As summer approaches, many people follow this tip in hopes of losing weight quickly. Unfortunately, this habit greatly disrupts the functioning of your body and promotes the appearance of a “small belly”, according to Pauline Pied, dietitian nutritionist.
Removing this food family harms the body
The most common mistake that promotes weight gain and the appearance of abdominal fat is… eliminating starchy foods.
“Unfortunately, in 2026, this still exists. Patients remove the
starchy foods (…) and lose three kilos then gain six again. At first, however, you can actually lose weight. But patients will experience what we call muscle wasting, which is harmful to the body. explains Pauline Pied.
Indeed, when these famous starchy foods are withdrawn, the body is forced to implement adaptation strategies in order to function. First, the metabolism will gradually slow down.
“Then this avoidance of carbohydrates will increase hunger and decrease
satietybecause the body lacks energy. It will make you hungry. You will then eat a little more chicken, a little more skyr… but you will still be hungry. Then, the body will destroy muscle fibers, because it is a key energy source. warns the dietitian.
With this destruction of muscle fibers, water will be released (for one gram of muscle fibers, 4 grams of water are released). But the weight loss observed will mainly correspond to a loss of water, then muscle mass, and only a little bit of fat. And at some point, the weight loss will stop.
“People are very hungry, they are very tired. They also see their transit slow down, because the body saves on certain functions. It will also reduce expenses linked to transit and the menstrual cycle, which can be very disrupted,” warns the expert.
Then, the famous yo-yo effect sets in (we eat a salad again, a small piece of bread, and we gain two kilos in three days). There, unfortunately, it will most often be fat, because the body will store everything we eat “extra”.
“In addition to this, often, people who prevent themselves from eating their portion of rice at lunchtime will be very hungry in the afternoon. They will end up in front of the company machine eating chips and M&M’s. The body then begins to store it more quickly. In addition, this generates stress for the body, and does not help it lose weight either.” alert Pauline Pied, who claims to have seen patients go from -20 kilos to +40 kilos over a year, just with this bad habit.
“The brain alone needs several slices of bread per day”
You will therefore have understood: eliminating starchy foods to lose weight is not a good idea in itself. Carbohydrates, and more particularly glucose from starch, are essential to maintain a good energy level.
During digestion, carbohydrates are gradually transformed into glucose and then distributed to the cells. “This is what allows a gradual distribution of energy over several hours… but it is also what keeps us full for a long time.“, says Pauline Pied.
When we withdraw this energy, we become hungry very quickly after the meal (it doesn’t matter if we ate chicken – that’s not enough).
“You have to eat complex carbohydrates, proteins, fibers with vegetables and lipids. This is what we call the food bolus. Gastric emptying takes longer, so you are fuller for longer. You arrive at the next meal quietly, and this allows you to lose weight sustainably”, recognizes the dietitian.
Obviously, you will have to be patient: we are far from the promises of several kilos lost per week, but rather less than one kilo per month. On the other hand, at least it’s fat that we’ve eliminated – not muscle or water.
“Finally, also know that the brain is a glucodependent organ… Just like blood. The brain alone therefore needs around 120 grams of glucose per day – which is several slices of bread“, concludes the nutritionist.
So many good reasons that should encourage you to no longer remove starchy foods from your plate!