Overcoming salt. How, how much and when to eat so as not to gain weight

“If you eat a cake, then walk for two hours or run for an hour to burn off calories,” says RAS academician Viktor Tutelyan .

The country's leading scientist in the field of nutrition, chief freelance nutritionist of the Ministry of Health, scientific director of the Federal Research Center for Nutrition, Biotechnology and Food Safety celebrates his 80th birthday on February 8. “AiF” Tutelyan tells what he eats, analyzes the average table in the country and explains how food helps cope with the consequences of Covid.

Yulia Borta, AiF: Viktor Alexandrovich, your center has developed a nutrition system for those who have suffered from Covid. What is its feature?

Victor Tutelyan : Disturbances in the functioning of various organs can persist for several months after recovery. To get a person out of this state, you need to use all means. Nutrition is one of them. First of all, food should be gentle and easily digestible. It is advisable to exclude fried foods. It is better to give preference to stewed, boiled, chopped foods and dishes. For example, instead of a piece of meat - cutlets.

The main thing is to fully meet your protein needs. The daily norm is 100 g of pure protein per day. From a 100-gram serving of fish or meat you will get 30 g of protein, from the same serving of cottage cheese - 8 g. Protein is necessary, among other things, to produce antibodies and increase immune defense. This is generally the basis of life.

To support the body, a number of biologically active compounds are also needed - flavonoids, indoles, isoflavones. It's all in fruits and vegetables. During this period, it is preferable to consume them in the form of juices, mousses and smoothies. A vitamin and mineral complex is required. The wider its composition, the better.

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That weird word "calories"

A calorie is the amount of heat required to heat 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius. Essentially, this is the energy that is necessary to maintain the functioning of the body. We get this energy, obviously, from the food we consume.

Surely you have often come across the designation kcal - kilocalories. Know that 1,000 calories equals 1 kilocalorie. Quite often there is confusion about this, which is quite difficult to resolve. Nevertheless, we will operate with both concepts: in the context of energy obtained from food, we will use kcal as a unit of measurement, and without food, simply calories. Now that we've figured it out, we can move on.

Calculation of calories per day

Why do you need to calculate the number of calories per day?

The answer is simple - in order to maintain, gain or lose weight, you need to know how many calories your body consumes. If you want to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. You only get calories if you eat or drink something. And you have to constantly spend calories - on the work of the body itself, on physical and mental stress.

Average number of calories per day

In general, women require 1500-2000 calories to maintain weight. For men, this value is higher - 2000-2500 calories.

How many calories do you need to lose weight or gain weight?

Using an online calculator, you can calculate the calorie needs that you need for your existence, and calculate the number of calories for losing weight, gaining or maintaining weight. Calories are calculated based on weight, height, age and activity. Based on the data received and your desired weight, the calculator will calculate the number of calories you should consume per day to lose, gain or maintain weight. As a rule, calculations are made using several methods that will show an approximate range. This is done to minimize the error of each individual calculation method.

Minimum calories per day for weight loss

The calculation of the number of calories is shown in the “Weight loss” column. "Extreme Weight Loss" will show you the minimum possible calorie values ​​for reference, but it is not recommended to use them. If you reduce your calorie intake below the minimum, your body will begin to burn not only fat, but also muscle to obtain energy. The metabolic rate will drop and even a slight excess of calories will be stored by the body. In addition, muscles consume several times more energy than fat cells. Therefore, burning muscles does not lead to positive results.

Zigzag calories

The calculation results contain a table for calculating calories by day, the so-called “zigzag”. It is believed that the best results are obtained if you vary your daily caloric intake slightly, maintaining an average value.

How to count kilocalories

A kilocalorie is one thousand calories. One calorie is how much energy is required to heat 1 ml of water by 1 degree. But there is also a food or dietary calorie, which is equal to a kilocalorie. Product packaging may indicate the calorie content of products as either “kkak” or “cal”, and this will be referred to as kilocalories.

Calorie calculation example

Anna, office worker, two children. Does household chores when not at work. He goes in for sports three times a week. Height 163 cm, weight 65 kg, age 35 years. Wants to reduce weight to 57 kg. According to the Mifflin-San Jeor formula, the daily calorie consumption will be 1833 kcal, on average 1918. To lose weight, Anna needs to reduce her daily calorie intake by about 500 calories per day, that is, consume 1400 kcal.

Should you eat the same amount of calories?

You can stick to the same number of calories per day, or you can move 200-500 calories to the previous or subsequent day from the day of training. Also, if your weight suddenly stops (weight plateau), then consuming calories according to the Zigzag pattern will help move it off the ground.

Is it possible to lose weight only on a diet?

