Ways to successful weight loss – Tips for lazy and active individuals

There are people who have lost weight during the emergency, but the majority are those who have gained a few kilos. If you are one of them, don’t hang your head and try to do something about it, preferably now. It is certainly not a futile struggle. Here are some tips to help you in your efforts.

We may be repeating ourselves a bit, but we have to mention it because it is simply the way it is: The key to successful weight loss is adjusting energy balance, i.e. reducing caloric intake through dietary changes and increasing output through exercise. Beyond that, however, there are many little things that can significantly boost or derail your efforts. So what is worth knowing and, more importantly, doing?

1. Change your methylation formulas

Methylation belongs to the so-called epigenetic reactions. It involves the binding of a methyl group to certain sites on our DNA, which leads to a reduction in the activity of certain genes or even to their complete shutdown. The degree of methylation of certain genes influences the body’s willingness to burn or store fat, as well as our appetite. In addition, obese people have different methylation patterns than lean people.

According to research, the degree of methylation of certain genes can even affect an individual’s level of laziness! For example, when scientists placed a treadmill in the cages of mice that had demethylated a gene called Dnnmt3a, they ran half the distance on it overnight than their counterparts with normal methylation patterns.

Epigenetic changes in genes are reversible. So if you feel like you are gaining weight even after water, or if you are a lazy person who avoids anything that even resembles sport, there is hope that you can change that.

What about it?

Methylation rates can be influenced by adding exercise or reducing the intake of high glycemic index sugars. Dietary supplements can also help – for example, EGCG from green tea, curcumin, genistein from soy, resveratrol or omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids can effectively regulate gene methylation levels.

2. Promote the secretion of sex hormones

It is no coincidence that as people get older, a large proportion of them gain weight. There are several reasons for this and one of the most significant is the decrease in the production of sex hormones. This is true for both male testosterone and female estrogen, whose production is even stopped completely at the time of menopause. Both of these hormones determine the intensity of our energy metabolism and the body’s willingness to store or burn fat.

What about it?

Testosterone production will be effectively supported, for example, by weight training with high loads. In the context of nutrition, care should be taken to ensure a sufficient protein intake, broom vegetables also have a positive effect. Testosterone production, on the other hand, is suppressed by sugars with high glycemic training. Of the dietary supplements, pomegranate, vitamin K2 and zinc work particularly well. Also great is the Himalayan herb Coleus forskohlii, which also significantly supports the body’s willingness to burn fat.

Women can replace the missing estrogen with natural substances from the group of phytoestrogens. In particular, genistein, which also reduces the formation of fat cells, and resveratrol work very well.

3. Cultivate a healthy gut microbiome

Research has repeatedly found large differences between the gut microbiome of lean and obese individuals: obese people have a significantly poorer gut garden and the proportions of certain bacteria are different. The gut microbiome not only influences the digestion of food and the absorption of nutrients, but also produces substances that directly affect energy metabolism – for example, the fatty acid butyrate.

What about it?

It is important to consume probiotics, but also prebiotics, which act as a substrate for the nutrition of “friendly bacteria”. These are mainly soluble and insoluble fibres, which can be found, for example, in chicory root, Jerusalem artichokes, asparagus, rye flour, cereal bran and most vegetables (especially the broccoli is effective). So-called medicinal mushrooms are also good. Chicory, curcumin, spirulina, quercetin and resveratrol are also good dietary supplements. If the balance of the intestinal microbiome is disturbed, it is also worth taking butyrate directly.

4. Teach cells to communicate

The cells of our body are separated from their surroundings by a cell wall, and if they are to change their behaviour in any way, they need to receive some information from the outside. This can come to them, for example, through a nerve or hormonal signal or from another cell in the environment, but this is only the first step. After that, the signal still has to be transmitted inside the cell itself to reach, for example, its nucleus or another organelle. These processes are called cellular communication. It is true that obese people have impaired cellular communication compared to thin people, which complicates weight loss.

What about it?

A very useful herb is Coleus forskohlii. The substance forskolin, which it contains, promotes the production of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), which is a substance that ensures the transfer of information inside cells. In addition, Coleus forskohlii promotes fat burning and helps to reduce appetite. Cellular communication is also positively influenced by quercetin.

5. Compare blood sugar levels

High blood glucose levels lead to the development of so-called insulin resistance, or impaired sensitivity of tissues to insulin. This causes not only the development of diabetes but also increased fat storage.

What about it?

It is important to reduce the intake of carbohydrates in the diet (especially those with a high glycaemic index). Regular physical activity is very effective – it promotes the production of the enzyme AMPK, which improves the transport of glucose from the blood to the muscles and its subsequent use by muscle cells. Dietary supplements such as quercetin, resveratrol, Echinacea and curcumin can also help activate AMPK, which also have an overall positive effect on blood sugar levels. OPCs (grape seed extract containing oligomeric proanthocyanidins) can also help increase tissue sensitivity to insulin and blood sugar levels.

6. Activate beige fat

In infants, brown fat provides thermoregulation. Its cells are rich in mitochondria and are therefore able to produce heat efficiently. With age, this tissue disappears and in adults, white adipose tissue is already significantly predominant. Research shows, however, that white fat cells can, under certain conditions, transform into so-called beige fat cells, which are also capable of producing heat. This significantly boosts metabolism and therefore weight loss.

What about it?

A very effective way to promote the conversion of white fat cells into beige ones is to harden them. A dietary supplement called OPC (grape seed extract, which helps activate the mitochondria in beige fat tissue) can also help. Coleus forskohlii also has a thermogenic effect (i.e. promoting the conversion of calories to heat).