Diet therapy: what is it, symptoms and treatment

Introduction

According to the 2014 Enalia Report on the consumption of food in children and adolescents, the quality of the diet of Spanish children and adolescents can be improved, since it is characterized by low consumption of carbohydrates to the detriment of proteins and fats, especially saturated ones.

All this affects later adulthood, at this time in life many people decide to undergo different regimens to eliminate the extra kilos, gain health, and above all, learn good eating habits. The problem is that not all new eating routines are healthy and it is necessary to perform them with medical professionals to avoid the yo-yo effect.

Diet tracking is a common practice after obesity surgeries such as the gastric balloon, the gastric band, gastric sleeve, or method POSE helping to achieve and maintain the goals set by the doctor.

What is a diet?

It consists of a nutritional re-education, inserted in a healthy lifestyle that includes a series of good habits, such as:

• Avoid a sedentary lifestyle by performing at least 15 minutes of daily physical exercise
• Sleep at least 7 hours a day
• Avoid stressful situations
• Drink at least 2 liters of water a day

Weight-loss regimens are programs that explain the foods to be taken during certain periods. It usually includes a list of suggestions on how to prepare, cook, and organize meals to achieve a change in body weight. To obtain good results the diet must be personalized and adapted to the habits and lifestyle of each patient.

According to Novosalud specialiststhe specialist must teach new ways of cooking food so that the food remains palatable. Emotions must also be worked with the patient to control anxiety, stress, or any difficulties they may have in this process.

Goals of a diet

Most of the time, a regimen is prescribed to lose weight, however, in some cases, the reasons may be different, such as restorative diets or dietary requirements for certain diseases such as diabetes.

Choosing to follow a diet is not just a matter of weight loss, but above all, a general lifestyle improvement option, which will bring numerous benefits not only aesthetic. In addition, a good diet helps prevent the appearance of some chronic diseases related to being overweight (diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, hypertension, etc.).

Novosalud specialists warn about the risk of miracle diets in both men and women since, since they are not healthy and balanced eating routines, they can have negative consequences on the body such as protein deficit, rebound effect, fluid loss, and mass muscular among others.

Who is the ideal candidate?

The WHO (World Health Organization) defines overweight and obesity as “an abnormal or excessive accumulation of fat that represents a health risk, generally caused by poor nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle.” Today, obesity-related problems are increasing, UNICEF says that in Europe 1 in 3 children is overweight, a percentage 3 times higher than in 1975. In the adult world, the percentages are equally worrying: According to data from the In ENPE study, 39.3% of Spaniards are overweight and 21.6% are obese.

The parameter used to establish overweight is BMI: the body mass index, which measures the ratio of fat to lean mass and is calculated by dividing the subject’s weight by its dimensions in square meters (kg / m²). Depending on your BMI, you will fall into one of the following categories:

• <18.5 underweight
• 18.5 – 24.9 normal weight
• 25 – 29.9 overweight
• > 30 obesity

Which specialist should I go to?

If you decide to go on a diet, be it a child or an adult, it is essential to always consult a health professional: a nutritionist or a dietician. There are many differences between a nutritionist and a dietitian. To begin with, a dietitian is a physician, while a nutritionist is a biologist who specializes in food science. The main difference between the two is that the former can diagnose, prescribe and analyze medications, while the latter is a “nutrition educator.”

Whether you choose a nutritionist or a dietitian, it is essential to verify in advance that your specialist has all the qualifications to provide you with serious and quality medical care.

What happens during the first visit?

During the first visit with a dietitian or nutritionist, the specialist will carry out a complete evaluation of your clinical picture. The first consultation lasts approximately one hour, the doctor will give you an in-depth interview to learn about your lifestyle, your medical history, your needs or expectations, and, above all, what are your eating habits. They will then take an in-depth questionnaire to understand how you organize your meals and which foods you eat the most, to identify wrong habits and change them.

Your body mass index will be measured using a special caliper tool, the caliper. Another option is the electrical bioimpedance scale that calculates fat, weight, body fluids, etc. If necessary, the doctor may also prescribe additional medical tests to rule out certain pathologies. Once the frame of reference has been clarified, you will be given your new personalized meal plan that you will need to follow in the coming weeks with monthly follow-up visits.

