What to do if ??? ....   [back to the Category]

Weight loss dietetics   [read the french version]

Author :   Dr Paule Nathan

Many female dancers have to slim in order to reach their "ideal" weight. This slimming must be properly carried out so that muscular-mass is maintained to the detriment of fatty-mass. It is, above all, essential to apply the rules of a balanced diet so that weight is maintained afterwards and lost kilos are not put back on.

Our nutrition has changed, we eat more calories
Our intake levels have been considerably increased as a result of greater food availability which results from modern technology and an increase in the standard of living. The amount we eat has increased because we nibble sweet and/or fatty foods. This excessive food intake increases energy imbalance.
The foods eaten then, are foods which are high in calories but small in volume and which are not filling. Consequently, we are soon hungry and we eat again. We should, ideally, not eat outside of mealtimes and we should, if necessary, have a light meal during the afternoon.
For example, a chocolate bar contains about 300 Calories, a small chocolate-filled pastry or currant bun has more than 300 Calories. Every time we eat 100g of peanuts, walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts, we consume 600 Calories!!! Add it up for yourself.
A pot of chocolate mousse has the same calorific value as 120g of meat accompanied by 200g of cooked rice and a portion of strawberries.
A 50g chocolate covered chocolate bar or chocolate cereal bar contains 225 Cal (or 450 Cal for 100g), 1 x 70g chocolate-filled pastry contains 270 Cal.
This calorie intake level can be shown as:
- 100g of fish; sole or cod (70 Cal)
- 200g of cooked vegetables, carrots, French beans, or cauliflower (50 Cal) with a knob of butter (35 Cal) or a tablespoon of crème fraîche (30 Cal, 20 if low fat)
- 1 natural yoghurt 50 Cal
- a good portion of strawberries (40 Cal)
- a 30g slice of bread (80 Cal)
This, of course, is a complete meal which satisfies the organism and, above all, provides vitamins, trace elements and minerals in the right amounts. Add it up for yourself. The tendency is to nibble food containing lots of calories in a small volume and, therefore, with this food intake level to eat almost a double meal. They are foods that we eat quickly but that induce little or no effect of satiety. They have a very high carbohydrate and fat content. And we are, very often, hungry again soon afterwards because they are not "filling".
If a would-be ballet dancer wants to maintain his weight, he must take his bad eating habits into consideration.
On the other hand, some dancers inflict restrictions on themselves which are far too drastic for rapidly growing organisms. Female dancers are especially terrified of putting on weight and eat less from an earlier and earlier age. This, in the long term, can only develop anarchic eating habits and a bad relationship with food.

To lose weight, it is essential that you follow a balanced diet as regularly as possible. It must be combined with regular physical exercise. This is crucial in order to increase energy expenditure, harmonise metabolic control of fats and carbohydrates, maintain muscular-mass and, in the long term, obtain a good weight stabilization. A good diet will not make you lose a lot of weight over a very short period of time. A good diet will maintain the lost weight whilst you follow a balanced diet afterwards. There is, in the first instance, a risk of inducing an ascending yo-yo effect, with weight inflation each time you diet. In the second, you obtain a lower weight stabilization. In actual fact, regular and progressive weight loss is the only way to achieve a long term weight stability.


To lose weight, it is advisable to eat a regular, balanced protein diet.
You must not eat less. Your organism gets used to a drop in the calorie intake level. By eating less, there is a risk that you will suffer from malnutrition and lose your muscles whilst keeping your kilos. To lose weight, you must eat differently in such a way that your organism accepts that it must use up its fat reserves in the fatty tissue. Otherwise you will achieve the exact opposite and you will stock more during the next meal. One meal per day encourages lipogenesis (increase of fatty tissue), three even four meals spread out over the day encourages lipolysis (loss of fatty tissue).

To lose weight, you must chew slowly whilst eating.
Look around you. Overweight people do not necessarily eat more but they bolt their meals. Slim people do not eat less but they eat slower. Chewing aids digestion in that the food is ground up by the teeth. It also helps in the pre-digestion of the food because the food becomes saturated with enzyme rich saliva. On the other hand, the chewing action stimulates the satiety and hunger centres in the hypothalamus. When we chew slowly whilst eating, we feel fuller quicker and it takes longer for us to feel hungry before the next meal. You can make it easier for yourself by putting your fork down between each mouthful, or you can count to 20 whilst chewing each mouthful. You can practise eating with your eyes closed so that the meal fills you up better.

You should not feel hungry whilst on a diet.
Hunger is a sign that tells the conscience that there is an energy deficiency, in particular a lack of carbohydrates for the brain. The stocking mechanism is stimulated as of this moment and if you nibble food high in carbohydrates such as a biscuit or some chocolate, etc., it will be quickly integrated into the fatty tissue. A well-structured diet should not induce sensations of hunger unless the rules are not followed properly or if suggested diet rations are cut back too far in order to lose weight faster.

