Severely restrictive diets – which ban nutrients (carbohydrates, for example), exclude food groups (grains, meat, tubers, pasta, dairy, sugar, gluten, etc.) or call for monotony of meals (living only on shakes ) or from soup) – may lead to rapid weight loss. However, it is difficult for a person to maintain such a diet for life. Then, upon abandoning the diet, as there was no re-education, the person reverts to poor eating and ends up regaining the lost weight (the famous concertina effect).
In addition to the frustration that often causes people to give up losing weight, losing and gaining weight puts their health at risk. “The consequences of the accordion effect are dire, leading not only to the persistence of obesity, but also to its comorbidities,” warns Paula Machado, PhD in Health Sciences with a focus on the pathophysiology of obesity and nutrition from Unifesp (Federal University of São Paulo) .
Therefore, it is better to re-educate your diet. reduce consumption Fast foodsweets, ultra-processed products, refined carbohydrates (bread, pasta, etc.) and prioritize eating real food: meat, eggs, vegetables, fruits and nuts.
With the help of a multidisciplinary team, set realistic weight loss goals with short deadlines: plan to lose 1kg to 2kg per month, for example, instead of focusing on losing 25kg per year. Yes, the end result will be the same. But it is much better to celebrate a small achievement every 30 days than to wait for the outcome to be far – and for lack of motivation, to give up on the road.
Be patient, be flexible, and don’t blame yourself when you slip. Normally, we need about a decade to gain 30kg, but we want to lose it all in months. Understand that losing weight may take time.
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