Forget dieting: Speeding up your metabolism is the key to slimness
We all know one: that annoying friend or colleague who eats handfuls of cheese and chocolates and rarely exercises - yet remains thinner than we’d be in our wildest slimming fantasies.
What came as some surprise to me is that in my office I’m considered that person.
Only when my desk neighbour started peering wide-eyed at my hourly snacks (biscuits, bagels, chocolate) did I wonder what had happened - because four years ago I definitely wasn’t that person. I was a stone and dress-size heavier, in spite of constant dieting.
Fast metabolism: Laura Topham is like that annoying friend or colleague who eats handfuls of cheese and chocolates and rarely exercises - yet remains thin
In fact, it was once I stopped dieting that I started shrinking. Something has changed and, as I’m not exercising heavily, it must be my metabolism.
As a diet-obsessed nation, when we say (or blame) ‘metabolism’ we mean the rate at which our body burns off food.
In fact, to be precise, metabolism actually encompasses a vast array of processes vital to keep us alive. Converting food and drink into energy is just one of these. Others involve things such as absorbing nutrients into cells.
And this is the important bit: most of the body’s energy is used for essential functions, such as excreting waste or keeping the heart beating.
This is what is called our Resting, or Basal, Metabolic Rate (BMR): the amount of calories we expend at rest just to keep our body going. It varies hugely, depending on the individual — the only way to work out your BMR is by going to a lab for special tests.
But that’s not necessary. The thing to note is that your BMR has a huge impact on the total calories you burn each day - your total metabolic rate. If you want a faster metabolism, the key is to raise your BMR.
So why is mine suddenly so high? I set out to discover the factors which influence our BMR, with some surprising results ...
HOW TO SPEED UP YOUR METABOLISM
BUILD UP YOUR MUSCLES: ‘The more muscle tissue you have, the higher your basal metabolic rate will be,’ says Dr Nicola Lowe, senior lecturer in nutrition at the University of Central Lancashire.
‘Muscle tissue is metabolically active and uses energy even at rest, whereas adipose (fat) tissue does nothing at rest. Muscles move, requiring energy, while fat is just storage.’
So increasing muscle tone, through exercise such as weight-lifting, will dramatically increase your metabolism.
So, for me, perhaps an occasional cycle ride after buying a bike three years ago has developed extra muscle tone in my legs.
Caffeine fix: Studies have shown that people who drink coffee before an exercise class tend to burn more fat
DRINK COFFEE: Regularly drinking ten cups of tea a day, it never occurred to me that caffeine could be helping me to lose weight.
There are also rather less healthy ways we can alter our BMR. ‘How much tea and coffee we drink makes a difference, as caffeine can increase your basal metabolic rate by around five to ten per cent for two hours,’ says Dr Lowe.
‘Similarly, smoking 20 cigarettes a day can increase metabolic rate by about five to 15 per cent.
‘The mechanism isn’t entirely clear, but they are stimulants so perhaps increase nervous activity, making your body move more. Caffeine also alters our fuel use so we burn fat for energy rather than glucose.’
Because of this, studies have shown that people who drink caffeine before an exercise class tend to burn more fat.
TURN OFF THE CENTRAL HEATING: One of the major differences in metabolism has only just been discovered; brown fat. This is a type of body fat which burns energy, naturally making you lose weight.
‘Brown adipose tissue was previously not thought to be present in adults,’ says Victor Zammit, professor of metabolic biochemistry at Warwick University. ‘Now, we think that about 30 per cent of adult humans have it.
‘The fat looks brown because, unlike white fat, it has a lot of mitochondria — little boilers in cells that burn energy and generate heat. In a new-born baby these cells keep them warm — the brain switches on the brown adipose in cold ambient temperatures.’
The lucky one in three of us with brown fat can activate it simply with exposure to the cold. In future, techniques might be developed to switch our white fat tissue to brown fat tissue.
EAT MORE CARBS: We’re often told carbohydrates are bad diet foods. But, in fact, their consumption might be better for metabolism.
‘There is evidence that if you eat too much carbohydrate you tend to burn off the excess,’ says Tom Crisp, consultant sports physician at the Bupa Barbican Centre, London ‘Whereas if you eat too much fat it gets laid down and stored, probably because we are best equipped to use carbohydrate for energy.
