There are two kinds of things to watch out for while losing weight. One is excessively fast weight loss on the scale. Second, after losing weight, not end up regaining it back or worse than what you started with. The approach you should take on how to lose weight and to keep it off is rather more simple than one would assume. Let’s dive into it.
How does weight gain or loss work:
The food (calories) you consume gets turned into energy which then your body utilizes to keep functioning around the day. These calories, when taken in excess and not burnt off by the body, get converted into fat which then starts depositing in various places of your body. So, the less you have left, the lesser your weight will be. That’s the gist of it. Medical conditions and hormonal issues do play a role in either facilitating unwanted weight gain or weight loss, making whatever you are trying to achieve harder. But the science still applies the same. It might be harder for you, but don’t lose hope. It’s still possible.
How Ghrelin makes you binge
Your stomach releases ghrelin (hunger hormone) as a signal to your brain and depending on how severe your calorie restriction is, the amount of ghrelin released affects how hungry you will get. Ghrelin not only increases appetite, it also promotes fat storage.
Hence, people doing severe dieting end up with binges that they can’t seem to stop as the level of ghrelin released was beyond normal. It does take determination, but fighting your body and hormones to an extreme is never a good option or a battle you can win. The longer you keep going, the worse it gets.
It just triggers your body’s survival mechanism, Ghrelin is also linked to your brain’s reward-system, which means that whenever you eat something it will taste better than it actually is, looking at food will make you want to eat. After your done with a meal you wont feel satisfied. This is all because ghrelin floods your brain with dopamine (feel good hormone).Hence, when you do eventually give-in to eat or try to eat a little more so that your not starving. That is the flood gates are opened and you go into an uncontrollable binge and you feel good doing it. Once you are done and the dopamine is gone from your brain. The guilt comes in.
The optimal deficit
If your goal is to lose weight and do so without making your body enter survival mode. The thing you need to understand is that weight-loss is a marathon not a race. A daily caloric deficit of 250-500 calories in more than enough to help you lose weight. If you add in cardio and working out to it you can lose more weight. if you do not want to add them, That’s alright as well. But do not set unrealistic and drastic weight-loss goals for yourself. You will either end in binges later or fail at reaching them.
Try a week with 500 caloric deficit and if you feel good and your energy levels aren’t effected keep at it. If you notice yourself feeling hungrier or way to tired to do day-to-day activities then reduce your deficit to 400. Until you come to a point where your energy levels feel good and still are losing weight.
How to not regain lost weight back
So what can you do to lose weight in a way that you don’t regain it or not gain the lost weight again? The answer is rather simple. If you can incorporate cardio into your daily routine like just walking, that will help. You can include coffee in your diet as it suppresses your appetite and makes you less hungry. Although Don’t drink more than the FDA’s recommended amount, which is up to 4 cups or 400mgs per day. replace drinks like coke with diet coke if you cant just stop drinking them right now. Soda’s aren’t healthy but this would be a start to overcoming the weight gain factor from them.
For coffee, the one you should be considering if you do at all is black coffee. Coffee with creamers and sugars just adds up calories and your coffee can just as easily become a meal that you get addicted to.
Add some low calorie fruits to your diets like watermelon, strawberries, pear and apples . Watermelon is a good choice as its mostly water, low in calories and will allow you to feel full faster if eaten before your meal. Just two cups of watermelon can reduce your hunger or cravings. Pears are full of fiber and once you eat two of these your appetite will decrease. Apples also do the same. But do not make juices out of them as that will defeat the whole point of making your body have to digest them. If you already turn them to liquid, your body will go through it faster than it would when you ate them like they are.
Conclusion
- Follow a diet plan that you love. A balanced one with more protein and the rest to your preference.
- To know more on how food groups affect you and your fitness. Read you-are-what-you-eat-how-food-affects-your-weight .
- to know more about how you lose over all weight instead of spot reduction in detail. Read is-spot-reduction-possible-can-you-spot-reduce-fat-in-the-body/
- The only thing to track is your calories and, as long as your staying in the range that keeps you at a weight that you like. That’s all there is to it.
- To get a calorie estimate for your weight and activity level. https://www.freedieting.com/calorie-calculator
- To properly log and track your calories use MyFitnessPal. https://www.myfitnesspal.com/
for android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.myfitnesspal.android&hl=en&gl=US
for IOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/myfitnesspal-calorie-counter/id341232718