Why do we gain weight? This is the question that worries so many people in recent years as there are more and more overweight people and children. We live a paradox. The more diets and ways to get rid of extra pounds, the more we seem to gain weight. And yet, why do we gain weight? Dr. Luana Sebestyen, psychotherapist and nutrition physician has some explanations. People interested in weight loss and metabolic disease can also take an online consultation to assess their health status from a metabolic perspective. 

Balanced diets versus personalized nutrition

Physicians specialised in nutrition point out that we gain weight when there is an imbalance between food intake and actual calorie consumption, to which the sedentarism coefficient is added. If we eat more than we consume and we are also excessively sedentary, don't be surprised that we seriously gain weight. There are many other factors that contribute to weight gain – psychological factors, lifestyle and work style, genetic factors, food additives, the quality of food we eat, time of day who we take the last meal, the person's age, sex etc. 

The 5 myths of weight gain 

1 The myth of what time to eat

Perhaps one of the most well-known recommendations often made by various nutritionists in the public space to avoid weight gain is not to consume the last meal later than 6 p.m. True or false? Specialists in nutritional diseases have a different perspective and warn of the hidden trap in the recommendation about eating late in the evening. Their argument? Although many nutritionists say propose personalized nutrition to their patients, in reality these proposals are not really adapted to every life situation that the patient faces. It's no use asking a person to stop eating after 6 pm if they can't eat from 1 to 9 pm given the nature of their job. Such a recommendation is not realistic.

Careful! The more hours that pass between meals, the greater the risk of compulsive eating, doctors warn.

2 The myth of the metabolism slowing down during the night

The idea that the metabolism slows down during sleep is not 100% correct either. Often weight gain is more related with the fact that in the evening we become more sedentary and do not consume so many calories. Caloric consumption is reduced because the person no longer exerts himself as during the day. The right recommendation? Whenever a nutritional plan is drawn up for a person, the particularities and psychological status of that person, their lifestyle, their job and their living conditions must be taken into account.

 3 The myth of intermittent fasting

Nutritionists and diabetologists highly recommend intermittent fasting as a panacea for nutritional disorders. Psycho-nutritionists point out that intermittent fasting hides pitfalls. There are people who are suited to this type of fast and people who are not. Starving for 16 hours involves a psychological risk. If fasting is not suited to the person's metabolic profile, then this type of approach to nutrition issues can do more harm than good.

4 The myth of miracle diets 

In the last ten years we have all heard about thousands of miracle diets. In the long term some are not better than others, but in the short term some may be more effective than others. And in their case the psychological dimension is very important! A drastic food restriction might work for the moment and help the person lose weight quickly, but in the long run comes the bill. It's a subtle price that many people pay. Unable to maintain the à la longue diet, the person ends up feeling guilty and relapses into weight gain and negligence.

 5 The myth that metabolism slows down with age

It has become almost an axiom among some doctors and patients that as we age our metabolism slows down. Recent studies show that the decline in basal metabolic rate with age is insignificant. Why do people tend to gain weight as they age? Psycho-nutritionists say that rather accumulated stress, working hours, sedentarism and lack of sleep tend to make us eat more. 

What can be done?

A correct and balanced diet is a diet suited to the patient's profile

 A nutritional plan has beneficial effects when it does not generate frustrations. People on diets must not feel constrained either financial or psychological regarding the food choices made. It is in vain that the nutritionist recommends a correct diet itself if it contains foods that the patient can hardly procure or has limited access to. It seems like a small thing, but it often matters a lot. It is difficult to have a balanced diet if a person has a job that takes up a lot of his time and is in an area where he is surrounded only by catering and fast food. In this case, the physician will work with the patient to find the best solution for the patient’s profile. 

Remember!

 • We all crave sweets, it's normal, it's even physiological, say psychotherapists specializing in nutritional diseases. But is an unhealthy excess when we end up eating 100 g of chocolate every day.

 • It's a myth that the craving for sweets necessarily hides a frustration, an emotional story behind it.

 • All meals of the day, including snacks, are important, it is not advisable to skip them. However, lunch has to be a regular proper meal, not just yogurt and seeds.

 • A glass of wine does not harm either the brain or the figure. At the moment when we are no longer talking about one glass but several and we drink them to get over our anger, frustration, it alcohol become dangerous for brain and body.

If you want to learn more about healthy nutrition, you can quickly get an answer through an online consultation, without the need to go to a doctor's office.