I feel bad when losing weight. Bad on a diet? There is an explanation for this

When we go on a diet, we feel the energy rushing through us, we feel the determination to reach the victorious finale, and we look forward to easy, dynamic weight loss. But the process of losing weight, alas, goes differently: your health worsens, headaches appear, and vitality is lost. Is it really possible to win over extra pounds without “ side effects"is impossible?

Losing weight is a difficult job that requires the body to concentrate all its strength. And it’s very disappointing when we give 100 percent, but for some reason our body protests. Your head is spinning just thinking about the upcoming workout, your legs are filled with lead, not wanting to participate in the running race, and your arms completely give up. With the loud ringing of a bell, the thought creeps into one’s consciousness: “it’s better to be a cheerful, good-natured fat woman than an exhausted and angry thin woman.” If this is all about you, then it's time to take action!

The main factor that affects our well-being while dieting is our psychological attitude. Remember the famous saying “What you name a ship is how it will sail”? This is exactly the case. Every second woman losing weight finds it difficult to change her usual lifestyle, limit herself in food and exercise more. Without even realizing it, she listens to the body, looking for alarming symptoms, under the pretext of which she can abandon the idea of ​​losing weight. “I honestly tried to lose weight, but my health failed.” As a result, dreams of a thin waist and sexy butt fade into the background, and you again begin to accumulate kilos.

To prevent possible breakdowns, try to find out what causes a decrease in vitality. Are the symptoms you experience objective or fictitious? If the diet is balanced and physical activity is moderate, they should not be a priori. Only extreme weight loss methods, as well as allergic reactions to diet ingredients, can cause harm.


To maintain motivation at a decent level at all stages of losing weight, imagine what you will become when you reach the final, how proud your loved ones will be and how your friends will admire you. While losing the hated grams, praise yourself for every step forward and every success. And you will succeed!


Let's look at what other factors can influence the well-being of those losing weight.


Diet too low in calories


In an effort to quickly become a beautiful nymph with a harmonious, chiseled figure, many women forget about a sense of proportion. They cut their usual diet to a minimum, when the amount of energy consumed is significantly greater than the energy received. Is it any wonder in this case that weakness haunts you?

Remember, the total calorie content of gastronomic dishes consumed must take into account the body's needs (the number of calories required to maintain the level of basal metabolism is calculated using the formula) and physical activity. In this case, energy consumption should not exceed intake by more than 200 kcal.

As for physical activity, if throughout the entire period of losing weight you remain weak and lethargic, and you are constantly struggling with the feeling of hunger, then the load should be reconsidered.


Intoxication of the body

We have all heard about diets that remove toxins from the body. It seems that every balanced diet should be accompanied by the same effect, but this is only partly true. The thing is that before waste and toxins leave our body, they enter the blood and lymph - this is a natural process. The more fat we lose, the higher the concentration of toxins will be in the fluid tissues of the body. Your organs may not be able to cope with this attack of harmful substances, and as a result, you will feel all the “delights” of intoxication - drowsiness, muscle pain, irritability, headache.

To avoid this unenviable fate, drink more clean water and eat foods rich in fiber (fresh fruits, grains). This will allow you to say goodbye to toxins as quickly as possible, and therefore regain your healthy, thriving appearance. If these measures do not help, contact a nutritionist, he can prescribe specialized support.


Drop in blood glucose levels


Many diet plans encourage those who are losing weight to eat smaller meals, in small portions every four hours. This time period is due to the fact that this is exactly how much time passes between the peaks of increased insulin levels in the body. If you eat irregularly and the body does not receive carbohydrates in response to insulin injection, it is forced to use sugar that is in the blood. Accordingly, glucose levels drop sharply, which leads to high fatigue and a feeling of weakness.

You can turn the situation around for the better by focusing on complex carbohydrates during every meal. Such carbohydrates are found in lentils, beans, peas, beans, brown rice, parsnips, vegetables and fruits. By making them the basis of your meal, you will recharge your energy and saturate your body with healthy nutrients.

Be slim and healthy! Good luck with your weight loss!

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“Any diet is a test, stress, even for a healthy person,” says Yulia Churnosova, nutritionist, endocrinologist at the Slavyanskaya Clinic Weight Loss Center. — Sometimes, especially at first, the body can react negatively to a change in diet, and a person feels unwell and mild discomfort. Feeling unwell in this case almost always indicates that the diet was formulated incorrectly and needs to be adjusted.”

