene works in us (with penetrance and expressivity - for more, we refer to specialist literature). A successful weight loss plan for people who are severely overweight starts with a medical investigation of whether a metabolic syndrome is present and whether it has genetic causes - for example, hypothyroidism.

According to the CDC, your behaviour and environment cause epigenetic changes. They change the way the body reads a DNA sequence and alter gene expression. However, unlike genetic inheritance, epigenetic changes are reversible.⁸⁶

In this context, a study underscores the need for medical professionals to provide information to women who wish to have children. This mainly concerns health issues such as smoking and eating habits before and during pregnancy. In many cases, this could prevent the child from becoming obese as both smoking and the eating habits of the mother have a significant impact on the child's health. The corresponding full-text study has been published by the National Library of Medicine (NIH) as an online article in PubMed Central (PMC).⁶²

In general, politicians would have to tax certain products and invest this tax money in making natural foods cheaper. Lobbying prevents that; as a result, healthcare costs are also increasing and this is having a negative impact on our life expectancy. Both increasing life expectancy and the consequences of visceral obesity are putting a massive strain on healthcare costs, much more than they used to. Another study explains the global effects of these phenomena and the clear differences between various countries with impressive aspects (e.g., regarding child mortality and life expectancy).⁶³ Actually, the health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE) is the most important criterion for us - and not the individual lifetime itself.^64,65

The Lancet Commission on Obesity explains, among other things, the failure of politics and, thus, also of our society, even going so far as to describe the obesity situation as a pandemic. According to their report, there is no way around addressing the spread of obesity in a larger context (the so-called Global Syndemic) and at the same time looking at it with climate change, i.e., with our global footprint. The text suggests solutions, including the taxation of unhealthy products and the promotion of natural foods.⁷⁰

Why is obesity rising?

The numbers are alarming: in OECD countries, on average, every second person is overweight, and every sixth person is obese. Before 1980, obesity rates were below 10%. Working and living conditions have changed since then. Industrially processed food (fast food and convenience food) is always and everywhere available and enjoys intensive advertising. Stress and significantly less physical work and exercise are additional factors.³

The award-winning book Salt Sugar Fat by Michael Moss illustrates how general obesity came about in the Western society. Read our in-depth book review to learn how the food industry controls the legislature and compromises your health for ever-growing sales.⁴

The main reasons for this fatal development are: an increased calorie intake with usually less physical work than once, combined with an incorrect choice of food.

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To help you rely on a healthy choice of food, here are two important links to start with:

Recipes for Losing Weight

The recipes are pre-sorted by "calorie to fiber ratio"; so you will find the most fiber-rich recipes at the top. We explain this strategy below, and consider high-fiber recipes — along with spices — as an important key to success.

Foods for Weight Loss

In the case of foods, we show the order for each 100 g. However, at the top you will also find ingredients with a relatively large amount of dietary fiber that are only consumed in small amounts, such as spices. Certain spices such as Ceylon cinnamon or chili pepper also have other effects that help you lose weight.² Below the ingredient texts, you will usually find recipes that contain a lot of this ingredient.

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Probably the most important reasons - apart from genetic factors and diseases - are irregular meals (especially "snacks"), sugar, fast food, alcohol, lack of exercise, poor sleep, stress - or even metabolic cures. In the future, there will be more and more children with epigenetic changes due to their parents' wrong eating habits. Industrialized countries have a worse situation than the developing countries.

New genetic tests have led to the identification of obesity-related genes that control hormones. For example, leptin (LEP), leptin receptor (LEPR), proopiomelanocortin (POMC), prohormone convertase 1 (PCSK1), melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R), single-mind homolog 1 (SIM1), "growthfactor" brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and neurotrophic tyrosine kinase receptor type 2 gene (NTRK2) have been described as obesity causing hormones.⁸² Thousands of DNA variants determine the genetic risk for obesity, which is a major challenge for genetics-based treatment of obesity.⁸³

Hormones control whether we gain or lose weight

As mentioned above, it is primarily certain hormones that control our eating habits and the internal processes involved in reducing or building up our fat mass. However, how many hormones our body releases depends on our lifestyle. If you would like to know more, click on the "vertical arrow", also called CLICK FOR. Above all, there are references to the hormone GLP-1 and what we should do to increase our production of GLP-1 in the intestine instead of buying it as an injection with side effects.

