Why Eating Less Can Lead To Fat Gain
Leading expert explains why eating less can lead to fat gain and its relationship with your metabolism
by Becci Kay
The first step many of us take when looking to lose weight is just to eat less! Sounds simple, but it can, and inevitably will, lead
to fat gain, exactly the opposite of what you would expect. The body is a physical and mental machine and is excellent at adapting to whatever we put it through. If we reduce the amount of calories we consume, over a period of time the body will adapt to having less available energy and consequently begin to require less. This in turn will slow down our body’s metabolism causing it to store more of the food we put in. In effect we are
to fat gain, exactly the opposite of what you would expect. The body is a physical and mental machine and is excellent at adapting to whatever we put it through. If we reduce the amount of calories we consume, over a period of time the body will adapt to having less available energy and consequently begin to require less. This in turn will slow down our body’s metabolism causing it to store more of the food we put in. In effect we are turning our bodies into fat storing machines!
Another obvious side effect is that our energy levels will dramatically decrease causing us to feel sluggish, tired and our productivity levels will take a nose dive. Is it really worth it?
The general trend with ‘diets’, or a sudden decrease in food intake, is that we work to a structure for 1 to 3 months and then return to consuming our usual intake (or binge eat as a reward). If we starve the body for so long and then eat more again, the body will be forced to re-adapt and will immediately start to store a lot of what you put in as fat. The body is now prepared for the next time you starve yourself… well that is what it is expecting you to do! It stores the food predominately as fat as this is the efficient form of stored energy. Your ‘slowed down metabolism’ will also take time to return back to normal, and again this will result in fat gain.
What do we mean by metabolism and how is it related to fat gain?
In short our metabolism, or metabolic rate, refers to the rate at which our body burns calories or utilizes energy. The slower your metabolic rate the less energy (calories) you need to put into your body to keep it going. It is quite easy to over consume what your body requires; all excess calories will be stored as fat. To improve your metabolism, Walcott and Fahey (2000) suggest improving your lean muscles mass through consumption of a metabolically appropriate diet, and exercise. In general terms the more muscle you have, the greater the bodies need is for energy (calories). As we grow older our metabolic rate decreases as our lean muscle mass decreases also so it is important to keep going with a metabolically appropriate diet and exercise to improve and maintain lean muscle tissue.
General advice if you are wanting to achieve weight loss is to eat more of the better foods (including essential fatty acids), don’t miss a meal, start the day with a good breakfast, go for smaller portions and consume healthy snacks throughout the day (don’t go for more than 3 hours without food). Oh, and of course plenty of exercise. Also don’t forget the importance of water consumption. If you are struggling to lose weight, born2move specialise in designing programmes around your needs, including a metabolically appropriate diet that is individual to you. Contact us at any time to discuss how you can transform your body and transform your life.
office: 08454503073
email: info@born2move.co.uk