How to go on a diet?

According to the professionals, it must be a personalized regimen developed after knowing the detailed medical history of the patient, conducting a survey of eating habits, and performing a physical examination that includes weight, height, waist, percentage of body fat, and muscle mass, etc. Once all these elements are in place, one adapted to the patient’s tastes will be prepared to make it easier to follow. Vegetables, quality proteins, and good fats tend to be the protagonists of most diets. The ideal is to prepare menus with examples of healthy, easy, and delicious recipes so that patients better adhere to their new eating plan and lose weight and maintain it over time.

After the first consultation, it is essential to be consistent during follow-up visits, as they allow you to monitor the patient’s improvements and modify the plan to adapt it to your needs. On this occasion, the doctor will write down your measurements and your weight and will be able to follow your improvements together with you step by step.

The duration will depend on the program defined by the nutritionist or dietician. It can be a challenging change, our advice is to always request a diet that suits your needs (and your pathologies if necessary) and always accompanies it with adequate physical activity. Feel free to talk to your doctor about your difficulties, they will help you overcome them.

The professionals point out that the fundamental objective in the treatment of overweight is to achieve fat loss sustainably. That is, it can be maintained over time thanks to healthy dietary and physical exercise habits.

Types of diets

There is a multitude of different ones. While some methods have proven effective, others have been blamed for their long-term detrimental effect. Here are the 10 most popular diets.

• Low in calories: Often, the hypocaloric ones to lose weight in excessively prohibitive regimens are counterproductive. Although they allow losing weight in a short time, it is also shown that 95% of the subjects who experiment with this diet plan return almost immediately to the previous weight, or even to a weight greater than the initial weight within a year.
• The Mediterranean: In 2003, the European Commission designated the Mediterranean (or Cretan) diet as a European dietary model. It consists of having a diet rich in carbohydrates, vegetable fibers, vitamins, antioxidants, and unsaturated fatty acids, such as omega-3s. It is also low in saturated fatty acids and salt. A study carried out by the University of Harward revealed that following the Mediterranean would increase the chances of life, by a protective effect on chromosomes that slow aging.
• Ketogenic: It is low in carbohydrates (sugar, in all its forms) and very rich in proteins and lipids (fats). It is often recommended for people who are highly overweight. Ketogenic allows for rapid weight loss. However, it is not recommended to follow it for long periods, it is necessary to suspend it or replace it with alternative plans to maintain the results obtained.
• Micronutrition: Micronutrition is based on supplying the body’s energy needs through micronutrients, that is, lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates. Micronutrition is based on highly personalized meal plans based on the specific needs and metabolism of each patient. Micronutrition helps you lose weight, but it also prevents some diseases, such as cardiovascular disorders.
• La Dukan: Named after its creator (Pierre Dukan), this meal plan is still at the center of an intense debate among nutrition experts today. It consists of a diet rich in protein and low in carbohydrates and lipids. It is very restrictive and requires following many rules that can interfere with the social habits of people who follow this type of regimen. In addition, it has been shown to produce a yo-yo effect in almost 80% of patients. For the results to last over time it is necessary to carry out long maintenance feeding modes. Finally, Dukan produces very harmful effects on the body, such as kidney disorders.
• The Atkins: The goal is to induce the body to exploit its fat energy stores. For this reason, the diet to be prescribed is low in carbohydrates and consists mainly of protein and lipids. Offering little diversity of foods is quite difficult to follow and is not recommended for long periods. As with the Dukan, there is a significant weight rebound effect.
• Zone diet: We could define the objective of the zone diet as global since it aims to maintain hormonal balance, in general, improve the health of the patient. Each meal corresponds to a precise supply of carbohydrates and proteins. It is quite effective, but it can lead to significant nutritional deficiencies.
• The vegetarian/vegan: In addition to personal and ethical beliefs, a vegetarian or vegan diet can help you lose weight. A vegetarian diet consists of totally excluding meat and fish (or even eggs) from your diet, while allowing animal products, such as dairy products. A vegan excludes any product derived from animals. A study carried out with different regimens has revealed a significant fact: vegan patients lost an average of 7.5 kg in 6 months, while subjects who followed another (omnivorous, semi-vegetarian, or vegetarian weight) have lost, in the same period, 3.2 kg.
• The Paleo: Short for the paleolithic term, the Paleo is based on the consumption of foods presumably taken by prehistoric hunter-gatherers. This has several benefits: It has been shown to lower cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure. On the other hand, it is quite expensive and, due to the large consumption of protein, hurts the environment.
• The dissociated: As its name indicates, it consists of separating the foods according to their category, the day, and the week in which the meals are made. Very simple and satisfying, yet this one is very unbalanced. Furthermore, it can lead to the development of eating disorders, as weight loss is related to decreased food intake.
• The Scarsdale: It is part of the group of low-calorie diets. The following foods are prohibited: sugar (replaced by sweeteners), foods rich in starch and any product based on flour, fatty dairy products, jams, or desserts (replaced by fruits or jellies without sugar). It is excessively restrictive and responsible for many nutritional deficiencies and causes fatigue, it is not recommended for long periods.
• The Hollywood diet: Particularly appreciated by American stars (hence the name), the Hollywood diet consists of consuming only fruit for a period ranging from one week to 10 days, respecting a 2-hour interval between each intake. Exotic fruits are particularly recommended because they cause a “fat-burning” effect, except the banana which is too sweet. Some variants also allow vegetables to be inserted into the meal plan. Very simple to follow, it is very effective thanks to its purifying function. But it causes many side effects, such as malnutrition, intestinal irritation, development of eating disorders, etc.
• The high calorie: It is not necessarily designed to lose weight, in some cases it can be prescribed to gain weight. This type is particularly relevant for individuals with an excessively fast metabolism. High in calories consists of stimulating the appetite by consuming energy foods and maintaining a varied and balanced diet.
• Intermittent fasting: Intermittent fasting consists of alternating periods of “normal” eating with periods of fasting. There are several ways to organize your fast: you can eat only one day out of two, skip one meal a day, skip eating 24 hours once a week, reduce food consumption by 25% two days a week, etc. . This type of diet is interesting because it allows a significant loss of fat, however, it is not suitable for everyone and must be followed under strict medical supervision.

