We have spoken many times of the fad diets, those that we find in the magazines and offer fast results as well as outstanding with respect to other proposals. Because these resources are always within our reach and become frequent at this time of year when summer is approaching, but while there are many reasons to get away from them, the main one is understanding that miracle diets can make us fat and we tell you why.
Severe restriction and metabolic tomb
Miracle diets do not produce a quick and noticeable loss of weight magically, but usually do so through a large caloric restriction that can damage our metabolism and leave us as bad memories, negative effects forever.
Severe calorie restriction and rapid weight loss go hand in hand with the metabolic tomb, that is, the damage in the metabolism that considerably reduces the caloric expenditure of our body, even after the diet has been completed.
Thus, the lower energy expenditure can result in a rebound effect and weight gain after the sudden loss that altered the metabolism.
In addition, a study published in the magazine Obesity Reviews notes that after heavy weight loss due to a significant caloric restriction the body becomes more efficient to store fats and less efficient to burn them, which is undoubtedly another factor by which the miracle diets make us fat.
Stress and weight gain
Miracle diets are not only low in calories but also, often prohibit many socially accepted foods thus preventing us from attending events or at least sharing the same food with friends or family.
All this added to the great self-control demanded by this type of strict diets we can experience stress , anxiety and other mood changes that harm our state of mind.
Scientists at the University of California have shown that very low calorie diets generate stress in the body and the increase in cortisol in the blood can lead to a search for more appetizing foods because the system of reward in the organism is accentuated in preparation for more Caloric and pleasurable, according to a study published in 2007 .
On the other hand, in the face of stress, hormonal alterations occur that push us to eat more and satisfy less, as well as to store more fats, as a study published in Biological Psychology concludes.
Then, the miracle diets can make us gain weight by producing stress in our body.
Loss of muscle mass and lower caloric expenditure
The faster the weight loss that usually goes hand in hand with a great dietary restriction, the greater the chances of losing lean mass within which the muscle is located, as demonstrated in a study published in the International Journal of Obesity.
And since miracle diets tend to be restrictive and promote a sudden loss of weight, they are also the ones that most promote a loss of lean mass and therefore, lead to a lower caloric expenditure that can make us gain weight easily.
This situation can be prevented with a slower weight loss and with diets that do not reduce considerable calories to the diet, but instead, remove calories in moderation, taking care that there is no lack of proteins in it.
In addition, the practice of physical exercise that promotes muscular effort is key to avoid or reduce the loss of lean and muscular mass that are important at the time of conserving the caloric expenditure of the body, as indicated by research published in Sports Medicine.
For all these reasons miracle diets can make you fat and although at first seem to be the solution to the extra kilos the reality is that over time they cause the opposite and can even hinder the achievement of a healthy weight with strategies and resources that we use later.
If you really want to lose weight once and for all, miracle diets are not the solution, but on the contrary, can hinder the achievement of this goal. The solution is not a miracle or a temporary strategy but a change of habits for a lifetime.