Cold hands and feet

This reaction is a consequence of reducing the caloric intake of the diet. Inevitable if the goal of the diet is to lose weight (and, say, not gain weight, muscle mass). “By receiving fewer calories (read: fuel), the body begins to use it more economically,” explains Natalia Grigorieva, nutritionist. “To reduce energy loss, the blood vessels in the arms and legs narrow.” The autonomic nervous system regulates the redistribution of heat. And since most of women have manifestations of vegetative-vascular dystonia, cold hands and feet - a common reaction of the body to changes in diet.

What to do? The condition can be corrected by influencing the vegetative nervous system generally. “Sedatives and adaptogens help well, for example, tincture of radiola rosea, ginseng, chicory,” says Natalya Grigorieva. — To normalize sleep, you can drink lemon balm and chamomile teas at night. Moderate physical activity is also useful - it dilates blood vessels, as well as a contrast shower.”

Headaches, easy fatigue

Many women may experience similar discomfort in the first week of switching to a new diet. “When adjusting your diet, you most often have to reduce the amount of carbohydrates in your menu,” explains Yulia Churnosova. “As a result, blood sugar levels drop, and the woman experiences headaches and loss of energy.” The body can obtain additional energy by burning its own fat reserves. But he will not do this right away: first he will “figure out” whether it will still be possible to increase the level of glucose in the blood due to the incoming food. And only after about a week the active utilization of your own fats will begin.

What to do? If after a week of dieting you continue to have headaches, analyze your diet. “Calculate your basal metabolic rate in calories and the daily caloric intake of food,” advises Natalya Grigorieva. — The calorie deficit should be no more than 500 kcal. If the gap is larger, you will feel unwell; if it is about 1000 kcal, then after losing weight you will quickly gain weight. In both cases, the diet needs to be adjusted.”

Slow digestion

If you are not starving and your diet is balanced, a healthy person should not have such a reaction. Constipation indicates that either you are eating too little and your intestines simply have nothing to process. Or you are consuming too little fiber, which improves peristalsis.

What to do? Increase the amount of vegetables in your diet: up to 400-500 g per day. “And drink more water,” adds Yulia Churnosova. - This will make it easier for food to pass through the intestines. Get ready herbal teas. Tea with mint and chamomile will reduce bloating and increase the production of digestive enzymes. Be sure to have breakfast: this will allow the intestines to adjust to the correct rhythm of work right in the morning.”

Heart rhythm disturbance

A malfunction of the heart in a healthy person is the body’s reaction to a lack of fatty acids in the diet. “About 70% of the energy required by the myocardial muscle comes from free long-chain fatty acids,” explains Natalya Grigorieva. “This mechanism has developed in the process of evolution so that the work of the myocardium does not depend on the level of glucose in the blood. This is why fats should not be completely eliminated from your menu, even if you are losing weight!”

What to do? Regularly include sources of saturated (meat, poultry, dairy) and unsaturated ( vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, avocados, fatty fish) fats. The former should account for 1/3 of all fats in your menu, the latter, respectively, 2/3. Unsaturated fats found in fish are especially good for the heart.

Deterioration of skin and hair condition

If the body reacts to the diet in this way, it means that it is not well balanced in fats and amino acids, vitamins and microelements.

What to do? “Under no circumstances completely eliminate fats from your diet and eat a variety of protein foods,” says Yulia Churnosova, “dairy products, different kinds meat, legumes. The proteins contained in all these products have different amino acid compositions, so the more you diversify your menu, the more different amino acids you will gain. It’s also a good idea to take a vitamin-mineral complex: discuss this option with your doctor.” You can also compensate for the lack of micronutrients with the help of food. “If the doctor has determined that you have a deficiency of mineral salts, you can fill it with root vegetables: what grows in the ground is richer in these substances than what grows above the ground,” adds Natalya Grigorieva.

Frequent urination

Perhaps this is a case worth rejoicing at. “When any substances, including fats, are broken down in the body, energy, carbon dioxide and water are formed,” says Natalya Grigorieva. “So your “problem” indicates that the fat burning process is in full swing.”

What to do? Help the body remove fat burning products and establish a drinking regime. Any diet assumes this. “In most cases, people do not consume enough water,” says Yulia Churnosova. “Moreover, most diets increase the amount of protein in the diet, which requires a lot of liquid for normal digestion. That is, and daily norm water needs to be increased."

