By Emily Simmons
Losing weight isn’t rocket science. It’s simply a matter of burning more calories than you take in … isn’t it?
Well, yes, but scientists are uncovering more information about what’s really going on.
When you make the commitment, start doing all the right things, and start losing weight, that’s when “the biology really kicks in and tries to resist the weight loss,” says Dr. Donna Ryan, associate director for clinical research at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Fat cells produce a hormone called leptin, which inhibits appetite and, therefore, aides in weight management. When you start to lose weight, leptin levels drop, signaling the brain that your fat stores are diminishing—which obviously means you’re about to starve to death, right? As a result, low levels of leptin stimulate appetite and can lead to uncontrolled food intake. Meanwhile, like a melodramatic heroine, the brain assumes that death by starvation is near and sends out messages to lower your metabolism while releasing additional hormones to increase appetite. Ryan calls this lowered metabolism/stimulated appetite combo a “double whammy.”
What does this mean for dieters? If you’ve been losing weight, in order to maintain your current weight, you have to eat less food than your friend who hasn’t recently lost weight. “You basically have a ‘caloric handicap,’” says Ryan. That handicap might increase in proportion to how much weight you’ve lost, and it accounts for at least part of the reason why so many—most, actually—of the “biggest losers” gain back their hard-earned weight loss.
Strategies for Long-term Success
As the hectic holiday season winds down and a new year begins, people naturally think about making changes in all sorts of behavior—especially health. (Fitness club owners say January is the busiest month of the year!) If weight loss is among your New Year’s resolutions, you need to make changes you can stick with, even if they’re small at first. In our culture, eating has been complicated by science and marketing, but it doesn’t have to be. Build your diet around whole, unprocessed foods, as close as possible to their natural state—vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts and seeds, and whole grains—and your calorie intake will be inherently low.
Recall that one pound of fat equals 3,500 calories. In order to lose one pound in a week solely by changing your diet, you would have to restrict your intake by 3,500 calories—that’s without taking that caloric handicap into consideration. However, you can also fight back against your biology with exercise. A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition demonstrated that with just one hour of moderate exercise, participants burned up to an extra 450 calories. Health experts recommend 30 minutes per day of moderate physical activity to reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes; but obesity experts say if you want to lose or maintain weight, you have to double that.
If an hour a day sounds disheartening, start small. It can be difficult to find a balance between making big enough changes to get results and making changes you can stick with. So do what you can—but do it! And commit to continuing to challenge yourself as the new habits start to feel natural. Look for ways to incorporate healthy habits into your daily routine.
Don’t be discouraged if the weight comes off at a snail’s pace. You’re more likely to maintain it, and, says Dr. Kendall, chief scientific and medical officer of the American Diabetes Association, “The first 10 pounds has real health benefits for most people.”
Above all, don’t discount the underlying emotional component to your health habits. Do some emotional archaeology to discover what’s going on beneath the surface. The surest way to de-motivate yourself is to beat yourself up for little—or “big”—failures. Recognize that you will not always be able to make the ideal choice. (That’s why it’s called “ideal.”) Acknowledge your successes, affirm your good choices, and keep plugging away.
The longer I live the more I realize that the motivation to be healthy has to come from how good I feel when I do what’s best for my body; from a desire to honor my body and its Creator. It’s when I’m in this mindset that I make the best choices!
Healthy Habits to Incorporate Into Your Day
- Park farther from the building at work
- Take the stairs
- If you have a one-on-one meeting, take it outside and stroll while you talk
- To help with blood sugar control, take a 10-minute stroll after lunch or dinner
- If you don’t already, cook a few nights a week instead of eating out or bringing home takeout
- Turn the TV off during dinner and sit around the table as a family
- Try to be the slowest eater at the table
- Eat mindfully—not while you drive, work, or watch TV
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