Hurry is never a good advisor, and even less so when health is at stake. With a solid professional background, María Amaro, nutrition specialist from CDI, invites us to steer clear of miracle diets and unattainable promises. When it comes to losing weight (if necessary), there are no shortcuts that work.
Let's get to the point. We want to lose weight (because we really need to). What do we do?
If we really need to, the first thing we should do is set realistic goals that we can maintain over time. In other words, lose weight sensibly and, above all, aiming to improve our health, which is the most important thing we have. And, obviously, seek a specialist to 'design' a tailored plan for us. It's not about "what worked for my neighbour" or "the plan my sister-in-law followed."
The problem is that suddenly we feel rushed, so in that scenario, what is the worst decision we can make?
Doing something that could harm us, such as looking for shortcuts to lose weight as quickly as possible. The ideal is to lose any extra weight gradually to avoid a rebound effect. We should not forget that whatever is lost quickly is regained at the same speed, and sometimes even more.
The weight loss field is full of promises of easy and quick solutions. What would be a truly healthy weight loss?
Around 3 to 4 kilos per month, which is about 1 kilo per week. That is ideal because that's when we truly lose fat - which is what should be lost - and not water or muscle. When offered faster solutions, we should be wary of falling into the trap of so-called 'miracle diets'. Miracles do not exist here. The only thing that works is to do things sensibly and, I insist, prioritising health.
We have just closed the Christmas banquets, and we still feel a bit 'off'. How can we tell if we have gained a few extra kilos or if we are simply bloated from all the feasting?
After almost a month and a half of excess, because binge eating is not limited to just the key dates of Christmas, we can end up gaining up to 5 extra kilos. But beyond the verdict of the scale, we feel unwell, bloated, and probably have intestinal transit problems because our bacterial flora has been altered due to all those excesses of richer-than-usual food, alcohol, and sweets.
What is your recipe for fitting back into our trousers without needing to hold our breath?
Neither crash diets nor 'miraculous' solutions nor detox shakes. Returning to eating healthily (fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, etc.), cutting out alcohol, and exercising. Simply by resuming our usual routines, we should be able to lose the weight gained during Christmas because just by eating and moving as we normally do (not consuming 6,000 calories in one dinner while completely neglecting physical activity, as we tend to do during the Christmas holidays), we can create the caloric deficit needed to lose weight.
To eat well and healthily, what should not be missing from our table?
Although it is often the first thing cut in many weight loss diets, complex carbohydrates (whole grains, legumes, tubers, etc.) should not be missing, and of course, we should not do without proteins (animal or plant-based), vegetables, and fruits.
What should we do with rice and pasta? Is it essential to have them whole grain? Because, let's be honest, they don't taste the same (although tastes vary).
It's not necessary. Pasta, like rice, if cooked well, does not have to be whole grain. If we cook them with cayenne pepper, it breaks down the glycemic index but retains all its nutrients and does not cause weight gain. What if we don't like spicy food? Rinse them a bit with water before eating.
It's very trendy to have a very light dinner, a piece of fruit or a yogurt, or even nothing at all. What do you think?
I am more in favour of having an early dinner and, rather than having very little, choosing our foods wisely. Dinner should include proteins, as they will provide us with a longer-lasting feeling of fullness, and vegetables. This way, we will go to bed well nourished and satisfied. Having just a pear or a yogurt for dinner, besides being sad, can cause a spike in insulin that might lead us to raid the fridge at 3 in the morning.