Are you eating enough calories??? If you’ve struggled with weight all your life and have tried countless diets, but none ever work, this may be the reason why. “Many dieters assume that less is more: the fewer calories consumed, the more effective the weight loss. Yet, one of the reasons diets consistently fail us is that they overly restrict our calorie intake, wreaking havoc with our metabolism. Herein lies another great paradox in weight management: one must actually consume enough calories to enable the work of weight loss. The body requires a specific amount of energy (measured in calories) each day just to function properly – to sustain heart and brain function, respiration, digestion, as well as all of the body’s other basic functions at rest. This calorie level is referred to as the RMR – resting metabolic rate. You can estimate your RMR by multiplying your weight in pounds by 10. Though there are individual variances, a 150 pound woman can assume that her RMR is approximately 1500 calories per day. Chronically consuming fewer calories than your RMR is a recipe for long-term weight gain. It effectively turns on the body’s ‘starvation’ switch, which, in an attempt at self-preservation, slows down the body’s metabolic processes. Unfortunately, very low calorie diets are the basis of the majority of commercial weight loss programs. When a person tires of the strict rules and tedium of the diet and reverts to a more normal calorie intake, the body perceives this as a major calorie increase, over and above current needs, and then switches to ‘storage’ mode. Excess calories are then converted to fat to provide protection against future ‘starvation’ phases…in a never-ending cycle. Whatever your chosen weight loss program, be sure you’re consuming sufficient calories to avoid suppressing your metabolism (making rebound weight gain almost certain). If you suspect you’re not meeting your body’s minimum calorie quota, speak with your dietitian or doctor, who can assess your intake and recommend an appropriate calorie target for healthy weight loss. If your pattern is the constant shedding and regaining of weight using the same old strategies that ultimately don’t work, perhaps it’s time to change your thinking about fat burning and try a fresh approach.” Source: healthylivingmagazine.ca/outside-the-box-weight-loss-unconventional-strategies-to-lighten-up/
Posted on: Thu, 02 Oct 2014 23:00:01 +0000