From the first days of spring, women's magazines have been pestering us to lose our extra pounds and to get rid of the little rolls of fat we accumulated during the winter months when we tend to eat more fat or more sugar. The proposed programs are always very promising: "How to lose 5 kilos in a week? How to lose 3 centimeters of waist in 3 days? "And so on.

The proposed diet plans are eye-catching, but are they really interesting for the consumer? Aren't they dangerous? And do they really make you lose weight in the long term? Between the hyper-protein diet, the dissociated diet, the restrictive diet, the point diet, the paleolithic diet, etc., all are put forward while praising their own merits. And very often the results are positive, the weight loss can be incredible but also dangerous. The implementation of a diet is a total upheaval for the body, the body sees its food intake change and it must reorganize itself to find its balance.

And what about the next step?

It is rarely mentioned, but the stabilization phases are not emphasized in these programs and dieters are often left to fend for themselves without any medical advice or follow-up. And the result is without appeal: a partial, total or sometimes even greater weight regain.
This balance has a huge impact on the mind which is also turned upside down, the body must react to this change whether it is physical or emotional. An entire organization is being held hostage. Therefore, very often diets are accompanied by frustration, lack of energy, melancholy or mood swings.

Do you think dieting is good for you?

In naturopathy, we really avoid the use of the word "diet" which is very pejorative and more and more scary. We mainly opt for a food rebalancing which is, moreover, much more interesting in the long term. Here are some keys to optimal weight loss without frustration and without danger:

• Reduce food portions little by little: first by changing the size of your plate and then by reducing the amount of food on your plate.
• Don't overeat and enjoy every bite.
• Proportion your plate as follows: 60% green vegetables, 20% animal or vegetable proteins and 20% cereals.
• Opt for quality foods, ideally organically grown, which will be more nourishing and satiating.
• Start your meal with a raw food, such as raw vegetables, which will avoid the phenomenon of digestive leukocytosis.
• Drink plenty of water throughout the day but avoid drowning your meal: Don't drink more than 30 minutes before your meal and 2 hours after.
• Eat the right fats. We always think that eating fat makes us fat, but if we adopt a healthy diet with quality fats, they will even be beneficial for the body, especially the cells and the brain. Choose your organic vegetable oils of first cold pressure and virgin. And don't forget the benefits of the avocado, this healthy fruit that you can eat in a salad for example.
• Shop more carefully and avoid industrial prepared meals that have a list of ingredients too full of additives that promote obesity.
• Complement yourself if necessary in vitamins, minerals and trace elements.
• Of course, a sedentary lifestyle is the number one enemy of excess weight, so it is important to practice some form of sports activity, even if it is only light. We recommend, for example, 30 minutes of walking a day, at your own pace and making it a time of pleasure.

Losing weight means taking your time

If you give your body the ideal foods in pure conditions and in the right amount, the body will do things perfectly and it will give you the weight you need to be healthy. Don't try to go beyond your body's limits.
Also forget about advertising clichés that push you to lose too much weight. Beauty is within, the important thing is that your weight is the one that corresponds to your optimal health.