Search Weight Loss Topics:




May 30

Why regaining lost weight is dangerous – Valley Courier

Long Term Weight Loss Comments Off on Why regaining lost weight is dangerous – Valley Courier

By: Dr. Joel Fuhrman - Updated: 1 hour ago

VALLEY Regaining the weight after losing it on a diet is much more common than keeping the weight off. Often dieters gain back more than they lost, and its a common experience to have an even harder time losing weight the next time. Weight cycling is the term for these repeating episodes of intentional weight loss followed by unintentional regain, also often called yo-yo dieting. One of the most important messages about weight loss is this: change your diet, lose the weight and keep your new, healthier way of eating forever.

The human body responds to weight loss the same way it would respond to starvation by conserving energy. The brain uses information about calorie intake and the bodys amount of stored energy to determine whether to release appetite-enhancing or appetite-suppressing hormones. One way the body adapts to weight loss is by altering the production of appetite-regulating hormones such as ghrelin and leptin, favoring weight regain by increasing appetite and promoting fat storage. Another way is by decreasing resting calorie expenditure.

These compensatory systems make going back to ones old unhealthy diet even more weight gain-promoting. The highly palatable low nutrient foods, which stimulate cravings via the brains reward system, are even more dangerous for someone whose calorie expenditure has fallen. Also, when you lose weight, some loss of muscle is unavoidable, and strength exercise helps to limit muscle loss. However, when you gain weight back after dieting, that weight is fat, potentially leaving you with a greater body fat percentage than before.

Studies have linked weight cycling to a greater risk of diabetes, hypertension, gallbladder stones, and shorter telomere length (shorter telomeres indicate more rapid aging). Weight cycling women were also found to have a greater waist circumference, and seem to gain more weight over time than non-cyclers who start off at the same BMI.

The bottom line is that making changes to your diet to improve your health and your weight need to be permanent changes, not temporary changes.

Why is gaining back body fat harmful? Adipose (fat) tissue is more than a vessel for storing excess energy. In addition to storing fat, adipose tissue acts as an endocrine organ: it contains macrophages (a type of white blood cell) in addition to adipocytes (fat cells); it produces and secretes compounds that affect the function of other types of cells. Obesity is accompanied by inflammation. Adipose releases compounds that can lead to negative consequences such as insulin resistance, higher triglycerides, and reduced immune function, and even growth promoters that can increase risk of cancer. As fat tissue grows, more of these pro-inflammatory compounds are produced, leading to chronic inflammation, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer.

The key to losing weight and keeping it off forever is changing your diet forever. Stay away from extreme fad diets; they are not sustainable long-term. About 80 percent of dieters are unable to keep 10 percent of their original body weight off for more than one year. Feeling deprived and going back to your old diet is almost inevitable. However, if you use high-nutrient foods to resolve toxic hunger and achieve greater meal satisfaction with a smaller number of calories, it will be much easier to stick with your new way of eating and prevent future weight regain.

A study published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine analyzed and reported weight loss results provided by 75 obese patients who had switched to the high-nutrient (Nutritiarian) diet I advocate. The average weight loss was 55 pounds, and overall their was no significant weight regain after three years. Compare these results to most weight loss intervention studies, which report average losses of only 6-13 pounds maintained after two years. One reason for the remarkable effects on permanent weight reduction with a Nutritarian diet is that the users are more fully educated regarding the long-term health and longevity benefits and it is adopted not merely for its weight loss benefits. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that this nutrient dense, plant-rich diet can suppress appetite and resolve food cravings and food addictions.14

My book The End of Dieting explains exactly how to break out of the cycle of physical and emotional addiction and overeating how to keep the weight off permanently.

Dr. Fuhrman is a #1 New York Times best-selling author and a board certified family physician specializing in lifestyle and nutritional medicine. The Eat To Live Cookbook offers over 200 unique disease-fighting delicious recipes and his newest book, The End of Heart Disease, offers a detailed plan to prevent and reverse heart disease using a nutrient-dense, plant-rich eating style. Visit his informative website at DrFuhrman.com. Submit your questions and comments about this column directly to [emailprotected]

Read the original here:
Why regaining lost weight is dangerous - Valley Courier

Related Posts

    Your Full Name

    Your Email

    Your Phone Number

    Select your age (30+ only)

    Select Your US State

    Program Choice

    Confirm over 30 years old

    Yes

    Confirm that you resident in USA

    Yes

    This is a Serious Inquiry

    Yes

    Message:



    matomo tracker