3. Illusory promises and traps to avoid
3.1. Myths and falsehoods about weight loss
There are many misconceptions circulating in the press, media, social media, and in discussions among people about diet and weight loss strategies. These myths and untruths can distract users from truly relevant approaches that are suited to their situation/profile. For example, the idea that slimming products are the solution to weight problems is widespread. Thus, we find products offered online and in pharmacies, especially after the end-of-year holidays or as summer approaches, that claim to promote weight loss and fat loss, such as pills, slimming creams, certain dietary supplements or potions (called fat burners),"magic" drinks, etc., whose effectiveness is not scientifically proven and which we advise against using.
As we mentioned in the introduction, weight loss is a multifactorial and complex challenge that must be approached on the basis of valid scientific principles and techniques (tested and published in peer-reviewed scientific journals and not with a pseudo satisfaction survey) with the help of competent and experienced professionals such as doctors, nutritionists, psychologists, APAS teachers, etc. Indeed, the lack of knowledge and skills in the field of weight loss will be the cause of many common errors and the search for (too) easy solutions that will turn out to be ineffective. It is first important to know and identify your basic energy and nutritional needs, which we presented in Chapter 2, in order not to fall into the trap of extreme dietary restrictions.
Indeed, among the myths we very frequently find the idea that draconian diets (very low in calories) would be the most effective"miracle" method. As we mentioned in chapter 2, severe calorie restrictions will, for example, lead to an increase in the hormone ghrelin, which will result in increased feelings of hunger and the risk of cravings. Considering and adapting dietary approaches over the long term, taking into account in particular the energy balance between energy intake and expenditure (for example, by increasing physical activity while having an adapted diet) will help maintain hormonal balance and promote weight loss or maintenance depending on the set objective. Indeed, outside of medical devices (supervised by health professionals), very (too) rapid weight loss should be avoided because it is rarely sustainable. Indeed, it is possible to lose weight by means of ultra-restrictive diets (e.g., low-calorie diets) but these do not meet the body's needs and, in addition, by resorting to them, you risk falling victim to the"yo-yo" effect that we will now discuss.
The"yo-yo" effect is a vicious circle observed when people who are or consider themselves to be overweight, will follow a strict (draconian) diet very low in calories and therefore unbalanced and not adapted to their daily energy and nutritional needs. These people will quickly lose weight, but mainly muscle mass as well as water contained in their tissues. This will have the consequence of reducing their basal metabolism (their body will therefore"burn" fewer calories at rest) but also of generating frustration, stress as well as significant fatigue. They will then most likely abandon this overly restrictive, frustrating diet and will return to their generally unsuitable eating habits, or will even ingest foods that give back pleasure (i.e., sugary and fatty foods found in fast food, confectionery and processed foods sold in stores). With a slowed-down basal metabolism, people will quickly return to their pre-diet weight and likely gain additional kilos, thus increasing their BMI again by also increasing their body fat percentage. Moreover, the consequences will not only
