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In order to lose weight permanently, a change in diet is essential. It’s not about going on a revolutionary new diet for a more or less limited period of time and then eating again as before. In the long run, only those who change their diet will lose weight and maintain their weight forever. The best according to the 10 rules of healthy eating.

Change of diet instead of diet

With miracle and crash diets that drastically reduce energy intake, you can lose a lot of weight in a short time. This weight loss is usually short-lived and the kilos lost are all too quickly.

Jo-Jo-Effect

If the daily supply of energy is restricted too much, the body sends the signal “famine” within a short time. As a result, the basal metabolic rate or resting energy consumption and thus the total energy requirement decrease. The body adapts to the scarce food supply and switches to a low flame.

Because the energy consumption is now reduced to a low flame, the initial weight loss stalls or slows down after some time despite the restriction in calorie intake (“the metabolism has dropped to the basement”). Despite eating little, you hardly lose any weight.

When the diet is ended and you feast uninhibitedly again, it takes a while for the body to get the metabolism back up to normal, so the basal metabolism increases again. A rapid weight gain during this time is the result and the previously lost kilos are quickly on again. This mechanism is known as the yo-yo effect. It is not so rare that the body weight is even higher than the initial weight before the diet.

Moderate calorie deficit

So that the basal metabolic rate does not decrease due to the reduced calories, a moderate reduction in energy intake is recommended. The energy deficit should be limited to 500 kcal (up to a maximum of 800 kcal) per day. This makes it possible to lose 1 – 2 kg of weight per month. Because the following principle applies to weight loss: In order to lose a kilo, about 7,000 kcal must be saved. It is important, however, not to fall below a calorie intake of 1,200 kcal per day. Because with less than 1,200 kcal it is generally no longer possible to ensure the supply of all vital nutrients (vitamins, minerals, fiber, etc.).

Energy density

An important prerequisite for success in losing weight is that the dishes fill you up and taste good with a well-filled plate. The feeling of satiety does not come primarily from the energy content of the food, but from the filling and stretching of the stomach. In order to be full for a long time, the stomach must be well filled. The volume of the food supplied is therefore more important for saturation than the energy content. And this is where the energy density comes into play.

The energy density is the energy content of a food (in kcal) per 100 g.

Foods with a high energy density provide little volume but plenty of calories and therefore favor a higher calorie intake. Therefore, they often contribute to the development of obesity. Food with a low energy density, on the other hand, provides a lot of volume and few calories. The energy density of foods and dishes depends on their water, fiber, sugar and fat content:

• Foods that contain a lot of water and / or fiber have a low energy density (e.g. vegetables or fruits).
• Foods that contain a lot of fat and / or sugar have a high energy density (e.g. bacon, butter, cream, oil, nuts or sweets).

The food or dishes are divided into three categories according to their energy density:

• low energy density: up to 150 kcal / 100 g.
• average energy density: 150–240 kcal / 100 g.
• high energy density: more than 240 kcal / 100 g.

To reduce weight, foods from the first category up to 150 kcal per 100 g should be selected. They should be enjoyed enough to fill the plate. Food with medium or high energy density should also be on the menu, but in smaller quantities. They serve more for the taste and less for the saturation. The above classification does not apply to drinks. For drinks, we only differentiate between calorie-free and calorie-containing drinks. Calorie drinks should only be consumed sparingly.

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