10 Myths about weight loss

If I want to lose weight I have to close my mouth and go hungry

In order to lose weight we do not have to go hungry, although it is necessary to control the quantity and quality of the food ingested. How? According to Teresa Branco, "this will depend on the metabolism of each person, because the number of calories that each one needs daily to stay alive and perform all activities varies." "There are people who can lose weight by ingesting more calories because their metabolism allows it, but others need a greater calorie restriction," she says. To make this evaluation in a reliable way, Instituto Teresa Branco uses the specialized technology rarely used for this purpose (it is mainly used in research), and through the expired and inspired gases, allows to evaluate the basal metabolism with great precision.

According to the specialist, this method differs from those commonly found in clinics and gyms because it indicates the exact amount of daily calories needed for each individual in question, rather than using mean reference values for the same individual only according to with sex, age and body mass. "Usually, the approaches available to assess metabolism are unreliable and indicate a number of calories spent higher than the true", which causes people to eat more than they need, ie the goal of weight loss is compromised soon after start.

It is based on the assessment made that the food approach should be proposed. Whether it includes a frequent caloric intake (every two or three hours, for example) or if you propose longer periods without eating anything, it depends: "Science shows us that in both approaches there is a weight loss that can be effective, depending on the person, their metabolism, lifestyle and emotional and psychological characteristics, hence the need for a good diagnosis. "This was proven in a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition, in which the researchers compared the effects of the two diets, concluding that there are no statistically significant differences between both, that is, the both can be used to lose weight.

The second Myth about Weight Loss will be published soon, stay tuned!