Hypocaloric diets

Overweight and obesity can be defined as an excessive accumulation of fat or adipose tissue in the body. Obesity is considered a chronic disease, of a complicated nature that constitutes a factor that increases the possibilities of suffering from cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, arterial hypertension, and certain types of cancer.

The combination of physical exercise and the consumption of a balanced diet with controlled energy are the most effective ways to reduce overweight and obesity, since they cause the loss of body fat and contribute to the maintenance of muscle mass, avoiding weight gain when returning to the usual diet.

Balanced hypocaloric diets: these are diets aimed at limiting the foods that provide calories to our body, for which the metabolism and the needs of the patient are evaluated, in order to establish a series of daily menus that provide fewer calories than are burned with physical activity, causing our body to obtain from body fat, the remaining amount of calories to meet its energy needs.

The diet is a therapeutic tool to fight overweight and obesity, therefore, it must be elaborated and controlled by qualified health personnel, who will indicate to a specific individual, the guidelines to follow with food and physical exercise, to achieve the recommended or necessary weight loss, without putting the patient's health at risk.

Characteristics of balanced hypocaloric diets.

They should provide fewer calories than our body needs, maintaining the supply of all the necessary nutrients. Diets should be individualized, taking into account some aspects such as health status, the amount of weight that needs to be reduced, age and sex.

Physical activities should be planned to help in weight reduction and to maintain muscle mass, which tends to decrease when hypocaloric diets are consumed. 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. They should include nutrient-dense foods, such as skim milk, vegetables and greens. They may constitute a health risk, so it is recommended that they be guided by nutrition specialists.

Role of physical activity in the effectiveness of balanced low-calorie diets

One of the main disadvantages of hypocaloric diets is the reduction of muscle mass, which causes a decrease in daily energy expenditure. To avoid the loss of muscle mass, it is recommended to perform physical activities for more than 30 minutes a day. Example: aerobic exercises.

The practice of sports or the performance of physical activities, causes a greater sense of general well-being, avoiding the appearance of anxiety, depression, and other moods that favor the uncontrolled ingestion of food. Regular physical exercise improves the individual's self-esteem, facilitating modifications in lifestyle and consumption patterns.

Health risks caused by the consumption of low-calorie diets

Low calorie diets can cause the weakening of the immune system when calorie intakes are reduced too much, and energy levels in the body are depressed, the body launches a stress signal, which releases the production of cortisol, a steroid hormone, which among its main functions is to suppress the immune system, opening the door to infectious diseases.

Manifestations of extreme physical exhaustion: the continuous high production of cortisol causes the adrenal glands, responsible for its secretion, to be exhausted, and as a consequence, a lack of the hormone is produced, resulting in the sensation of tiredness and extreme physical exhaustion.

Nutrient deficiencies: diets with reductions of more than 1000 kilocalories per day can cause nutrient deficiencies, which affect health with different degrees of seriousness and different clinical manifestations.

Absolute contraindications of hypocaloric diets

During pregnancy and breastfeeding. Individuals with a history of bulimia or anorexia nervosa. In patients with diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, cushing's disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes. Caution should be taken and close monitoring should be performed in patients with congestive heart failure, arterial hypertension, and angina pectoris.

Other types of low-calorie diets

Very low calorie diets or modified fasting: these are characterized by being very low in calories, providing only between 400 and 800 kilocalories per day. They represent a considerable health risk.

Unbalanced hypocaloric diets: these are characterized by imbalances in the macronutrient content; there are different types, depending on the percentage of the macronutrient that is modified. They represent a considerable health risk.

Miracle diets: these are diets that are disseminated through non-specialized media, elaborated without adequate scientific evidence, which are generally disseminated using phrases that promise results that are practically impossible to achieve. They represent a high health risk.

Other hypocaloric diets not recommended: dissociative diets, exclusionary diets, ketogenic diets, soup diet, blood group diet and moon diet.

Miracle diets

They are ineffective or dangerous diets, without a proven scientific basis, which are disseminated using various strategies and pseudo-scientific arguments to convince of their benefits, such as:

• They promise rapid weight loss, "more than 5 kilograms per month".

• They claim that they are "completely safe", or "without health risks".

Most miracle diets are very restrictive in calories, which can cause the following health disorders:

• Cause protein, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, due to the lack of consumption of some foods.

• They favor the appearance of eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia.

• When these diets are abandoned, the lost weight is quickly regained, since they do not contribute to change the lifestyle and eating habits that caused the obesity.