We influence the type and amount of these hormones

When one examines numerous studies on one's influence on these important hormones (which also contribute to weight control, or in some cases almost exclusively to weight control), one finds that vigorous exercise, e.g. brisk walking or training the core muscles etc., has the most powerful positive effects. The next major influence comes from eating a healthy diet with a good omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, followed by good sleep. The latter is disturbed above all by stress, which can be caused by watching TV in the evening, playing computer games, etc. The antidote would be Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). See the post: How do we get good, healthy sleep? Nuts and seeds, as well as vegetable oils, are particularly rich in omega-3 and -6 fatty acids. Detailed nutritional comparisons for ingredients can be found here.

It's not the amount of food you eat, but the composition of what you eat or drink that ultimately controls the hormones. The biggest helpers here are the right carbohydrates, namely dietary fibers, or those with a low glycemic load (GL). Dietary fibers are important because they provide practically no calories, but create satiety. Carbohydrates with a low GL are important because they make you feel full for a long time, and they hardly increase the sugar level. In addition, the amount of energy is small compared to the satiety they bring about. Foods with single and double sugars, such as white bread, pizza, and cakes, have a high GL.

Fat is not just fat

The so-called body mass index (BMI) is a well-known method for assessing body weight. It can be calculated as follows:

Body-Mass-Index (kg/m²) = Body Weight in Kilogram (kg) / Square of Height in Meters (m²)

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a BMI of 18.5-24.9 kg/m² is normal weight. BMI equal to and above 25 kg/m² is overweight, and BMI of 30 kg/m² and more is considered obese (obesity). The BMI alone is only conditionally meaningful as a value, since it does not consider the individual stature and above all the distribution of body mass (fat and muscle tissue).⁵

A better measure is the waist-to-hip ratio. According to the WHO, the ratio "waist < 0.85 to hips of 1" is optimal for women and "less than 0.90" for men. For example, a person with a waist circumference of 71 cm (27.9 in) and a hip circumference of 83 cm (32.6 in) has a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.85. All values ​​above this fall within the definition of abdominal obesity.⁴

Adipose tissue serves as insulating fat in the hypodermis (subcutaneous fat), which should make up about two-thirds of the total fat. Stored or depot fat accounts for 10 to 25% of people of normal weight, where it occurs primarily in the subcutaneous tissue of the abdomen, peritoneum and buttocks. However, adipose tissue also plays a role in energy metabolism through the secretion of hormone-like substances. In some places it is building fat as mechanical protection, e.g. under the soles of the feet, at joints or as organ storage.

The problematic visceral fat tissue, on the other hand, sits in the abdominal cavity and accumulates around the internal organs. Above all, we should recognize visceral fat, i.e. abdominal fat, as a serious threat to a healthy life and fight against it. A person with a body mass index (BMI) of 21 or 22 (meaning a slim person) but with a waist circumference of more than 88 cm for women or 102 cm for men has a higher risk of cardiovascular disease than a plump person without extreme visceral abdominal fat.⁶ Slightly firmer people with this abdominal problem are called the apple type.

Unfortunately, only a minimal percentage of people succeed in stopping or even reversing a trend toward the apple shape that has already started.¹⁰ If this is successful, the most intensive interventions are usually behind it: close supervision, nutrition plans, an exercise program, preferably in a group, and support from the primary social environment.

Obesity, fat distribution and associated fat metabolism disorder can be genetically predisposed.⁷ However, this does not mean that nothing can be done about it - but the effort for a successful result can be much greater than for a person without a genetic predisposition for a fat metabolism disorder.

In medicine today, visceral adipose tissue is regarded as a hormonally active organ.⁸ The subcutaneous adipose tissue is tangible, but the visceral adipose tissue is not! It can be seen directly with a CT or MRI scan of the abdomen. In men, this is also called adrenal-cortical obesity. The messenger substances of visceral fat promote inflammation throughout the body and increase the risk of arteriosclerosis, higher blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, hormonal diseases, Alzheimer's and cancer (e.g. breast cancer). The hormone leptin increases with the body fat content and actually controls the feeling of satiety. In morbidly obese people, this perception of the leptin level is disturbed. Too much saturated fat in the diet can lead to leptin resistance and even promote diabetes in the later stages.⁹

Our fat cells are constantly being remodeled. Reducing calorie balance can reduce stored fat, but only by depleting existing fat cells. Fat cells that you have acquired in addition remain as a permanent indicator of hunger. This shows why early intervention against obesity is of great benefit.

