If the great challenge is to lose weight for some, for others, the difficulty is not regaining the weight they have already lost. We are talking about the accordion effect, in which the person manages to lose weight but, sometime later, regains all the weight that he lost or even more.
Do you have this problem or know someone who suffers from it? So, here are some tips on how to avoid the accordion effect:
No Restrictive Diets
The accordion effect is usually the result of diets that impose too many restrictions to generate quick results. In a slimming process without so many prohibitions, in which weight loss occurs gradually, the body has time to adapt.
On the other hand, there is a tremendous loss of net weight and muscle mass in extreme diets. As a result, metabolism slows down.
Thus, with a slower metabolism, when the person leaves the restrictive diet and returns to eating minimally close to what he ate before, he gains weight. Not to mention that after spending some time in restriction, the person can return to a regular diet full of hunger and extrapolate.
In addition, the cycle of eating too little, losing weight, returning to normal eating, and gaining weight can make people believe that eating like an average person is wrong and that they need to always live on a restrictive diet. All of this can lead to severe problems and eating disorders.
Therefore, the ideal is always to opt for a healthy diet that can be maintained long-term and promotes gradual and permanent weight loss. If you have doubts about starting this process, look for a nutritionist.
Start Practicing Physical Activity
Physical exercises make the body burn more calories and help increase metabolism. You can start with a walk as a first step to move more, but the idea is to have a physical educator accompany you when you go on to other activities.
When starting training, talk to the nutritionist to learn how to adjust the diet to exercise.
Eat Tasty Things Once In A While
The problem with completely forbidding yourself from eating something you like once in a while, like candy or chocolate, is that there comes a time when you can no longer resist the desire to taste the delicacy.
So, instead of eating a little piece to satisfy the craving, the person eats the whole candy or a whole bar of chocolate because they missed it so much. So, instead of making prohibitions, include small amounts of the foods you like most in your diet.
Even better if they appear in healthy recipes. For example, you can make a full-fat chocolate cake or try a light dessert to lose weight.
Identify Your Emotional Triggers
You are learning to detect situations that arouse emotions that make you resort to eating as a consolation.
Some overweight people who have difficulty losing or staying thin have an emotional relationship with food. They take out their anxieties, frustrations, and other feelings on it. In short, they eat to feel better.
There are still those who have a rewarding relationship with food: if you are sad, eat; if he is happy, he decides to eat to celebrate.
The tip here is to pay attention to yourself and understand what situations and feelings lead to unnecessary eating to avoid doing it again. That is, trying to deal with these issues without resorting to food.
Of course, doing this alone can be pretty tricky. So if you’ve ever noticed that your relationship with food can be emotional, it’s worth seeking out the help of a psychologist.
Think Long Term
Better than wanting to lose weight quickly due to a single event is aiming to reach a healthy weight and stay there to take good care of yourself.
While to achieve the first, many adhere to restrictive diets that do not generate lasting effects and harm physical and mental health, it is possible to achieve the second healthily and gradually, with results that are maintained over time.
This involves a weight loss process with realistic goals gradually being achieved. Together, these small goals will yield significant results down the road.
For example, the goal might be to lose two pounds each month. Thus, over a year, the person may have healthily reached their ideal weight and be able to remain thinner.
