Did you gain weight during the summer vacation? Don’t worry, you still have a chance in September! Here are 7 suggestions...

According to a report on the Spanish newspaper El Confidencial on July 15, a study conducted by the European Institute of Obesity in Madrid, Spain, through 204 interviews, showed that 23% of the respondents claimed to have gained 3 to 5 kilograms in weight in the summer, 25% of the respondents gained 2 to 3 kilograms, and 2% of the respondents said they gained more than 5 kilograms. In addition, 14% of the respondents said that summer is the season when they are most likely to gain weight.

How is it possible that the indicators on the scale gradually increase despite the fact that high temperatures have been shown to cause loss of appetite and reduce the desire to eat? The explanations are multifaceted, including an imbalance in the proportion of macronutrients (sugars, lipids, proteins), a decrease in quantity and quality, and changes in lifestyle habits.

"We consume more calories because we increase our intake of carbohydrates and fats, reduce our intake of protein and are clearly more inclined towards fried foods, bread, sweets and sauces," said Ruben Bravo, a dietary nutrition expert and spokesman for the European Obesity Institute. Following these dietary patterns, weight gain is inevitable, with a sharp decline in muscle mass and a significant increase in body fat replacing it.

How weight gain affects your health

On the surface, gaining three or four kilos may not seem like a sign of health problems. However, this is not the case - at least that's the opinion of Carmen Escalada, a nutritionist at the European Institute of Obesity. She says: "An increase of two or three kilos, especially an increase in fat, affects our body in different ways, even if we are still of normal weight. If we are already overweight or obese, the effects are even more severe."

In most cases, it is easier to gain weight than to lose it. The expert emphasizes the consequences associated with holiday weight gain: "On the one hand, this increase in adipose tissue promotes the release of more pro-inflammatory cytokines, leading the body to a state of chronic low-intensity inflammation, which is closely associated with increased insulin resistance, which is the first step in the development of type 2 diabetes."

In addition, Escalada warned, this inflammation can also cause damage to the cardiovascular system, increasing the risk of pre-existing high blood pressure and myocardial infarction.

On the other hand, those extra pounds aren't easy to lose. "With the arrival of hot weather and the summer holidays, we relax our eating and exercise habits and put on a few kilos," she says. "But many people aren't too worried because they believe they can lose those extra pounds in the autumn. However, this is often not the case, mainly because of the stressful daily routines that leave us with little time to take care of ourselves, cook our own meals or get plenty of exercise."

How to lose summer fat

If the weight has already been irreversibly gained, how can we lose it? Experts advise not to be too hard on yourself. "The first thing we need to remember to lose the weight we gained during the summer is not to go on a strict diet," said Escalada. "Diets are popular because many people believe that doing so will solve their weight problems in a short period of time. However, diets not only fail to reduce weight, but can actually cause more harm."

Escalada said that just as you can choose September after the holidays to lose weight, it is never too late to start losing weight.

The nutritionist's recommendations include:

1. Create a meal schedule . If we eat regularly and orderly, we can avoid snacking or overeating due to anxiety. In other words, whether we eat too much or too full, we can't offset the guilt by dieting, but continue to eat regularly.

2. Fill our lives with healthy foods and remove unhealthy foods from our environment.

3. Prepare some semi-processed foods in advance so that you can eat them when you don’t have time to eat a regular meal. This will help you adjust the quantity according to your actual needs and make your diet more balanced and diversified.

4. Make your food as appealing as possible . It’s important that the food on our plates has lots of color and texture, otherwise we’ll gravitate toward foods that are higher in calories.

5. Drink water. It is important that water or herbal tea are the best beverage choices to reduce the intake of other beverages, such as juice or sugary soft drinks.

6. Incorporate activity into your daily routine . Going to the gym for an hour every day isn’t always possible, but you can also replace it with stair climbing or a short walk.

7. Get enough rest . Eating well and staying active are just as important as getting enough rest to lose weight. Try to get enough sleep every day so that it will be easier to follow a lifestyle that helps you lose weight.

Finally, the expert stressed the importance of avoiding constant weighing. “Because weight fluctuates based on many factors, a better way to assess your weight loss progress is to see if your clothes are getting looser,” she said.

(Source: Reference News)