How not to get fat after a slimming treatment. Anyone who has happily gone through a slimming treatment and thought they have already been successful is wrong. They will soon find out that the real achievement is only to keep a lower weight
We lose weight for various reasons, both health and aesthetic. We often start therapy under the influence of a doctor who makes us aware of the dependence of many ailments on being overweight. We also use a diet when we want to feel more beautiful. Motivation is very important because it allows you to survive the worst moments during the treatment. Therefore, when we finally achieve the desired goal – the satisfaction is great. But when we start gaining weight again after a short time, we experience more and more disappointment and frustration. This syndrome is well known to all those who were slimming – the yo-yo effect.
Kilograms like a boomerang
The yo-yo effect is a fluctuation in body weight due to the alternating weight loss and weight gain. Usually it is caused by improperly used diet, return to previous eating habits and making further, unsuitable for our needs attempts to lose weight and lack of physical activity. It often applies to people who have taken drugs to accelerate the metabolism on their own accord. Yo-yo victims are usually women, perhaps because women are much more likely to lose weight than men, and are prone to trying dubious diets.
– Women visit my clinic more often. It happens that after a dozen or so attempts to lose weight, which did not bring any effect. Otherwise, gentlemen. My experience shows that when they decide to take a treatment, they look for professional care from the very beginning – says dietitian Magdalena Szymańska.
To understand what the yo-yo problem is, you need to know the body’s mechanism of action during a slimming treatment. During the diet, we limit food rations and the body begins to switch to the “emergency” mode – it manages what it has, because it does not know when it will get the next portion of food. Then the metabolic rate drops. The body first sheds glycogen (the polysaccharide stored mainly in the liver and muscle tissue), and only then gets rid of fat.
Losing weight is a time-consuming process, so let’s not be tempted by various miracle diets. Remember that healthy weight loss must take time. It is assumed that we should lose from 0,5 to 1 kg a week. If, for example, we get rid of, for example, 4 kg within two weeks, we will be apparently successful, and detrimental to health. Its effect is to get rid of mainly water from the body, but not fat.
Losing weight is also a huge test for willpower. When we pass it successfully – often with the last of our strength – we want to eat what we have been denying ourselves for weeks. Most often – immediately, and all together. And this is what loses us, because we return to the previous weight in a short time, which is extremely depressing. Some people give up and start eating even more, some mobilize and follow the next diet. However, if the next attempts end like the first, it will be more and more difficult to lose weight. The body stops responding to smaller and smaller doses of calories and lowers metabolism, as a result it will be more difficult for us to lose weight and we will gain more than we lost kilograms. It’s a bit like throwing a stick which turns out to be a boomerang returning faster and faster.
Diet is a lifestyle
When planning a slimming diet, you should take into account many factors – age, gender, height, level of physical activity. The yo-yo effect occurs when we don’t follow the rules. The body does not like sudden changes, so you should not go to extremes – you must not use fasting or very strict diets. The devastation they will do to the body will be revealed later. The yo-yo effect contributes to the disturbance of hormones and dysregulation of metabolism. When we gain weight again, old problems related to obesity may also come back: high blood pressure, colorectal ailments, cardiovascular disease, stress on the osteoarticular system, apnea, and even an increased risk of some cancers.
It is advisable to consult each treatment with a doctor and dietitian. They will adjust the individual diet plan to the health condition, and physical exercises to the patient’s fitness. Before starting the diet, we should gradually accustom the body to a smaller portion of food, and after its completion – also gradually – to a larger portion. It is especially important after the end of the diet. It’s human to eat chocolate, pork chops, or other high-calorie foods. The trick is to follow the principle of moderation. That is why it is worth weighing and measuring yourself once a week. If we notice a fluctuation in kilograms or centimeters, we must limit the amount of calories.
It is worth remembering that diet in Latin means a lifestyle, let us add that in this case, a healthy life. Therefore, it is a good idea to establish a transitional menu (for about a month) together with a dietitian. After that, the specialist will develop the target program of our daily menu, guaranteeing success in maintaining the new weight.
Nothing for free
Unfortunately, those who thought that for health and a few kilograms less you can work for a few weeks and not think about it anymore, must be disappointed. The truth is that you have to work for success every day, you can’t lose weight in advance. We emphasize – after completing the “proper” diet, a further action plan must be developed and consistently followed. After some time, we will do it mechanically, effortlessly.
Planning several meals a day is essential. It is best to follow the principle of “little and often”. Then we cheat the body, provide it with food in small portions so that it does not feel hungry.
Every day, let’s start with a filling breakfast – this is the first meal after a few hours of rest, so the body demands food – let’s prepare it for the whole day of activity. Let’s not eat between meals, except for low-calorie snacks. Remember to drink a lot, preferably still mineral water – we hydrate the body and fill the stomach at the same time, so we do not have to eat large portions.
When following a diet, we should learn about replacements for high-calorie products. Let’s use it now – it will be so much easier that we are not on a strict diet, so we can afford a bigger lunch – remembering to follow the recommended number of calories the next day. Also, let’s not get ourselves into guilt. According to psychologists, women who resist the desire to eat delicacies for a long time eat larger portions as a result.
Let’s try to stock up on fresh vegetables and fruits. – Let us follow the menu prepared in advance and do not go shopping when we are hungry. Then there will be no situation that we eat something accidental and fattening, because, for example, we have nothing in the refrigerator – advises Magdalena Szymańska.
Our great ally in the fight for health and good shape is also fiber, which regulates the work of the intestines, influencing metabolism. It also helps lower cholesterol, cleans the body of toxins and heavy metals. Thanks to its ingredients – mainly pectin and cellulose – it swells in the stomach and inhibits the feeling of hunger. Let’s remember about it and introduce vegetables and products of which it is an ingredient (including white and red beans, bran, wholemeal bread, brown rice, buckwheat groats, soybeans, Brussels sprouts).
Moving is healthy
However, following a good diet is not enough if it is not accompanied by physical activity. Anyone who has been losing weight knows that practicing sports helps you achieve success faster, because it always counteracts the growth of body fat. Movement also has health reasons – when the body is subjected to weight loss, it looks for energy reserves and also burns muscle tissue. To prevent this from happening, you need to exercise. The most frequently recommended and the simplest forms of activity are: swimming, cycling, gym exercises, but also Nordic walking or simple fast-paced walks. Gymnastics should be practiced at least 3-4 hours a week.
It is also worth being aware of the additional benefits of being active. It counteracts sagging skin and stretch marks that appear along with losing kilograms and gaining weight again. Movement, especially in the open air, also speeds up the metabolism, builds up the condition and oxygenates the body – these are reasons enough to like it. It can also become an ally in situations where we have allowed ourselves too much at the table, without having to reduce the menu. Just follow the rule: more food – more sport. Morning exercises are especially recommended, because exercising at this time speeds up the metabolism for about the next 12 hours, while evening exercises for about 4-5 hours.
Text: Monika Brodowska
Consultation: Magdalena Szymańska, specialist dietitian, Poradnia Dietetyczna food & diet, ul. Bronikowskiego 2, Warsaw, www.food-diet.pl
Source: Let’s live longer