You can lose weight, but when you reduce your daily caloric intake, a person loses not only fat, but also muscle. Try to lead a more active lifestyle, do exercises, add small physical activities

Weight loss rate

Recommended weight loss per week is no more than 1 kg. A high rate of weight loss will lead to worse appearance, poor health, stress on the body, and fatigue.

Weight gain rate

The ideal amount for increasing muscle mass is 1 kg per month for men and 0.5 kg per month for women. A large increase will lead to an increase not only in muscle, but also in fat.

Should I drink water?

Drinking clean water is necessary when losing weight.

Warning

All calculations are based on mathematical and statistical formulas. But only a doctor can give an accurate assessment and recommendations. Please consult your physician before starting a diet or changing your exercise level.

How to determine your activity level

Activity level chart

Numbers, numbers and more numbers

What makes up the number of calories?

We have found out what calories are, now you can start calculating the required energy per day. This process is quite complex, since many factors must be taken into account:

• floor;
• age;
• height;
• weight;
• health status;
• daily activity;
• area of ​​residence;
• Job;
• Lifestyle;
• usual diet.

You need to keep in mind the fact that the body always needs calories and it constantly uses them. Even when a person himself is at rest, his internal organs continue to work, not to mention the fact that when one of them works intensely - the brain during mental activity, for example - a certain amount of energy is also consumed.

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That is why each parameter is important, since serving two people of the same gender, age, height and weight, but living in different areas, will require different amounts of calories. From the above indicators, not only how many calories the body burns is calculated, but also how many calories per day it needs to consume for normal functioning.

Averages

There are averages for the calories a person needs per day. Let us repeat once again that these figures are rather arbitrary and may not suit everyone, since everything is very, very individual. They should be used as a rough guide in nutritional matters.

For men under 25 years old who lead a sedentary lifestyle, the optimal value is 2,400 kcal, from 25 to 50 years old – 2,000 kcal, and after 50 – 1,800. If a man’s activity is moderate, then the numbers will be as follows: 2,700, 2,500 and 2,300 kcal, respectively. If a man is actively involved in sports or travels long distances every day, that is, leads an active lifestyle, then his daily calorie requirement, depending on age, will be 3,000, 2,900 and 2,700 kcal, respectively.

For women the numbers will be different. If only because women, in principle, need fewer calories. Girls from 19 to 25 years old who lead a sedentary lifestyle need 2,000 kcal, from 26 to 50 years old - 1,800 kcal, and after 51 years old - 1,600 kcal. If a woman leads a moderately active lifestyle, then she needs 2,200 kcal - up to 50 years, and 2,000 kcal - after 51 years, respectively. With an active lifestyle, the numbers will be different: 2,400 kcal - up to 25 years, and 2,200 kcal - after 26 years.

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Pick up a calculator

How to count calories? There are many formulas. We will focus on three main ones:

• Muffin–Jeor formula;
• Harris–Benedict formula;
• World Health Organization (WHO) formula.

The first formula allows you to calculate how many calories a person spends per day. To calculate your basal metabolic rate (BMR), you need to apply the following formula:

• woman: 9.99 * weight (in kg) + 6.25 * height (in cm) – 4.92 * age (in years) – 161;
• man: 9.99 * weight (in kg) + 6.25 * height (in cm) – 4.92 * age (in years) + 5.

To find out how many calories you need, you should multiply the resulting figure by the physical activity factor (PFA). It will look like this:

• sedentary work – 1.2;
• low daily activity – 1.375;
• moderate work or training 4-5 times a week – 1.4625;
• intensive training 4-5 times a week – 1,550;
• training daily – 1.6375;
• intensive training 2 times a day – 1.725;
• intense training or heavy physical work – 1.9.

There is another formula, but it is less accurate (the error is about 5%), since it was developed almost a hundred years ago (in 1919). It looks like this: basal metabolic rate (BMR) multiplied by active metabolism (AMR).

The second value is the same CFA, which you can see in the list above. But the first value must be calculated using this intricate formula:

• woman: 88.362 + (13.397 * weight in kg) + (4.799 * height in cm) – (5.677 * age in years);
• male: 447.593 + (9.247 * weight in kg) + (3.098 * height in cm) – (4.330 * age in years).

Formulas for calculating calories from WHO will vary not only depending on gender, but also depending on age. We also take CFA from the list for the Muffin–Jeor formula.

Formulas for women:

• from 18 to 30 years: (0.062 * weight in kg + 2.036) * 240 * CFA;
• from 31 to 60 years: (0.034 * weight in kg + 3.538) * 240 * CFA;
• from 60 years old: (0.038 * weight in kg + 2.755) * 240 * CFA.