Hunger

We feel full when food maintains normal blood sugar levels. And hunger is when your blood sugar levels drop. If this happens almost immediately after eating, it means that the body received insufficient energy from food. The second problem: people who have indulged in gluttony for a long time will have a stretched stomach. The receptors that send satiety signals to the brain are located in the upper part of the stomach, so when portions are reduced, the feeling of fullness occurs “reluctantly.”

What to do? First of all, again calculate whether your body receives enough calories per day (see above). Then balance your diet with carbohydrates: you should receive about 400 g of such food per day. As for the volume of the stomach, it will decrease in a couple of weeks. To reduce discomfort during this period, reduce the amount of food you eat gradually. Consume more unsweetened vegetables, such as radishes, cucumbers, turnips, and herbs. You can drink a glass of water 10-15 minutes before meals. Eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly.

And don’t forget that hunger can also be psychological. It’s difficult to break the habit of chewing something all the time. If you realize that this is the whole point, try to distract yourself. Do cleaning, yoga, drawing... This will give you something to do with your hands, which are the ones that bring food to your mouth.

But few people think about the fact that not only our clothing size, but also our health depends on our diet. And also the quality of skin, hair, nails... We turned to an expert to help us understand all the above issues, and at the same time “go through” popular diets and detox programs that are replete with the Internet today. Spoiler: if you want to lose weight, you need to eat!

Ph.D., director and chief physician of the network of physiotherapy, rehabilitation and cryomedicine clinics GRAND CLINIC (Moscow), CryoSpa ICEQUEEN (Dubai)

Why am I not losing weight from separate meals?

Nice theory: proteins and carbohydrates should be eaten separately. Because in the acidic environment of the stomach, only proteins are digested, and carbohydrates begin to rot there. So you need to eat them separately so that they are digested in the alkaline environment of the small intestine. But in fact, the authors of such diets simply do not know anatomy! Firstly, the concentration of hydrochloric acid in the stomach makes rotting impossible. Secondly, between the stomach and small intestine there is the duodenum, where proteins, fats and carbohydrates are simultaneously perfectly digested. Well, thirdly, legumes, for example, contain all three components... So separate digestion simply does not exist. But the main thing is that different enzymes are secreted to digest proteins and carbohydrates. If you eat a separate diet, the load on the enzymatic system, which is not used, is reduced - and it loses its ability to work. Therefore, people who sit on separate diets for a long time are unlikely to wait for the coveted number on the scales, but they will cause problems with digestion.

Popular

Why does my friend eat fatty meat, bread and butter, salad with sour cream - and not gain weight? And I’m on a cholesterol-free diet - and I’m not losing weight!

The cholesterol-free diet recommends avoiding fats, since fat - also known as cholesterol - “clogs” the circulatory system, which leads to the formation of cellulite, premature aging and heart disease. In fact, cholesterol is not the enemy at all! It performs many important functions in the body - it participates in cell division and is responsible for hormonal background. So the first consequence of a cholesterol-free diet is early menopause. In fact, fats should make up 20% of your daily diet. And remember, fat is different: extra virgin olive oil is healthier than mayonnaise, fatty fish is healthier than chicken legs, and lean pork steak is many times better than fast food or semi-finished products.

Why do muscles “leave” from a protein diet and the liver begins to hurt?

The most popular diets among Russian women are the Atkinson Diet and the Kremlin Diet. The main rule of both is that you need to eat exclusively animal protein, the percentage of fat content does not matter. But carbohydrates, even cereals, should be reduced to a minimum or eliminated altogether. I want to warn you that such food is very dangerous! For proper (healthy) digestion, our body simply needs fiber! It’s simple: if mainly carbohydrates reach the large intestine through the digestive tube, beneficial fermentation bacteria develop, but if only proteins reach the large intestine, there is a high probability of the formation of “putrefactive” processes - that is, dysbiosis! Why does my liver hurt? Because a large amount of protein food is a huge burden for her. And fatty protein foods are a real nightmare for the gallbladder and kidneys.

Why do skin, hair and nails deteriorate after a diet?

Any diet must be correctly formed in terms of the amount of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and microelements. Lack of vitamins (hunger strikes, detox diets) lead to dry and sagging skin, and the appearance of pigmentation. A lack of vitamin C is a sure path to rosacea. Violation of protein metabolism (refusal of animal proteins) - to swelling, increased sensitivity and allergic reactions. An increased content of fast carbohydrates leads to acne, blackheads and clogged skin pores. Lack of microelements Zn, Se, S leads to disruption of sebum regulation, that is, increased oily skin. And hair and nails “suffer” when the right fats are limited.

