In the United States, 35% of men, 40% of women, and 17% of children and adolescents are overweight. The country's annual war on obesity costs more than $210 billion, or 21% of the medical budget. Another 60 billion is spent by citizens themselves, buying a variety of products designed to help reduce weight.
Huge expenses, however, do not reduce the severity of the problem. The number of obese people continues to rise. Experts predict that due to obesity-related diseases, the life expectancy of the current generation of Americans may decline for the first time in 200 years.
Ordinary citizens get most of the information about what obesity is and how to fight it from the media. Several years ago, American researchers, having analyzed publications in the most popular media, identified several persistent myths that wander from article to article.
According to Tammy Chang and Angie Wang of the University of Michigan, these popular misconceptions not only contradict scientific evidence, but also interfere with effective obesity treatment, misinform patients and prevent them from fighting excess weight.
Photo: Depositphotos
Myth No. 1
Small changes in energy intake or expenditure can lead to significant long-term weight loss.
Unfortunately, it is not. Obesity cannot be overcome with little blood. Undoubtedly, even minor dietary restrictions that bring it closer to rational food consumption are preferable to eating “from the belly,” just as walking 100 meters is healthier than “resting” on a soft sofa all day.
But if the goal is to get your weight back to normal, more effort will be required. You can’t do without intense physical training and a radical revision of your diet and nutritional regimen.
Interesting statistics from Bruno Fabri
A professional, world-renowned nutritionist has calculated that in a 26-minute classic sexual intercourse, the same amount of calories is burned as the amount consumed by a whole pizza. And to burn off the calories from a hamburger or a bag of chips, Fabry recommends a 53-minute French kiss. According to his calculations, removing a bra from a partner with both hands will take 8 calories, if you do it with one hand, it will take 18 calories, and if you rip it off with your teeth, you will spend as much as 87 calories. He also noted the similarity of sex with aerobic and cardio exercises.
Myth No. 2
In the fight against obesity, it is important to set realistic, achievable goals, otherwise you may become frustrated, which will reduce the effectiveness of treatment.
There is no scientific evidence that reaching for the stars can lead to disappointment. In contrast, researchers at the Maryland-based National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases say that pursuing a more meaningful goal can lead to better weight loss results.
Photo: Depositphotos
Myth No. 3
Significant and rapid initial loss of pounds slows down the process in the long term and leads to worse results than smooth, gradual weight loss.
This problem was studied at the University of Florida. It turned out that rapid weight loss at the initial stage is more beneficial in both the short and long term. Patients with strong motivation not only get off to a fast start, but achieve better results by the end of treatment and are no more likely to relapse than those who lost weight slowly.
Myth No. 4
When having sex, each partner burns 100-300 kilocalories.
This is popular and pleasant, but still a misconception. Sex is a poor alternative to walking, jogging and exercise. On average, Americans need about 6 minutes for “intimate matters.” During this time, a 30-year-old man burns only 21 kilocalories. If instead of sex he sits in a chair and watches TV, his expenditure will be 14 kilocalories.
Despite the fact that popular myths are refuted by science, Americans continue to believe in them. Michigan researchers surveyed more than 300 patients at a family medicine clinic. From 61% to 94% of respondents are confident in the truth of each of the above erroneous statements. Even doctors are among the victims of myths.
How to lose weight through sex
A little over a year ago I weighed 76 kilograms and hated my body. I was ashamed of him on the beach, at trainings, in the photo studio, even just sitting on a chair. Fitting rooms in stores were especially torture. Absolutely every woman is familiar with that sad feeling in the booth of a fashion boutique, when even the most beautiful dress looks on you like a blue-colored shell from Doctor’s. There was no talk at all about proudly parading to the public mirror and looking at oneself in full height. You are a “fold” person, almost an anti-hero from a comic book, forced to constantly be embarrassed of yourself. Especially if you have to take a size 50 skirt from the shelf.
I’ll be honest: men don’t care how you cook, cross-stitch, or whether you’re faithful to him for the rest of your life, if all these qualities come along with a fat butt and hanging belly. They want to see a toned stomach and slender hips, not folds hidden by baggy dresses.
And at that moment when we, women, begin to realize this, with difficulty pushing ourselves (literally - piece by piece) into new jeans, we understand - it’s time to change something. Down with buns and kebab, long live apples and kefir! And we make our first mistake
everyone who wants to lose weight - go on a diet.
A lot has been said and written about the ineffectiveness and harm of diets (unless, of course, they are for medical reasons); I will not discover America here. Now I understand how far they are from proper nutrition, but then on my way to a toned stomach and slender legs I tried almost all of them. They did not give any lasting results, especially considering my sedentary lifestyle and lack of any physical activity. And then I made the mistake of all losing weight No. 2
– I tried to sit my body, exhausted by the lack of simple carbohydrates, on the exercise machine.
I didn't do any strength training. Until that moment, I had never played sports, so I immediately “caught” overexertion syndrome
. It was so bad - I, who was not physically prepared, was forced to immediately train with heavy weights. I didn’t want anything, I skipped classes and thought with horror that I would never be able to get rid of my swollen sides. For the rest of your life, 10 minutes before the store closes, you will have to grab all large-sized clothes and forbid taking photographs of yourself, not only at trainings.
