Crash diets. Fad diets. Atkins diet. Paleo diet. For each person claiming to have lost weight, there’s a specific diet that they swear by. First of, what does a “diet” mean? It sure as hell doesn’t signify not eating. For some reason, those wanting to shed a few pounds think that their goal can be reached by starving. Does this really work? Is it good to deny yourself nutrition just to look a little slimmer? Imagine then, if we tell you that starving yourself will actually make your weight hold on a little longer, not to mention that you might actually gain more pounds in the process. Let’s take a look at what exactly happens when you deprive yourself of a regular meal.
Do you know what a famine is? It’s a time of deprivation, of “not enough”. Your body has evolved and learnt from our ancient ancestors who went through many such times in the past. So, when you don’t fill your tummy at regular intervals, your body takes it that there’s a “famine” or shortage, and so the next time you do eat, it stores almost everything as fat. As you know, fat is the fuel that keeps the body burning when there’s nothing else left. So, instead of you gaining from keeping your stomach empty, you end up putting on more weight.
There’s a vast difference between muscle and fat. The latter is not so great for the body, while the former is what determines your fitness levels. Whatever you eat, even if you eat it in small quantities, will be first stored in the form of fat unless you indulge in some form of exercise and convert the stored energy into muscle fitness. It is imperative that you include regular exercise and keep your body in motion no matter what your diet is.
Another reason for you eating less and still putting on weight is that you could have a thyroid issue. When you don’t eat proper meals, your glucose, or blood sugar level, drops. Prolonged unhealthy eating habits will result in illnesses such as diabetes, thyroid malfunctioning and other related diseases.
Moral of the story, eat regularly. Eating does not equal gaining weight. Instead of snacking on processed fats, go for natural items like nuts, veggies, fruits and you won’t put on the unnecessary weight, rather you will find yourself enduring better. And yes, maintain an active lifestyle as well.
