5 Diet Tips Not to Follow When You Want to Lose Weight or Be Less Tired

Miracle diets, heavenly foods… Social media and obscure food websites are full of tips for losing weight in record time or regaining that mid-autumn slump. However, word of mouth spreads falsehoods quickly and, above all, sometimes conveys dangerous ideas.

Drink lemon juice to lose weight

Nutritionist Dr. Laurence Plumey (1) is categorical. “this fruit has no known slimming value.” As a citrus fruit, it is only an important source of vitamin C, nothing more. We owe this reputation to the acidifying role of lemon. We thus imagine that the latter attracts the stomach and participates in the decomposition of food. But “we should not confuse acidity in the mouth with acidity in the body,” recalls psychotherapist Dimitri Jacques. Since lemon can be acidic, it becomes alkaline after ingestion. Furthermore, it doesn’t wake up your stomach any more than another drink in the morning, and combining it with lukewarm water doesn’t particularly stimulate your digestive system. A hard hit for lovers of detox recipes.

Avoid starchy foods in the evening to avoid weight gain

“Eating it in the evening is neither harmful nor a factor in weight gain, provided you eat it in small quantities and divide the plate with vegetables,” recalls Laurence Plumey. According to the doctor, “dishes with sauces, as well as alcohol and sweet desserts should be especially avoided during dinner. Excess fat and sugar turn into fat overnight because we are sleeping and not burning calories. So a bit of meat, fish or eggs, with mostly vegetables, bread, dairy and fruit, and that’s enough.”

With liquid diets, it is very difficult to lose weight and increase defects

Dr. Laurence Plumey, nutritionist

This “conceived notion”, as Dimitri Jacques calls it, is a source of frustration above all for fans of Sunday evening salmon pasta, stubborn and committed to outdated studies. However, be careful, dinner should be light for simple physiological reasons. when you sleep, you don’t use up energy and tend to retain the calories from the last meal you ate. Lightening your plate after 7pm ensures a clear conscience.

To lose weight, prefer liquid diets

And in particular, the famous cabbage soup diet. A traitor to the court of good weight loss ideas, this weight loss diet can be very dangerous. In addition to being unbalanced (virtually no protein intake), Laurence Plumey points out that “we lose weight very poorly and poorly on any extremely restrictive and unbalanced diet. We multiply defects, lose as much muscle as fat and change our metabolism. We are going to do a “weight yoyo”. In addition, most diets cause weight gain in the long run.

By consuming only liquids, the body relies on muscle rather than fat to function. “These changes are serious for metabolism, they can be a factor in obesity.” To lose weight, it is better to contact a specialist in order to benefit from monitoring and rebalancing the diet, as well as sports training. A path that certainly requires more patience, but one that will meet your expectations in the long run.

Eat a teaspoon of vinegar to aid digestion

Although it seems harmless, this advice can nevertheless disturb the most sensitive intestinal flora. While not all vinegars are created equal, most vinegars have an acid content that is too high to be taken independently of other foods. This can open the door to bloating and pain. To ensure good digestion, “take time to chew and keep food in your mouth,” advises Dimitri Jacques. The latter also teaches many of his patients to reconnect with food and restore healthy eating habits through masticatory rehabilitation. “We often forget to taste the food, but it is very important,” he adds.

Fatigue, hair loss… Nutritional supplements to cure it

Instead of rushing to these miracle pills, you should try to question your daily relationship with food. Moving closer to a balanced diet can be much more helpful in eliminating deficiencies. Dimitri Jacques advises “not to rely on beliefs and not to supplement blindly, this can prevent the occurrence of health problems.” “Few people take the time to eat a balanced diet these days, but it’s the best way to maintain your health. It can be easy, tasty and quick to prepare. It’s within everyone’s reach,” explains Lawrence Plumey.

After all, it is not surprising. There are no magic tricks, especially when it comes to vital needs like food. Always recommend seeing a healthcare professional so they can properly decide what to take.

(1) The Big Book of Food by Dr Laurence Plumey, Ed Eyrolles, 568 p., €23.90.