Effects on Metabolism and Nutritional Requirements
Losing weight is hard work, but many people who have lost weight may agree that keeping the weight off can be an even greater challenge. A lack of self-control or a few too many dietary indulgences are often cited as reasons for regaining weight. But a new study in the November issue of BMJ questions this conventional view, finding that the type of calories you consume may influence how likely you are to keep that weight off for the long term. [1]Effects on Metabolism and Nutritional Requirements
The human body is designed to protect itself when it sheds weight, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, by causing an increased urge to eat and a slowdown in metabolism while more efficiently storing fat. Although it may be exciting to see pounds on the scale drop, the ability to keep losing weight or even maintain any weight loss becomes harder, because cravings to eat rise while the body more readily stores those calories as fat.Effects on Metabolism and Nutritional Requirements
The purpose of the BMJ study was to see if different levels of carbohydrate in the diet could prevent these metabolic changes from occurring, so that any weight lost might stay off. The focus on carbohydrates was based on the “carbohydrate-insulin model” of obesity, which states that high insulin levels that result from eating a high glycemic load diet (i.e., highly processed carbohydrates like refined breads, crackers, cookies, and sugars) causes energy from the food to be stored more easily as fat, and may increase hunger and food cravings, lower energy expenditure, and promote weight gain.Effects on Metabolism and Nutritional Requirements