Why do weakness, swelling and pain in the stomach appear after detox diets?

It is believed that office workers need to reduce caloric intake, test all kinds of mono-diets and juice detox diets, because they lead a “sedentary lifestyle”. I will disappoint you, but “miracle recipes” will lead you to new and very fast weight gain! On such a “diet” the body loses only water and muscle mass, but not fat. Without a sufficient amount of protein (and liquid, fasting and detox diets are not able to provide it), the human body begins to produce the necessary energy by breaking down its own muscle tissue. Our muscles are the body's built-in calorie-burning mechanism. And vice versa, the less muscle there is, the slower the metabolism, that is, muscle is replaced by... fat! From a medical point of view, to get rid of toxins, you need to drink more water, eliminate fast food and never give up solid foods containing fiber. The body must receive all the elements it needs in a comprehensive manner.

Conclusion: only fractional meals are approved by the World Health Organization. What does it mean? You should not experience a feeling of hunger, because it is precisely this that leads to metabolic disorders and improper functioning of the digestive and nervous systems, and as a result - to the pathology of subcutaneous fat. To put it simply, you easily gain excess weight, overeat and feel tired in the morning. While eating five meals a day eliminates the feeling of hunger and makes all body systems work harmoniously. In other words, if you want to lose weight, you need to eat!

And first, let’s figure out when did you feel such an unpleasant symptom as dizziness while dieting? If at the very beginning, then we tend to classify such phenomena as psychogenic. The diet has begun - if you please, touch on stress. If you feel dizzy on a diet that you started a long time ago, then your body is signaling a malfunction in its work and we need to find and correct it.

The diet has just started, the body is not accustomed to the changed diet and is experiencing stress. In addition, during dietary restrictions, we still have to work, intensively lose calories even when working in a white collar job, not to mention heavy physical activity. In addition, there are people around you who are unaware of your limitations. And they all chew constantly! And not only at work, but also at home. Only a stress-resistant body can withstand this.

The diet has just started, oh, how dizzy!

Get ready for such a development of events, and if you feel dizzy at first on a diet, then:

A week has passed

And if you complain that you have a headache on a diet that you started more than a week ago, it makes sense to take a closer look at your diet:

Dizziness during a diet and the occurrence of headaches are typical for people who sharply limit any product in their diet. Most likely, this is not one, but a group of products. We are maximalists, if we exclude, then everything at once. Be smart about changing your eating habits. Nutritionists recommend not eliminating any product completely, leaving at least a small part of it in the diet. Don't eat white bread, Great! Pinch off a piece of the top when you buy it at the store for your family. The body feels good, and you will receive the happiness hormone serotonin, which, by the way, will help get rid of dizziness when losing weight.

  1. Sometimes the complaints, like, I’m on a diet, my head is dizzy, are mixed with a state of weakness. Check your blood pressure. Nowadays, diets that exclude blood pressure are popular, and its absence leads to a decrease in blood pressure and weakness.
  2. No one has canceled a healthy lifestyle. Come to fresh air, walk a couple of kilometers a day. Alternate computer work with - avoid headaches associated with osteochondrosis - a disease of computer geniuses of the 21st century.

Try to maintain

All people have different attitudes towards their own successes and failures. If we talk about losing weight, then during weight loss (especially if the process is delayed) fatigue appears. The fact is that when we start to lose weight, we are in the waiting mode for the coveted numbers. And, of course, we dream of speeding up the process.

Waiting cannot last all the time and the more time we need, the more difficult it becomes psychologically:
self-doubt arises.

This happens most often when we:

  • We don’t give ourselves the required amount of time to complete our plans,
  • overly demanding of themselves.
We see that we cannot achieve the desired result and “punish” ourselves, in other words, we simply drive ourselves into a corner.
One of the reasons for this behavior is fatigue from losing weight.

Fatigue during weight loss is quite common, even if the process is going well.
Trying to gain health and beauty, we understand that we need to work hard. If you have found a convenient system for losing extra pounds, not a mono diet or a diet with strict calorie restriction, but try to monitor your nutrition and determine suitable physical activity, then for some time it will not be very difficult for you to stick to the developed scheme.

