| Metabolism
and Weight Loss
by Angie Mcilwaine
Our metabolic rate determines the
rate at which we ‘burn up’ our food, and
by increasing this rate, we can lose weight more quickly,
easily, and safely.
When we diet, by decreasing our
calorie intake too drastically, we cause our metabolism
to slow down, making it progressively more difficult
for us to lose weight. Most diets fail, yet we continue
to try one after another, always hoping that each new
regime will provide the ‘magic’ solution.
If this sounds like your problem, there may be a simple
answer. Let’s look at why most diets fail, and
how strength training, combined with a healthy food
intake can speed up your metabolism, making it easy
for you to lose weight.
By drastically cutting our food
intake, our body’s natural instinct is to switch
to a ‘starvation response.' The fewer calories
we consume, the more our bodies become efficient at
using these calories - leading to slower weight loss.
This was once a useful mechanism for our ancestors when
food supplies were less predictable, but this ’vicious
circle’ can make life almost impossible for the
modern dieter.
When the body is persistently kept
short of calories, it breaks down muscle tissue to use
as fuel. Our body, using water from our tissue cells,
quickly washes this away causing an instant reduction
in weight through water loss. However, this weight loss
will be short lived, and will quickly be regained when
we take in water and the muscle we have lost will slow
down our metabolism in the long term.
The reason for this is that each
pound of muscle requires a certain number of calories
each day just to maintain it. Therefore, the more muscle
you have, the more calories you burn even when you’re
doing nothing, even sleeping! If you lose muscle, then
your daily calorie requirement becomes less. For example,
imagine a dieter loses 10 pounds of muscle (along with
maybe 20 lbs. of fat) on a strict diet. Now suppose
that each pound of muscle had been burning 50 calories
a day. Together, those 10 pounds of muscle had been
burning 500 calories a day. With this muscle tissue
gone, the dieter must now consume 500 less calories
a day in order to maintain that weight-loss!
However, of course people do not
stick to their diets for ever and when they return to
their old eating habits, the weight that they have lost,
invariably comes piling back on. Unfortunately, whilst
they lost both muscle and fat during the diet, all the
weight they regained was fat. So, even though they may
weigh the same as they did when they started, they now
have a lot more fat and a lot less muscle than they
did before the diet. Therefore, their metabolism is
slower and their calorie requirements are less. Even
if they return to their pre-diet eating habits, they
still require 500 fewer calories a day due to the muscle
loss. That’s one reason dieters are prone to regaining
all of the lost weight, and conversely sometimes even
gain weight afterwards.
A good solution is an active lifestyle
that includes aerobic exercise, a good weight-training
program, and a healthy diet containing fresh fruits
and vegetables, whole grain cereals and plenty of lean
protein. It is a good idea to eat ‘little and
often’ – keeping your metabolism in high
gear by eating 4 to 6 small meals a day, rather than
one or two larger ones. No food is forbidden, but sweets
and high fat junk food are eaten less often, and in
smaller quantities. A healthy diet is a realistic and
permanent way of eating – not a diet that you
suffer through for a week or two and then give up!
The goal is to consume as many calories
as you can, while still losing body fat and maintaining
or adding lean muscle at the same time. If your calories
are already below normal, don’t restrict them
further. Instead, maintain your current amount and instead
try to become stronger and more active, so you can gradually
increase your calories to a normal healthy level. If
your calorie intake is already in a healthy range, decrease
it only slightly, if necessary. A small reduction of
about 250 calories a day, or 10-15 percent less than
usual, is more likely to protect your lean muscle, and
less likely to trigger a go-slow in your metabolism.
If you follow this type of routine,
it’s possible to gain about one pound of muscle
per week and lose about one pound of fat per week. The
end result is that the number on the scale might not
move much at all, it may even go up. Your clothes will
feel looser, and you’ll feel great. Yet the numbers
on the scale won't move!! It's at this point that a
lot of people give up the weight training because they
don't understand what's happening.
The truth is that when you're strength
training it's possible to get smaller and heavier at
the same time, as muscle is a much denser tissue than
fat. The fat takes up more space on your body. At this
point, it's best to ignore the bathroom scales and rely
on the way you look and the way your clothes fit.
The conventional way of dieting
can lead to a weak, tired body, exhausted by the constant
cycle of starvation and weight gain, unable to enjoy
food. However, by following these easy steps above,
you can easily reach your goal - the slim, strong, healthy
body of a naturally lean person who can enjoy their
food without guilt, for life!
Angie Mcilwaine
runs http://www.healthidiet.com
and has been involved in all areas of diet, health and
fitness for more than 15 years. She enjoys helping people
healther, fitter and more confident through controlled
weight loss and exercise.You can contact Angie via her
website - she is only too happy to pass on advice and
information. She also has a regular newsletter with
original tips and ideas to help you lose weight.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Angie_Mcilwaine
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