Low calorie diets are the least effective when it comes to losing weight

Low-calorie diets with food restrictions are the least effective because the body responds to them by reducing their spending. In addition, although in the beginning they make lose weight, in the medium and long term it is more difficult to do it, as they affirm specialists in nutrition of the hospitals Quirónsalud of Murcia, Valencia and Torrevieja.

After the Christmas holidays many patients consider embarking on miracle diets, in the consumption of slimming detox products, or in gym routines with the intention of burning calories until exhaustion. As explained by Carolina Pérez, a nutritionist at the Quirónsalud hospitals in Torrevieja and Murcia, "the main risks of the so-called miracle diets derive from the excessive rapidity with which weight loss occurs. They drastically reduce the calories ingested and generate nutritional imbalances. This apparent success at the beginning is due not only to the reduction of fat, but also to the loss of muscle mass, one of the most metabolically active body tissues, and that partly explains that failure in the medium and long term. "

As advised by the nutritionist Rocío Práxedes, of the Obesity Unit of the Hospital Quirónsalud Valencia, for a diet to be effective it must be moderately hypocaloric: "In this way we avoid metabolic adaptations that prevent our patient from continuing to lose weight; and, simply, because if there is hunger, there is a risk of breaking the dietary guideline and abandoning the treatment ".

Recommended guidelines

For a diet to be effective, specialists recommend following the following guidelines:

Complete and varied diet, that is, cover 100% of the patient's nutritional requirements and include all the basic food groups.
That is not too strict and suits our tastes, because if not, it will be very easy for us to move on from it and end up eating more of the account or what does not touch.
Slow weight loss; losing more than one kilo per week will be counterproductive. The optimal dietary loss is 500gr-700gr / week.
Realistic. Propose changes in diet that are progressive and weight loss goals that are achievable.
Do not skip any food. Normally, diets usually consist of five daily meals that must be met to keep the blood glucose level constant and not arrive hungry at the next intake.
Respectful of each person's beliefs and culture.
When to go for surgery

When we talk about body mass indexes higher than 35, a treatment of nutritional diets, together with the subsequent follow-up of the expert multidisciplinary team, may not be enough, in which case we could resort to surgery for obesity or bariatric surgery. It must always be the specialist doctor who determines the most effective and safe treatment for each case, in a personalized way.

The evolution of minimally invasive operations has revolutionized in the last decade the world of modern surgery, including bariatric surgery. "The comprehensive treatment of patients with overweight, obesity and type 2 diabetes guarantees the best results. In addition, the risks of surgical intervention are very low, especially if we compare them with the pathologies derived from this disease, "says Dr. Pedro Bretcha, coordinator of the Unit of Obesity and General Surgery and Digestive Diseases Hospital Quirónsalud Torrevieja.

As for the benefits of this intervention, "80% of diabetics cease to be, remitting the disease. The remaining 20% ​​substantially improves, in addition to achieving a loss greater than 70% of excess weight, even reaching the ideal weight if it incorporates healthy habits, such as physical exercise and a healthy and balanced diet. This results in an average increase in the life of the obese in ten years, together with a better quality. In short, they live longer and better, "says Dr. Carlos Sala, coordinator of the Obesity Unit and specialist in metabolic surgery at the Hospital Quirónsalud Valencia. Despite its benefits, only 5% of obese Spaniards submit to this intervention, due to lack of information or because they do not have access to these units.