Brown adipose tissue occurs primarily in animals that need to hibernate, which, with the participation of UCP1 (instead of ATP synthesis), can serve to generate heat, i.e. burn energy. It is sparsely found in adult humans. Further, portions of brown fat cells discovered in 2009 turned out to be diffusely distributed cells in the white fat tissue, which are now called "beige fat cells". Unfortunately, they have a significantly lower concentration of UCP1 than brown fat cells. Muscles release the hormone irisin as a messenger substance, which could possibly also activate heat production when it is cold.⁸⁴

Where do the calories come from?

We consume hundreds of food components with the diet; however, we only mention the irreplaceable ones (approx. 35) vitamins, trace elements or minerals and micronutrients.

Only three classes of substances contribute calories - namely the fats or fatty acids, most of the carbohydrates and the proteins (amino acids). These three macronutrients and water make up by far the greatest weight in our diet.

Fats have more than twice the energy density (approx. 9 kcal/g pure fat) compared to carbohydrates and proteins (approx. 4 kcal/g).¹¹ A change in movement patterns (many sedentary activities) and in food intake is currently being observed among young people, where, in addition to too little dietary fiber and potassium, too much salt and fat (especially saturated fatty acids) predominates.¹²

Foods that are high in water and fiber (such as fruit and vegetables) have a low-energy density and therefore larger amounts can be consumed. To lose or maintain weight, you should favor foods with low-energy density. Natural foods of plant origin usually have a low-energy content and at the same time a high nutrient density.¹¹

Many people follow diet trends and believe that carbohydrates automatically make you fat. This goes so far that some people, who want to lose weight, avoid all carbohydrates, including vegetables and fruits. Natural harvested products are not the problem. Products from the food industry that mainly consist of simple and double sugars, such as white bread (baked goods), pasta (e.g. noodles, pasta, spaghetti), pizza, cakes or sweet drinks (soft drinks) should be viewed critically. These simple carbohydrates (monosaccharides) enter the blood quickly and increase blood sugar levels. However, this quickly drops, which means that we are soon hungry again.¹² The same applies to highly processed products (finished products), including those made from potatoes (French fries, chips, etc.).¹³ A moderate intake of carbohydrates is important because both, too much and too little carbohydrates, can negatively impact health.¹⁴

Dietary fiber is also a carbohydrate, but has little or no calories. They offer many nutritional benefits and have a low-energy density (approx. 2.3 kcal/g).¹¹ Recommended carbohydrates in the form of polysaccharides and fiber are mainly found in plant-based foods such as whole grains, vegetables, fruit and legumes. Digestion breaks down fiber-rich foods into glucose more slowly, so that blood sugar does not rise as much or as quickly, resulting in a feeling of satiety for a longer period.¹⁵ The glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) of food are simplified methods of assessing the effect on blood sugar levels and can be used as guides. Have your doctor check your long-term blood sugar level, HBA1c, sporadically.

The many (mostly artificial) additives in industrially produced foods should also be viewed critically. The flavor enhancer monosodium glutamate (MSG) intervenes massively in appetite regulation and causes us to eat increasingly without feeling full.¹⁶

Politicians could effortlessly control the choice of food through taxes on certain ingredients - and in exchange finance the price-reduction for natural food. In addition, it could have an enlightening effect with a possible surplus, but the successful lobbying of agriculture and the food industry prevents this (see the link to the book review above).

What happens to the calories you eat?