‘If people eat too much, they are likely to be slimmer if that excess is carbs rather than fat.’
So while colleagues gasp at my high-carb lunches of pasta and potatoes, I’ll burn off my potato more quickly than a friend with her dollop of tuna mayo on her salad.
GO FOR A SHORT WALK: Exercise doesn’t just raise your basal metabolic rate during the activity, but for some hours afterwards.
‘The metabolism is like a car engine,’ says Mr Crisp. ‘At rest it is just ticking over, start to move and you burn more petrol - and the faster you move, the more you burn. But it remains running for some time afterwards; in fact, if you exercise regularly then your resting metabolic rate never quite goes down to where it was.’
So, the more frequently you exercise, the higher your metabolic rate will be - so although I cycle only tiny distances, doing so regularly is a constant boost.
START FIDGETING: If you’re a fidgeter, your irritating habit could actually help your metabolism, says Dr Lowe.
‘A large part of the exercise component to metabolism is involuntary activity - things we have no control over like fidgeting, posture and shivering.
'Someone who can’t sit still burns up a lot more energy than someone who’s passive and placid.’
. . . AND WHAT CAN SLOW IT DOWN
DIETS: ‘Dieting on its own is usually very ineffective,’ explains Mr Crisp. ‘The body recognises when you are starving and slows down various chemical processes to save energy - like a laptop going onto standby to save battery life.
‘So people who yo-yo diet can adversely affect their metabolic rate long term. People like boxers, who are constantly dieting to make a weight, tend to put on a lot of weight when they stop exercising - perhaps because by dieting they have slowed their metabolism so they now have a lower BMR.’
That explains why I lost weight as soon as I stopped dieting and started eating regularly again.
BEING A WOMAN: ‘The most notable factors affecting basal metabolic rate are our age and gender,’ says Dr Lowe. ‘The rate decreases as we get older and males tend to have a higher BMR than women.’
Men tend to have more muscle than women, and people lose muscle as they age (because they become less active).
Get some fresh air: Exercise doesn’t just raise your basal metabolic rate during the activity, but for some hours afterwards
ALCOHOL: When I stuck to a liquid diet, having just coffee and milk throughout the day, it sometimes continued into the evening - in the form of white wine and cocktails. Yet alcohol, which I now consume more moderately, is another blow to our metabolism.
‘When alcohol is broken down in the liver it affects the transport mechanisms for fats so you may get more in the blood stream, and ultimately lay down more fat,’ says Mr Crisp.
A HORMONE IMBALANCE: The thyroid gland is key to your metabolism, thanks to the hormone thryroxine which it produces. ‘Thyroxine is very important in metabolism,’ explains Mr Crisp. ‘Its level determines how fast or slow metabolic chemical reactions are.
‘With an overactive thyroid you burn off more calories so tend to be thin, nervous and very active. As opposed to an underactive thyroid, where the metabolic rate is very slow, so you put on weight and are slow in personality. This affects only two per cent of women and 0.1 per cent of men, but is a factor.’
EATING JUST ONE LARGE MEAL A DAY: Like many dieters, I used to try to avoid eating all day, only to stuff myself with one large meal in the evening. However, large meals actually slow your metabolism, because of their effect on insulin, a hormone involved in metabolism.
‘Insulin is released when glucose levels in the blood increase,’ says Mr Crisp. ‘It then signals to the cells whether to release or store the energy - so affects the amount laid down as fat. Your body produces more insulin in response to a large meal than a small snack.
‘So if you have very big meals and starve yourself in between, you’ll produce more insulin which means more energy may be diverted off into fat storage.’
YOUR PARENTS: There is also a small genetic component to BMR, which can vary by up to ten per cent, even in those of exactly the same age, gender and body composition.
‘For instance, your genes can affect how well you absorb food,’ says Dr Lowe. So your metabolism can be similar to your parents.’
So even though genetics, age and gender remain the major determinants of metabolism, you can still do little things to shift the balance in your favour - which I appear to have done by eating more, taking gentle, regular exercise and dieting less.
But just as there is more to metabolism than energy burn, there is more to our nutritional needs than getting the calorie count right.
15 ways to max your metabolism
Even before you start exercising, you can use plenty of tricks to eliminate visceral fat, improve your flab-burning metabolic process, and start losing weight fast.
