Top 3 Weight Loss Myths: Myth One
Losing Weight is as Simple as Calories In and Calories Out
When it comes to weight loss, the prevailing notion is that it's a matter of a simple mathematical equation: burn more calories than you consume. However, the truth is far more complex. The human body is a sophisticated system with intricate processes that influence weight regulation, making weight loss a multifaceted challenge that goes beyond the simplistic concept of energy in and energy out.
Energy In = Diet.
The energy humans take in is from what we eat - a mixture of fats, carbohydrates and protein. But our choices of food, how often we eat and the volumes we eat can be affected by a number of factors.
There’s your job, your education, your finances. There are your beliefs, where you live, your environment growing up and medical factors such as the conditions you have or the medications you use.
Then there are your natural hunger levels. And satiety - how quickly you get full.
There are also differences in the hedonic response to food - some individuals will be more attracted to higher calorie foods.
We all have that friend that eats like a bird, gets full quickly and is a ‘cheap date’ or the best person to share a dessert with! This is, in a large part, determined by genetics.
We can make positive changes to the ‘energy in’ side of the equation. However we do need to understand what drives us to make the choices we do, and why a one size fits all diet approach will not work.
Energy Out = Exercise
Attributing Energy Out to the amount of exercise you do is even more problematic.
The main contributor to the calories you burn in a day is NOT from structured exercise for most individuals. Most of the energy you will burn in a day is due to your basal metabolic rate/resting metabolic rate. Your basal metabolic rate is the energy your body burns simply by carrying out its day to day functions.
The basal metabolic rate is affected by lots of factors including your age, your gender, your genes, how much muscle you have, the medications you are on and your hormone levels to name just a few.
As with ‘energy in’, there are changes we can make to our ‘energy out’. However, they need to be smart changes with a set goal in mind, that takes into account us as an individual.
So What Does this Mean?
It means that managing your weight is not simple. It means that the journey you are on is not the same as your friend’s. It means you can go about weight loss the wrong way and do yourself more harm than good. It means that no one should shame you for the body you are living in.
Contact Noi Clinic for some individualised advice on management of your health and weight.
