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IS WEIGHT LOSS POSSIBLE BY EATING FEWER CALORIES?
The traditional nutritional advice to lose weight has always been eating less and exercising more. In theory, this makes sense - burn more calories than you eat, and the extra pounds will come off. But there’s often a significant drawback when you go too far with an extreme diet.
COUNTING CALORIES TO TACKLE WEIGHTLOSS BATTLE
The human body’s physiological clock has evolved as a way to cope with feast or famine. When we were hunters thousands of years ago, it was not unusual for there to be a feast one day and no food for the next few days. Due to this uncertainty of food availability, the human body adapted to decrease the basal metabolic rate during periods of fasting. The basal metabolic rate or BMR is the number of calories the body needs to keep lifesustaining functions such as breathing. This means that when our body goes into starvation mode, it’s similarly trying to conserve as much energy and calories as possible for maintaining daily function.
WHY EATING LESS DOESN’T ALWAYS MAKE YOU LOSE WEIGHT
Everyone has a set point or a weight range in which the brain wants to keep the body.This weight range varies from person to person and is determined by both genes and environment. The body is wired for survival, and as far as it’s concerned, dieting is a form of starvation. When you shift into that starvation mode, it creates a metabolic adaptation, which essentially means that your metabolism is slowing down as your body gets used to surviving off a smaller number of calories. This typically creates stagnation in the weight loss process. Unfortunately, once you hit that starvation mode for a certain time, that original set point for a basal metabolic rate that’s in the hypothalamus (a structure in the brain that controls metabolism) has changed indefinitely.
RE-GAINING WEIGHT AFTER A DIET- THE ROLE OF GHRELIN OR THE HUNGER HORMONE
As soon as you begin consuming more than that amount after following a restrictive diet, the body has to figure out what to do with the excess calories. This is why so many people rebound after weight loss and may end up weighing more than when they started the diet. This process is controlled by a variety of hormones, including ghrelin - the hunger hormone that your gut produces to signal your brain when it’s time to eat - and leptin - the satiety hormone that helps your brain understand when you’re full. Under normal circumstances, these hormones are balanced in a way such that the body tries to maintain equilibrium at its natural set point. But when these hormones are disrupted by an extreme diet, that can throw the whole system out of whack and make it very difficult to keep the weight off after losing it.
HOW DOES EXTREME CALORIE RESTRICTION AFFECT OUR HEALTH?
In addition to altering the metabolism runs, severe calorie restriction often results in some degree of malnutrition, including micronutrient deficiency. Micronutrient deficiencies can lead to cramps, dehydration, headaches, depressed immune function, fainting, hormonal imbalance, hair loss, impaired ability to manage your body temperature, muscle fatigue, irregular menstrual cycle, nausea, vomiting, and reduced bone density. Other long-term health issues include death in severe cases. Sleepiness, reduced vigour, mental exhaustion, mood swings, brain fog, and other psychological symptoms can also crop up if you’re not eating the required calories. Dieting can also cause an erosion of confidence and self-trust. Certain foods as “good” or “bad” can make for difficult decision-making at each meal time. By putting the focus on calorie counting or food rules, your ability to listen to your brain and body will be lessened, and it becomes harder to hear signals like hunger, fullness, and satisfaction.
HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT WHILE RESTRICTING CALORIES?
Finding the sweet spot between reducing caloric intake for weight loss and dipping into that starvation mode where the body tries to preserve weight by slowing down its metabolic rate should be calculated carefully. To stay healthy and look your best long term, you have to make many small changes.” These small changes should add up over time. It includes watching portion sizes and making healthy swaps of higher-calorie and less nutritious foods for fresh veggies and other nutrient-dense foods. To help retain muscle as you lose weight, ensure that you’re eating enough protein without restricting too many carbohydrates and fat. Apart from diet, adequate sleep and exercise are also important. Getting enough exercise is important for keeping your heart and lungs as well as your muscles strong. It can also help you keep your weight stable. You need sleep to repair your muscles after workouts and to support a healthy immune system, normal brain function, and many other aspects of overall wellness. Lastly, any changes you make to your body should be incremental. Start small and build up a piece at a time to create a healthier lifestyle.
Always remember, “Weight loss takes lifestyle change, not just a quick-fix diet”.
