To provide a real solution to a problem, it is still necessary to really know its origin. And when it comes to overweight, preconceived ideas die hard! So to better understand the equation, let's start by setting the record straight.
What does "being overweight" mean?
It is above all a risk factor for health which is measured in particular with the BMI (body mass index). But only an impedancemetry scale, distinguishing between lean mass and fat mass, can really estimate overweight. Because having "10 extra pounds" in the form of muscle or fat is not at all the same. In addition, without even changing weight, it is common from the age of forty that the lean mass is spontaneously replaced by fat mass. However, it is this that poses the problem. Hence the importance of properly evaluating it.
What are the real risks of those extra pounds?
Excessive fat accumulation is detrimental to cardiovascular health and healthy metabolism, that is, the normal course of the process the body uses to convert what we eat into energy. However, an excess of fat always induces a chronic inflammatory state, therefore an increased risk of developing diseases which are based on this inflammation: diabetes, high blood pressure, cognitive decline, cancer, depression, etc.
Is the yo-yo effect so bad for your health?
Not if diets are smart! That is to say, sufficiently caloric, rich in protein, omega 3 and led in a positive approach, in other words with pleasure. In this context, health is not compromised and regaining weight is not demotivating because having already managed to lose it without flogging will have created a favorable antecedent for the body and the brain which will make you want to start again until to stabilize.
To stress is to gain weight?
It depends. The acute stress perceived by our reptilian brain (imminent danger: I run, I fight or I play dead) triggers a secretion of adrenaline which cuts off the appetite. On the other hand, the chronic stress motivated by our emotional brain (I am sad, angry, I feel guilty ...) causes a secretion of cortisol which, if it is too important, stimulates the appetite for the sweet and pushes to find comfort in food because the brain has already experienced the benefit of this reward on negative emotions. This is how chronic stress influences weight. Even more so when the intestinal brain is in poor condition: the two brains communicating with each other, the stress is maintained ... the pounds with.
Is the weight genetically determined?
Yes and no. There is in fact not an overweight gene but predisposition genes. Our genome is like a book with closed pages which, as long as they are not opened, will not lead to overweight, even if the genes exist. This is the whole issue of epigenetics: food, environment ... Clearly, being from a "family with overweight" does not mean that one will be round oneself from then on that we do what is necessary so that these genes are not expressed. That is, by eating properly, getting enough movement and learning to better calm and use your emotions.
Eat less, move more, is that the only solution?
If this mantra leads to obsession, it is untenable and doomed to failure. First of all, because it is not a question of eating less, but of better nourishing your body and its microbiota with nutrients that will naturally lead to thinness by lining it with good bacteria. Then because we must also learn to bypass the negative emotions sent by a part of the brain and which destroy any good resolution at the slightest annoyance. It is then that we can easily eat less fat, less sugar and move more.
What are the drugs that promote weight gain?
In the lead, neuroleptics and certain antidepressants which modify the neuro-hormonal reactions, which increases the appetite. For other reasons, some anti-diabetes drugs and some beta blockers do the same. More indirectly, antibiotics, which alter the intestinal microbiota, also play a role in the tendency to gain weight or the resistance to losing it. The good management of these treatments is therefore essential.
The more we diet, the less we lose weight, true or false?
Multiplying attempts to lose weight is not in itself bad if the programs are carried out well. It becomes so if we chain unbalanced and restrictive diets. Because the more we limit the caloric intake, the more we weaken the basic metabolism: the number of calories necessary for the body to survive, so that it can breathe, digest ... As soon as a diet is resumednormal, the body will then judge any unnecessary excess intake and store it. And where, before the diet, we swallowed 2000 kcal without taking a gram, we thicken from 1500 kcal ... We are surprised to gain weight without eating more, or even less
It's okay to put on pounds during menopause, right?
A thought that is certainly comfortable, but false! To the nearest 2 kilos (5 at most), no reason to change weight at the menopause, which influences the distribution of fats (more concentrated on the bust), not on the pounds. Even if hormonal imbalances may exist, overweight in fact results from a change in taste (greater appetite for sweet), coupled with an increased sedentary lifestyle and a strong emotional load (we get older, we wonder on the meaning of our life…). Nothing that can not be managed when we become aware of it instead of taking refuge in this erroneous thought that it is normal to grow fat.
How to maintain your motivation to stay the course?
Like a friendly or romantic relationship! By never losing sight of the benefits of feeding the intestinal brain well and always making sure to turn the cackle to the emotional brain when it suggests giving up at the first annoyance.
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