Top 5 myths about weight loss. Myth #3 Eat less move more

Till the Middle Ages the earth was considered to be flat. Mankind has always been surrounded by many myths and continues to do so even despite science is giving us new insights every day. Weight loss science is no exception. In fact, it is nearly plagued by huge popular misconceptions. I believe the reason behind more myths prevailing in this space is people’s lack of study and true priority. Weight loss to a large population still needs no expertise. For lot many people it’s just eating less and move more. But with time, change in our lifestyle, eating pattern, busy schedule, weight loss needs deeper understanding and right knowledge. If we had been living in jungles or villages, we would not have bothered about these facts or myths. But in city life it needs deeper knowledge to address this rightly. I have listed the top 5 popular myths.

To help you allay these dis-belief I started series of my blogs. In my last 2 blogs I shared why all weight loss is not always healthy and busted the myth of exercising a lot for weight loss. In this blog I am sharing counter arguments against 3rd biggest myth.

Myth # 3 Eat less move more..!

What exactly strikes to your mind the moment you hear this ‘eat less move more’? We have been hearing this, I believe, from our childhood. People follow this by trying to starve themselves (to be in calorie deficit) and exercise more and more. But is it true?

The Eat less Move More model suggests that if we simply take less energy than we are using up, we will lose weight. Again, it's over focused on calorie deficit. For that it suggests eating less and burn more calories through exercise.

In my previous blog in this series, I explained how calorie deficit is not the only component in weight loss and there are many other factors. I have also explained how moving more (read exercising more) is not the way out. Please refer to my blog:

http://healthandfitnessfitbodyfitmind.blogspot.com/2022/11/top-5-myths-about-weight-loss-myth-2.html

Today I am explaining the two additional key loopholes of this approach of ‘eating less and moving more’. People trying to attain weight loss through this approach either miserably fail or may get initial results but get stuck after some time. One cannot maintain weight loss sustainably following this unhealthy approach. Apart from being over-focused on calorie deficit and exercise, this approach completely ignores. 1)    The nutritional value of food 2)    The fact that you just cannot eat less and starve yourself sustainably.

Not all calories are same

This approach completely disregards the nutrition of food and assumes that all calories are digested the same way and have similar effects on our body. However, this is not the case. Your body requires different nutrition for different purposes. It requires protein for building muscles, carbohydrates for energy and healthy fats, minerals, vitamins and phytonutrients for various other functions. Proteins (e.g., eggs or chicken) and fats (e.g. avocado or olive oil) do not have a big effect on our blood glucose levels, whereas carbohydrates (e.g. bread or pasta) do. Eating excessive amounts of carbs increases our blood glucose levels and causes a spike in insulin. Insulin is one of the main hormones that control our blood sugar levels, and it also promotes fat storage.

All foods in nature are available in mixed form of these nutrition in various ratios. The absorption of calories by our body for different kind of foods also varies. In the name of restricting calories people starve the body of essential nutrition. This leads to loss of muscles and various deficiencies in the body. The right way to understand this is eat low carb high protein/nutrient food and move well…!

Can you starve yourself sustainably?

Can you really starve yourself in the long run or even in the short run? Absolutely not. Its unhealthy and un-sustainable. Let’s see why.

The more restrictions you make the more cravings you get: When we dramatically restrict our food intake, our bodies have an evolutionary response of increasing the level of hormones responsible for appetite. This makes us feel hungrier and increases the chances of us eating more. Also, our mindset and environment influence food choices. If we’re feeling deprived and restricted (e.g. on a low-calorie diet), we’re much more likely to lose motivation and be influenced by foods in our environment. Often if we feel hungry and are denying ourselves certain foods, we will most likely accept a doughnut when offered one. if we’re experiencing more cravings and feeling hungry, it’s likely that we won’t stick to our plan. Restricting calories can lead to feelings of guilt associated with going over your ‘calorie intake’ for a certain day. Guilt is one of the main reasons people get stuck in an unhealthy cycle of binge behaviors.

Mindful eating is needed not calorie counting: Obsessing over calorie-counting can harbor an unhealthy relationship with food. Seeing food merely as ‘calories’ can make us lose touch with our natural hunger and fullness cues, as you are too focused on the numbers. This leads to us eating less mindfully. Mindful eating is an important tool to help us become more aware of what we’re eating, how much we’re eating, and why we’re eating it. In the long run, this can help us control our portion sizes and stay in tune with what our body needs. To practice mindful eating, try eating without distractions (e.g. away from the tv), engaging all your senses while you eat, and taking the time to eat slowly. People usually find that they need to eat less when they are in tune with their natural hunger signals. Focusing on restricting calories can also take all the enjoyment out of food. Worrying about numbers, instead of enjoying a meal out with friends, can become tiresome and unenjoyable. 

Food is meant to be enjoyed as well as to fuel our bodies. Celebrate food and health...!