Healthy Habits: Weight Loss
In this article, we take a scientific approach to Weight Loss, one of the most coveted goals in all of health & wellness. We cover the basics of calories, the many benefits of weight loss incl. lower risk of metabolic disease, calories in vs. calories out, and energy balance.
How hard can it be? Losing weight in all its simplicity is one of the hardest things to do. Unfortunately, the modern world has created an unprecedented situation where a large part of the world’s population lives in an overabundance of calories. They are everywhere and very low cost. What this situation creates is a loop of survival habits actually doing more harm for us than good.
We are designed to eat. In order to survive the long bouts of food scarcity, the human body has an intelligent process to build up energy stores in the adipose tissue (fat cells) and then utilize these in a very sparing way when a caloric restriction is implemented. Yes, it is all about survival despite this not being a very relevant mechanism for this day and age.
The danger of hidden calories
Because of the fact that calories are available everywhere in more and more enticing forms: candy bars, fast-food, deep-fried-everything, coffees which resemble a birthday cake, the human body’s satiation mechanics are thrown off as well. More often processed foods such as the before-mentioned are calorically very dense - much denser and palatable than anything naturally available through nature. Even though there is nothing inherently bad in these foods, their caloric density means that it is very difficult to innately control the intake in such a way that one does not eat more calories than one expends.
So why should we lose weight if we are overweight? Reasons are aplenty but very often the motivation starts with body image and self-esteem, even though the reasons to lose weight, in reality, are far deeper than what you see in the mirror. Obesity kills us - as simple as that [ study link ].
Benefits of Weight Loss
The benefits of weight loss have been studied for decades. Here are some highlights [ study link ].
Health benefits
Lower blood pressure
Lower blood cholesterol
Improved social status
Longevity benefits
Reduced risk of type 2 diabetes
Reduced risk of coronary heart disease
Reduced risk of certain cancers
Reduced risk of all-cause mortality
And the above is just to name a few. Literally sustainable weight loss will have a positive impact on all areas of your life: self-esteem, sex life, energy levels and so on.
Methods and programs for Weight Loss
Here’s a brief overview of the main methods for losing weight in a scientific way.
Calories in vs. calories out
The number of diets out there is staggering: paleo, zone, ketogenic, Atkins, you name it. And truth to be told - all of them can work! What a beautiful situation - you can actually test different diets and see which fits you best. However, it would be completely wrong to say that generically speaking one diet would be better than another when calories are equated. The one common denominator between all of the successful diets is a caloric deficit.
Energy Balance in Weight Loss
The reason why diets do work is the equation of energy balance. In simple terms, if you eat more calories than you expend, you will gain weight [ study link ]. When losing weight, it is important to ensure high protein intake as protein acts as a muscle-sparing agent when on a weight loss diet [ study link ].
Conclusion? We suggest counting calories. This is by far the most trustworthy way to start your weight loss journey. And it does not limit you from utilizing diets such as paleo, Atkins, or even intermittent fasting. Counting calories is the same as managing your financial budget where you ensure you are saving money (losing weight) by keeping track of your expenses (calories). There are many great tools for this use - MyFitnessPal being our favorite so far.
Icons made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com