(Part 1 of 3) Our ancestors had to physically work hard for their food. The foods that they ate provided calories, but rarely the surplus of calories that we easily find in our foods today. There were also times of shortage, or famine when food was scarce and they went hungry. Through the ages, the DNA in our cells has remembered that.
This is part of the reason our bodies crave
fatty – sugary “comfort foods.” Sugar is easily converted into fat and fat is easily stored. Fat stores were great news for our ancestors. Today, our bodies still prefer to have fat reserves because that increases the chance of survival. They reward us with “feel good” chemicals like dopamine, whenever we eat, or have sex, or do anything that furthers human survival. Dopamine is the same “feel good” chemical that the body releases when people consume alcohol, cocaine, or any addictive drug. In other words, we really do feel good when we eat those foods!
When we volunteer for famine by going on a diet and rigorously restrict calories, (not just cut back a bit on sweets), our brain goes on the defensive. It will not direct fat cells to release those stores without a fight. So people who go on diets end up battling with their own brain. Mind over matter isn’t just will power anymore.
The brain automatically responds to cues in the environment to signal the body to prepare to eat. Smells, the time of day, the food we see all indicate to the brain that food is on its way. When your brain sees food it automatically calculates how filling it is most likely to be and it sends signals to the stomach to squeeze out whatever is left from lunch to make room for dinner. We get hungry. We eat. We are happy.
In the short term, most diets appear to be successful because the brain will not release fat. Instead, when your body needs energy, it releases glucose supplies from the liver. Glucose is the sugar that muscles use and is almost instant energy. But glucose is stored in water and when it is released, water is released too. During the first week or two, dieters often urinate an extra two pints of water a day and that is a lot of weight.
This is why many diets claim to be successful, because people lose 10 to 15 pounds the first week or two. The problem is, they are losing water weight, not fat. If the dieter stays true to the diet, the brain may take desperate measures. Hunger pangs surge, dieters become irritable, all they can think about is food, and their weight loss plateaus.
To make matters worse, the brain directs the body to “slow down” so it can keep its fat reserves. Metabolism drops. You burn fewer calories doing the same activities that you did before. This is the opposite of what you want to happen. This may eventually lead to the “splurge” that replaces glucose stores, and water, and the weight that was lost is suddenly back again.
The way the body responds to dieting may explain why those who skip breakfast, tend to eat more calories throughout the day than those who eat a healthy breakfast. Perhaps, when the body starts out with a good meal, it isn’t as worried about famine and gathering food for the rest of the day. (There are more scientific reasons, but I like this one.)
The truth is that most people who lose weight by dieting, gain it back again within a year, plus two to five pounds because the body will prepare for another famine. Many people who “diet” every year, no matter how much weight they lose, tend to weigh 20 to 50 pounds heavier after 10 to 15 years.
The other problem with dieting is that people usually go back to their old eating habits when the desired weight is lost, the same eating habits that got them into trouble the first time. Eating unhealthy after restricting calories can be detrimental to a person’s health, depriving them of much needed nutrients needed to repair and maintain the body.
If you have experienced any of this, don’t be discouraged! There is a way to lose weight and keep it off permanently. You can train your fat cells to release the grease! Look for the article, “Release the Grease!” to find out more.
More information
Flatten Your Belly with This Eating Habit
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ReplyDeleteI have been on so many diets over my lifetime, this article actually gives me hope! Yo-yo dieting has left me with nothing but added extra pounds. I'm inspired to exercise and eat in a way that promotes slower weight loss, and to enjoy the journey. Exercise can be fun, and eating healthy has it's own rewards in the way you feel. Now, instead of gearing up for another bout of deprivation to lose weight, I'm going to eat sensibly and exercise with a positive attitude.
ReplyDeleteI found this article interesting for a number of reasons. I found it amazing that when you train your body so well and run alot your body knows instantly when to release the fat cells. In order to loose weighed like the article says we have to train our body to burn these fat cells then have our body know that the cells will be replaced.
ReplyDeleteI found this article both interesting and helpful. Our ancestors ate to live things have changes in this day and age, so offten we live to eat. We consume high fat, high calorie, processed and sugary foods. I think obtaining and maintaining a healthy weight has two key ingredients; consuming nutritious foods in proper portion sizes and moving our bodies more.