The digestive tract breaks down food into energy-rich compounds (e.g. fatty acids or glucose) and absorbs them through the intestinal mucosa. The body either uses up the calories through "work" or needs them to build new cells. Our body stores all additional, excess calories in two energy stores (buffers for times of need). On the one hand in the form of glycogen (carbohydrate storage) in the muscle tissue and the liver, on the other hand in the form of lipids in the fat cells (fat tissue). Depending on the level of training and nutrition, we store up to 500 g of glycogen in the liver and in the muscle cells (this corresponds to approx. 2000 kcal). Our fat deposits represent the much larger energy store. A person of normal weight has approx. 80,000 to 100,000 kcal stored in the form of fat deposits.¹⁷

Our body uses energy 24/7. The basal metabolic rate (or resting energy expenditure) is the total number of calories that the body needs at rest (when lying down or sleeping) for basic, life-sustaining functions. This depends on age, gender, size, weight and lean body mass. Lean, muscular people with a low body fat percentage generally have a higher basal metabolic rate, and men have a higher rate than women.¹⁸

In addition to the basal metabolic rate, our body needs energy to be able to do work or physical activities - this is referred to as the activity energy expenditure. This is strongly dependent on physical activity at work and in leisure time. The so-called PAL value ("physical activity level", measure of physical activity) can be found in the literature.

The individually total energy requirement of our body is therefore made up as follows: Total energy requirement = basal metabolic rate + activity energy expenditure + thermogenesis (energy consumption to digest food).¹⁸ You will find simplified formulae for calculating an approximate total energy requirement on the Internet.

Diseases can cause obesity

There are gene mutations that can cause adiposity (severe obesity), such as Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS), which is found in 1 out of 15,000 newborns. Self-help organizations that can be found on the Internet can be very helpful. Unfortunately, there are other gene variants that have a strong influence on appetite, such as the melanocortin-4-receptor gene (MC4R), which can ensure that you remain extraordinarily thin or, conversely, that you don't stop wanting to eat. In children, this often occurs together with ADHD.⁷¹ KSR2, for example, is an essential regulator of AMP kinase (AMPK, an endogenous protein), that is involved in energy consumption and "insulinsensitivity", and protects our cells from a lack of energy. A little more than 2% of people suffer from a genetic defect in KSR2, known as the "fat gene", which leads to obesity.⁷⁶ We were unable to clarify whether this is becoming more common in children.

PART 2: HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT

What do we have to do to lose weight?

Losing weight sustainably means that the intake of calories must be less than the calories burned in our body (plus little extra for cell renewal). As mentioned at the beginning, losing weight is also called a negative energy balance. Of course, we can have fat removed by surgery, but even that is not sustainable without a change in lifestyle. Any other type of losing weight leads to yo-yo effects, i.e. inevitably to higher weight again - often even higher than before. In general, the faster you lose weight, the faster you gain weight again.

For example, you can lose weight quickly with low-carb diets because the body first uses the glycogen stores in the muscles and liver, which also has to do with water loss. You don't burn fat, but up to a few kg of glycogen. Other remedies, for example, drain important water from the body. It is therefore easy to lose a few kg without losing a gram of fat!

Basically, it is important to recognize weight gain early on, to take it seriously and to counteract it with suitable methods.

One kilogram of dietary fat corresponds to approx. 9,000 kcal, but both the build-up and breakdown of body fat require energy for these metabolic transformations. That is why the body only provides approx. 7,000 kcal per kg of fat. This means that if you want to lose half a kg of fat per week, you have to eat 500 kcal less per day or burn more.¹⁹ Unfortunately, there is another problem: the body first removes all other unused (calorie-containing) substances before attacking the fat deposits. So the body uses little or not used "musclemass" at first! This is precisely why physical exertion is important, not just because of the consumption of calories during exercise. In addition, the so-called "afterburneffect" shows an increased energy consumption up to 48 hours after a sports session.²⁰ Below you will find a detailed overview of this process in CLICK FOR.

The question of proteins

Our body needs proteins - and if possible, in an ideal composition.¹⁹ Too much protein puts a strain on the body and leads to diseases. The food industry along with nutritional medicine¹⁹ and their research promotes the impression that we are consuming too little protein. In addition, it has always promoted animal proteins instead of plant ones. This means that the western diet actually contains far too much of it and the wrong amino acids. You can lose weight quickly with protein-rich food because our bodies can only convert proteins into fat with great difficulty and with a lot of effort (Thermic Effect of Food, TEF). However, a much better way is to eat a diet rich in fiber instead of even more protein, which puts a strain on our kidneys and damages our entire health.⁶⁶

