Search Weight Loss Topics:

Home » How to lose weight safely » Why some people find it harder to lose weight than others – Stuff.co.nz

Why is it that some people can simply look at a salad and lose weight while others are stuck in a constant uphill battle?

Food and the human body is a complicated pairing, and there is no simple one-size-fits-all solution for a lifestyle hack. There are, however, several findings in recent studies which might explain why some people find it harder to lose weight than others.

And it turns out, gut bacteria in particular has a role to play in fat storage, making the traditional idea of eating less and exercising more a lot trickier for some.

On top of that, it seems some bodies are better at burning calories than others. The metabolic rate, which is the number of calories required to keep your body functioning at rest, is a process that works even when youre sleeping, and the energy your body doesnt use is stored as fat. So, the slower your metabolic rate, the fewer calories burned. The fewer calories burned, the more fat is stored.

READ MORE:* This scientist says nearly everything you know about food is wrong* Study of 200 countries highlight Kiwi kids among the unhealthiest in the world* There's more to weight-loss than calorie control * The real reason why you don't lose weight on the same diet as your friend

Men have more skeletal muscle mass than women and therefore a higher metabolic rate. Its understood that metabolism is partly genetic and yes, experts believe it does slow constantly from your early adult years onwards, due to inactivity and the size and metabolic function of our muscles.

Our bodies can react to the same foods in different ways, too. AUT Professor Emeritus Elaine Rush, an all-round nutrition expert, says we all have unique responses to food, based on how it is being metabolised.

The actual energy it takes to digest food, she explains, is called thermogenesis.

When food is consumed, energy is required to break it down into smaller bits and molecules chewing, swallowing, peristalsis, churning in the gut, producing digestive juices, enzymes and emulsifiers to get it small enough to pass into the blood stream and lymphatics.

She adds that overall thermogenesis accounts for about 10 per cent of total energy expenditure.

So if you consume 2000 kilo calories per day, youd spend around 200 kilo calories just to digest food. Some evidence suggests that obese humans might have defective diet-induced thermogenesis. Theres also a lot of interest in foods that might enhance this process and protein is a key one, said to play a key role by keeping you satisfied for longer.

Rush says another reason why only some people gain weight after consuming food with too many calories can depend on their microbiome and fibre intake. Made up of trillions of bacteria living in the gut, the microbiome plays an important role in human health and disease by producing a range of chemicals, hormones and vitamins.

Studies suggest that the hidden figures have a role to play in obesity, by influencing the bodys ability to extract and store calories.

Genes are often considered to predispose people to obesity, in tow with the amount of physical activity performed, types of foods eaten and what is available. Rush says that genetics can play some part in determining the diversity of the microbiome, but its not the end of the story.

A 2017 study investigating the association between gut microbiome and weight gain in twin females found that the environment has more influence than genetics and that microbiome diversity is negatively associated with long-term weight gain. The research also found the microbiome diversity was positively tied in with fibre intake.

Rush says diet "especially fibre, has a huge influence on microbiome.

Its a fermenter down there, its breaking the fibre down. We used to think fibre was an inert part of our diet and nothing much happened in the large bowel, but weve known for at least ten years that we get energy from fibre.

Other influences determining the diversity and stability of the microbiome can include age, stress, medication and even your birthing process. The understanding is that you can make choices to increase the diversity of your microbiome. We should also be cutting back on calories and avoiding processed foods.

STUFF

More than 20,000 people took part in Stuff's NowNext survey. Here's what we learned.

You are what you eat and your microbiome is too. Its cells number one-to-one for our cells so you cant ignore it, theres trillions of them there. It depends what you feed it, so its a bit like farming, youre not feeding yourself.

So is it impossible for some people to lose weight? Rush says that rather than focus on weight, it is better to focus on function.

Loss of weight is not the goal. It is the ability to live the best life possible which means to have good physical function. Focus on function and wellbeing. You can be malnourished at any size and I believe that most New Zealanders do have some degree of malnourishment because were certainly not eating our 5+ a day and now thats gone up to 7+ a day.

Dont try for a goal weight, but try for overall healthiness, including good nights sleep, balanced food, physical activity, enjoying society and lowering stress. she adds.

Individual diets could certainly be one solution, but the luxury of personalised nutrition is not accessible to everyone, which is another part of the problem.

One 2018 study looking at glucose response found varying blood sugar levels in participants that ate identical meals. So the effect that one food has for one person might be different for someone else a carrot doesnt necessarily digest like a carrot for everyone.

See the article here:
Why some people find it harder to lose weight than others - Stuff.co.nz

Your Full Name
Your Email
Your Phone Number
Select your age (30+ only)	30313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120
Select Your US State	Select Your StateAlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWashington,DCWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming
Program Choice	Select Your ProgramInjectable HGHInjectable TestoteroneInjectable SermorelinInjectable Weight LossInjectable HCG DietInjectable Vitamins
Confirm over 30 years old	Yes
Confirm that you resident in USA	Yes
This is a Serious Inquiry	Yes
Message:

Home » How to lose weight safely » Why some people find it harder to lose weight than others – Stuff.co.nz