Nutritional basis for proper weight loss
Knowing if there really is an overweight or obesity should be the first premise before starting any weight loss plan. Currently, the simplest and most accepted method is the calculation of the body mass index (BMI) or Quetelet, which is obtained by dividing the weight by the square of the height. In general terms and for a healthy adult, a BMI between 20 and 25 is adequate, between 25 and 30 indicates overweight, and not necessarily obesity, since it could be due to an increase in bodybuilding as in the case of athletes.Only figures above 30 allow us to talk about obesity and therefore advise correcting this alteration. However, in recent times there has been increased concern about rates below 20, that is, thinness, because if they approach 15 or below, they should be alarmed at the possibility of anorexia, which, as is known, is modern pathology. maximum expansion after AIDS.
Overweight is a state of which energy reserves, mainly in the form of fat, are excessive. The human organism is not an exception to the universal laws of energy and this situation can only occur when the amount of energy entered with the diet is greater than that spent as physical activity, basal metabolic rate or thermogenic action of food, mainly. Therefore, and returning to the idea already underlined in the introduction of this chapter, the situation of overweight or obesity cannot be corrected unless the balance is reversed, making the individual's energy expenditure greater than the risk.
As a summary, the characteristics of a good diet to lose weight should be:
- Provide less energy than is necessary to maintain body weight.
- Provide adequate proportions of all nutrients.
- That is acceptable
If the first requirement is not met, weight cannot be reduced; if the second one is not fulfilled, the long-term result would be malnutrition and, if the third is not met, the diet will not be followed.
For all the above, the basis for the design of a correct weight loss diet should take into account the following aspects:
- To know the habitual diet of the individual to be able to establish the caloric deficit according to the previous energy intake.
- Know the eating habits. It is important the information on the economic and family status, the usual model of meals and preferences and aversions to be able to make a specific food choice since, when the diet is more varied and similar to the usual one, the better it will be accepted .
- Guidance on the nutritional value of food.
- Psychological Support.
- Distribute the daily intake several times. The fragmented distribution in several meals of the total foods that make up the diet is very important. First, to avoid prolonged periods of fasting that could avoid intense hunger and possible bingeing and compulsive behaviors. A good diet is one in which the next meal is not very hungry. On the other hand, it cannot be forgotten that the expense for the thermogenic action of the diet and for the digestive and metabolic processes, although proportional to the food ingested, is higher if the total energy intake is distributed throughout the day .
The unavoidable basis of a weight loss diet is to decrease its fat content because, automatically, it will become hypocaloric because, as is known, the energy value of fat is 2.25 times higher than that of proteins or carbohydrates. .
However, the formulation of a slimming diet, which must have less energy but the same concentration of the rest of the nutrients is not easy and requires experience and imagination, due to the difficulty of transporting all the nutrients in a small amount of food and Therefore, it is necessary that foods that are part of a weight loss diet have a high nutrient density. Because these types of foods are limited and given the need for these diets to be varied in order to be accepted, it is often necessary to take into account the use of supplements or mineral-vitamin complexes customized for their design.
Exercise is a good way to prevent weight gain. Apart from its value (mobility, agility, cardiac function), a small excess in intake can be compensated by a small increase in physical activity. The value of exercise is, however, controversial for losing a lot of weight although it is well established in the treatment of moderately obese people in good health. It should be remembered, only, that exercise is the other great variable in energy expenditure and that this expense is proportional to its duration and the weight of the subject. That is, an overweight person spends more energy for the same activity rate as a thin one. On the other hand, exercise is the only way in which the individual can influence voluntarily and not pharmacologically to increase spending.
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