The problems of weight gain  and obesity, which may cause a number of illnesses, and the problems of excessive thinness leading to anorexia, are acute problems, which face the people. Dietology, the applied branch of medicine, is aimed to rationalize and individualize the nutrition, which secures weight loss by safe methods and helps people, who need to gain weight.

Which is the secret of correct nutrition, told in an interview with NEWS.am Medicine dietitian of the Scientific-research Institute of Balneology and Physical Medicine of the Ministry of Health of Armenia Doctor Vardanush Petrosyan.

Doctor Petrosyan, is there a statistics: for whatever reason, in our country, people are more likely to gain weight?

According to the research by the World Health Organization, causes for weight excess are lack of physical activity and insufficient use of fruits and vegetables, high consumption of sugar, salt and animal fats .This is based on problems of social character as well.

Do you have patients with bulimia? How to differentiate just a fan of good eating from a man, who is not able to control eating and suffering from bulimia?

Bulimia is a serious illness, which is characterized on looping on his/her own body shape. It is a psychological illness. One is constantly dissatisfied with the way he/she looks, particularly, when we speak about the body weight. During this disease, overeating is alternated with periods when he eats very little. After excessive ingestion the person feels guilty, s/he starts to think: ”Why did I eat so much?”, ”How could I? I should have eaten less”. Often the sufferers from bulimia take laxatives or provoke artificial vomiting. In addition, if they eat little for some period, this usually ends with gluttony. Unfortunately, these people visit doctors very rarely; abroad people consult specialists more frequently than in Armenia. Many people are ashamed to tell, that they overeat.

There is no statistics on bulimia. Only after 4-5 visits the patient confesses, that s(he) overeats. That is to say, during the first consultation no one would confess, that s(he) provokes vomiting. Pleasure from eating and bulimia are different things, but now we can compare them.

Are there many people in Armenia suffering from anorexia? What is the treatment of that disease?

Yes, many people suffer from that disease. These people continue to starve, they are sick on how they look, they are always displeased with their look, but do not have overeating attacks, like in case of bulimia. During the whole day these people could it only one salad leaf.

They permanently try to lose weight. They have no idea about their own body. Women with anorexia usually have reproductive disorders (absence of menstrual periods). Patients with anorexia bring themselves to such a condition, that even the smallest amount of food is not assimilated. They usually have vomiting, nausea, often it ends in death. People with anorexia also rarely consult physicians. It is possible to hide bulimia, but it is impossible to hide anorexia.

Many people struggle with excess weight. How is it possible to gain weight for thin people?

There are many people with a small weight, particularly, among the journalists. There are more thin people in this sphere than overweight people. Journalists, especially those, who deal with reporting, interviews, have a special constitution. These people are always in movement; they are mobile and always have new ideas. According to Indian classification, these people are “Wind” type. They are like the wind: they run around, manage everything and do everything.

The advice for such people is: they should eat! Eat three times daily: breakfast, lunch, dinner. It is obligatory. Journalists, who keep such schedule, are very rare. Pastry during the day and dinner after the work are the best. Lean people must organize their day so, that they have full breakfast, lunch and dinner in their nutrition schedule. Pastry, hot dogs, fatty buns are not appropriate food. Always overeating and using fatty dishes is not sufficient for gaining weight. Just triple or even quadrifid eating will help in this case. In addition, try to have hot drinks during the day.

Lean people must always keep warm. It is necessary to exclude drafts, winds, especially during the cold weather. Feet must also kept warm, always wearing socks. Such people are subject to stress; as a result, the organism loses kilograms.

Which is the prevailing method for losing weight? Which one is preferred by the patients, and what usually you recommend?

The prevailing method for losing weight does not mean the most correct one. The prevailing is usually the one that is popular. First, it was the Dukan diet, then ginger plant, and now the most popular is the green coffee.

All these methods are very far from the correct and safe option. The humanity still does not know methods with the help of which it is possible to rapidly lose weight or gain it.

The most proven and safe method is the complex, in which are increasing physical activity, good nutrition, long sleep.

Lose weight means keep the result for two years.

Who is counter diet?

Everyone who does not have weight problems, they do not need to lose weight. Simply they need to maintain the correct weight.

We refuse to help nursing mothers. In this case, overweight disturbs the nursing mother, but weight loss can have a negative impact both on her health and on the health of her child. The same is for pregnant women.

Weight loss needs to be slowly, from 3 to 5 kg per month. When there are serious problems with health, you can only get rid of 10% of the basic weight.

Tell us a little about dietotherapy. What is that?

Dietotherapy is a treatment with food. Once Hippocrates said: «Your food should be a remedy, and your remedy should be food». Which means, if someone is sick, the right food will help him/her to get better.

There is a number of diseases, which directly depend on the food: allergy, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus , some tumors, obesity, problems with digestion etc. Correct nutrition also plays vital role during the urolithiasis. If the patient takes the necessary pills but eats wrong, automatically reduces the impact of drugs on the diseased organ.

This applies not only to people losing weight. People of different age, sex etc. have different nutritional needs. Children need completely different food from elderly people.

Is it harmful to starve during the struggle with overweight?

This method must be used under medical supervision. I would say rather round-the-clock supervision of the doctor. It is a period, when the patient gets rid of many illnesses, residues and many diseases are removed from the organism. It is a very difficult process for the patient.

Starving to lose weight, it is absurd, self-torture and nonsense, because after these procedures, the patient starts to eat and the kilograms return.

Does the lose of 15 kg, for example, have negative or positive impact on human organism? (let’s say, in a year) Is it dangerous for health?

Within a year it is possible to lose weight at 30 kg. You need to lose weight by 3-5 kg per month. Modern trendy techniques help to quickly get rid of excess weight, but they are not long-run. And you lose weight only the first two months, but no more.

How does a person struggle just not to eat more, than is needed, and what does (s)he need in this case? Tell about the psychological condition of this person and how is he supposed to restrain him(her)self?

4% of  obesity cases in Armenia are a cause of hormonal disorders. Mostly, it is wrong nutrition, as people eat everything that is harmful. Sometimes they just pig out.

The correct diet does not mean small amount of food, emaciated body and nerves. You have to be full, so that the diet had a true impact. Thus, we lose weight eating. Eating right.

Instead of restricting the patients saying «Do not eat this, do not eat that», it is necessary to tell him/her «Eat these products», so that he could choose. Meanwhile restrictions cause internal protest, and as a result it does not fulfill the requirements.

There should be a complex method: fitness instructor, dietician, psychologist, endocrinologist, cardiologist (if necessary) help people find out, why they gained extra weight: due to sedentary life, wrong food or overeating. It is necessary to find out also the reasons of overeating. All these factors have influence on human weight.

All the advices should be available and clear. Otherwise he would not do the prescriptions or will break halfway to the goal. If the dietician says: «You will not lose weight», that means, it is a wrong dietician.

Everybody has his/her own rhythm of life and requirements. That is why the qualified specialist should be so professional to find an individual approach to each.

Interviewed Ani Liparityan