A 2020 meta-study supports the finding that excess intake of land animal meat (as opposed to fish), particularly the proteins high in nitrogen (N) or phosphorus (P), leads to higher odds of cancer, while equivalent intake of vegetables is associated with lower odds of cancer. This is shown for the overall cancer probability as well as for colon cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer. The authors also discuss conflicting results from research (caused by country-specific circumstances or different parameters) and the amplifying negative impact of alcohol consumption.⁵⁶

Take concrete steps

Losing weight healthily and sustainably requires a holistic lifestyle change. Here are a few helpful tips to get you started:

• Take a close look at your eating habits. It can help to write down everything you eat for a few days. Be honest with yourself! You may recognize certain patterns or nutritional errors as a result. Some questions to ask yourself: What do I eat and when? When can I cook? When do I eat out? Will I have access to healthy food when I eat out? How can I replace unhealthy foods with healthy foods?
• Eat as much fresh, unprocessed food as possible. Fruits and vegetables are low in calories, but provide a wealth of vitamins, macro-minerals, trace elements and filling fiber.¹¹ A good guideline recommended by the WHO is the 3 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit a day. When shopping, pay more attention to your future well-being than to current cravings or old habits.Try not to shop when you're hungry to reduce the temptation to give in to cravings and buy unhealthy snacks or convenience foods. Choose healthier alternatives, such as organic snacks or whole-grain products. Instead of pasta and rice, use quinoa, lentils, konjac noodles, or buckwheat. For snacks, for example, buy mixed nuts (unsalted and unroasted) and plain rice cakes. This way, when you're hungry or looking for a snack, you only have healthy options to choose from. You'll be surprised at how filling a small amount of these foods is compared to a bag of chips. Start small: It's better to nibble on rice cakes than to eat croissants/chocolate rolls - over time, you can replace the rice cakes with an apple and a carrot.
• If possible, cook it yourself - then you really know what's in it. Even supposedly healthy food, such as purchased Asian food, usually contains sauces with a lot of sugar, salt and flavor enhancers. Also take a close look at the sauces and spice mixtures you use and completely avoid finished products. Instead, season your food with aromatic herbs, spices, garlic and onions. It takes about three months for our taste buds to get used to less sugar and salt again.²¹
• Make homemade foods accessible. The best method for this is "meal prepping". If you work full-time during the week and often eat out or in the canteen for breakfast/lunch, it is helpful to choose a day on the weekend to prepare your food for the week. For example, take two hours on Sunday afternoon to cook two different meals that you can freeze for lunch during the week. If you are not intermittent fasting and like to eat breakfast, prepare some "oatmeal-to-go" before bed that you can easily grab and eat in the morning. Try not to eat out every night. Instead, treat yourself to special occasions a few times a month when you eat out. Try to eat something healthy at home before you go to a restaurant so you can opt for a smaller, healthier order. If you have to eat out or order food at the canteen, try to choose healthier options, such as vegan or vegetarian options, and only a few added sauces.
• Bring more movement into your everyday life. Regular physical activity increases calorie consumption and boosts metabolism. Continuous sports activity and more "musclemass" (instead of fat) can also increase energy consumption at rest.²⁰ New sporting hobbies are helpful, but often difficult to implement. Therefore, try to integrate as much exercise as possible into your normal everyday life: take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk, do your shopping by bike if possible, arrange to meet friends for a walk instead of in a café, etc. If you are very overweight, strenuous swimming or cycling are particularly easy on the joints and are recommended sports. Participating in a beginner fitness class or organizing a group sport with colleagues/friends can also motivate you to be active. To ensure continuity, book the course in advance and make it a routine, e.g., one hour per week. Gradually increase the activity level.
• Drink enough liquid, preferably water or unsweetened herbal tea. The recommendation of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for an adult man is 2.5 liters and for women, 2 liters of liquid per day. This has to do with the entire water balance, not just with drinking - because we also consume up to a liter of liquid through healthy food. Fruits have a high water content of up to 95%. A person's actual water needs vary with age, weight, exercise, air temperature, humidity, and other factors.²² For example, breathing will lead to loss of 170-500 mL per day depending on temperature and humidity, and a heart rate of 140. Thus, you would lose 1.6 L in 24 hours.⁶⁰ The values measured for the army in hot climates are: Input (drink: 1200 mL; food: 900 mL; oxidation: 300 mL ; a total of 2400 ml) and output (urine 1400 ml; lungs and skin: 900 ml; faeces: 100 ml; a total of 2400 ml).⁶¹ The water balance is correct if you urinate one to two liters a day, with a maximum of seven urinations, of which a maximum of two per night. This can easily be measured with a measuring cup. Research on school children with weight problems showed that a glass of pure water some time (30-80 min) before eating led to weight loss.⁷⁴ Other studies show that drinking pure water within 60 minutes of eating significantly increases energy expenditure.⁷⁵
• Avoid sweet drinks and alcohol: Concentrated fruit juices contain a lot of fructose and quickly raise the blood sugar level without leaving a feeling of satiety. In addition to the high calorie content, fruit juices also increase the risk of diabetes.²³
• Practice mindfulness when eating. Our current eating culture revolves around overconsumption and distracted eating. Use smaller plates and start with smaller portions at mealtimes. Eat slowly, and limit distractions. In particular, watching TV, working, and using our cell phone while eating can cause us to eat too quickly and consume more than necessary. To make the transition easier, try eating while listening to a favorite podcast or music instead. Then try more and more to eat without distraction. This leads to a better feeling of satiety.
• Restful sleep of sufficient duration is important for our well-being and our performance. Sleep also plays an important role in regulating appetite and weight. Lack of sleep increases our cravings for high-calorie, fatty, and sweet foods and increases hunger.²⁴
• Be patient with yourself and your body. Small steps are often more effective than a rapid change, which is then difficult to maintain. It takes time for new habits to form. A study with 96 volunteers who implemented a new behavior in relation to drinking, eating or exercise in their everyday life concluded that it takes between 18 and 254 days for someone to firmly establish a new habit in their everyday life.²⁵ It is important not to lose sight of one's own motivation.