ReplyDeleteI liked this article, it is so true about losing weight and regaining it back plus more. I didn't know that when glucose is released water goes along with it, that would explain the fast weight loss. If only people of today new how hard it was in our ancestor's days to survive. All we have to do is drive down the street and place an order for a fat enriched, high caloric meal.
ReplyDeleteThis article is so true! I wish I could explain it to some members of my close friends and family that are on come pretty crazy diets. Some are so crazy that they limit there calorie intake to only 500!! It is so helpful and reassuring to read articles like this one.
ReplyDeleteI finally understand why dieting doesn't work and it all makes sense. I don't think that any diet will ever be appealing to me again after reading this. I am interested to read the other article and find out more about eating healthier.
ReplyDeleteAaron Evans
I did not realize dieting was so much more than just cutting back calories and not eating as much. It seems a lot more thought has to go into a diet then just skip a meal.
ReplyDeleteI like this article. It shows that people who diet aren't really doing themselves justice. I didn't know that the first couple weeks you lost water weight. That is something that a lot of people should know. This is a good article for anyone who is looking to loose weight.
ReplyDeleteDiets are a temporary thing most of the time, this is why I believe they are ineffective. In order to be healthy we need to have an over all healthy diet, not one that is going to just starve us for a few weeks. Dieting is usually not a habitual thing and can be very dangerous to our body. There are much easier ways than dieting to stay healthy. Moderation I believe is a great alternative assosiated with exercise.
ReplyDeleteI found your article to be very helpful in the perfect terms. Scientific, yet in laman terms for me. Through experience, I now understand why my diet didn't work. I never knew that my body was just putting up its defensive wall in the beginning and when my diet was over, it feasted as if it had just won a battle. This makes me want to run to the gym, and show my body who is really boss.
ReplyDeleteThis artical shows everyone that you cant just eat less to loose wieght. Our ancestors had to work very hard for their food so they had a daily exercise rutine. You must put calories in your body to loose wieght the key is to put the right kind and amount of calories in and burn more then you put in.
ReplyDeleteI really like this article because it proves that those yo-yo dieting and obscene dieting rituals really don't work. My mother has gone through many of these crazy and radical diets and it not until you eat balanced and nutritional and add daily physical activity that one will be able to lose weight. This was a very insightful article to read.
ReplyDeleteYour brain will not release the fat is a good way to put it. Gotta love our hard wiring.
ReplyDeleteThis article actually was really helpful to me. I never quite understood why people would gain so much weight when they would start doing diets. Also in my nutritions class right now I've learned by not eating breakfast your body does go on a starvation mode and stores the fat making it harder to lose the calories. Exercise is the best way to go, but cutting back on the sweets is also not a bad idea.
ReplyDeleteThis article has opened my eyes to why whenever I have gone on a diet and started exercising regularly that I have lost so much weight within the first week. There was a bit that I had learned in Nutrition and by talking to a dietician, but those only go so far. This was a very helpful article.
ReplyDeleteI loved this article and definately agree about the yo yo dieting. I have personally experienced this by cutting back calories and putting my body into a starvation mode. My metabolism has slowed down, my energy level has slowed down, and then before I know it, I am unable to control cravings and I find myself eating the same things that I was eating before. Over the years I have learned the importance of eating on a regular basis, including breakfast. It keeps my body fueled all day long providing enough energy and satisfaction. The key is to just make sure you CHOOSE the correct foods to eat throughout each day.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this article. I’m the worst at not eating breakfast and I do think that by skipping breakfast, my body does think that I have gone into some type of famine mode. I also see that for me, when I’m stressed I really crave “comfort foods”. I think that it is a way for me to feel better. This article has made me rethink a few bad habits I have. THANKS !
ReplyDeleteI have lived with many girls over the past four years of college so I have seen attempts at many different diets. The problem is you want to drop weight fast, within a week or two (usually for an upcoming event I've noticed). I think that people need to be better informed on how to lose weight without having a battle with hunger and realize that it is a lifestyle change. I enjoyed reading this article! It makes so much sense and I'm going to try and share its message with the people around me.
ReplyDelete