Nutritionist Jean-Michel Cohen warns against a very widespread practice which gives you a clear conscience in the moment, but which slows down long-term results.
Social networks and promises of miracle diets maintain the idea that all it takes is one click to see the scales move in the right direction. However, the reality on the ground is more nuanced. Indeed, health professionals regularly remind us that diet is not just about adding calories. This is linked to the rhythms of life, daily constraints and habits. Changing all of this requires a minimum of strategy and there is a trap that we must not fall into according to nutritionist Jean-Michel Cohen.
In offices and during consultations, the same pattern often comes up among people who are starting a process to lose weight. The first days are marked by strong involvement, with very precise rules and constant attention paid to what is eaten. At the moment, this rigor can give the feeling of doing well, but this permanent vigilance ends up taking its toll, because it mobilizes a lot of mental energy and leaves little room for flexibility.
It is this gap between the rules that we impose on ourselves and the reality of everyday life that Jean-Michel Cohen points out when he explains on the microphone of Europe 1: “This is the biggest mistake to make. These people will not last, they will be overtaken by what we call sensory stimulation, that is to say the taste of food and the pleasure of eating. And eventually, they will end up breaking down, eating again.”
Some people can even compensate for this discomfort by eating more afterwards, not out of hunger, but to relieve this tension, a sequence well known to specialists in eating behavior. Here again, the nutritionist warns: “They will be overcome with guilt, which can also encourage them to eat more to forget this guilt.”
In this context, the recommendations are based on progression, with adjustments allowing time for new habits to establish themselves without creating too sudden a break.
“In reality, you have to start moderately by eating healthily, less fat and without alcohol, and then if you want to toughen up your diet, to go on a diet a little more, you will do it, but once you have reached a level of stability”, advises Jean-Michel Cohen. As you will have understood, when it comes to weight loss, patience remains the best ally.