The good and bad foods for losing weight

Diets often have more disadvantages than advantages. A few diets like "5 a day" can be recommended. In this diet, you eat 5 portions including approx. 80 g each of fruit (2 portions) and vegetables (3 portions) - or up to 650 g/day. This is not a weight loss diet, but a step towards healthy eating. For people with type 2 diabetes mellitus, a Glyx diet considering GL (glycemic load) rather than GI can be used, with particular emphasis on high-fiber diets. However, the decisive factor is always the amount of fiber in relation to the calories.

That is why you will find our recipes and our food descriptions here again, sorted in the order of "ratio of calories to fiber content", i.e. at the top the most fiber-rich recipes, which help to feel full for a much longer period of time without "eating a lot". A high-fiber and well-seasoned diet plus more exercise is the key to success.

Recipes for Losing Weight

Foods for Weight Loss

Several factors determine the overall effect of individual ingredients (recipe ingredients). Therefore, different focal points can lead to different orders (e.g. the measuring calories vs fiber, the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio and the direct effects on our hormones, intestinal peristalsis or on intestinal bacteria). If you only pay attention to one effect, e.g. to hormones, you quickly end up with ranking lists that are not effective in the long term. Every food and spice has both positive and negative properties. Studies usually only emphasize one thing! Don't be influenced by one-sided opinions. For example, you can compare this study Dietary capsaicin and its anti-obesity potency: from mechanism to clinical implications⁷⁷ with our description of the food chili pepper, red, raw (organic?).

To lose weight, you have to avoid snacking; even starting with just two main meals, where possible, lunch and early dinner. The feeling of hunger only arises after the first meal of the day - with products with a high GI. With a diet that goes in the direction of vegan raw food, weight loss is guaranteed. Knowing the advantages and disadvantages of this is a basic requirement. That is why you will find the link to the article, "Vegans often eat unhealthily. Avoidable nutritional mistakes" here.

