6 reader questions about healthy dieting

1. How do I lose my pension kilos?

At the beginning of 2012, I took early retirement. I used to cycle to work: 72 kilometers a week. Although I eat healthy and moderately, I have gained three kilos in the meantime. How do I get it off?
“Stopping work means a different rhythm and different habits. Fortunately, you ring the bell in time, and you haven’t gained much weight yet. If you continue to eat moderately, you can probably maintain this weight with some effort.

It is wiser to go more to move and thus maintain your fitness, strength and muscle mass. The more muscle mass, the more calories you burn. Find a way to fit extra exercise into your life. For example, take the bike more often. Or try something new, such as tennis, Nordic walking, fitness or swimming. With an active lifestyle you can also eat a little more.

2. How do I get rid of my belly fat?

“Many women get a different figure during the transition. Fat that used to settle on the hips and buttocks now sticks around the waist. The waist disappears and fat rolls appear on the stomach. This is caused by changes in the hormone balance. Unfortunately, belly fat (the ‘apple figure’) is more harmful to health than fat on the hips (the pear figure).

Taking hormones to get rid of the belly is not the solution, because they have many side effects. Preventing you from gaining weight is the best medicine. Doing (strength) sports to keep muscle mass intact is also a good strategy. Little consolation: belly fat is easier to lose than hip fat. And if you manage to lose weight, the belt can quickly be tightened.

3. How do I avoid arriving again?

On the advice of an internist, I lost 19 kilograms in 2009 under the guidance of a dietician. I followed a calorie-restricted diet for a few weeks (that was difficult), then ate a carbohydrate-free diet for a few months (went well) and then I started eating according to the Montignac method. I ended up weighing 73 kilos.

Because I now have a different job, I move less and I have gained 5 kilograms. I went back to a carb-free diet, tried to lose weight with protein shakes, followed the Atkins diet, and did intense abs for weeks. Not a kilo is lost! Can you give me advice?

“It’s great that you have lost 20 percent of your body weight. Your health will have improved considerably. It is indeed difficult to maintain that new weight. This is first of all, however sour, precisely because of the weight loss. You weigh much less, so you have less energy is required, so you can no longer eat as much as you used to.The effect is permanent.

You notice that your weight is slowly increasing. This is also because you move less. Try to fit more exercise into your daily routine. Abdominal Exercises are fine, but it takes a long time to see any effect. Therefore also train leg, back and arm muscles, for example in the gym.

It is better not to start crash diets with the help of protein shakes or the Atkins diet: they are one-sided and cannot be sustained for long. Looking at your diet history, I think healthy foods with moderate carbohydrate intake will work best for you. So little sweets, sugar, bread, pasta and potatoes. Lots of salads, vegetables and protein-rich products such as fish, meat, eggs and legumes. This diet can also be maintained in the long term. It satiates and makes the craving for sweet disappear.

4. How do I lose weight with diabetes?

I have since fifteen years type 2 diabetes mellitus, or ‘old age sugar’. I struggle with being overweight. That is why I have already followed different diets. I’ve been to a dietician and have taken pills and nutritional supplements, but I can’t lose weight. I use several types of medicines, including for blood pressure and diabetes. What could be the reason that I don’t lose weight, and that I ‘yo-yo’ when I lose a few pounds?

“I can imagine that it sometimes makes you despondent. You are an example of someone whose health would improve enormously from weight loss. By losing weight, your blood sugar level will improve. Your blood pressure and cholesterol level will also decrease. This positive effect starts with a few pounds of weight loss.

I advise you to take it easy this time. Do not opt ​​for a strict diet, but for a little more exercise and some small changes in your diet. You may lose ‘only’ a few kilos per year, but in the long run it does make a difference. A strict diet deviates so much from the normal eating pattern that most people crave their ‘old’ food again afterwards. And then the lost pounds are back on in no time. With slow weight loss you learn to really change your eating habits, and that has lasting effect. Maybe find another good dietitian with whom it clicks, for long-term weight loss?”

5. Do you lose weight from water with lime juice?

Someone told me that you lose weight faster if you drink a liter of water with the juice of a squeezed lime every day. Delicious, certainly chilled, but does it work?

“There are no miracle cures. Yet the tip is not so bad, at least: what it is to drink water Re. Because that does have a positive effect on weight, especially when the water is cold. If you drink one or two glasses of water before a meal, your stomach will be filled, so you will eat less. The cold splash also cools the body somewhat and it takes energy to warm up again. The kidneys and nervous system are also put to work by drinking cold water. This only requires a little bit of energy, but every little bit helps. Keep on drinking nice fresh water – with or without lime!”

6. Is there finally a good weight loss pill?

I’ve been trying to lose weight for years and I’m slowly getting sick of it. If you have finally lost weight after a diet or intensive exercise for a while, you will gain it again! Is there a pill that can help you lose weight permanently?

“The slimming pill does not exist. Most pills have only a small effect. There are, for example, agents that block the absorption of fat. Other pills reduce appetite. You lose a few kilos at most and they often have many side effects.

Recently, two new slimming pills have come on the market in America: Belviq and Qsymia. It is not yet known whether and when they will be available in the Netherlands. Qsymia suppresses appetite in the brain and gives a full feeling. Belviq also has an effect on a substance in the brain that influences appetite. Both pills are only prescribed for people who are very overweight, and people who are overweight who also have other health problems (such as high blood pressure).

The effect of these pills is not spectacular. Most users lose about 5 percent of their weight. For someone weighing 90 kilograms, that is 4.5 kilograms. You have to take the pills for life and the side effects are considerable: from fatigue, headache and dizziness (Belviq) to sleeping problems, kidney stones and depression (Qsymia). Unfortunately, a miracle pill does not yet exist.”