Don't diet! The Men's Health Diet isn't about eating less, it's about eating more -- more nutrition-dense food -- to crowd out the empty calories and keep you full all day. That's important, because restricting food will kill your metabolism. It makes your body think, "I'm starving here!" And your body responds by slowing your metabolic rate in order to hold on to existing energy stores. What's worse, if the food shortage (meaning your crash diet) continues, you'll begin burning muscle tissue, which just gives your enemy, visceral fat, a greater advantage. Your metabolism drops even more, and fat goes on to claim even more territory.
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Go to bed earlier A study in Finland looked at sets of identical twins and discovered that of each set of siblings, the twin who slept less and was under more stress had more visceral fat.
10 Ways to make this year your healthiest ever
Eat more protein Your body needs protein to maintain lean muscle. In a 2006 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, "The Underappreciated Role of Muscle in Health and Disease," researchers argued that the present recommended daily allowance of protein, 0.36 grams per pound of body weight, was established using obsolete data and is woefully inadequate for an individual doing resistance training. Researchers now recommend an amount between 0.8 and 1 gram per pound of body weight. Add a serving, like 3 ounces of lean meat, 2 tablespoons of nuts, or 8 ounces of low-fat yogurt, to every meal and snack. Plus, research showed that protein can up post-meal calorie burn by as much as 35 percent.
Go organic when you can Canadian researchers reported that dieters with the most organochlorines (pollutants from pesticides, which are stored in fat cells) experienced a greater than normal dip in metabolism as they lost weight, perhaps because the toxins interfere with the energy-burning process. In other words, pesticides make it harder to lose pounds. Other research hints that pesticides can trigger weight gain. Of course, it's not always easy to find—or to afford—a whole bunch of organic produce. So you need to know when organic counts, and when it's not that important. Organic onions, avocados, grapefruit? Not necessary. But choose organic when buying celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries, nectarines, bell peppers, spinach, kale or collard greens, cherries, potatoes, and imported grapes; they tend to have the highest levels of pesticides. A simple rule of thumb: If you can eat the skin, go organic.
Get up, stand up Whether you sit or stand at work may play as big a role in your health and your waistline as your fitness routine. In one study researchers discovered that inactivity (4 hours or more) causes a near shutdown in an enzyme that controls fat and cholesterol metabolism. To keep this enzyme active and increase your fat burning, break up long periods of downtime by standing up—for example, while talking on the phone.
Drink cold water German researchers found that drinking 6 cups of cold water a day (that's 48 ounces) can raise resting metabolism by about 50 calories daily—enough to shed 5 pounds in a year. The increase may come from the work it takes to heat the water to body temperature. Though the extra calories you burn drinking a single glass don't amount to much, making it a habit can add up to pounds lost with essentially zero additional effort.
Eat the heat It turns out that capsaicin, the compound that gives chili peppers their mouth-searing quality, can also fire up your metabolism. Eating about 1 tablespoon of chopped red or green chilies boosts your body's production of heat and the activity of your sympathetic nervous system (responsible for our fight-or-flight response), according to a study published in the Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology. The result: a temporary metabolism spike of about 23 percent. Stock up on chilies to add to meals, and keep a jar of red pepper flakes on hand for topping pizzas, pastas, and stir-fries.
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Rev up in the morning Eating breakfast jump-starts metabolism and keeps energy high all day. It's no accident that those who skip this meal are 4 1/2 times as likely to be obese. And the heartier your first meal is, the better. In one study published by the American Journal of Epidemiology, volunteers who got 22 to 55 percent of their total calories at breakfast gained only 1.7 pounds on average over 4 years. Those who ate zero to 11 percent of their calories in the morning gained nearly 3 pounds.
Drink coffee or tea Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant, so your daily java jolt can rev your metabolism 5 to 8 percent—about 98 to 174 calories a day. A cup of brewed tea can raise your metabolism by 12 percent, according to one Japanese study. Researchers believe the antioxidant catechins in tea provide the boost.
Fight fat with fiber Fiber can rev your fat burn by as much as 30 percent. Studies find that those who eat the most fiber gain the least weight over time. Aim for about 25 g a day—the amount in about three servings each of fruits and vegetables.
Eat iron-rich foods Iron is essential for carrying the oxygen your muscles need to burn fat. Unless you restock your store, you run the risk of low energy and a sagging metabolism. Shellfish, lean meats, beans, fortified cereals, and spinach are excellent sources. (But it's not always a good idea to take a supplement. Too much iron has been linked to a greater risk of heart disease in men. Get this essential mineral in natural doses from real foods.)
