• Paula Helena Dayan, Gary Sforzo, Nathalie Boisseau, Luciana Oquendo Pereira-Lancha, and Antonio Herbert Lancha.
• Biodynamic Department of Physical Education and Sport School University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: pauladayan@usp.br.
• Nutrition. 2019 Apr 1; 60: 147-151.

AbstractAlthough current guidelines for obesity treatment endorse lifestyle modifications to achieve weight loss, energy-restricted diets are still the most commonly used method for the management of overweight. Diet restriction, however, not only is ineffective in promoting long-term weight loss but also may have more costs than benefits, predisposing the individual to fat regain. Several physiological and psychological mechanisms protect the body against starvation and explain how food restriction can promote paradoxically the opposite of what it is planned to achieve, triggering changes in energy metabolism, endocrine function and, thus, body composition. New approaches that focus on behavioral treatment without diet restriction, such as nutritional coaching, are showing strong growth that arises as an innovative way to create sustainable and effective lifestyle changes.Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

7 keywords...

hide…