Formulas for men:

• from 18 to 30 years: (0.063 * weight in kg + 2.896) * 240 * CFA;
• from 31 to 60 years: (0.484 * weight in kg + 3.653) * 240 * CFA;
• from 60 years old: (0.491 * weight in kg + 2.459) * 240 * CFA.

Let us remind you that the results of these calculations should not be taken at face value, since it is impossible to accurately calculate how many calories per day you need to lose weight. The thing is that the human body is too complex a device for a couple of numbers to solve all the problems with losing weight. All people have significantly different metabolic rates, immune systems, and needs for proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.

The situation is complicated by the fact that packages very often indicate the wrong number of calories; the error reaches 20%, which is not critical within a week, but has a significant impact on the body within a couple of months. However, the above formulas are not useless. They will give you a rough idea of ​​what you should be aiming for.

Tips for choosing products

The most common cause of excess weight is lack of daily physical activity and poor diet. Therefore, if you are prone to extra pounds or you already have them, then it’s definitely time to start eating right, going to the gym and counting how many calories you need to eat.

Proper nutrition is not only about eating fruits, vegetables and low-fat foods, it is also about frequent meals (4-6 times a day in small portions) that will prevent your body from feeling hungry. Also, do not forget about taking all the important substances, namely proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

Be sure to look at the calorie content of all products on the packaging. You might be surprised, for example, that a 100 gram chocolate bar will contain more than 500 kcal. This doesn't mean you can eat three candy bars a day and fill your daily calorie requirement. The thing is that these are so-called “negative” calories, for which your body will spend much more energy to process them than they contain.

Remember, only a proper diet with proper calorie counting, and regular training according to a program developed for yourself, will help you get rid of extra pounds without harm to your health. And of course, don’t forget to use the formula to calculate how many kilocalories a person needs per day.

How much and what should you eat to lose weight?

Let's find out the treasured figure

How many calories do you need per day to lose weight? There is one simple and obvious rule: to lose weight, you need to ensure that the number of calories you consume is lower than the number of calories you burn. This is clear and understandable to everyone. The question is: how much should you cut calories and how sharply should you do it? Here everything is somewhat more complicated and depends on how quickly you want to achieve results.

If deadlines are not a problem for you and you decide to just get in shape, then it is enough to reduce the number of calories needed to maintain weight by 10-15%. It is better to do this gradually, over two weeks. If you need to lose weight at a moderate pace, then cut your calories by 20% over the course of a week. If you urgently need to fit into the dress you bought last summer and go to an important event in it, but buying another one, taking it to the atelier, or simply choosing an alternative outfit is not part of your plans, then reduce the number of calories needed to maintain your weight by 40% per day. within three days.

At the same time, remember that you cannot consume less than the amount necessary to maintain the vital functions of the body: 1,800 kcal for men, 1,300 kcal for women. Under no circumstances should you consume less than the permissible limit, since in this way you will only harm yourself and damage your immune system and the functioning of your internal organs. Also, do not switch to a new amount of calories too suddenly, as this can become a severe shock to the body.

If your daily calorie intake isn't particularly high or you're having a hard time cutting back, then you can go in the other direction and ask yourself: How many calories do you need to burn per day to lose weight? Then you can not reduce the number of calories too much, but simply increase your physical activity: walk more often at a brisk pace, run on a treadmill, or go to yoga classes.

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Where do you get calories from?

Now let’s talk about what to include in your diet to lose weight. The principles of proper nutrition will help you with this, the transition to which, by the way, helps many people lose weight without reducing their calorie intake. First, let’s start “cleaning” our menu, from which we will remove the following:

• simple carbohydrates (white flour, sugar);
• flour;
• roast;
• preservation (both something from tin cans and homemade tomatoes and cucumbers);
• too fatty;
• fast food;
• various ready-made sauces;
• semi-finished products;
• sweets.

Now that you're upset about how many goodies you'll have to deprive yourself of, let's look at what you can eat while losing weight:

• complex carbohydrates (cereals, whole grain bread);
• lean meat (chicken, turkey, beef, lamb);
• Fish and seafood;
• fruits;
• vegetables;
• dairy and fermented milk products;
• eggs;
• nuts and legumes.

The main enemy in losing weight is no, not fat, but sugar. Therefore, you will have to forget about sweets and cakes. If you really want something sweet, then eat some fruit, nuts with honey, or a fruit bar for losing weight, of which a huge amount is now produced. By the way, you should not lean on the latter, since they may contain more calories and sugar than indicated on the label.

Also remember that you should consume any carbohydrates before 4 pm so that they have time to be digested and out of your body. And don’t forget that different types of protein take different amounts of time to digest, so you shouldn’t mix fish, meat and dairy products.