Get more D Vitamin D is essential for preserving metabolism-revving muscle tissue. Unfortunately, researchers estimate that a measly 20 percent of Americans take in enough through their diet. Get 90 percent of your recommended daily value (400 IU) in a 3.5-ounce serving of salmon. Other good sources: tuna, fortified milk and cereals, and eggs.
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Drink milk There's some evidence that calcium deficiency may slow metabolism. Research shows that consuming calcium in dairy foods such as fat-free milk and low-fat yogurt may also reduce fat absorption from other foods.
Eat watermelon The amino acid arginine, abundant in watermelon, might promote weight loss, according to a new study in the Journal of Nutrition. Researchers supplemented the diets of obese mice with arginine over 3 months and found that it decreased body-fat gains by a whopping 64 percent. Adding this amino acid to the diet enhanced the oxidation of fat and glucose and increased lean muscle, which burns more calories than fat does. Snack on watermelon and other arginine sources, such as seafood, nuts, and seeds, year-round.
Stay hydrated All of your body's chemical reactions, including your metabolism, depend on water. If you are dehydrated, you may be burning up to 2 percent fewer calories, according to researchers at the University of Utah who monitored the metabolic rates of 10 adults as they drank varying amounts of water per day. In the study, those who drank either eight or twelve 8-ounce glasses of water a day had higher metabolic rates than those who had four.
5 FAT-BURNING FOODS TO BOOST YOUR METABOLISM
5 FAT-BURNING FOODS TO BOOST YOUR METABOLISM
Genetics, schmanetics! Yes, it may be true that your genetics contribute to your metabolism’s performance, but you can give your metabolism a boost by simply eating the right foods! Here's the scoop on which foods you should include in your daily diet to get your fat-burning gears in motion. Stay on track and you'll have your six-pack abs peaking through in no time.
Brown rice is a whole grain rice; whole grains take more effort to break down than processed grains and therefore help your body burn more fat. Brown rice, unlike white rice, maintains the hull and bran, which provide “natural wholeness” to the grain. It's also rich in proteins, thiamine, calcium, magnesium, fiber, and potassium.
Egg whites are high in protein, low in calories, and have no cholesterol or fat. Egg whites are rich in branched-chain amino acids which keeps your metabolism stoked. They also provide riboflavin -- also known as vitamin B-2 -- which can help metabolize carbohydrates, fats and protein.
Chicken is a lean meat; lean meats are full of iron. Eating about three to four servings of iron-filled foods will help avoid an iron deficiency, which can cause your metabolism to slow down. Chicken has little fat and a lot of protein. If you are trying to add bulk to your muscles, grilled chicken can help! Stressed? Eat chicken! Chicken contains vitamin B5, which has a calming effect on the nerves.
“Chili peppers contain capsaicin, a chemical compound that can kick metabolism into higher gear,” says Scott Isaacs MD, clinical instructor of medicine at the Emory University School of Medicine. Capsaicin also helps minimize blood glucose and cholesterol levels, lowers high blood pressure, and triggers the release of endorphins and serotonin, brain chemicals that counteract depression and mood swings. If that wasn’t enough, peppers can also aid in curbing your appetite, reduce your unhealthy cravings, and even enhance your sexual performance. To reap the aforementioned mentioned benefits, Dr. Isaacs suggests adding a tablespoon of chopped chili peppers to a meal once a day.
Lastly, don't forget to remain hydrated! A study published by the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism showed that the consumption of water (about 17 oz.) can increase the metabolic rate by 30 percent in healthy men and women. Drinking a healthy amount of water helps the body’s fluid balance, which in turn can aid in digestion and the transportation of nutrients in the body. Further, drinking water can help you finish that last rep. When you sweat at the gym, you lose water. When your muscles don’t have enough water, they get tired. Hydrate your muscles properly, and you’ll have extra energy to complete your workout.
10 COMMON MYTHS ABOUT WEIGHT LOSS THAT YOU REALLY SHOULD KNOW IN 2015
FACT: 'Crash diets are unlikely to result in long-term weight loss. In fact, they can sometimes lead to longer term weight gain.
