Why is it Difficult to Lose Weight? And Keep it Off?

Weight loss is so much more than just going on a diet and getting thin… it is a difficult journey and takes time. You cannot expect to lose all the weight in 1 month that took you 3 years to put on.

Energy Intake = 100% behaviour whereas only about 20-40% of Energy Expenditure is through physical activity (behaviour). That is why you cannot lose all your extra weight only through exercise alone. Diet plays such an important part in weight loss. And keeping the weight off is an ongoing process. Obesity is a real problem and a recent study done by the British Heart Foundation found that we are living in the age of the chair as the average person spends up to 9.5 hours per day sedentary. That means that us as modern humans are inactive for about 75% of our time. Except for the lack of Energy Expenditure there is also other problems that comes with us sitting down so much, like weakened spines and back pain which is the number one cause of disability globally. But that is a subject for another article.

In a worldwide systematic review of 1.2 million people up to 42% adults are trying to lose weight. And then only 20% of people that lost weight will be able to keep it off. Eighty percent of people that did achieve weight loss will not be able to keep it off for longer than 12 months.

But then why do people put the weight back on? Individual experiences of stress and life events, lack of knowledge, popular rather than evidence-based practices, obesogenic environment, physiological compensation.

All of the above should be considered when you have lost your weight and is trying to keep it off. But the physiological compensation is also a big factor and what your body is going through when weight has been lost, we are only now beginning to understand. As you lose weight your body structure changes, your physiological function and energy balance behaviour also changes. Your body will resist further weight loss and promote weight regain. That is why post weight loss maintenance is so important. Your body does not know that Mc Donald’s is just around the corner. Your body think that the next ice age is upon us and is trying to protect you against starvation. Your body will do anything to keep enough fat to make sure you will survive the famine period. Most people will gain weight in the modern environment where food is freely available. As it is a natural response for your body to think that you are in a feast period and your body will favour the feast period and deposit reserves in the adipose tissue when good food is available.

When losing weight your basal metabolic rate, physical activity and diet induced thermogenesis all will decrease. Once again just your body trying to protect you from starvation. But then the weight gain will be largely due to Energy Intake rather than Energy Expenditure that has decreased. 

My advice to you when trying to lose weight:

  1. Start a healthy eating plan. Do not starve yourself.
  2. Eat 5 or 6 smaller meals per day so your body thinks there is a lot of food available and would not want to store all meals as fat.
  3. Know when you are hungry and when you are just thirsty.
  4. Make sure you drink enough water.
  5. Start an exercise that you can sustain. Walk 15 min a day. Get off the chair.
  6. Small changes are better than big ones that cannot be upheld – drink coffee but skip the sugar.
  7. Eat ‘A’ cookie, not the whole packet!

Obesity is a chronic relapsing condition and there is truly no simple cure, there is only prevention and management. Manage your weight. Don’t wait until it is a health concern.

Sources:

R. Stubbs, C Duarte et al.

A Garnett

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