Why Keeping Weight Off After Dieting Is Hard To Do.
It’s The Bodies Balancing Act Our bodies are constantly working to maintain balance. A fancy word for this action is called homeostasis. An example of homeostasis is our body temperature, our body fights to keep it at around 37°C. If our bodies get too hot (fever) for too long we die, and if we get too cold (hypothermia) we die. Homeostasis also influences our weight. The Bad News In people who are overweight, homeostasis works to keep that weight steady. So when they try to lose weight, their endocrine systems attempt to prevent this from happening by delivering subconscious messages to our brain to slow down our metabolism to help prevent weight loss. This was a good system when we were hunter gatherers and it was smart for our bodies to maintain energy stores in times of adversity or during an acute sickness. The Good News Once overweight people have achieved a healthy body weight and maintained it for more than 12 months (it may take longer), homeostasis and the new mind map actually works for them. Homeostasis becomes our friend instead of our enemy as it then helps to maintain our new stable weight and protects against weight gain. When people are “rewired” with their new mind map and at a healthy weight, homeostasis begins to make weight maintenance natural and effortless. Research Links Adaptive thermogenesis was evident at 6 months, but not at 24 months. “At 6 months, the measured resting energy expenditure was significantly lower than predicted (−18.2±6.7 kcal/24 h p<0.0068), suggesting adaptive thermogenesis. After 24 months, this had reversed, with measured REE being significantly higher than predicted” Adaptive Thermogenesis in Resistance to Obesity Therapies: Adaptive reduction in thermogenesis and resistance to lose fat in obese men. Clinical significance of adaptive thermogenesis.