Losing weight: All successful diets have this in common

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Fiber, protein, sugar – what does your body need?
Eating and exercise – what is important?

There are an infinite number of diets designed to shed pounds from your hips, stomach and thighs. The web and shelves of guides are full of them. Each one claims to be the best. Some rely on strict calorie counting, others swear by mono-nutrition morning, noon and evening with juice, cabbage soup or potatoes. Still others find that eating on a schedule is the most effective way to lose weight.

A maximum of 500 grams per week makes sense

But which method really works and, above all, sustainably, many ask themselves, for whom the weight loss success has not worked or has only worked for a short time. “The one that suits my body best,” explains nutritionist Daniela Krehl from the Bavarian Consumer Center. “Every person ticks differently. There is no one diet that everyone can use to lose weight in a very short time. Promises like ‘Guaranteed to lose 7 kilos in 6 days’ are unrealistic and dubious.”

Nevertheless, there are nutritional principles on which a wide variety of diets are based – and have been proven to help you lose weight. The decisive factor here, as the nutrition expert says in an interview with FOCUS Online: Do not rely on quick success, but act in the long term. “Losing a maximum of 500 grams per week makes more sense than losing weight quickly in order to be able to maintain the weight in the long term,” explains Krehl. This usually means that not only are the lost kilos back quickly, but additional ones are added.

1. Eat high fiber foods

Dietary fibers have hardly any calories, stimulate intestinal activity, prevent constipation and are very filling. Therefore, they help to lose weight, as the nutritionist explains. The plant fibers are also good for the intestinal flora and the bacteria that live in it.

Especially high in fiber: Vegetables such as cabbage, carrots or potatoes, whole grain products such as whole grain pasta or bread and fruit.

Krehl’s tip: apples. “They are very filling and low in calories. To get the number of calories in a chocolate bar, you can eat four to five apples. But after just two apples you’ll be stuffed. In contrast, when it comes to a bar, you often even reach for a second one because you don’t really feel full.”

2. Eat high in protein

Proteins also keep you full for a long time and thus help to eat less and save calories. However, it is important to rely primarily on plant protein, explains nutritionist Krehl. “We should only eat animal protein from meat, fish and eggs in moderation. Possible negative health effects, for example from high meat consumption, have been known for a long time.”

Highly recommended because it is rich in protein and keeps you full for a long time: Legumes, nuts and seeds, oatmeal, cottage cheese.

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3. Drink a lot

“Anyone who drinks a lot is tricking their body: On the one hand, the liquid fills the stomach and gives the illusion that there is more energy-giving mass than is actually the case. On the other hand, the body has to warm up the liquid to body temperature, which uses up calories,” explains Krehl.

Your recommendation: half a liter of cold water before each meal. “That will burn you 50 extra calories a day.”

4. Avoid sugar

Sugar, sucrose from a nutritional point of view, is one of the carbohydrates. According to the German Society for Nutrition, it should not be more than 50 grams per day. If you want to lose weight, you should stay below the 25 gram limit.

For orientation: That corresponds to eight sugar cubes and thus a small glass of cola (250 milliliters), a banana or 200 grams of grapes.

5. Take your time eating

Anyone who eats on the go or on the go tends to eat more than they would consciously eat at rest. The reason: You usually eat faster, but the feeling of satiety only sets in with a delay.

6. It doesn’t work without movement

Many don’t want to hear it, but exercise and sports not only help to lose the pounds, but also to maintain the weight you have achieved. “Anyone who has not done sport regularly should therefore increase their daily exercise and leisure time activities,” says Krehl.

This includes, for example:

always take the stairs instead of the elevator to romp around with the children more often to do the daily errands on foot or by bike

“But you should also get ‘out of breath’ once a day,” adds Krehl. “Exercise within the comfort zone is not enough to reduce or maintain weight.”

A rule of thumb: at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. Particularly effective: a combination of endurance sports such as running or cycling and weight training, whether in the gym or at home with free weights and workout videos from YouTube.