7 tactics to lose weight and never get fat again –

In April 2016, physical trainer Marcio Atalla started an unprecedented and promising project, Vida de Saúde. The proposal was to change the lifestyle of an entire city within nine months. The city chosen was Jaguariúna, in the interior of São Paulo.

The results of the initiative – carried out in partnership with Amil, a health plan operator – were announced on May 17, 2017, at an event in the city of São Paulo. The numbers are surprising: 9,000 people living in Jaguariúna (18.1%) actively participated in the program, but it indirectly impacted the lives of 39.4% of the population. “Many people changed their habits without knowing they were participating, because we also train health agents, UBS nurses, doctors and even school teachers”, reports Atalla.

Read more: 3 rules by Marcio Atalla to lose weight and not gain more

Among the volunteers who participated in training, nutrition and physical activity workshops, walks and other interventions carried out during the project, 74% recorded changes ranging from adopting a healthier diet to losing weight and including physical activity in their daily lives. . “Now, we hope that the city of Jaguariúna maintains this”, says the physical trainer, who is also the creator of the Medida Certa program, on Rede Globo.

For the future, Marcio Atalla reveals that the objective is to expand the initiative to other places. “The idea is to take it to larger municipalities, who knows some capital. We have already received proposals and there are at least 16 cities that we have to evaluate”, he says.

stone path

You must be rooting for your municipality to be the next to receive Vida de Saúde, right? He had taken! But rest assured: you can put into practice the good habits encouraged in the project without living in the cities where it will pass.

asked Atalla to indicate seven steps for you to be successful in adhering to a healthier and more active routine. If you already adopt any of the suggested tips, great! Move on to the next one. But if it slips, don’t be discouraged. Return and go forward.

1. GET AWAY FROM RADICAL DIETS

You can’t want to shed all the weight you’ve accumulated over the last three years in one month – even if that’s your deadline for that party or a trip to the beach. Excluding nutrients from the menu (carbohydrates, generally) or reducing calories a lot (or both things together) is undoubtedly slimming, but it is radical. Three or four days later, you can’t stand hunger and join the alarming statistic of people who fail the diet – nine out of ten, seven of whom gain even more weight than they lost.

Understand: “Weighing yourself every day is a trap”, says weight loss expert

Okay, let’s assume you can tune at any price. Result: “The body will fight to recover the old measurements”, warns Marcio Atalla. There is only one way to win this dispute: turning the changes that led to weight loss into habits. Therefore, they need to be viable. Example: eat what you like (even brigadeiro and hamburger) but in a smaller proportion. The result on the scale will be slower, but with the advantage that your body will gain time to understand what is happening and, finally, stop playing against your desire to stay thin.

2. PREFER IN NATURA FOOD

– (FogStock/Alin Dragulin/Thinkstock/Getty Images)

Put a very important address in your GPS: that of the fair. You don’t have to abandon chocolate, but your menu should prioritize greens, vegetables and fruits. “Ideally, the daily diet should consist of 60 or 70% of in natura items – even in intermediate snacks”, suggests Atalla. With this proportion, you reduce calories, increase nutrients and even gain the right to a larger volume of food – important to quench hunger (and avoid attacks on the fridge).

Even those who eat out every day can put together a perfect meal. At the per kilo restaurant, start serving yourself with the salad (fill most of the plate with leaves and vegetables) and only then move on to the hot options. Get a lean protein (fish, chicken, and low-fat red meat) and a carbohydrate (wholegrain rice and pasta, and quinoa), plus a grain or legume (chickpeas, lentils, beans). It saw? You can lose weight without giving up rice and beans!

3. SET MINI-GOALS

Instead of wanting that fit blogger’s body, think about reaching your best version. Goals must be achievable. The journey there is also easier if you set mini-goals: drink more water, always start your meal with a salad, eat five servings of fruit a day, wake up earlier to go for a walk… challenges, which helps to create a cycle of healthy achievements”, guarantees Atalla, who advises you not to let any achievement go unnoticed, no matter how small it may be. They all deserve to be awarded: it’s worth traveling, going to the movies, going out dancing or meeting that friend you haven’t seen in a while. But, if you prefer, you can have a chocolate. Serious!

Stay in: 5 good and 4 bad news about chocolate

4. CLASSIFY YOUR HUNGRY

Before cracking a mid-afternoon snack (after you’ve had your mid-afternoon snack), rate your hunger on a scale of 0 to 10. If it’s higher than 6, move on. But below that, it’s better to save those calories. “Often, people eat unnecessarily. Just out of addiction. And, of course, they get fat!”, warns the physical trainer. However, don’t let it reach level 10. Then you’ll devour anything that appears in front of you and leave your goal. How not to fall into this trap: carry one or two snack options, such as fruit + light cheese or yogurt + nuts to eat between main meals. If you still feel hungry, drink water – sometimes it’s just thirsty!

5. DON’T GIVE UP, PERSIST!

Even when laziness or that little pain from muscle fatigue hits, insist on the exercises – your body needs about 90 days to overcome the movement resistance phase. “In the first three months, the body thinks that its natural way of functioning is being interfered with and, therefore, it fights for us to return to the old pattern”, explains Atalla. So get ready to feel more hungry, cramps, sleepy… This all passes: once the adaptation phase is over, the body understands that physical activity is something positive and behaves better. Then it’s easier for you to fall out of bed (no bad mood!) an hour earlier to do your training. Important detail: if you don’t like the feeling of exhaustion, crossfit and muay thai off the list. “Choosing modalities that bring pleasure helps with regularity. Five times a week is ideal,” says Atalla. Do you think a lot? Start with three times (Monday, Wednesday and Friday). Soon, you’ll want more.

6. EXIT THE AUTOMATIC

– (lzf/Thinkstock/Getty Images)

After a month of going straight to the gym, you spend a week swamped with work, miss training and have the feeling that your motivation to work out is back to square one. Our body gets used to the energy saving mode. So don’t stop! Arrange alternatives for the days when the agenda tightens. “Climbing the stairs in the building (at work or at home) can bring the same benefits as physical activity in the park or at the gym.”

So stay tuned and get out of automatic. Otherwise, you’ll take the elevator without realizing it. “Human beings have a natural tendency to look for situations with less movement.” Is it many floors to get to your office? You don’t have to face everything at once. Win some bids at different times of the day. You can also park your car in a more distant parking space, get off the bus two stops earlier or ride your bike to work.

7. COUNT ON FRIENDS

If you’re in the group that doesn’t like working out alone, ask your BFF to go to the park or the gym. Even better: find out if you are a competitive person and invite that friend who is up for challenges. How about contesting who has more breath in the race, can do more sit-ups or something along those lines? If your profile is one of cooperation, partnership is still important so that one encourages the other to try a new class or simply not miss training. Just don’t fall into the trap of asking for the company of a saboteur friend – the one full of good intentions, but who tries to divert you from your goal. This time, it’s decided: no more flashbacks. Healthy habits will be maintained, as well as your new measures!