But even in this case, if you are aiming to lose weight, there comes a time when you have to force yourself to comply with the points that have already become familiar. Errors in nutrition and laziness in doing exercises begin. As a result, your mood worsens because you realize that you can nullify all the results obtained. Besides proper nutrition, despite the possibilities of diversity, it gets boring by this stage.

It is at this time that it is important to correctly assess the situation and try to understand yourself.
It is impossible to force a person to change once and for all; this does not happen instantly. If you find yourself that

  • you find it difficult to do your usual exercises,
  • “already turns back” from healthy products,
it means you're tired.

They didn’t “relax too much,” they didn’t “let themselves go,” they didn’t become “the old fat and clumsy hippopotamus,” but they were just tired.
This is important to understand.

Imagine that you are doing physical work that cannot be done in one fell swoop and will have to be done in several stages.
Tired of physical labor, you want to rest, gain strength and calmly finish what you started.
!This is not only a natural, but also a necessary process!.

If at this point you are forced to continue, then everything will depend on the physical resources of the individual. The stronger one will be able to work longer on the final push, but sooner or later the strength will run out so much that any person will simply fall and be unable to do anything for a long time. The same thing will happen when you work not only physically. Moreover, if you are working on yourself, trying to improve something in your habits.

Many during this period imperceptibly begin to fight against themselves:

  • exhaust themselves over a piece of “junk” food in the gym,
  • scold themselves for their weak will,
  • panic
  • then depressed
  • In the end, they become disappointed and give up.
In this state, you will not return to the already found weight loss system, or you will return, but not soon. A breakdown occurs, which ends with even more weight gain. In this case, psychological resources are used up.

Right now, when you notice that it has become difficult to lose weight, all you need is rest. What you can do for this:

  1. Many nutritionists advise sticking to a system where you allow yourself a “weekend” from losing weight. This makes it possible to lose weight more comfortably and get used to a new lifestyle. Anyone can afford to eat what they like and lie on the couch in their free time. It is important to determine for yourself the frequency of these days off and their duration. Once a week is a completely acceptable option; if you don’t want to rest, then you can skip it, but just don’t force it.
  2. Do not panic!
    The main thing is to understand that the situation can be approached differently, what is a tragedy for one, for another it will simply be a deviation from the intended plan of action.
    For a person who perceives fatigue as an unacceptable weakness and tries to fight himself to the last, it is very difficult to return to his previous routine, even if he previously achieved success, because he no longer believes in himself and does not hope to reach the finish line. He is so exhausted and “beaten with sticks” that he simply cannot continue. In this case, all that remains is to come to terms with the conclusion: “I can’t lose weight, no matter what I do, I’m a weak-willed rag.”
    If a person realizes that he is tired and simply retreats for a short time from the established diet and exercise regimen, then it will be easier for him to continue what he has achieved earlier. Since nothing terrible happened, you haven’t lost faith in yourself, so you can rest and move forward
  3. Besides weekends It is also recommended to arrange periods when you do not lose weight, but simply maintain the weight, and even if you gain a couple of kilograms, it won’t be a nightmare.
    Your body will respond to your efforts more effectively and will more easily “give up” the remaining fat after you rest and return to your weight loss plan. But it is imperative to return, at least gradually. After all, we are only talking about a period of rest, and not about constant inactivity.
    The body will not need to “defend” itself from you, because you allowed it to gain strength, and did not try to turn weight loss into an overwhelming race.
If you have not previously given yourself a day off or taken it very rarely, then the first allowed day off may be delayed - a person loves comfort, and relaxation of restrictions is always more comfortable than strict adherence to the rules. In this case, it is worth understanding that you already need rest for a short period from several days to a month, when you will maintain weight or gain about 2-3 kg (depending on your weight):
  • try to monitor caloric intake and variety of food,
  • Don't eat only sweets or only fatty foods.
That is, you need to continue to eat a varied diet, and not just switch to whites and cakes.

Once you get back into weight loss mode, try regular days off.

Necessarily

  • listen to your feelings,
  • look for your comfort zone,
  • study what and how you react to:
    to change the type of physical exercise or its quantity,
    What is better for you: “weekends” more often and “vacations” from losing weight less?
    or the first is less frequent, the second longer.
Remember that when choosing a path and lifestyle for yourself, you choose what you will live with all the time, so you should not be sad and bad, you should be comfortable and interesting!