Weight Loss - Why Reducing Calories Is Not The Whole Story
The trouble is, your body doesn't see it like that. If it were that simple, early Man would never have survived from one unpredictable meal to the next. He survived because his body had a mechanism which would store energy when food was plentiful and release it again when it was scarce. His body also had a way of recognizing when energy intake was low, and economizing on its use of fuel. These two mechanisms were his blood sugar/insulin control system and his metabolic rate.
You differ little from early Man in your genetic makeup. Your body still retains the blood sugar/insulin and metabolic rate control system that enabled your ancestor to survive. The problem is, you probably don't eat like your ancestor. Your ancestor never had the carbohydrate-dense, highly refined foods that most of us eat so much of today, such as sugar, flour and all the manufactured products that are made with them. Unfortunately for you, your energy storage system works a little too well. You put on weight easily when you eat these carbohydrate-dense foods, because they send your blood sugar/insulin control system into overdrive. They may still do this, even when the calories you are taking in are not excessive.
Even worse, if you reduce your calorie intake to a level where you have a calorie deficit, you are in danger of triggering the other mechanism -- the slowing of your metabolic rate. This is often called 'starvation mode', but you don't have to be literally starving for your metabolic rate to slow down. And if your metabolic rate slows, your body needs less food to supply your daily energy needs. In other words, the more you diet, the less food you need.
This means that losing weight is very often a precarious balance between reducing food intake and exercising enough to produce a calorie deficit, while eating enough to keep your body from going into 'starvation mode'. And if you are one of the up to sixty per cent of the population which is believed to have a very sensitive blood sugar/insulin control system, then basing your diet on carbohydrates, especially the refined sort, may also hinder your weight loss.
The importance of these survival mechanisms is only now starting to be recognized in the medical world. It is becoming understood that losing weight is not just a simple matter of eating less. There is also mounting concern about very low calorie diets -- the sort that supply less than 500 calories per day -- because of the risk that they will depress your metabolic rate if followed long term. If you are not losing weight on a restricted calorie diet, then these mechanisms may well be at play. These and many other factors which may be preventing your weight loss are explained further in the book "Why Can't I Lose Weight -- The Real Reason Diets Fail And What To Do About It".
Copyright GoodDietGoodHealth.com 2006
Related Tags: weight loss, insulin, losing weight, metabolic rate, calorie deficit, starvation mode, carbohydrates
Jackie Bushell is passionate about raising awareness of the role of diet and nutrition in good health and helping those who are affected by obesity. Via her website at GoodDietGoodHealth.com, she provides information, support, cookbooks, how-to guides and a newsletter for those wishing to understand more about how to improve their health and achieve a healthy weight in a natural way. Amongst the resources she has developed are a low carb/low GI diet cookbook and a book called 'Why Can't I Lose Weight' for those who experience common problems such as not losing weight on their diet or becoming stuck on a 'diet plateau'.
Your Article Search Directory : Find in ArticlesRecent articles in this category:
- Understanding Body Types And How They Affect Your Weight Loss Efforts
When you are trying to lose weight, the typical advice of changing your diet and getting more exerci - Is Liposuction The Answer?
While it is one thing to consider liposuction, it is totally different to actually beginning the pro - A Discussion On Liposuction
Cosmetic surgery immediately throws up a number of images. Be it trout pouts, oversized breasts or a - Do Calorie Shifting Diets Work?
Calorie shifting diets are interesting in that you are not on a strict diet every day. You get to ea - Biggest Loser Australia- Stay Within Bmi That Says You Are Healthy Not Obese
Obesity has increased to manifolds and has become a serious weight problem. A lot many people die th - Mike Geary Review - The Man Who Designed The Truth About Six Pack Abs
If you are searching for a weight loss program that gives off the best results, you must look for a - Isabel De Los Rios Review - Can Her Diet Solution Program Be The Answer To Your Problems?
The world offers many temptations in the areas of living a strong life and it has become a problem f - Fat Loss 4 Idiots Review - Is It Really That Easy?
A lot of people want an easy weight loss plan that's effective and uncomplicated. And who wouldn't? - Joel Marion Review - Why You Won't Quit The Xtreme Fat Loss Diet
Giving up or quitting is an entertained notion when you're losing weight. It's very common for peopl - Weight Loss Tips - Discover Your Unique Body Type (and Shape) To Start Targeting The Problem Areas
There are three different body types.1) EndomorphsThese are people who tend to have bigger bones tha
Most viewed articles in this category:
- Reduce Weight With Didrex
What is it that comes to your mind when you think of losing weight? Is it that grueling exercise or - Facts Regarding Hoodia
South African Bushmen for thousands of years uses this flowering plant that looks like a cactus plan - Things you Should Know Before you Buy Adipex Online
Nowadays, online shopping is growing at a rate not observed earlier. The ease in which one can buy a - Sharp You're Axe With Phentermine Before Conquering Obesity
'If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I would spend first four hours in sharpening my axe' this i - Are There Really Effective Weight Loss Supplements?
The overweight are always looking for ways to help improve the success of their weight loss efforts. - How to Get Rid of Belly Fat
How to get rid of belly fat is a question that many people wonder to themselves quite often, many pe - Phendimetrazine: Answer to your Weight Loss Concern
Coping with obesity is not an easy task. Obesity makes you the butt of jokes, entices physical agony - Weight Loss Hypnosis - The Truth About Why It Works
The word hypnosis never fails to conjure up images of something mysterious, shady or even downright - Losing Weight Through Acupuncture
These days, there are many kinds of diets and methods for weight loss. Some may be healthy for you - Liposuction / Liposculpture
Life is a gift given to us by the Creator that we should cherish. And being one of God's creation, w