'The main problem is that this type of diet is too hard to maintain. Your body will be low on energy, causing you to crave high-fat and high-sugar foods.'When you finally give in and eat those foods, you will often eat more calories than you need, causing weight gain.
FACT: 'Not true. Successful weight loss involves making small changes that you can stick to for a long time. That means building regular physical activity into your daily routine.
'Adults between 19 and 64 should get at least 150 minutes of physical activity – such as fast walking or cycling – every week, and those who are overweight are likely to need more than this to lose weight.
'To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. This can be achieved by eating less, moving more or, best of all, a combination of both.'
FACT: 'Slimming pills alone will not help you keep the weight off long term. They should only be used when prescribed by a doctor.'
FACT: 'Healthy foods are not necessarily more expensive than their unhealthy alternatives.
'You'll typically pay more for a high-fat, high-salt ready meal than you would if you had bought fresh ingredients and made the meal yourself.'
FACT: 'Foods labelled 'low fat' have to meet legal criteria to use that label. Labels such as 'reduced fat' do not have to meet the same criteria and can be misleading.
'A reduced-fat snack should contain less fat than the full-fat version, but that doesn't automatically make it a healthy choice: it could still contain a lot more fat than, say, a portion of fruit.
'Low-fat foods also sometimes contain high levels of sugar.'
FACT: 'Margarine and butter contain different types of fat. Margarine is usually lower in saturated fat than butter. But it's more likely to contain hydrogenated fats.
'Hydrogenated fats, also called trans fats, may be more harmful to health than saturated fats. To lose weight, and for a healthy heart, reduce the amount of saturated and hydrogenated fats you eat.
'If oil in margarine has been hydrogenated, this has to be listed on the ingredient listing on packaging, so check labels carefully.'
FACT: 'Eaten in the right quantities, carbohydrates will not cause weight gain. A 2003 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that dieters on the best-known low-carb diet, the Atkins diet, tended to lose weight not because they ate fewer carbohydrates, but simply because they ate less overall.
'Eat whole grain and wholemeal carbohydrates such as brown rice and wholemeal bread, and don't fry starchy foods when trying to lose weight.'
FACT: 'Snacking isn't the problem when trying to lose weight: it's the type of snack. Many people need a snack in-between meals to maintain energy levels, especially if they have an active lifestyle.
'Choose fruit or vegetables instead of crisps, chocolate and other snacks that are high in sugar or saturated fat.'
FACT: 'Water does not cause you to lose weight, but it does keep you hydrated and might help you snack less. Water is essential for good health and wellbeing.
'Sometimes thirst can be mistaken for hunger – if you're thirsty you may snack more. The Department of Health recommends that we should drink about 1.2 litres of fluid every day.'
FACT: 'Skipping meals is not a good idea. To lose weight and keep it off, you have to reduce the amount of calories you consume or increase the calories you burn through exercise.
'But skipping meals altogether can result in tiredness and poor nutrition. You will also be more likely to snack on high-fat and high-sugar foods, which could result in weight gain.'
Low Carb Diet - Dr. Oz’s Fast Metabolism Weight Loss Plan Alternates Low-Carb Diet With Holiday Splurges
The newest weight loss research is providing insights into the best ways to shed pounds. Dr. Mehmet Oz offered some tips from those studies on how to boost your metabolism to burn calories faster on the Dr. Oz Show. His new diet even allows you to splurge on holiday treats by cycling among low-carb diet days, high protein days, high fat diet days, and “cheat” days. Can Dr. Oz’s new Fast Metabolism Weight Loss plan help you?
Dr. Oz explained that his new diet uses a concept known as carb-cycling. However, before you change your diet, check with your personal physician so that you can customize it to your own health needs.
Chris Powell, star of Extreme Weight Loss, helped Dr. Oz design the plan to provide two splurge days each week. They emphasize that by shifting diets throughout the week, from a high protein diet to a high fat diet to a high carb diet, you will burn fat faster and increase your metabolism. In addition, by following a low carb diet on most days, you will keep your body in prime condition.
One day each week, you’ll take a different approach with a Smart Carb diet. This day features foods that are high in fiber, such as oatmeal and berries for breakfast, whole grain bread and a bean salad at lunch, whole grain pasta with veggies for dinner, and fruit for snacks.
Dr. Oz’s fast metabolism diet includes high protein days.
