Why am I not losing weight?

Expert explains the biggest mistakes in the search for the ideal body

The pursuit of a healthier body often involves the desire to shed a few extra pounds. The path is not always easy and often generates frustration. Even if they manage to maintain super restrictive diets, long fasts or even cut out certain types of food, there is no success in losing weight and dissatisfaction remains. Doctor Dr. Nicole Nardy, a graduate in Nutrology at the Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital, explains the main mistakes made in this process and recommends the best way to achieve results. According to her, the biggest mistake of all is that people eat more calories than the body uses up, breaking the number one rule of weight loss: maintaining a calorie deficit. Another observation is that many people are trapped by limiting food types, not eating carbohydrates, for example, thinking that these strategies will bring results and not taking into account the amount of calories they eat per day. Another related error is anxiety, the desire to see an immediate result. “Sometimes a person spends their whole life eating poorly and wants to see results within a few weeks. With that, they end up choosing to follow a very restricted diet, which they can’t stick to for the long term,” she says. Additionally, some changes in eating behavior, such as eating less and limiting certain foods, can have harmful effects. “Restrictive diets can damage your aesthetics, enter the accordion effect, leave marks and stretch marks on your body and enter a vicious circle. , you become even more anxious and reach a point where you “kick the bucket” and exaggerate. And the guilt of exaggeration makes you return to regret, anxiety and once again to start a restricted diet again,” inform the doctor. “The best way to maintain the results is to have a diet consistent with your reality and your routine, seeking specialized care to understand what works and what is best for you, maintaining this strategy in the long term,” explains the most appropriate processes. According to the doctor, scales are not the best means of results. “Net weight on the scale is not a very good way to evaluate weight loss or improvement in body composition. Several things cause our weight to fluctuate throughout the day, such as going to the bathroom, drinking water, and sleeping.” The doctor also states that the scale should not be used as a measure of diet results and it makes the patient even more anxious. “The ideal is to do a slightly more specific weighing, called Bioimpedance, which is a scale that most weight loss offices have. Generally, the patient is weighed every 30-60 days, or with skin folds, which are measured with an adipometer and calculates to see the percentage of fat and muscle mass”. And even in our home we could observe the change in body composition, like looking in the mirror and noticing a difference, with the reduction in the size of the clothes and a reduction in the abdominal circumference.

*Dr. Nicole Nardy Paula Razuck is a Sports Medicine resident at the Santa Casa de Misericórdia in São Paulo. She holds a postgraduate diploma in Nutrology from the Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital and holds a medical degree from the Faculdade Santa Marcelina.

Source: Terra

Ben

Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.