What is safe and sensible weight loss?

Eat enough calories

One of the most common slimming mistakes is creating an excessive caloric deficit in your daily diet.  Energy balance reduction should be done gradually, and it should be adjusted to individual needs. The myths surrounding the effectiveness of starvation diets have long been debunked! Therefore, you should first of all make sure that your calorie intake is adequate to the intensity and frequency of your workouts.

Provide adequate fibre in your daily diet

The majority of women, especially those who are starting their journey into healthy diets and training, do not consider protein as their ally. Why? The reason is the fear of an excessive increase in body mass, as fibre supports the increase and maintenance of muscle mass. It's difficult to disagree with that; however, you shouldn't forget that protein helps to maintain feeling full and facilitate appetite reduction. What's more, unlike other macro elements (i.e. fat and carbohydrates), proteins aren't so calorific and don't cause the growth of the fatty tissue.

Fibre should be provided in the daily diet by both animal products(like meat, fish, eggs, dairy) and plant products (like tofu, nuts, legumes, seeds and beans). However, many women may have some difficulties in eating the suggested amount of protein. This is why it is a good idea to complete your daily diet with protein powders (such as Whey Protein Complex 100% or Veggie Protein Complex from Olimp Sport Nutrition), which help you supplement your daily diet with complete protein in the form of filling and tasty shakes!

Remember sleep and recovery

Every workout is a huge effort for our body. Although it may seem that only muscles are put to the strength test, we mustn't forget about the nervous system, which is overburdened during a workout. It’s responsible for optimal bodily functions, including proper concentration and muscle work. We should make sure that our body properly recovers after each training session. Rest plays a key role in weight loss and body shaping.

One of the best ways to achieve body recovery after an exhausting workout is sleeping, during which the nervous system can normalise its condition and get rid of overstimulation.  Nonetheless, sleep is not only important for the muscle and nervous systems. A sufficient amount of sleep (between 6 and 9 hours for an adult) has a positive effect on the hormone balance:

• it reduces the level of ghrelin, which is responsible for the feeling of hunger,
• it maintains optimal leptin concentration, which is responsible for feeling full and snacking reduction
• it normalises the level of cortisol, the stress hormone, which encourages a build-up of body fat due to a sugar level increase

Sleep problems are often caused by overly intense physical activity, which is considered by the body as a stress-inducing factor. A highly standardised extract of the ashwagandha root, included in Ashwagandha 600 Sport may prove to be a great help with such issues.This plant belongs to the group of natural adaptogenic ingredients with a positive influence on a body undergoing severe mental and physical fatigue.  Its properties can be conducive to the sleep process as well as post-workout recovery.

Adjust workout intensity to your abilities

In a way, this adds to the previous point referring to sleep and recovery. During weight loss many people falsely believe that tough and sometimes even exhausting workouts are the key to success.  However, overly intense workouts will have the opposite effect, not moving us forward to our ideal figure, but making us stand still with no effects. Following the “less is more” rule, a much better idea is to do exercises that won't be very exhausting, but will allow us to retain some energy, thus protecting us from an uncontrollable increase in cortisol levels.

Bet on complex supplementation

There are numerous products facilitating the slimming process, supporting body fat reduction and proper body weight control. However, you should remember that supplements are only an addition to diet and workouts. Without a diet and training plan, you're less likely to achieve any outstanding effects. First of all, you should take care of the basics, and then choose adequate, valuable support.

Which Olimp Sport Nutrition products are worth mentioning?

• Fat burners consist of numerous active ingredients (including plant extracts - guarana, green tea, bitter orange, black and cayenne pepper, forskohlii; magnesium, L-tyrosine, niacin), which have a multi-dimensional effect on the metabolism, nervous system function and subcutaneous water loss (products: Thermo Speed, Thermo Stim, Therm Line, or for women: Define It Lady)
• Products with L-carnitine amino acid, having an impact on metabolism as well as the transportation and use of accumulated body fat as a source of additional energy for exercise (L-carnitine Xplode, L-carnitine Extreme Mega Caps i L-carnitine Extreme Shot)
• A complex combination of highly standardised plant extracts without stimulating ingredients such as caffeine(Liporazor)

However, fat burners are not the only products which will prove useful in the slimming process and the fight with extra body fat. Other products are also a good option, for example, complexes of vital vitamins and minerals (Vita-Min Multiple Sport, Vita-Min Multiple Lady), healthy fatty acids (Gold Omega-3 Sport Edition, ALA 200), or protein bars and snacks reducing the appetite for highly calorific sweets (Olimp Protein Bar, Olimp Protein Snack or Olimp Veggie Protein Bar).

Keep your body properly hydrated

We've already mentioned that water is a true friend of every woman. Proper hydration levels significantly support maintaining proper body weight and cleansing the body of  unnecessary secondary metabolites, as well as suppressing excessive hunger. What's more, water is a source of essential minerals (including magnesium, sodium, potassium and calcium), which have a valuable impact on a daily diet. You should drink at least 2 litres of water every day in small portions; you shouldn't feel thirsty, as it's a sign of dehydration.

Don't have too many cheat meals

A cheat meal is a true reward after following a diet plan for the whole week or month. Eating your favourite fast food or sweets has a positive impact on the psyche, which is put to the test in the first few weeks of weight loss after eliminating unhealthy, though delicious, snacks. An occasional "fling" doesn't pose a problem. It's worse when we lose control over our appetite, and during one cheat day we make up for the energy balance from the whole week; then all our sacrifices are wasted. Remember to eat cheat meals in moderation. Otherwise, just like the mythological Sisyphus, we'll be doing work which doesn't make much sense and what's worse, which doesn't bring desired effects!