What to do after?

Diets allow you to lose significant amounts of weight, modifying the silhouette of a person, however, the skin tissues often suffer a strong weight loss, creating the unpleasant effect of emptying and excess skin, this occurs especially in the arms, back, and stomach, buttocks, and chest. To correct these imperfections there are different surgical solutions, such as the facelift with which it is possible to obtain excellent results.

To maintain the results obtained, our nutritionist doctor will give us some useful advice and a less prohibitive maintenance regimen, but that will help us not to take on the extra kilos again.

Novosalut professionals point out that it is much more difficult to abandon a diet if it has been developed taking into account the specific needs of each person in terms of personal tastes, work hours, level of physical exercise, social life, and possible allergies, etc.

Risks and side effects

The effects of a diet without professional advice can be extremely harmful to health, so it is always advisable to contact a specialist in the medical sector to agree on a personalized meal plan based on your needs.

The health risks of an unbalanced diet are many:

• Nutritional deficiencies
• Thyroid and endocrine system problems
• Renal insufficiency
• Hormonal imbalances

Before choosing the diet to follow, it is necessary to carry out control analyzes to exclude serious pathologies and it is very important to regularly attend the doctor’s visits to ensure that the weight loss is gradual and correct.

Frequent questions

• How to calculate the percentage of fat mass? The examination must be performed by a dietitian or nutritionist who will carry out a series of calculations performed with particular machines that measure body composition through an impedance.
• What is the metabolic balance? This food program is based on the study of the blood values of the patient, assigning the chemistry of the food to the chemistry of the body.
• Are there foods indicated to increase the brightness of the skin? In general, foods rich in antioxidants are the most suitable, more generally a balanced diet rich in water, vitamins, and fiber will improve skin tone.
• Should I follow a specific diet after surgery? The surgeon generally provides the correct nutritional information to the patient, light, fat-free meals are generally recommended, and mineral salt supplements may be recommended.
• At what age is it advisable to start a diet? There are no age restrictions, and diets, and food rehab are recommended from an early age, especially to combat childhood obesity.