Pre-Christmas diet, fake good idea for the end of the year. South_agency / Getty Images
ADVICE – Some start dieting before huge end-of-the-year meals to compensate for potential weight gain. We evaluate the advantages of the approach with an endocrinologist and a nutritionist.
Maybe you’ve thought about it or already started. Here we’re talking about the prenatal diet, which consists of taking a serious break from food intake before the wave of fat and sugar that hits our plates in late December. For fans, the goal is simple: to prepare the ground, in other words, to lose weight before the holidays to compensate for the hypothetical weight gain.
The best way to gain weight
Experts agree that the approach is counterproductive and harmful to the body. At the risk of sounding cliché, let’s remember that deprivation is disappointing. This is also the first problem set by the regime. Of course, the “eater” will manage to pretend for a while that he didn’t see that box of chocolates passing through the office, or to drink a little alcohol. But he will eventually break down, and rarely will a bowl of quinoa with a small vegetable and plain soybean sprouts.
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By eating less or on a strict diet, you are also putting your body in a stressful situation. The body perceives this as an attack because calorie restriction sends a strong message. “weight loss = danger”. “To avoid this, the body uses a number of defense mechanisms,” continues Cecile Betri, a nutrition endocrinologist. It then tries to compensate by reducing energy expenditure, and it sends a signal to the brain to tell it to eat. Therefore, we will be hungrier, and when we bring in calories again, when we start eating again, he will do his best to store them. “The body has a memory,” says nutritionist Ysabel Levasseur. This is how we will get fat.”
Do not change anything
Not forgetting the undeniable physical aspect, you don’t gain 4 kilograms in 48 hours. “You may feel bloated, and the weight on the scale may increase, but that’s mostly from eating heavy food. At that time, reducing the consumption of alcohol and moving a little more in the following days, you will not see anything on the scale,” explains the dietitian nutritionist.
If you want to avoid gaining weight during the holidays, it is much better to have a normal diet in advance and not to change anything, insists Dr. Cecil Betri. “Of course, we will exceed our needs and eat more during the holidays,” he comments. But the body is also able to make the brain understand that we have eaten too much. Moreover, in the days following richer meals, we are often less hungry, more vegetables, etc. . . .
After that, by reducing alcohol consumption and moving a little more in the following days, you will not see anything on the scale
Isabelle Levasseur, dietitian, nutritionist
To avoid munching on any food while waiting for a late dinner on December 24, nutritionist Isabelle Levasseur recommends including whole starchy foods on your dinner plate. Slow sugars that are rich in fiber, they are more filling and keep you full for longer.
Finally, it is important to accept that the menus are indeed richer, but they are above all moments of pleasure, and to listen to your sensations, emphasizes Cécile Bétry. Or eat when you’re hungry, and don’t force yourself if you’re not hungry.
Source: Le Figaro
