Anyone who has tried a given diet knows that in the end, those lost pounds always come back, and many times with new friends. Why is it so difficult to lose weight, and yet so easy to gain it back? Well, don’t worry, it´s not (always) your fault.
When you lose weight, there are a number of metabolic readjustments that cause what experts call energy gap, where our body calls for more food intake despite not needing the nutrients. Specifically, there are a number of processes that occur while losing weight:
- Ghrelin expression, our hunger hormone, increases in the gut, making you feel hungrier. On the other hand, leptin, our satiety hormone, decreases.
- Resting metabolic rate, which is the amount of energy consumed while inactive, decreases, effectively burning less fat than before the diet.
- The thermic effect of food decreases.
- Energy efficiency increases, meaning less energy consumption while performing daily, low intensity activities.
All this ultimately means one thing: it is very easy to regain the lost weight. Sadly, only 20% of those that lose weight manage to maintain it.
And it gets worse; while you lose weight, there is a phenomenon called collateral fattening where your body increases fat storage while making you feel hungrier and lowering energy expenditure. So, if you skip your diet once, that meal will make you gain much more weight than before dieting.
So how can you maintain weight loss? Thankfully, there are several things that you can do:
- Physical activity increases energy expenditure, especially resistance training (walking, running).
- Follow a high protein/fiber diet with low sugar content. A high protein diet increases satiety while providing little energy, helping you lose weight.
- Keep a positive attitude. Stress/depression increases ghrelin secretion.
Finally, certain supplements can help you on your quest for weight loss maintenance. In this sense, Metabolaid® has been scientifically proven in several clinical studies to increase satiety, therefore making you feel less hungry, while also increasing energy expenditure and lowering energy storage.
In conclusion, losing weight is a difficult, oftentimes seemingly impossible task, and yet incredibly easy to regain, due to your body’s metabolic readjustments to reduce energy expenditure and increase hunger. To this end, Metabolaid® can help you by reversing this effect, to finally achieve your desired weight and keep it for good.
Reference: Melby C et al (2017). Nutrients 9, 468.
Jonathan Jones, PhD
New Product Development Manager
Related articles:
https://www.monteloeder.com/blog/2018/08/the-importance-of-incentives-in-weight-loss-and-exercise/
https://www.monteloeder.com/blog/2018/06/do-what-i-say-not-what-i-do-how-the-mediterranean-region-is-abandoning-its-roots/
https://www.monteloeder.com/blog/2018/04/stay-fit-eat-well/
