To lose weight, many have the same reflex: eliminate an everyday food. However, nutritionists are clear: it is a false good idea, which may even complicate weight loss in the long term.
Every year, thousands of French people decide to take control of their diet. And almost systematically, a food is found to be responsible for excess pounds. The first days, the results seem to prove this decision right: the needle of the scale goes down, sometimes faster than expected. However, nutrition specialists point out that it is a habit to ban, and that it only slows down all your efforts.
Low-carb diets have largely contributed to this approach: sharply reducing certain foods to lose weight quickly. At first, it is true that it works. When the body receives fewer carbohydrates, it begins to use its glycogen reserves, stored in the muscles and in the liver. What many do not know is that these reserves also hold a significant amount of water. By emptying them, the body eliminates a lot of fluid, and the weight loss observed comes largely from this phenomenon. Body fat often changes much more slowly. The results therefore slow down a few weeks later, and disappointment quickly takes over.
The food most often sacrificed in this logic? The bread. However, specialists are clear: no food alone makes you gain weight, and even less so this one. Weight gain depends above all on an energy imbalance. In other words, when a person consumes more calories than they expend over a long period of time, they gain weight, regardless of where those calories come from. This is why nutritionists are wary of foods presented as the main culprits: in reality, the quantities consumed, the overall quality of meals and the level of physical activity play a much more important role.
It is by completely eliminating bread that the problems often begin. Hunger becomes more present, the desire to snack returns and the diet seems more and more restrictive. Many end up returning to their old habits, and the lost pounds gradually reappear. This is why nutritionists point out that the most effective methods are not those that produce the quickest results, but those that can be maintained over time. A diet that is too restrictive ends up causing the opposite effect to that sought.
In a classic weight loss program, professionals therefore recommend adjusting the portions and distributing the different sources of carbohydrates, including bread, over the day. The objective is not to eliminate an entire category of foods: when a food becomes prohibited, many fall into a logic of deprivation then compensation. Conversely, a balanced diet leaves room for all foods, provided you respect the quantities consumed.
