It is one of the fixed appointments of each year. Here is the ideal diet to get ready for the costume test.
Among the topics that come back to the fore every year with the approach of summer is that of the infamous costume test.
How to get prepared for the moment when you will discover centimeters of skin kept well hidden for the rest of the year?
The theme makes the shivers rise down the spine of nutritionists, forced to repeat an uncomfortable truth for those who think of getting back in shape only for the appointment with the bikini: the ideal diet consists of eating healthy throughout the year, combining adequate nutrition with regular physical activity.
What to say, then, of all those fashionable diets that promise rapid weight loss? In most cases these are not healthy approaches, especially in the case of do-it-yourself diets.
Costume test: no to last minute
Often the diets that promise to arrive at the beach with a statuesque physique despite the few weeks available are not nutritionally balanced.
Just think of monothematic diets, such as the “pizza” diet, bad examples of nutrition because they contravene the principle according to which to provide the body with everything it needs it is necessary to guarantee a diet as varied as possible.
Other times, as is the case with the Dukan diet, diets that promise rapid weight loss are very rich in protein.
Diets of this kind do not have to be banned; If followed under the supervision of a dietician or a nutritionist biologist they can represent a valid option for some selected cases.
However, this is not the case with last-minute diets followed by relying on generic advice published in books or magazines dealing with wellness, beauty and lifestyle.
Each diet should be personalized and calibrated to the needs and lifestyle of those who follow it, and should represent an opportunity for food education.
In this way you can hope to lose the extra pounds by acquiring healthy habits that will help not to frustrate the efforts made and not to find yourself, after a year, struggling with the usual stress of the costume test.
And detox?
There are also those who think that the ideal diet to avoid being found unprepared for the appointment with the swimsuit is a detox regime.
In fact, there are also doubts about the validity of many detoxifying diets, often fueled more by the business of slimming supplements than by scientific research.
In fact, the body already has its natural systems to detoxify; To do this it mainly uses three organs: the liver, intestines and kidneys.
For this reason, the best way to promote the detoxification of the body is to promote the proper functioning of these organs with a healthy and balanced diet, rich in fiber and associated with adequate hydration.
As explained in the Guidelines for a healthy Italian diet of Inran (the former National Research Institute for Food and Nutrition), the best way to stay well hydrated is to drink plenty of water every day.
In fact, water is the means through which the body eliminates metabolic waste, and ensuring the correct consistency of the intestinal contents promotes the elimination of all waste substances that pass through the digestive tract.
From the latter point of view, the benefits of adequate hydration are complementary to those of fiber intake.
In fact, even the fibers, present in foods of plant origin, favor intestinal transit and, therefore, the elimination of waste substances; when it comes to weight loss, however, their benefits do not end here.
In fact, some fibers exert a satiating effect, thus helping to keep hunger under control and avoid harmful binges for those who are trying to lose weight.
For these reasons, one of the fundamental principles of the ideal diet to regain lost physical shape is to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, prefer cereals in their integral version and bring legumes to the table at least twice a week.
Myths to dispel
There are some beliefs that die hard, but which in reality represent real myths to be debunked.
It is not true, for example, that there are foods that help burn fat. Not even pineapple, often advertised as fat-burning, possesses this ability; In fact, the bromelain present in it is an enzyme that promotes the digestion of proteins and not that of fats.
At the same time, there are no foods that can guarantee a flat stomach or promote localized weight loss in the breasts, legs, thighs, hips, buttocks or other critical points.
Finally, it is not even true that to be slimming a diet must ban carbohydrates: pasta, bread and rice can also find space in a diet, as long as they are consumed in adequate quantities, without excessive seasonings and, even better, in their integral variant.
How to lose weight and not regain it
What, then, is the ideal diet to prepare for the appointment with the sea? A personalized diet that provides the body with all the nutrients it needs (carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals) in adequate proportions and in quantities suitable for the metabolism of those who need to lose weight.
In fact, we must never forget that maintaining physical fitness is a matter of energy balance; In other words, to lose weight you should not introduce more energy with food than you burn during the day.
The latter depend on the basal metabolic rate (ie the energies that the body burns at rest) and on the activities carried out throughout the day: this means that the more you move the less you risk gaining weight.
To lose weight in the right way, however, it is important not only to lower the scales, but also to dispose of fat mass, while preserving lean mass (especially muscles).
An even better result can be obtained if, in addition to preserving pre-existing muscles, further lean mass accumulates; In fact, having more muscles also means having a higher basal metabolic rate, and therefore burning more energy even at rest.
From a practical point of view, this means combining the weight loss diet with an adequate dose of physical activity.
The sports that allow you to burn fat are aerobic sports, such as running, cycling, swimming and aerobic gymnastics.
To obtain the desired results it is better to practice them at moderate intensity, without getting into trouble; Otherwise, the exercises would become anaerobic and fat would no longer be burned preferentially.
However, strength sports that can be practiced in the gym (such as weightlifting) can also be useful; in fact, this type of training allows you to increase muscle mass and, therefore, the basal metabolism.
In addition, trying to lose weight by combining diet and physical activity allows you to lose weight while modeling the body, perhaps improving the appearance of the abdominals that will be discovered wearing the costume.
Moreover, turning physical activity into a habit will also help not to frustrate the efforts made with the diet: continuing to practice it even after reaching the weight loss goal will prevent you from gaining weight.
Prepare for the costume test with the Mediterranean diet
As regards, instead, the principles of the ideal diet to lose weight, to indicate them are the reference intake levels of nutrients and energy for the Italian population (Larn) of the Italian Society of Human Nutrition (Sinu).
In essence, the diet to follow should be Mediterranean: 45-60% of energy should come from carbohydrates and 20-35% from fats.
The first should derive mainly from fruits and vegetables, of which at least 5 portions a day should be eaten, preferably choosing between seasonal products; A good idea could be to start meals with a salad (for example fennel and celery) to promote the sense of satiety.
In addition, every day you should bring to the table cereals and their derivatives, preferably in their integral version rich in fiber.
Fats, on the other hand, should be mainly unsaturated, such as monounsaturated fats of extra virgin olive oil (to be chosen as the only seasoning fat) and polyunsaturated fats of fish (omega 3).
Saturated fats – found mainly in foods of animal origin – should be limited to a dose of less than 10% of daily calories.
This does not mean excluding milk and dairy products from one’s diet, on the contrary: according to the food pyramid of the Mediterranean diet every day you should eat two portions of cheese, yogurt and other milk derivatives; However, it is better to choose them with reduced fat content.
It is also good to limit the consumption of other sources of animal fats, such as cured meats and fatty meats, to which should be preferred white meats without skin (to be eaten a couple of times a week), lean red meats (less than twice a week), fish (at least twice a week) and legumes (at least twice a week); Eggs are also allowed, but not more than 4 per week.
Finally, when dieting it is best to avoid sweets and alcohol. The latter are devoid of any nutritional value and only provide calories that do nothing but jeopardize the success of the diet.
Little salt and regular meals
A last trick to be taken at the table, valid even when you are not on a diet, is to limit the consumption of salt, both that added during the preparation of food and that taken with many canned foods.
In this way it will also counteract water retention, an ally of the hated cellulite.
Finally, the fight against overweight also passes through the regularity of meals: it is better to always start the day with breakfast and have a snack mid-morning and mid-afternoon so as not to arrive hungry for lunch and dinner.
Joycelyn Elders is the author and creator of EmpowerEssence, a health and wellness blog. Elders is a respected public health advocate and pediatrician dedicated to promoting general health and well-being.
The blog covers a wide range of topics related to health and wellness, with articles organized into several categories.