Many of you may have tried to lose weight. Using a diet and even being initially quite successful, only to find the weight creeping back, or even getting heavier over time. What happens is that a persons weight set point gradually goes up. Your weight set point is the weight you are most of the time, which your body tries to protect.
What most people understand is that regaining weight is NOT your fault. It is NOT a sign that you are weak willed. Regaining weight is actually a problem to do with your biology.
Losing weight is a major stressor to your body. Normally your body metabolism or energy use is made up of 60% rest energy, 10% from processing food, and 30% from non rest or activity. When you diet your rest metabolism drops 15% and remains at this lowered level. This is called adaptive Thermogenesis. It means you can eat less and still put on weight. What’s more CARB reduction diets, which appear to aid in quick weight loss, actually lead alot to weight loss from fluids, not body fat.
Also after dieting our resting energy use moves from primarily burning fat to primarily burning Carbs. The activity of the metabolic hormone thyroid also reduces. There are also changes to the appetite regulating hormones increasing hunger hormones & suppressing when you have eaten enough. There is also an increase drive towards higher fat & sugar foods post dieting. There are also changes to brain decision making & reward reducing control of food intake.
The key to remember is DIETING is a STRESS – the greater the weight loss the greater to push to return to your set point weight. The more you diet the more you damage your metabolism & risk increasing your weight set point even higher. Research indicates that most people, even if successful with great weight loss initially, return to their old weight or more after 5 years.
Science also explains that being overweight can cause increase health risks, especially towards chronic diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, chronic inflammation, and some cancers.
So what can you do if dieting is not helpful in the long term?
Dr Nick Fuller from the Charles Perkins Centre for Obesity Speciality Clinic in Sydney may have a answer. Their research indicates that they may have solution to this problem.
There solution is called INTERVAL WEIGHT LOSS.
This program includes important lifestyle factors including exercise but in sustainable ways, which are respectful to your body, and enjoyable, and ways to reduce stress & improve sleep. It also looks at behavioural strategies to control emotional eating and through practice, change you brain preferences towards healthier snacks & treats. They also reduce weight monitoring to only once per week.
However, the KEY feature of this program is designed to prevent the stress, the lost resting metabolism & your bodies desire to return to its set point. It does this via losing weight in 4 week cycles: 4 weeks actively losing weight, then 4 weeks normal. Research has shown people have been able lose 12 kg and keep it off with this program.
For more information go to: CLICK for Interval Weight Loss or find Nick Fullers Book in the library “Interval Weight Loss for Women”. This info is also relevant to men, it’s just his latest book.