Food reeducation – how to do it? it works? lose weight?

Dietary reeducation is initially a complicated way, but it is the healthiest and most effective way to lose weight permanently. vegetables and lean meats instead of cakes, cookies, soft drinks, sandwiches and “heavy” foods, such as feijoada, fried foods and lasagna, for example.

Undoubtedly this is the most efficient way to lose weight, without going through the famous accordion effect, is to have a regulated diet, so food reeducation  can really help you lose weight with health.

What is food reeducation?

Food reeducation is the process of learning, raising awareness and gradually changing eating habits.

How to do a food reeducation?

We describe below what, in general, is recommended for each meal of a healthy eating menu. Your portions may vary depending on your daily calorie need:

1. Breakfast should contain juice or whole fruit, some milk derivatives and some whole-grain fiber (toast, bread or breakfast cereal);
2. Lunch should contain a protein (red meat, chicken , egg , seafood, etc.), a food rich in fiber and protein (rice, pasta, bread, oatmeal , flaxseed ), legumes and vegetables (generous portions), and a fruit in the form of juice or dessert;
3. Intermediate snacks can contain a selection of oilseeds (nuts, pistachios, almonds), dried fruits, yogurt, cereal bars, fruits and fit cookies;
4. At dinner, the menu can be very similar to lunch, decreasing carbohydrate-rich foods and increasing vegetables.

Tips for starting a food reeducation:

1. You need to change the way you think about food. Of course, eating is one of the greatest pleasures of being human, and it doesn’t mean you won’t be able to eat what you like anymore, but you’ll need to find a balance between all things.

2. Identify your biggest eating mistakes and if possible eliminate them. But start slowly, try to set specific goals that are easy to achieve. For example, if one of your biggest problems is the desire to eat sweets, and you eat sweets every day, sometimes more than once, try to reduce the frequency, every other day, for example.

3. This decision must come from you. If you are doing it out of obligation, because someone is insisting, it will be harder to persist. The moment you make that decision, you are ready to begin.

Other tips for starting a food reeducation:

• Sweets are allowed, but sporadically and in small quantities;
• Avoid the consumption of processed foods and fast food;
• Include whole foods in your menu;
• Drink 8 to 10 glasses of water a day;
• Practice physical activity regularly;
• Avoid the consumption of foods rich in fat such as: fried foods, fatty meats, yellow cheeses, butter;
• Replace sodas with natural fruit juices.

How to lose weight with a food reeducation?

There are many formulas to calculate adequate energy intake per day, but there is a very simple and practical formula that works very well and is taught in nutrition courses. With this formula, we can start a real food reeducation :

• To lose weight: multiply 20 or 25 by your current weight.
• To maintain weight: multiply 25 or 30 by your current weight.
• To gain weight: multiply 30 or 35 by your current weight.

For example, if you are 70 kg and want to lose weight, multiply 70 by 20 (or even 25) and you will reach 1,400 calories in the day. Consuming this amount will help you lose weight.

Note: We do not recommend diets with less than 1,000 calories a day as it can harm the functioning of your body, which needs at least that amount to keep all systems in good condition.

After reaching a daily calorie value, you need to distribute them among the macronutrients (carbs, proteins and fats) in your diet. The distribution should look something like this:

• Carbohydrates: 50 – 55%;
• Proteins : 15 – 25%;
• Fats: 25 – 30%.

If you’ve never practiced any physical activity, start slowly. Choose something that gives you pleasure and practice twice a week. Then increase it to 3, then 4. And when you see it, you will feel the need to “move” every day. Physical activities combined with food reeducation will help you a lot to have a great quality of life.