To lose weight there are many diets that are available to us. Therefore, we tell you what the hormonal diet and what the science says about its effectiveness for weight loss.
What is the hormonal diet?
Hormones are closely linked to the functioning of our metabolism and the health of the organism. Therefore, the hormonal diet maintains that the difficulty when losing weight lies in the malfunction of hormones.
Thus, the hormonal diet proposes to manipulate or “reset” our body’s hormones to promote rapid weight loss.
This diet is carried out in three steps, with a total duration of six weeks. Namely:
- Step 1: two weeks of detox that intends to leave behind the consumption of certain foods and nutrients; eliminating, among other things, alcoholic beverages, caffeine, gluten, added sugar, dairy products, red meat and citrus fruits. While, it is recommended to increase the consumption of vegetables, fruits, fish, soy, vegetable drinks, nuts and whole grains without gluten.
- Step 2: two weeks of food reintroduction in which some of the foods prohibited in the first weeks of detox are incorporated, but it is advisable to stop consuming a large number of ultra-processed foods.
- Step 3: reinforcement of complementary activities such as practicing physical exercise to activate hormones and focus not only on eating, but also on sleep, emotional balance, stress and exercise.
As you can see, the nutritional recommendations of the hormonal diet focus on reduce the intake of foods poor in nutritional terms and concentrated in calories such as a source of sugars and alcohol; while it encourages the consumption of low energy density and satiating foods due to their richness in protein and fiber such as fruits, vegetables, fish or others.
The rights and wrongs of the hormonal diet
The hormonal diet has good messages and recommendationsfocusing not only on diet but also on exercise, and can be helpful in changing habits.
This is one of the great successes of the proposal, promoting, among other things, the reduced intake of ultra-processed foods and foods concentrated in calories without quality nutrients.
Encouraging the consumption of fresh foods with low energy density is another great success of the hormonal diet, which can certainly promote weight loss by facilitating the achievement of a caloric deficit.
However, the food banthe non-personalization and the temporality that characterize the hormonal diet are the big mistakes Of the same.
The fact of do not take into account particularities but to offer a universal alternative in which some foods are prohibited and quantities are not detailed, it can be one of the great obstacles of this alternative that at the same time, set for a limited time.
Prohibiting foods is not beneficial when losing weight, nor is it advisable to resort to temporary alternatives or those that are established for a certain time, but the key to losing weight by changing habits is turn to proposals that are sustainable over time, that is, they can last and generate adherence.
Does it really work? What science says about it
Nowadays, no studies on hormonal diet itself. However, it is known that it is possible to control the secretion of certain hormones through what we eat and our habits.
Furthermore, science confirms that food ban only achieves more craving or cravings for those foods that should be avoided. Therefore, prohibition is never favorable when losing weight, but it is advisable to learn to control the quantity and frequency with which certain foods with higher calories and lower nutritional quality are consumed.
On the other hand, there are studies that indicate that there is no diet more effective than another, but that the best option is the one that generates long-term adherence. A temporary alternative such as the hormonal diet would not be a favorable option, since it cannot be sustained over time but only lasts six weeks.
Clearly, This diet has many qualities to improve to become a valid option that allows weight loss while we take care of our health; but it also has many positive tips that we recommend considering, such as reducing ultra-processed foods, sugars or alcohol, and also physical exercise as a dietary supplement.
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