5 tips to avoid dieting

Tip 1: swear by proteins

Women don’t seem to like proteins, but why is not clear. Very often these represent only 15 percent of their daily calorie intake, when it should really be 20 to 25 percent. Proteins are our allies allies: they help you rebuild muscle mass (which starts to dwindle after our twenties).

Meat, eggs, fish

“Eating meat, fish or eggs at lunch or dinner is not a problem as long as you keep the following rule in mind: in total it should only be 100 to 200 grams per day and you prefer the largest portion” in the afternoon, because proteins have a beneficial effect on the neurotransmitters in the brain, causing the body temperature to rise, which makes falling asleep more difficult,” says the nutritionist.

Dairy products

Dairy products are also good for you. In addition to proteins, they provide calcium, which is very useful in combating osteoporosis. So two birds with one stone. Do you often find dairy too fat? Then choose products with 0 percent to 20 percent fat content and feel free to eat two or three a day. Or limit the amount of products with a higher fat content (45 percent cheese, for example).

Tip 2: choose the right sugars

The carbohydrate family can be divided into bad (the fast sugars) and good (the slow sugars). We may be a bit short-sighted, but broadly speaking it is correct.

fast sugars

The assignment is: ignore fast sugars. Because because your internal heating boiler is slowing down, you will otherwise gain a few pounds anyway. Should you deny yourself all sweets? “No”, says the nutritionist, but… “only after eating – never outside of the meal – and provided you have eaten vegetables. The fibers slow down the absorption of carbohydrates and convert the fast sugars into slow ones. “

slow sugars

Starchy products – rice, pasta, potatoes – deserve a place on your plate. Whoever deletes them has no more energy, gets hungry and then throws himself on the first junk. “Just like with proteins, it does not hurt to eat starch products in the afternoon as well as in the evening. Ideally in combination with vegetables. An American study has shown that starch products with dinner slow down the loss of muscle mass. In addition, they are beneficial for falling asleep. It is recommended to have a small portion of starch products at lunch and a large portion at dinner. It is the other way around with proteins.”

Tip 3: look critically at fats

Fat is not a swear word! Your skin loves essential fatty acids: it needs them to stay supple. And who will ensure that your body still produces a little estrogen after the menopause, which is also very good for the skin? Exactly, the adipose tissue! So banning all fats from your life makes no sense.

Butter and oil

Butter and oil are two foodstuffs that you really shouldn’t cut out…although you should measure it. “You can put ten grams of butter on your sandwiches every morning and use two to three tablespoons of oil every day. Choosing oil with a lot of omega-3 fatty acids is a good idea: canola oil (the simplest and cheapest) or nut oil (which has the advantage that it is quite spicy, so you should use it sparingly anyway), and of course also olive oil: it contains polyphenols, famous for their antioxidant properties.”

Unhealthy Fats

By this we mean the fats that are hidden in pastries, cookies, ready-to-eat industrial preparations… These are usually saturated fats, which promote the production of bad cholesterol. You should try to avoid this type of fat.

Tip 4: don’t snack in between

No woman who is not familiar with the phenomenon: a dip or a little stress and you sprint towards the cookie jar. And after some feasting and eating you will feel a lot better! Of course there are extenuating circumstances, especially if you have had the menopause: the lack of estrogens makes you more hungry. But how can you avoid snacking throughout the day? To do that, you need to understand why you’re in the mood for a snack.

hunger

The nutritionist knows the answer: “Very often it’s just about hunger! It is enough to include a little more protein or starch products in the meal. That way you don’t leave the table hungry.” A guideline that every woman should adhere to and that will definitely lead to weight loss. It seems paradoxical, but it is not: only those who feel full can renounce that typically feminine sin – reaching for snacks. Make sure that you do not eat too much pasta, rice and bread on the days that you are not exercising, otherwise it will become too much.

stress

Yet hunger is not always the culprit. Sometimes there’s another reason why you can’t resist the call of the fridge: stress. If so, you can find another outlet for that stress: take a bath, listen to music, go shopping or go for a walk.
And well, sometimes we just succumb to temptation. “But then you can opt for foods that have no impact on your weight. A hard-boiled egg, for example. Or a tomato. A slice of ham. Some pickles for afternoon snack,” advises our specialist.

Tip 5: get out of that lazy chair

It no longer needs to be proven that sport gives energy and is an excellent remedy for depression. But there are other excellent reasons to exercise: to keep your belly nice and tight. Good news: exercise primarily melts the belly fat, since it’s the most available. That’s good, because it’s that belly that bothers a lot of people.

“When you exercise, you produce catecholamines, hormones that stimulate adipose tissue to release lipids into the blood. These lipids are used as fuel by the cells, the liver and various other organs. However, the catecholamine receptors on the hips do not appear to be sensitive. Result: the fat is not easily dislodged. The receptors in the abdominal area are very sensitive. They release their lipids easily,” explains the nutritionist.

endurance sports

You can get rid of that belly with endurance sports: walking, cycling, jogging, swimming. So give in to any urge to move and do it as often as possible.

If you work out at a gym, try all the equipment once: the rowing machine, the stepper and so on. That’s how you keep it interesting. But even if you don’t like fitness centers, you can train your abs, buttocks and thigh muscles through exercises. “Strength sports slow down the melting of muscle mass. You can even build new muscle mass with them. And the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn, even at rest,” emphasizes the nutritionist. The advice: keep your weight under control with two-thirds endurance sports and one-third strength sports. That is the ideal ratio.