how weight loss works
So you want to lose weight but don’t know where to begin? Obesity and overweight are the most common nutritional disorders worldwide. Yes, it is even more widespread than malnutrition around the world. As a result, more people than ever before are actively attempting to lose weight.
Unfortunately, this has resulted in the weight loss industry becoming a multibillion-dollar industry. When you search “how to lose weight,” you will come across a plethora of diets, diet pills, diet shakes… the list is truly endless. Fad diets abound, from cabbage soup diets to the keto diet, and the information is contradictory and perplexing.(how weight loss works)
what is weight loss?
A fad diet is a diet plan that excludes one or more food groups. They usually have strict rules and promise quick weight loss.
What Isn’t to Like About Rapid Weight Loss?
It’s alluring. If you go on a strict diet for a few weeks and lose a lot of weight, you may think, woohoo, mission accomplished!
No, not at all. I always tell my clients that if a diet really worked, everyone would be doing it and there would be no obesity epidemic. Fad diets can have disastrous effects on overall health and, in many cases, lead to long-term weight gain.
So, the next time you’re tempted to try a fad diet, remember that 90+% of these diets fail. You wouldn’t put your money into a business with such a high failure risk, so why take this illogical approach with your most valuable asset: your health?
What Happens If You Follow A Strict Diet?
Essentially, no matter which diet you follow, they all work on the same principle: reduce your calorie or energy intake.
Your body requires energy to function. Energy is required to make your brain function, your lungs to breathe, your heart to pump blood, and your digestive system to function, to name a few of the thousands of bodily functions that we are not even aware of.
If your body does not get the energy it requires for these processes from food or drink, it will draw it from your fat reserves. This is how “fat loss” or “weight loss” occurs.
For most people, losing 1–2 pounds (0.5–1kg) of fat per week is a huge accomplishment because it means you’ve reduced your calorie intake by 3,500–7000 calories per week.
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It is recommended that you achieve this deficit through healthy food choices and exercise so that your body gets the nutrients it requires to stay healthy. Furthermore, by focusing on healthy eating and exercise, you will develop a better relationship with food and change the habits that lead to weight loss in the first place.
So, Where Does The Problem Lie?
Unfortunately, losing weight at a rate of 1–2 pounds per week appears to be slow, especially when other diets promise 10+ pounds of weight loss in one week. When someone decides to lose weight, they are usually in a state of mind where they are unhappy with their bodies and the idea of gradually chipping away at the fat is not appealing, and so the fad diet wins out over the healthy sustainable approach time and time again.
5 Reasons Why Rapid Weight Loss Isn’t the Solution
1-Muscle loss can occur as a result of rapid weight loss.
If you do not provide your body with enough protein through food or drinks, it will be forced to break down your muscle mass in order to obtain the amino acids (building blocks) required to create proteins. This is bad news because muscle gives us shape and keeps us strong throughout our lives. When attempting to lose weight, losing muscle should not be the primary goal because this is beneficial weight. Instead, concentrate on losing body fat, which is basically stored energy.
2-Did You Burn Fat Or Store Sugar?
When you severely restrict your calorie intake or eliminate carbohydrates from your diet, your body will first use up the sugar in your blood before turning to the stored sugar in your muscles and liver cells (called glycogen) for energy.
When you step on the scales, you may believe you have lost pounds or kilos of fat when, in fact, you have simply depleted your body’s energy reserves. The problem is that as soon as you start eating bread, pasta, rice, fruit, doughnuts, or pizza again, your body will replace your blood sugar or glycogen stores, which can be misinterpreted as weight gain and demotivate many people.
3-Have You Dehydrated Yourself?
When glycogen is depleted from your liver and muscle cells, it is accompanied by the loss of attached water molecules. The body is essentially dehydrated as a result of this. We know that our bodies are 60–70 percent water, and even mild dehydration can have an impact on how we function, as well as negatively impact our mood and energy levels.
When it comes to improving your body composition, losing water weight is not a healthy goal. Again, the emphasis should be on fat loss and getting your clothes to fit better.
4-Dieting can result in increased weight gain.
According to research, once you start dieting, you can become trapped in the diet cycle. This means you lose touch with eating for health and may fall into a cycle of bingeing and restricting, which can lead to long-term weight gain. People frequently end up weighing more than they did when they first started out.
Dieting can lead you to believe that there are good and bad foods for losing weight and that extreme measures are required to be healthy. This is completely false.
5. Dieting does not address the underlying cause of your weight gain.
Dieting for weight loss is akin to putting a bandage on an infected, bloody wound. If the wound is not disinfected, it will never heal.
If you have recently gained weight, it is critical to determine which habits, thoughts, and behaviors have contributed to your weight gain. From there, you can implement solutions to change your habits in the long run. Diets are a quick fix and are not a sustainable way of eating in the long run. As a result, most people who achieve their goal weight through dieting regain the weight because they did not address the underlying cause of their weight gain, and we all know that old habits die hard.
So, To Recap
Excessive dieting can lead to a loss of healthy muscle mass, stored energy, and water. These are necessary components for your body’s health. So, when you step on the scale and see lbs/kgs of weight come off, it is not always body fat, which is the goal for anyone looking to lose weight.
Diets should be avoided at all costs. As appealing as they may appear, these diets are unrealistic and are designed to fail — which means you will be a customer of the diet industry for the rest of your life. Take your attention away from food and instead concentrate on your habits. What was the source of the weight gain in the first place?
Lack of time, stress, a lack of knowledge, and other factors are common contributors for most people. Focus on eating healthy foods, moving your body on a regular basis, and being consistent. It takes 7 days for your body to use stored fat for energy, so don’t expect to see results after 2–3 days. If the scales are discouraging you, it might be a good idea to concentrate on how your clothes fit. Find a tight-fitting pair of jeans or a top, and as they loosen, this will keep you motivated.
It is possible to lose weight in a healthy way that lasts. It is sometimes necessary to drown out the weight loss industry and take the path less traveled. With a few months of habit change, you can achieve your goal while also gaining the skills and knowledge needed to keep the weight off for good.
A healthier, more energetic you awaits on the other side, so get started now. And keep in mind that slow and steady wins the race.