“If only there was a way to get real pleasure from physical activity, like from sex,” I thought dreamily, and then it dawned on me, an experienced sex coach.
Sex is the real aerobic and cardio exercise!
The heart rate during this activity is comparable to running or doing quick squats. At the same time, running burns an average of 500-600 kcal per hour, and good sex – up to 800 kcal. Not to mention the fact that changing positions during sexual intercourse puts stress on almost all “problematic” muscle groups for women.
Inspired by this idea, I began the experiment. My task was to come up with a sex training program for myself that would be both intense (burn the maximum number of calories), involve as many muscle groups as possible, and at the same time would not take up a lot of my time and nerves. As a result, the system that I developed allowed me to lose a total of 15 kilograms, get into the coveted size 44 and even fall in love with classical sports. And the main thing is to love your body and begin to be proud of it.
It is based on seven basic principles
and is designed in such a way that in 40 minutes of “bed fitness” you achieve approximately the same progress as during an hour and a half workout in the gym.
• Regularity.
To achieve tangible results, sex training should be daily for at least 1.5 - 2 months.
• Cycle.
The most effective time for training is the period from the end of your period to ovulation: you can exercise at full strength and not feel very tired, and the weight comes off much easier. During the period of ovulation, the female body begins to “stock up”, so the ability to exercise decreases, and the scales may even turn positive. At this stage, it is also important to continue practicing so as not to lose results. The last week before menstruation is the most psychologically difficult. At this time, a woman needs not only physical activity, but also sexual release.
• The principle of split training.
The number of poses during a sex session should be maximum (ideally 5-6 poses per workout) in order to work all muscle groups. In addition, changing positions allows you to combine the load on the same muscles. For example, by combining “cowgirl” and “doggy style”, we force the muscles of the legs and buttocks to work in two different ways and increase the effectiveness of the lesson.
• The principle is 40 minutes.
The main thing is to devote at least 40 minutes a day to exercise, since active fat burning begins only after 20-30 minutes of active physical exercise.
• Alternating dynamic and static load.
According to my method, it is necessary to alternate active movements for 3-4 minutes and 60 seconds of static, freezing and straining the muscles during active frictions of the partner.
• Oxygen.
If you want to burn the maximum number of calories during sex, allow access to oxygen in the room. The more O2 in the body, the faster fat is burned.
• Food.
Sex fitness does not require special diets, much less fasting. But for the best effect, it’s still worth adjusting your menu, giving preference to healthier products. However, for my result, I only gave up flour and sweets, but as a true gourmet I could not deprive myself of my favorite salads, fish and other delicious joys.
Of course, at first glance it looks like a serious fitness program that will make you want to wrap yourself in a blanket and continue eating cakes in the company of Bridget Jones. But in fact, compared to working out in the gym, sex fitness has a whole set of undeniable advantages:
Pleasure and motivation.
When you're sweating on the machine, you don't have any immediate goal dangling like a carrot in front of your nose. There is such a goal in sex - orgasm. As long as you are chasing it, you don’t care how much superhuman effort you need to put in, how many sit-ups you have to do, and how many calories you burn. You get pleasure from the process and a lot of positive emotions, and thanks to endorphins you don’t feel tired.
High intensity.
During sex, you do not have the opportunity to interrupt: go for a drink/to the toilet/chat with a friend. After all, while you go to “drink water”, your partner’s mood for sex may suddenly disappear.
Adaptation.
The body remembers the “state of activity.” That is why sex training is also the best preparation for starting classes in the gym. The muscles stop hurting, and the body turns from wooden into real “fitness plasticine”. And also - no long warm-up: foreplay to sex sufficiently prepares the muscles for work.
Versatility.
Any woman with absolutely any body type and lifestyle can engage in fitness sex. Of course, except for those who have serious gynecological or cardiovascular problems, in this case you should definitely consult a doctor. In addition, for sex you do not need to have any special equipment on hand, just you and a partner of any size. With a plump man, your exercises will be even more effective: under the force of his pressure, you can achieve an excellent strength effect, as when working with weights.
Multitasking.
You can combine poses that improve stretching with poses that provide maximum strength, tailoring the workout to your goals and body characteristics.
And, perhaps, the main difference between sex and fitness is that it strengthens the relationship in a couple, because in addition to burning calories, you get a chance for a second honeymoon! And if you doubt whether a man will approve of training while having sex, remember that sex with a ballerina, gymnast, or stripper is a cherished sexual fantasy of the stronger sex. This is because a man wants to see the anatomy of a woman’s body, to look at the details of the structure of the body and muscles.
After successfully testing the “sex for weight loss” system on myself, I began to introduce some techniques into current trainings, advising my students about sex positions that can help tighten certain muscles on the face, buttocks, arms and abdomen. When there were too many people who wanted to “continue training” (especially when they saw my results), I decided to make a training specifically for those who do not “get a buzz” from physical activity or cannot withstand the “hard” mode of the gym, but want to start their journey to slimness. Moreover, unlike my experiment, at the “Sex for Weight Loss” training, students are immediately given the most effective program that allows them to lose up to 15 kilograms in 3 months, rather than going through a six-month journey to the desired result.