Two days a week, your high protein diet day will include three low carb diet meals with lots of protein and two snacks that combine protein and veggies. For example, you might have cheese and cucumber for a snack, and eat steak with cauliflower for dinner.
Your high fat diet days will occur two days a week. You’ll eat two snacks that contain fat, such as an apple with peanut butter. Your meals will all include fat as well, such as avocado with your lunch.
Be sure to schedule in advance. For example, you could have Saturday and Sunday as your two days of splurging, Monday and Tuesday as your two high protein days, Wednesday as your Smart Carb day, and Thursday and Friday as your healthy fat days.
Seeking a way to jump-start your weight loss? As the Inquisitr reported, Dr. Oz recently created a new Fat Flush plan. It’s designed to help you lose up to five pounds in just three days by cutting carbohydrates and encouraging you to sip a special fat flush broth.
What if you try to stick to your diet but keep getting derailed? First, check with your doctor. And then consider trying psychological weight loss tricks to stay on track, suggests Psych Central.
“What drives our behavior is not logic but brain biochemistry … We are emotional beings with the ability to rationalize — not rational beings with emotions. The more primitive, emotional brain generally has precedence over the newer, more rational brain,” points out Dr. Howard Rankin.
Some tips for avoiding sabotaging your diet goals include coming up with new ways to motivate yourself and developing a strong support system. Emotional support can make a dramatic difference in achieving your goals. And that support might include professional help. For example, if you’re anxious about going to the gym, consider hiring a professional trainer to get you started.
[Images Via Dr. Oz Show]
7 Ways to Boost your Spiritual Metabolism
Everyone wants to lose, or at least maintain their weight at some point in their lives. However the key to achieving your goal involves something called 'Metabolism'.
Think of it as an engine that that has not been started for some time. It may take time to start up, but once it has warmed up, it will go where you want it to.
When overweight, our body does not feel like exercising. But once you push yourself you start losing fat and gaining more muscle, and that's when your metabolism starts working. The more muscle you gain, the higher your metabolic rate, therefore the more calories you will burn. And the good thing is that it doesn't only work when you are in the gym but even while sleeping your metabolism is working for you burning off those calories.
Our faith is like our body's metabolism. If it is not started then you will never reach where you want to go. But once you start putting your faith to good use, you've started something in you that God was waiting for, in order to answers your prayers.
It's the kick-start that is needed in order for God to work with those who want their faith to achieve big results in their lives - to lose the excess weight that most of the time puts you down, makes you sluggish and that brings doubts that you will not overcome difficult circumstances in life.
Get it going and it's all that God needs to jbe with you, even answering your prayers while you sleep.
Below are the '7 Ways to Boost your Spiritual Metabolism'.
1. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Before your bacon, eggs, toast and tea, start your day by seeking the Holy Spirit. Present your day and all your plans to God before you do anything else. It's the spiritual food for your soul.
2. Don't starve yourself. You need to feed your body with spiritual food to keep you going during the day, e.g. Read a few verses in the morning and continue to meditate on them throughout the day.
3. Do more resistance training. Whenever a negative thought pops into your mind, reject it immediately, rather than allowing it to take up residence in your subconscious, only to resurface later on. Train yourself to resist negative thoughts.
4. Increase aerobic activity. Be alert to people, places and situations that will tempt you to sin and if you find yourself in a tempting situation - run, run, run. This will also keep your mind and heart clean and healthy by avoiding sin and maintaining a clean conscience.
5. Take added supplements. Make sure you attend the Wednesday meetings, not just Sundays alone. It's the extra boost you need to keep you going, especially during those more hectic weeks.
6. Build more muscle. The more muscle you have, the more unwanted calories you will burn. Faith is this muscle, therefore the more you use it, the stronger you will become, burning away every doubt lurking in your mind.
7. Avoid burnout. Do not rush into doing everything at once, otherwise you will lose interest quickly. The key is to not lose focus in what you are setting out to achieve. It's not a quick-fix to look good for others, it's not a 1, 6 or 12 month plan. It is for the rest of your life. If you get it right early-on, the sooner you will enjoy the benefits of your spiritual investment.
