Weight loss journey is definitely a herculean task! And achieving what you aspired for doesn’t always go as straight as you think. Because people in the “Weight Loss” club always has something or the other to say –
“I have reduced my food consumption (calorie intake) but the weight loss is not so significant. In fact I lost 3 to 4 kilos initially but now it is stagnant and I am not able to lose more”
“I exercise a lot but I don’t see myself losing weight”
“I have lost some weight but I feel fatigued, tired and don’t feel happy about it and I see the lost weight coming back”
And we totally agree with the above statements because they are true. People suddenly decide to lose weight or their healthcare provider tells them that they have to lose their excess kilos. With this, they take quick measures and fail to achieve the goals. The only logical conclusion is either cut down the calorie consumption or burn more calories to balance the equation:
Calories in – Calorie out = Weight (A kilogram of weight has 7000 calories)
The above conclusion is logically correct but the flaw is that we have a body and mind, which make their own decisions as to how much of what we eat should become fat so that our very survival is not in danger. This creates hurdles for weight loss, which can be grouped into three broad categories –
- Physiological
- Psychological
- Sociological
Physiological:
Do you know – cutting down on food intake may backfire and add bellyfat to the body? Well, this is true especially for Indians because we have the monsoon gene (a gene that came up to enable survival for many years as India was dependent on monsoon for food).
Indians don’t eat excessive amounts of food. We eat foods that are mostly quick digesting foods. For example, breakfast of a typical Indian consists of quick digesting foods like idlis, instant cooking oats, breads, corn flakes, juices, milk and that causes an insulin spike, which results in the fat accumulation cycle. The other meals also largely comprise of quick digesting foods and therefore the fat storage cycle continues.
For better understanding, you need to know about the Insulin Resistance (IR) and how it plays a vital role in all this. But before that, note that hormones are essential messengers in the body and Insulin is a master hormone with many functions. Some of them are listed below.
- Telling the muscle cells to store the nutrients
- Stopping the glucose production by the liver
- Stopping the release of fat from fat stores
- Causing inflammation
- Signalling of hunger
What is Insulin Resistance?
When insulin is weak in the blood, the first three functions get impaired, while the last two functions get accelerated. This is called Insulin Resistance (IR), the effect of which is as follows:
IR in muscle cells:
The nutrients cannot enter the cells and this causes fatigue and the cravings for more sugar.
IR causes excess hunger:
Normally the food we eat should last for 3.5 to 4 hours. The hunger induced by IR occurs earlier than 4 hours (in most occasions 1.5 to 2 hours) and this is the reason for frequent tea drinking, nibbling like biscuits and snacks, smoke breaks, irritability, etc.
IR in the fat cells:
The function of the fat cells is to store the excess energy and release it when the body is in need of energy. When there is weak insulin (during IR period), the insulin does not allow the fat cells to function effectively and fat cells continue to release excess energy even though there is enough energy in the form of glucose in the blood. All the excess fat in the blood stream is then deposited as fat in the belly.
Inflammation:
Inflammation is the body’s tool to protect itself from injuries and infections. But when it is in excess due to IR, it causes joint pains and fatigue on many occasions.
Sleep:
Lack of good quality sleep reduces thyroid hormone, growth hormone, increases cortisol and makes the insulin weak. This leads to fatigue at the start of the day leading to emotional, stress eating and eating quick digesting foods.
Intermittent Stress:
The Intermittent stress causes the person to go towards the fat storage mode more easily.
Psychological:
Don’t blame yourself if your body shuns the physical activity and craves for comfort foods. The IR prevalent among fat people sends the false signal of starvation to the brain. What does a starved one do?
- Conserve energy by reducing the physical activity
- Seek food (emotional eating)
This is exactly what the body of a fat person induces him to do. So the best way to lose excess weight is with the help of a good nutrition plan, so that the body and mind cooperate with your weight loss efforts.
Sociological:
Society may scorn a fat person but quite often, close family and friends may consider a person sick if they lose weight, because they associate plumpness with good health.
Most of the time, an individual looks for advice from friends, family and acquaintances, who may not have complete knowledge and experience in the area of weight loss or good health – which further derails the process.
For more information on Insulin Resistance, refer to Insulin Resistance.
Here’s how we can help you:
- We can help you lead a healthy & active lifestyle, if you follow all what we recommend
- We make programs that are flexible to suit the individual’s lifestyle
- We incorporate individual’s favourite foods into the program
- We educate individuals to make their weight loss & health goals sustainable
- We help our clients become self-reliant and independent to make healthy food choices for themselves
- We transition people seamlessly into a healthy active lifestyle using practical nutrition, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy along with scientific mind and body processes
- We help with sleep and stress related issues as well, as they impact weight
