How to bring nutrition back to normal without stress: coach Mikhail Prygunov explains

How to know when it's time to change your diet

Proper nutrition is what many strive for. But at the same time, not everyone understands why it is really needed. If health does not bother and there are no medical indications for a diet, then it seems that there is no point in limiting oneself in food either, because it brings joy and pleasure.

This is how bad eating habits penetrate our lives, which here and now seem harmless, but in the long run have a detrimental effect on the body.

A poor diet affects both the state of the figure and skin, as well as on well-being. Extra pounds come gradually, lethargy and drowsiness occur not only after dinner, but become chronic.

If you have at least one of these eating habits, then you have something to work on right now:

• different number of meals per day;
• different times of meals;
• frequent snacks;
• long breaks between meals (8-10 hours);
• eating fast food more than twice a week;
• presence in the diet semi-finished products - dumplings, cutlets, pancakes and the like;
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• drinking tea and coffee with sugar;
• excessive love for confectionery - cookies, waffles, cakes, buns and other sweets.

Why change your diet

Healthy food will help:

• Get rid of excess weight. By eliminating the "wrong" foods from the menu, you will reduce the amount of calories consumed, and the fat will gradually begin to go away.
• To keep healthy. By data Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, proper nutrition reduces the risk of diabetes, certain types of cancer, cardiovascular and skin diseases, atherosclerosis, and allergies. And WHO experts believethat proper nutrition is just as important as quitting smoking and alcohol.
• Improve the work of the digestive tract. Some products may cause heartburn, bloating, diarrhea, while others will only help to improve the functioning of the digestive tract. Yes, the UK National Health Service advises Fill your diet with fiber, drink plenty of fluids, and cut down on fat to aid digestion.
• Maintain hormonal balance. The diet directly affects the hormonal background, which, in turn, controls the functioning of organs, immunity, mood, and the reproductive system. For example, research showed that polyphenol-rich pomegranate, as well as dark chocolate and green coffee, can reduce levels of the stress hormone - cortisolthus improving your mood.
• Improve sleep quality. Heavy meals at night or, conversely, severe hunger can harm a restful and sound sleep. Moreover, as shown by recent research, a large amount of fast carbohydrates in the diet reduces the deep sleep phase.

How to balance nutrition

The plan consists of five consecutive steps. Take your time and move from one stage to another only when you feel ready for it.

1. Realize the problem

And sincerely want to bring food back to normal. Get rid of bad habits better in the position "I love myself and want to do it for myself", instead of "it's necessary."

Also, before changing the diet, it is important to break the “food = pleasure” bundle. Yes, junk food brings momentary joy, but since you are reading this text, it is most likely that maintaining a healthy body for many years is more important for you.

Let food give us energy and trace elements, and leave the function of replenishing joy to your favorite hobby or sports. The latter, by the way, contributes to the production of serotonin and dopamine - even home workouts help with this.

2. Set a specific goal

This will determine your next meal plan.

Understand if you want to stay at your weight or lose weight. How many kilograms? Or maybe you need to gain muscle mass or just maintain health? A clear understanding of the goal will make it easier to integrate into the process and maintain discipline.

3. Learn the principles of proper nutrition

Healthy eating habits are different for everyone. However, there are general principles on the basis of which individual indicators are determined, such as the number of calories needed per day and the optimal balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

Choose your calorie intake

WHO recommends consume as many calories as you expend. Define An approximate figure can be experienced. For seven days, record the calories of all the foods you eat, and also calculate how many calories you burned physical activity - this smart watch will help. If your weight has not changed even by 100 g by the end of the week, then you have found your calorie intake.

It can be changed depending on the purpose. If you want to lose weight - reduce this volume, gain weight - increase it. I recommend deviating from the norm by no more than 20% in order to feel good and not break down.

Eat enough proteins, fats and carbohydrates

The ratio of nutrients in your diet will also depend on the goal. Rospotrebnadzor declaresthat proteins, fats and carbohydrates should be present in a ratio of 15/30/55. To lose weight, you can change the proportions to 30/35/35.

Choose the right products

You should reduce consumption, and then completely eliminate:

• sugar;
• soda and energy;
• fast food;
• semi-finished products;
• snacks;
• sausages;
• alcohol;
• bakery products.

Wherein turn on in your daily diet you need:

• fruits;
• vegetables;
• nuts;
• whole grains - brown rice, oats, wheat;
• legumes - beans, chickpeas, lentils.

4. Create an individual nutrition plan

Determine your needs: how many calories and what nutrients you need to get each day based on your age, gender, height, weight, physical activity level and goals.

You don't have to count every calorie to eat right. At first, applications will help control their volume. YAZIO, FatSecret or life sum, and then you will begin to intuitively understand how many calories in a serving of food in front of you.

Design a menu that suits your needs. It should be varied in order to get all the necessary nutrients. Include meat, fish, different types of side dishes, vegetables, fruits, herbs. Prepare different dishes so that proper nutrition does not turn into "boiled breast with buckwheat" on an ongoing basis.

5. Start moving forward with small steps

Set short, medium and long term goals. For example, in the next month you can start eating more vegetables and fruits, within six months you can reduce your intake of fatty foods, and within a year you can maintain a healthy weight.

Monitor your progress and make adjustments to your meal plan if necessary. For example, if you are not getting enough protein, you can add more to your diet. eggs, meat, legumes.

I always track changes in my form in conjunction with changes in nutrition. For 18 years in sports, I have carefully studied my body through trial and error. I refused meat for eight months and realized that it was not for me. I brought the protein to 3.5–4 g per 1 kg of body weight and began to feel worse - I realized that 2 g was enough for me.

But this is for me - a man with a height of 190 cm and a weight of 100 kg. For each person, these numbers will be different, the main thing is to find the norm of nutrients and stick to it on an ongoing basis.

What else is worth considering

Here are some important tips to help you get your nutrition on track and stay on track.

• Do not punish yourself if you succumb to the temptation to eat something harmful. Say: "It's okay, it happens, it's rare for me." And keep following your own plan.
• Reward yourself for accomplishments and efforts. But remember that the rewards must be non-food. Instead of eating pizza, you can go for a massage or buy yourself some new sneakers.
• Follow your individual needs and consult your doctor if you have a medical problem or need to follow a special diet.