Spiritual Health Warning: If you have a bad reaction to change or you have an allergy to other forms of medication (using faith) or, if during treatment you experience bad side effects e.g. Doubts, thoughts of giving up, etc. then seek immediate advice from your Pastor.
fat people , fat women , what is fat , why belly fat , why so fat , why your fat
12 GRAPHS THAT SHOW WHY PEOPLE GET FAT
By Kris Gunnars
People are fatter and sicker than ever before.
Obesity rates have tripled since 1980 and have increased particularly fast in children.
The reason why this has happened is still debated among scientists, but it must be due to changes in the environment because our genes don’t change this quickly.
This article contains graphs with historical trends and results from obesity studies, showing some of the main reasons why obesity has become such a massive problem.
Here are 12 graphs that show why people get fat.
1. People Are Eating More Junk Food Than Ever
Source: Dr. Stephan Guyenet. Fast Food, Weight Gain and Insulin Resistance.Whole Health Source.
People are eating more calories than before… but pretty much all of the increase has come from processed foods.
In the graph above, you see how the population changed its eating habits in the past 120-130 years.
At the turn of the 20th century, people were eating mostly simple, home-cooked meals. Around 2009, about half of what people ate was fast food, or other foods away from home.
This graph actually underestimate the true change, because what people are eating at home these days is also largely based on processed foods.
2. Sugar Consumption Has Skyrocketed
Source: Johnson RJ, et al. Potential role of sugar (fructose) in the epidemic of hypertension, obesity and the metabolic syndrome, diabetes, kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2007.
Added sugar is the single worst ingredient in the modern diet.
Numerous studies show that eating excess amounts of added sugar can have harmful effects on metabolism, leading to insulin resistance, belly fat gain, high triglycerides and small, dense LDL cholesterol… to name a few (1, 2).
There is also a plethora of observational studies showing that the people who eat the most sugar are at a much greater risk of getting type 2 diabetes, heart disease and even cancer (3, 4, 5).
Sugar is also fattening, partly because it doesn’t get registered in the same way as other calories by the brain, making us eat more. It also has adverse effects on hormones related to obesity (6, 7, 8, 9).
Not surprisingly, studies show that people who eat the most sugar are at a high risk of future weight gain and obesity (10).
3. People Gain Lots of Weight During The Holidays, Which They Never Get Rid Of
Source: Dr. Stephan Guyenet. Why do we Overeat? A Neurobiological Perspective.2014.
Most people don’t gain weight overnight… it happens slowly, over years and decades.
But the rate is uneven throughout the year and spikes dramatically during the holidays, a time when people tend to binge on all sorts of delicious holiday foods and eat much more than their bodies need.
The problem is that sometimes people don’t lose all the weight back. They might gain 3 pounds, but only lose 2 after the holidays are over, leading to slow and steady weight gain over time (11).
In fact, a large percentage of people’s lifetime weight gain can be explained just by the 6 week holiday period.
4. The Obesity Epidemic Started When The Low-Fat Guidelines Were Published
Source: National Center for Health Statistics (US). Health, United States, 2008: With Special Feature on the Health of Young Adults. 2009 Mar. Chartbook.
There was an epidemic of heart disease running rampant in the U.S. in the 20th century.
A lot of scientists believed fat, especially saturated fat, to be the main dietary cause of heart disease (although this has since been disproven).
This led to the birth of the low-fat diet, which aims to restrict saturated fat. Interestingly, the obesity epidemic started at almost the exact same time the low-fat guidelines first came out.
Of course, this doesn’t prove anything, because correlation doesn’t equal causation.
But it does seem likely that putting the emphasis on saturated fat, while giving processed low-fat foods high in sugar a free pass, may have contributed to negative changes in the population’s diet.
There are also massive long-term studies showing that the low-fat diet does NOT cause weight loss, and does not prevent heart disease or cancer (12, 13, 14, 15).
5. Food is Cheaper Than Ever Before
Source: Dr. Stephan Guyenet. Why do we Overeat? A Neurobiological Perspective.2014.
One factor that has most likely contributed to increased consumption is a lower price of food.
From the graph above, you see that food prices have dropped from 25% of disposable income to about 10% of disposable income in the past 80 years.
This seems like a good thing, but it’s important to keep in mind that real food isn’t cheap… it’s processed food.
In fact, real foods are so expensive that a lot of people can’t even afford them. In many poor neighborhoods, they don’t even offer anything but junk food, which is often subsidized by the government.
How are poor people supposed to stand a chance if the only food they can afford (and access) is highly processed junk high in sugar, refined grains and added oils?
