Most people have struggled with weight loss at one stage or another in their lifetime. If you have ever followed a strict diet and workout program yet had the feeling that you simply can't lose weight no matter what you do, you are not alone.
If you have experienced this in the past then today's the day you begin understanding the science behind the problem.
Having difficulty with fat loss is not a new issue. It's actually a very common trait in today's society and that's largely down to the obsessive nature of pop culture, with many celebrity magazines promoting the rather misleading idea of 'get fit quick' diets which claim to yield impossible results. This leads to a condition known as metabolic damage. The following two things are usually common traits displayed in those who suffer with it:
1. A very, very restrictive low calorie diet.
2. Performing tons of cardiovascular exercise.
If you are worried that you may have crashed your body's metabolism in your bid to shed fat then you need to take a look at the two items above. If either of them fit your current lifestyle then you are displaying the signs commonly associated with someone who suffers from this condition.
The main cause of this problem is a poor diet. By following a restrictive eating plan which feels as though your are punishing yourself for wanting to drop body fat you can actually be making it even harder for yourself to succeed without realizing it. This is because your body reacts to a sudden drop in calories by shutting down your body's metabolism in a bid to hang on to what reserves it has left in it's stores, because it doesn't believe you are feeding it enough to survive.
Secondly, these same individuals usually follow a very high cardiovascular workout program. Sometimes spending two hours or more on a running machine per day, these individuals wonder why on Earth they must do in order to promote more fat loss.
What they don't realize is their body has reacted to keep them alive, nothing more. It's preventing you from doing permanent damage to yourself with your dangerous dieting habits.
What generally transpires after this stage is the individual gets very frustrated at their lack of results and begins mistakenly blaming their failure on their lack of effort. They quit and binge, resulting in a drastic upturn in calories that the body cannot deal with at this stage. Remember, your metabolism has effectively been shut down so hitting it with a massive intake of calories suddenly is going to result in a big gain in unwanted body fat. This is how yo-yo dieting begins.
From this point, the person feels the need to get back on their diet except this time they want to punish themselves for slipping off the rails, so they restrict calories even further and workout for even longer than before. This causes further damage.
The good news for anybody who recognizes these symptoms is that it's not impossible to reverse and correct.
Correcting a damaged metabolism is actually relatively easy, the main problem comes in getting somebody to recognize they have the condition in the first place. They are usually so caught up in the idea of dropping more fat that they don't want to hear the solution. Getting your metabolism back on track requires a slow, gradual increase in your daily calorie intake over the course of anything from six months to a year. Small increases of around 5% have been shown to yield the most positive results. It's simply about teaching your body how to maintain your weight despite eating more food. You can still exercise during this time, of course, but you should switch your focus away from endless cardiovascular exercise and towards high intensity interval training. It's been shown to yield far superior results as well as requiring much less time in the gym.
The worst thing you can do if you are suffering from metabolic damage is to continue dieting. You can't lose weight because your body is preventing you, so if you truly want to enjoy permanent weight loss then you need to correct this very important issue before you can move on.
If you have experienced this in the past then today's the day you begin understanding the science behind the problem.
Having difficulty with fat loss is not a new issue. It's actually a very common trait in today's society and that's largely down to the obsessive nature of pop culture, with many celebrity magazines promoting the rather misleading idea of 'get fit quick' diets which claim to yield impossible results. This leads to a condition known as metabolic damage. The following two things are usually common traits displayed in those who suffer with it:
1. A very, very restrictive low calorie diet.
2. Performing tons of cardiovascular exercise.
If you are worried that you may have crashed your body's metabolism in your bid to shed fat then you need to take a look at the two items above. If either of them fit your current lifestyle then you are displaying the signs commonly associated with someone who suffers from this condition.
The main cause of this problem is a poor diet. By following a restrictive eating plan which feels as though your are punishing yourself for wanting to drop body fat you can actually be making it even harder for yourself to succeed without realizing it. This is because your body reacts to a sudden drop in calories by shutting down your body's metabolism in a bid to hang on to what reserves it has left in it's stores, because it doesn't believe you are feeding it enough to survive.
Secondly, these same individuals usually follow a very high cardiovascular workout program. Sometimes spending two hours or more on a running machine per day, these individuals wonder why on Earth they must do in order to promote more fat loss.
What they don't realize is their body has reacted to keep them alive, nothing more. It's preventing you from doing permanent damage to yourself with your dangerous dieting habits.
What generally transpires after this stage is the individual gets very frustrated at their lack of results and begins mistakenly blaming their failure on their lack of effort. They quit and binge, resulting in a drastic upturn in calories that the body cannot deal with at this stage. Remember, your metabolism has effectively been shut down so hitting it with a massive intake of calories suddenly is going to result in a big gain in unwanted body fat. This is how yo-yo dieting begins.
From this point, the person feels the need to get back on their diet except this time they want to punish themselves for slipping off the rails, so they restrict calories even further and workout for even longer than before. This causes further damage.
The good news for anybody who recognizes these symptoms is that it's not impossible to reverse and correct.
Correcting a damaged metabolism is actually relatively easy, the main problem comes in getting somebody to recognize they have the condition in the first place. They are usually so caught up in the idea of dropping more fat that they don't want to hear the solution. Getting your metabolism back on track requires a slow, gradual increase in your daily calorie intake over the course of anything from six months to a year. Small increases of around 5% have been shown to yield the most positive results. It's simply about teaching your body how to maintain your weight despite eating more food. You can still exercise during this time, of course, but you should switch your focus away from endless cardiovascular exercise and towards high intensity interval training. It's been shown to yield far superior results as well as requiring much less time in the gym.
The worst thing you can do if you are suffering from metabolic damage is to continue dieting. You can't lose weight because your body is preventing you, so if you truly want to enjoy permanent weight loss then you need to correct this very important issue before you can move on.
About the Author:
Author: So, you think you just can't lose weight? Gym coach Russ Howe PTI shall teach you 5 exclusive and effective weight loss principles which simply work.
Blogger Comment
Facebook Comment