Food and Weight Loss: Are you eating enough?

“I just don’t understand why I’m gaining weight. I’ve tried everything. I don’t even eat much. I just give up.”

This is an all too common complaint. You think you’re doing everything right. You eat maybe 1-2 times a day. You basically go to bed hungry every night and start the next day over the same. Let’s examine what this cycle actually does to the body.

In today’s society, it is a huge misconception that people think that severe calorie restriction is the key to losing weight. Following a proper diet is a much more practical and healthier way. NEVER associate the word diet with starvation! This is one of the worst things a person can do to themselves, both physically and mentally. Physically, when the body senses starvation, it will go into a survival mode. It will conserve body fat, and will instead opt to use amino acids, blood proteins, and muscle and organ tissue as primary sources of energy.

Mentally, starvation takes its toll on the will. There is much more likely chance that a breakdown of will occurs when starving oneself, which generally manifests into a feast on junk food and just bingeing out of control. When this happens, one feels that frustration and desires to give up for thinking that he/she has failed.

Adversely, the problem becomes eating too little. In addition to decreased fat loss, one may be putting his/her lean muscle mass-one of the major driving factors of your metabolism.in jeopardy because the body will start to use it as fuel. When one does not take in enough calories, he/she won’t have the energy for regular workouts, which are key for fat loss. The body has a constant need for energy to function. Think of a car and gasoline. The human body is like a car. You have to get enough fuel to run your car.

Overall, think of food simply as energy. The purpose of this energy is for oxidative functions of the body. So, generally speaking, if you are eating lower quality energy, your body functions at a lower quality. One may become fatigued, irritable, experience brain fogs, etc from lack of nutrients(fuel) that food provides.

In summary, to ensure that you are following a proper diet, try to eat 4-5 small meals. Eating only 1=2 large meals per day may mean that the body spends time in the starvation mode for many hours at a time. Eating more calories at one given time, than can be readily used, results in fat storage. Eating 4-5 small meals each day causes digestion to take place for longer periods throughout the day, which actually raises the metabolism, Following a proper diet will usually mean, for most people, to lower fat intake.