Anyone who has ever tried to lose weight and has been looking for practical and easy-to-implement dietary recommendations probably knows that it is not easy to keep track of the dense jungle of weight loss tips - because diets are a dime a dozen. Which of it from health view is meaningful and at the same time lasting weight loss to guarantee can, is besides not so easy to find out. In the following article, we examine the most popular current diet trends and their promises and give tips on how to find the most suitable diet for yourself with the help of a professional metabolic analysis.
Lose weight: Reducing calories alone is not enough
In principle, it's not that difficult: if you want to lose weight, you must not eat more calories than you can consume. In addition to sufficient exercise, the amount and energy content of the food consumed are therefore crucial for lasting weight loss success. It is therefore not surprising that all diet recommendations, however different they may be in detail, have one thing in common: The reduction of the daily calorie intake. However, we need a minimum amount of energy, nutrients and vitamins to maintain a healthy metabolism. Nutritionists therefore recommend a balanced diet, which should not follow strict rules, but only some simple behavioral measures: Five servings of fresh fruits and vegetables per day, regular milk, dairy products and fish, little meat and sausage, high-quality vegetable fats and little salt and sugar. Carbohydrates are best consumed in the form of whole grain products, which contain a lot of fiber. In addition, nutritionists agree that short-term diets very rarely work in the long term. Instead, it is a matter of a long-term change in diet, adapted to the individual daily routine and the components that one likes to eat.
These recommendations make sense - but they are not enough for most people to quickly achieve the desired success and stay healthy, fit and productive. That's why diets that promote consistent weight loss while simultaneously building muscle by greatly reducing the intake of carbohydrates have been in vogue in recent years: the so-called low carb diets. These are very different dietary recommendations. The Paleo or Stone Age variant, for example, follows a rather radical approach that does without cereal products altogether, while the LOGI method ("Low Glycemic and Insulinemic") developed at Boston University Medical School focuses on the intake of foods that have a low glycemic index and consequently lead to a lower insulin requirement - these are mainly protein-containing foods and vegetables. Perhaps the most extreme form of the Low Carb parliamentary allowance represents the New York parliamentary allowance, which should be called correctly at least in the entrance phase as No Carb parliamentary allowance: Here at the beginning exclusively water, unsweetened teas as well as fish, meat and vegetable are permitted. One recruits with weight losses of up to seven kilograms within two weeks. Whether radical or scientifically based - all these nutritional concepts and their respective variations have one thing in common: They do not differentiate between the personal characteristics of the metabolic function of those who want to lose weight.
But how do you calculate these values?
Even with the further development of calorimetry and simplified methods for calculating energy metabolism, metabolic analysis used to take a lot of time for trainers. This is no longer the case: with modern analysis equipment, all the necessary measurements can be carried out within a few minutes. Specific expertise is not required, and the collection and evaluation of the measured values is completely automated.
Individual differences in metabolism significantly influence the success or failure of the weight loss process
However, there are individual differences in the metabolism of foods that cannot be taken into account in a general dietary recommendation. Which ratio of which foods leads most quickly to sustained weight loss in a particular person can only be determined through individual nutritional counseling with metabolic analysis. This works quite simply: the personal metabolic parameters O2, CO2 and RQ are collected via a respiratory gas analysis and then evaluated. The results of the analysis can be used to calculate the individual basal metabolic rate, determine the proportions of carbohydrates, fat and protein burned and derive personal nutritional recommendations.
A professional metabolic analysis is automated using a combination of breathing gas mask and smart analysis tool and can be performed in fitness studios, by personal trainers or nutritionists, among others. It takes only a few minutes. Locations where such an analysis can be performed can be found here, for example:
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