6. People Are Drinking More Sugary Soda and Fruit Juices
The brain is the main organ in charge of regulating our energy balance… making sure that we don’t starve and don’t accumulate excess fat.
Well, it turns out that the brain doesn’t “register” liquid sugar calories in the same way as it does solid calories (16).
So if you consume a certain number of calories from a sugary drink, then your brain doesn’t automatically make you eat fewer calories of something else instead (17).
That’s why liquid sugar calories are usually added on top of the daily calorie intake. Unfortunately, most fruit juices are no better and have similar amounts of sugar as soft drinks (18).
Studies have shown that a single daily serving of a sugar-sweetened beverage is linked to a 60.1% increased risk of obesity in children (19).
Sugar is bad… but sugar in liquid form is even worse.
7. Increased Food Variety Contributes to Overeating and Weight Gain
Source: Dr. Stephan Guyenet. Why do we Overeat? A Neurobiological Perspective.2014.
One factor that contributes to overeating is food variety.
The graph above shows a study where rats were split in 3 groups… one group got regular healthy chow, the second group got one type of junk food, but the third got multiple types of junk food at the same time (20).
As you can see, the rats eating one type of junk food gained more than the ones eating rat chow, but the rats eating multiple types of junk food gained the most… by far.
There is some evidence that this is true in humans as well. When we have more types of foods available, we eat more… and sometimes more than our bodies need (21).
8. People Don’t Burn as Many Calories When Working
Source: Church TS, et al. Trends over 5 Decades in U.S. Occupation-Related Physical Activity and Their Associations with Obesity. PLoS One, 2011.
A lot of people blame obesity on decreases in physical activity, that we’re just burning fewer calories than we used to.
Although leisure time physical activity (exercise) has increased, it is also true that people now have jobs that are less physically demanding.
The graph above shows how people are now burning around 100 fewer calories per day in their jobs, which may contribute to weight gain over time.
9. People Are Eating More Vegetable Oils, Mostly From Processed Foods
The fats we are eating have changed dramatically in the past 100 years or so.
At the beginning of the 20th century, we were eating mostly natural fats like butterand lard… but then they were replaced with margarine and vegetable oils.
Most people aren’t frying real food in vegetable oil, they are getting it from processed food. Adding these oils to the foods increases the reward and caloric value, contributing to overconsumption.
10. The Social Environment Can Strongly Affect Calorie Intake
Source: Dr. Stephan Guyenet. Why do we Overeat? A Neurobiological Perspective.2014.
The social environment is another factor that determines calorie intake. For example, eating in a group can dramatically increase the number of calories consumed.
According to one paper, eating a meal with several people can increase calorie intake by up to 72%, or 310 calories in a single meal (22).
There are also studies showing that people tend to eat more during weekends (23).
11. People Are Sleeping Less
Source: Cauter EV, et al. The Impact of Sleep Deprivation on Hormones and Metabolism. Medscape, 2005.
Sleep is often overlooked when it comes to weight gain and obesity.
It is known that poor sleep has negative effects on various hormones that are related to weight gain, and can contribute to increased hunger and cravings (24, 25, 26).
In recent decades, average sleep duration has decreased by 1-2 hours per night. The reasons for this are numerous, but increased artificial lighting and electronics are likely contributors.
As it turns out, short sleep duration is one of the strongest individual risk factors for obesity. It is linked to an 89% increased risk in children, and a 55% increased risk in adults (27).
12. Increased Calorie Intake
Source: Dr. Stephan Guyenet. Why Do We Overeat? A Neurobiological Perspective.2014. (Data from CDC NHANES surveys and USDA food disappearance data)
People may argue about the causes of obesity… whether it is sugar, carbs, fat, or something else.
But one indisputable fact is that calorie consumption has increased dramatically over the past few decades (28, 29).
According to studies, this increased calorie intake is more than sufficient to explain the increases in obesity (30).
But it’s important to keep in mind that it is not some collective moral failure that drives the increased calorie intake.
All behavior is driven by the underlying biology… and the way the diet and environment have changed has altered the way our brains and hormones work.
In other words, these changes have caused malfunctions in the biological systems that are supposed to prevent us from getting fat.
This is the underlying reason for the increased calorie intake and weight gain, NOT a lack of willpower, as some people would have you believe.
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