Water, an essential element for life

There is an important sector of the population interested in losing weight, some of them consider that the best way to do it is by following the advice of experts in medicine and nutrition; others, on the contrary, think that it is not necessary to go to a health professional to achieve it, running the risk of following an ineffective or dangerous diet, which instead of improving their quality of life, puts their health at risk.

To eliminate the extra kilos, it is not enough to go on a diet for one season, but to make lifestyle changes that allow us to reduce the weight and keep it off afterwards. To achieve this, we must have the motivation and awareness for health care; in addition, the support of the family environment and the guidance and assessment of qualified health personnel is necessary.

Expert opinion and daily experience show that in weight loss processes, relapses are frequent because they are treated through dietary adjustments and the practice of exercises, without taking into account the underlying psychological components and inadequate eating habits.

Main characteristics that distinguish the nutritional coaching process for weight loss:

• Weight loss through the nutritional coaching process is based on the acquisition of good eating habits, to favor on the one hand the development of a healthy life; and on the other hand, to forge a new character in the individual, which drives him/her to the achievement of his/her goals.
• The nutritional coaching process contributes to create and promote effective personal motivations, taking into account that relapses in attempts to lose weight do not occur in many cases due to lack of knowledge, but because the lack of motivation, far from promoting good results, becomes a brake, causing discouragement and feelings of failure, causing people to resort back to old unhealthy habits, quickly regaining the lost weight.

Well-defined and realistic goals are established. The end goal and the performance or partial goals play different roles in the nutrition coaching process:

• End goals in the coaching process should provide inspiration and motivation. Even if their realization does not occur in the short term, there must be certainty of their realization; for this purpose, performance or partial goals must be established that allow reaching the fulfillment of the final goals in the best possible way.
• The performance or partial goals must be the guide to reach the final goal; they must be clear and measurable, in order to establish commitments and responsibilities; they must also be a reliable means to evaluate progress.
• Periodic recognition of the client's achievements is made. When the fulfillment of important partial objectives is highlighted, and the coachee's sacrifice and good work are recognized, motivations are activated, so that they continue to encourage the process of change.

Nutritional requirements of food during the coaching process.

The food must guarantee the supply of all the necessary nutrients, without exceeding the energy levels that our organism needs. Individual aspects such as state of health, the amount of weight that needs to be reduced, age and sex should be taken into account when preparing the diet.

Nutrient-dense foods such as skim milk, vegetables and greens should be consumed daily. Our eating habits should not change drastically.

Healthier habits should be adopted, but little by little, to achieve adequate acceptance. Weight reduction should be long-term, to avoid very restrictive diets that do not provide the necessary levels of nutrients.

It is important to design physical activities that contribute to weight loss and help preserve muscle mass, which tends to be reduced when following low-calorie diets.

Role of physical activity in the nutritional coaching process for weight loss.

It helps to maintain the right energy balance between calories ingested and calories expended, a fundamental aspect in body weight control.

Participating in sports or physical activities generates a general sense of well-being, which helps prevent anxiety, depression and other moods that can lead to uncontrolled eating. Regular physical exercise boosts people's self-esteem, which facilitates changes in their lifestyle and eating habits.

One of the main disadvantages of weight loss is the reduction of muscle mass. To avoid the loss of muscle mass, it is recommended to perform physical activities for more than thirty minutes a day. Example: Aerobic exercises.

How to strengthen motivation?

Throughout the coaching process we must ask ourselves why we want to lose weight to feel better, to look more athletic, not to receive criticism from our partner, etc.. Every month take some pictures of yourself to observe the change achieved in your body, this will allow you to recognize that little by little you are moving away from the figure you reject.

Weigh yourself weekly, measure your perimeter at the hips, waist, arms, etc.; record and control in a diary all the parameters that allow you to evaluate the results. Analyze and write down all the aspects that could have influenced the results.

High goals should be planned even if they are difficult to achieve; low or modest goals take us away from the goal and affect motivation. Celebrate your achievements, share them with family and friends; try to involve others so that they know your experiences; if you manage to add other people, you will be encouraged to continue, you will share good eating habits, you will do physical and recreational activities with positive people.

Recommendations to transform some eating habits:

• Try to keep fixed meal times, and avoid eating food outside those times.
• You should not skip meals, prolonged fasting triggers the body's defense mechanisms and activates physiological processes aimed at increasing the levels of stored fat.
• Try to use smaller plates, and gradually reduce the amounts to be eaten.
• Enjoy your meals, eat slowly, chewing your food well.
• Do not wait until you feel full to stop eating, finish when you run out of food.
• Avoid eating while watching television since it will distract you and you will not be able to control the amount of food you are taking.
• Control what you are going to eat, to achieve this, do not eat food by taking it directly from the center of the table; serve yourself on a plate everything you are going to eat and do not add other foods during the meal.

Role of nutritional information during weight loss processes.

Knowledge of the nutritional properties of foods, of healthy diets, their role in the prevention of many diseases and in the maintenance and preservation of quality of life, are indispensable for the monitoring of behaviors, attitudes and safe habits, which guarantee individual self-care, throughout the whole process of changes associated with food and lifestyle.

The coach must evaluate the coachee's level of literacy on nutritional aspects, in order to outline strategies that allow him/her to instruct, clarify doubts and discard misconceptions that could hinder the process.

How to avoid emotional eating?

If we want to eat healthy, we have to learn to eat consciously, moti