Dietary Supplements

Obesity has increased so much that a large industry with very different product offerings has emerged. This also includes the industry of dietary supplements for weight loss, and their distributors. A comprehensive literature review focusing on most dietary supplements marketed in 2020 classifies them according to their purported or real mechanism of action. It concludes with a combination of dietary supplements that utilizes all mechanisms of action that can potentially lead to a synergistic effect and greater weight loss in the absence of foreseeable side effects.⁷⁸

The conclusion is: However, no dietary supplement can induce clinically relevant weight loss, with the most effective resulting in a reduction of only 2 kg. But if someone wants to go this route and also bear the risks of side effects, then the study shows the "maximum" route with the arguments:

Phaseolus vulgaris extract (PVE) is said to inhibit the absorption of nutrients. This at a dosage of 3000 mg (1000 mg per meal) daily and epigallocatechin (EGCG) from green tea at a dosage of 500 mg per day. To reduce appetite and potentially increase energy expenditure, the study recommends use of coffee-derived caffeine (300 mg/day) and chlorogenic acid (200 mg/day). It also proposes capsaicinoids or capsinoids derived from chilli pepper at a dosage of 10 mg and 3 mg respectively, together with L-carnitine at a dosage of 2 g daily. This is said to increase fat mobilization. Resveratrol and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) would similarly enhance beta-oxidation and inhibit lipogenesis. This at a dosage of 200 mg or 4 g daily. One could regulate carbohydrate metabolism with glucose-lowering lipoic acid at a dosage of 600 mg daily, which would also support the treatment of T2D (type 2 diabetes).⁷⁸

We believe that taking most supplements is dangerous and not conducive to maintaining a healthy weight and staying healthy. Still, we're putting it ahead of the "wrong methods" because you can just include appropriate foods - and that does not have to be coffee, either.

The wrong Methods

Often, desperation is so big, people resort to whatever offer is available, feeding a very influential and financially attractive "industry". Diet products (light products) are tempting but not effective, even if they mean good business for many. Sweeteners, for example, often lead to an increased desire for sweets and ultimately to increased consumption.²⁶

Even worse are the appetite suppressants (anorectics), which also include amphetamines (such as cathine or amfepramone). They affect the central nervous system, are addictive and can negatively impact the cardiovascular system.²⁷ The intake of prescription hormones (HCG, "growthhormone", thyroid hormone L-thyroxine or androgens) or other prescription drugs should not be misused as weight loss aids. Over-the-counter weight loss medications such as diuretics (water pills) or laxatives can also have serious side effects.²⁸

Other more harmful methods include high-protein, low-carbohydrate foods such as the Dr. Aktins diet.⁶⁶ High-protein (and low-carbohydrate) diets are linked to cardiovascular problems, such as plaque buildup on the artery walls.²⁹ The opposite is true, weight loss drinks with a calorie intake of around 1000 kcal/day. Both methods produce short-term weight loss, but they cannot be sustained without damaging the body. Ultimately, you will find yourself with a rather higher weight if you do not change your lifestyle permanently.

When is professional help necessary?

The thinking brain is not enough for a permanent change because you need all your conviction and willpower to lose weight consistently. But if you feel like you can't do it on your own and have a BMI > 30, you should get professional medical help. The life expectancy of severely obese people (BMI between 40 and 45) is 8–10 years less than that of people of normal weight. During your lifetime, you are more likely to develop diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.³

Seek medical and psychological help if you have an eating disorder, such as Binge Eating Disorder (BED). This can lead to metabolic syndrome, also known as the fatal quartet. In the case of bulimia (Bulimia nervosa), on the other hand, you usually do not take in too many calories because you eliminate them again through vomiting. Such eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, often occur unknowingly and should be accompanied by psychotherapy and other treatment strategies. Good self-help groups can contribute to recovery for both eating disorders and weight problems.

Emergency Steps

In difficult cases, a non-surgical attempt with a gastric balloon is often recommended. It is an alternative that is worth considering, but a change in lifestyle is also necessary here. The gastric balloon is recommended for a BMI of 28 to 44 for a maximum of 6 months. However, this is actually just preparation for a surgery and tends to lead to rapid weight gain after weaning because the wrong impulses come from the psychological point of view.

After all, surgeries (bariatric surgery) are the last resort when someone cannot move life in a healthy direction. However, they are only recommended for grade III obesity. The usual procedures are gastric band, gastric sleeve, gastric bypass or biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch (BPD-DS). The latter is a complex surgical intervention in bariatric surgery.

Unfortunately, one often starts when the BMI reaches 35 or 40 kg/m², instead of the waist circumference or, even better, the waist-hip ratio (THV or THI/THQ, WHR). The mentioned BMI, i.e. morbid obesity or obesity permagna, leads to serious and often incurable comorbidities.

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