To slim is to lose weight to the detriment of fatty tissue.
A well controlled diet uses up fat reserves and spares noble tissue such as the muscular-mass, the heart and bones.
There will inevitably be a tendency towards weight gain as soon as the diet is stopped, if weight loss is achieved to the detriment of muscular tissue. In actual fact, energy expenditure is dependant on the muscular-mass which is the active mass. Therefore, a reduction in muscular-mass will result in a reduction of energy requirements. This is why we recommend that a regular separate physical activity be combined for the duration of the diet with a protein intake equal to 1g of protein per kilo of weight per day.

A diet should control the secretion of insulin.
Insulin is an hormone secreted by the pancreas. It controls blood sugar levels and the amount of sugar that goes to the tissues. It is responsible for the stocking of fat in fatty tissues. Excess food, unbalanced meals, the abuse of sweets and sweet foods, excess weight in itself and even stress, are responsible for the over secretion of insulin, and therefore a tendency to put on weight. As excess weight in itself can cause disorders in insulin secretion, it creates a vicious circle for itself. The fatter we are, the fatter we become and the more we have an increased sensitivity towards food. A small piece of tart will make an overweight person put on weight far more easily than a slim person. This problem can be limited by reducing the intake levels of sugar and sweet foods especially on an empty stomach and encouraging a protein intake level (fish, chicken, lean meat, milk products, skimmed wherever possible) and food fibre (cooked vegetables, wholemeal bread). We recommend, in some cases, that you eat a light meal in the afternoon before you feel hungry so that metabolic disorders can be prevented.

To lose weight, you must eat a copious breakfast.
A good breakfast sets you up for the day and makes sure that you are not hungry and lose weight properly. If you skip the morning meal, your organism, not having eaten since the previous day, will have a tendency to stock the lunchtime meal. Therefore, eat a copious breakfast. It should represent between 25 to 30% of the daily calorie ration so that the 11 o'clock and 4 o'clock hunger pains, which very often lead to the nibbling of predominantly sweet foods, are avoided. Combine a cereal product such as bread, rusks or cereals, one or several low fat milk products, a drink and, depending on your appetite, a fruit or chilled fruit juice or unsweetened stewed fruit.

My advice:
The same actions will cause the same effects so fill out a food diary before you start your diet so that you are aware of your mistakes and do not repeat them once the kilos are lost.
The most common mistakes are: a lack of breakfast or a breakfast containing too many carbohydrates, a lack of cooked green vegetables, too much cheese, incorrect protein intake levels with sweet food abuse, an overlarge evening meal, an excess of fattening foods such as pizzas, quiches, chocolate, biscuits and sweet foods, etc.


It is said that:
To lose weight, meals must be dissociated.
FALSE. Dissociated foods can be responsible for short term weight loss. But we very quickly put back on all our kilos because we are not following the rules of meal structure.

Diets are complicated.
FALSE. The rules are relatively simple to follow. The important thing is to fight against the passivity and lack of willpower that are often responsible for a diet being stopped.
Learn to structure lunchtime and evening meals by combining protein (fish, chicken, meat, egg) with vegetables (especially cooked in order to avoid bloating) and skimmed milk products.

Hunger is not the same as the desire to eat.
True. Hunger is a sign that tells the organism that the brain needs carbohydrates. It is said that hunger begins in the stomach. The desire to eat is in the head more. It is often linked to dietary behaviour disorders resulting from stress, boredom or depression. The solution, in the first instance, is dietary. The other involves using methods such as relaxation, yoga or psychotherapy to achieve an improved condition and self-confidence.


Slimming list or foods allowed at will.
@ Low fat protein.
Any grilled fish, lean meat, chicken, game that has not been hung and shellfish.
@ Green vegetables. Steamed, baked or in a thick soup. Eat them cooked for a better digestion.
@ Low fat milk products.
Skimmed milk in powder or in liquid form, natural yoghurts, fromage frais.
@ drinks without salt, without sugar and without herbs or spices
@ Herbs and spices

Fattening list or foods to be avoided.
Food with a high fat content such as avocados, dishes with sauces, fatty meat, sauces and high fat cheese.
Sweet foods such as ice-cream, sweetened drinks, cakes and pastries. Alcohol in any form.

Some foods are limited.
Butter, oil, foods with high starch levels, bread, fruit, cheese, lump sugar. Their intake levels will be in line with the recommended calorie intake levels.

My advice:
Learn to cook without using fat. It is possible to prepare veal in a white sauce, braised beef or a curry without using fat. Learning to cook without fat guarantees the long term success of a diet.
Eat as much fruit and vegetables as possible for their vitamin content. But have tinned and frozen in stock.