Eat More and Lose Weight

7:16 AM Weight Loss Trainer 0 Comments

There never seems to be a simple, easy solution that will create ideal weight loss. In fact, finding a program that can suit life’s busy schedule sometimes seems impossible. We tend to trust the tried and true saying that eating less will cause weight gain. However, that may not necessarily be true.

Because we think that losing weight is caused by eating less, we tend to quit eating. Unfortunately, that is one of the biggest mistakes that we can make when it comes to weight loss. Not only are we putting ourselves through torture, our bodies will not respond, and weight loss will not occur.

The Body assumes that it’s Starving

When we don’t eat, our bodies go into a protection mode. Dietician Juliette Kellow calls this process "starvation mode." When we go long periods of time without eating, our bodies naturally assume that no food is available, and thus, we may starve to death. So the body, in a defense mechanism, actually makes sure that stored body fat cannot and will not be burned off by the body until it is absolutely needed (at the point of starvation). In essence, if we do not eat, then our bodies will not allow any body fat to be consumed.

The Metabolic Rate Slows

Similarly, using the same defense mechanism, the body will retard the metabolic rate of consuming energy. This simply means that we won’t have much energy, and we won’t burn many calories.

Again, the body does this in order to try to save any energy in an attempt to prolong our life.

Food is Readily Available

Our bodies start this defense mechanism naturally if we do not consume enough food. However, the opposite is true if we consume enough food. If we eat small meals throughout the day, then our bodies know that food is readily available. Then, the body’s natural trigger will speed up the metabolic rate of energy consumption. In addition, the body will also make body fat available to burn for additional energy since there is no threat of starvation.

Eat throughout the Day

We don’t have to eat large meals throughout the day to keep our bodies on track. A small snack like an apple or a granola bar every few hours is enough to prove that food is not scarce. It is important to consume snacks that are healthy and low in calories, but it is equally important to eat many times a day so that the body will run naturally and efficiently, maintain proper body weight.