The resistance to weight loss is determined by biological mechanisms, psychological and behavioral put in place the body in response to a sudden and drastic fall in caloric intake.
A prescription diet too strict, in fact, that leads to a metabolic adaptation to a lower value of initial energy expenditure by an amount equal to 20-25%.
Thus we see a weight loss will stop when the initial calorie diet on resting energy expenditure pareggierà. It ‘s the difference between what is consumed and what is introduced that allows us to lose weight.
The body fat is metabolized (burned) to compensate for the calories in their absence.
If you want to avoid the metabolic adaptation and have a steady weight loss you have to measure energy consumption at rest and the contribution calorie diet should not differ from the measured value.
Dietary interventions based on theoretical calculations or even worse, deliberately forced to a level of very low calories (less than 1100 calories) will determine the major biological damage.
Schematically damage strict diet can be summarized in three categories:
1) Metabolic Adaptation
2) impairment of body composition
3) Psychological Damage
4) Damage Behavioral
1) Metabolic Adaptation
As mentioned previously the ‘metabolic adaptation is the body’s resistance to the sudden reduction in energy intake.
Opposing this way to weight loss and promoting his immediate recovery.
The concept refers to a rigid diet is an absolute value when prescribing low-calorie diets force (less than or equal to 1000 calories) for the rest is a relative concept since the different measures of energy expenditure that occur in various subjects.
So the 1500 calories may be many, few or normal depending on the reference subjects.
2) impairment of body composition
(The irony of dieting in the long run become fattening).
The loss of weight, which is often associated with weight loss, in reality is nothing but loss of body mass or fat loss, muscle mass, cell mass, water.
Losing weight should really become a lean mean, so to lose fat, not lean body mass (muscle cell mass).
The goal of proper nutrition for weight loss is to bring the weight loss with the only loss of adipose tissue.
And ‘our experience as the experience of weight loss greater than 0.5 -1 kg per week is hardly the only loss of adipose tissue, especially when dietary intervention is limited in time.
In the long run, ie when the dietary intervention last month, the correlation between weight loss and fat mass loss is high.
A correct intervention, compared to the metabolic needs measured initially and periodically monitored, allows us to modify body composition in favor of lean body mass (muscle cell).
The weight loss achieved with only dietary prescription is followed, in a very high percentage of 95%, a recovery of the lost pounds over weight, so that over time, and after several dietary interventions will weigh much more than before. The percentage of adipose tissue-which in a normal subject ranged from 15% to 30% – increases at the same weight if = individual is subjected to different diet regimens.
It therefore includes the paradox of dieting in the long run are “fattening”.
If I lose ten pounds and recovery, I lose a percentage of fat which is certainly less than the percentage of fat accumulation in the recovery phase of weight.
3) behavioral Damage: loss of control
The loss of control or an inability to take the desired amount of food and programmed is often preceded by a period (hours or days) of marked restriction of ‘calorie intake.
The rigidity of a diet must be defined in relation to energy expenditure of the individual. And ‘certainly a strict diet with less caloric intake to 1000 calories but may also be the diet of 1500 kcal or more if that particular individual has a higher energy expenditure.
It requires, therefore, the need for measurement of energy expenditure before setting a diet, because only in this way you can be sure that the weight loss will not result in damage to the metabolism, body composition and eating behavior.
The drastic reduction in caloric intake port, in some subjects, the loss of control, all’iperalimentazione and subsequent weight regain.
The prescriptive nutritional intervention implemented with the calorimeter thus finds its place well-defined educational intervention in obesity.
seen that the indirect calorimetry energy expenditures recorded at rest higher than the values predicted in a large number of subjects with overweight with their prescription diet high calorie diet, behavioral therapy takes great educational benefit from.
4) Damage psychological feelings of guilt
The purpose of complying with a prescribed followed by the inability to implement it in obese subjects leads to contempt, which may lead to increasing bankruptcy depressive thoughts that may compromise the quality of life.
In obese or overweight, with a long history of losing and regaining weight, it is frequently found, or rather it is almost always present, the vicious circle of guilt.
The strict diet intended as a prescription, but primarily as a weight loss messaqgio or purpose without the possibility of transgression, which leads to the development of thoughts and behaviors that perpetuate obesity. Obesity with eating disorders.
The strict diet sooner or later followed by loss of control that leads to an intake of food quantity and how different from normal weight subjects.
The binge is followed by guilt and a depressive state of bankruptcy. This puts in place the mechanisms that lead to metabolic and emotional comfort themselves with more food waiting to have an = other times the desire to start or try something new.
The persistence of this failed state and the depressive experience the burden of guilt that weigh more than the same pound, triggers different mechanisms in different subjects.
The young subjects, with a strong aesthetic motivation associated with a marked body dissatisfaction, vomiting can get to the technical-economic and easy weight loss – or the refusal of food: in the first case to get rid of guilt and the food itself, another not to experience again the feelings of guilt. It is understandable that the two situations represent the prelude to anorexia and bulimia.
A third group of subjects – not so young and with more failures behind-obesity decides to accept the same view of the inability to fail in order slimming;
Acceptance apparent but obliged and able to be hurt less compared to the guilt of which has been the victim several times.