Diet: Can we avoid the yo-yo effect?

WHY IS THERE A YO-YO EFFECT?

This refers to the body’s strategy to protect itself from any rough treatment has been imposed on it. When you eat fewer calories, the body receives lesser energy than usual to make it function. Therefore, in order to compensate, it will rest more and spend less. Consequently, you consume fewer calories, but you also burn less energy, so there is no change in weight. To avoid this phenomenon, it is essential to engage in physical activities while dieting. This combination will result in weight loss.

Correspondingly, the body will store more energy. Imagine that you have no money anymore so you will save all the cents that you can acquire. The body does the same thing with food; storing the smallest gram of fat and sugar for periods of deprivation. It’s smart, but not good to stay slim.

THE FOOD BALANCE, THE BEST DEFENCE

It’s true that crash diets which profess to losing weight in record time often keep their promises. However, they don’t tell you that this is due to a loss of water and muscle, rather than fat. Such diets are absurd and dangerous for your health.

Sure, you are now slim, but it is impossible to follow these very restrictive diets for life. Not only do they deprive you of the pleasure of eating, they also remove the possibility of sharing a meal with your friends. Eventually, you will have to return to your food habits, at which point the lost kilos will reappear (often with additional weight).

To avoid the yo-yo effect, you simply need to relearn the notion of a balanced diet. A healthy diet accompanied by an active lifestyle will allow you to maintain a reasonable weight, with no difficulty or guilt. So, slowly but surely, you will lose weight. If you are a little lost and don’t know how to begin, don’t hesitate to consult a nutritionist. Gradually, you will be guided towards a better diet, which will also help you adopt good reflexes.

Maïa Baudelaire