Eating Too Little to Lose Weight?
Eating Too Little to Lose Weight?
That statement is a paradox that describes the thought process of the majority of my personal training clients. “If I eat less, I’ll lose weight.” Yes, it looks good on paper. The only problem is that our bodies are far too efficient and adaptive. When we eat less food our bodies simply spend less calories by slowing down the metabolism. So there really is such a thing as eating too little to lose weight. Most people seem to understand the concept better when I compare it to finances.
Weight Loss and Finances
If you are used to earning a certain amount of money each month and then for some reason have to take a drastic pay cut, what is the first thing you’re going to do? CONSERVE!!! STOP SPENDING!!! Those little amenities you didn’t think twice about before like getting your hair and nails done, going out to that fancy restaurant, and even working out with your personal trainer suddenly become an issue when your monthly income is reduced. The opposite is true as well. If we get a raise what is the first thing we do? CELEBRATE!!! SPEND!!! The body works the same way.
Eat More to Lose More
The majority of my clients are very surprised at how much food I give them on an eating plan. “That’s a lot of food”, is what I hear from them all the time. Then, when I weigh them in at the end of the week and they drop 3 or 4 pounds they realize the concept of eating more to lose more actually does work. The idea of cutting calories doesn’t work. Calories are actually forms of heat. That’s why when we burn calories our bodies heat up.
When we drastically cut our calories the body goes into conservation mode. The body would much rather conserve stored body fat and burn muscle tissue for energy. This is because the body views stored body fat as essential for survival. Almost like your savings account vs. that bonus check you got from work. You’ll always spend the bonus check before you break into your savings account. So the next time you think you want to drop some weight by simply eating less, think again. All you end up doing is messing up your metabolism.
For more information on eating too little to lose weight, proper exercise technique, health and fitness, or if you’re frustrated with your current level of fitness and have been thinking about hiring a personal trainer, contact us.
