Losing weight is difficult when you are constantly hungry. Diets rely on food deprivation. But there are better ways to lose weight. Anyone who changes their diet escapes the yo-yo effect.
Many who struggle with their weight know the problem. Losing weight is usually still successful, but maintaining the new weight is more difficult for many. Most of the time, the yo-yo effect catches up after a few weeks or months. And after a while, they weigh as much again as they did before the diet – often even much more.
So what to do Is everything hopeless? There is no hope? One thing is certain: diets are not the solution. Because withdrawal from food is simply not a healthy method. The body has wonderful mechanisms to easily endure these phases of food deprivation. He shuts down his metabolism and literally waits for the menu to fill up again. Then the fat pads grow quickly – also because the body wants to build up reserves for new times of deficiency. Also, there seems to be some mechanism for the human body to try to regain the high weight it was before the diet. However, the background needs to be scientifically investigated in more detail.
In the end, it’s all about eating a healthy diet
But none of this should discourage you. Once thick does not mean fat forever. Losing weight is easier than many might think. It’s not about restricting yourself and counting calories forever. The important question is what we eat. The key to success may sound trite, but it is very successful. In the end, it’s all about eating a healthy diet.
It’s not complicated. For us, a plant-based diet with lots of fruit, lots of vegetables and regular, long meal breaks works best. But it works. A study from the USA followed the test subjects for almost 30 years. In the group that ate mainly vegetables and fruits, the risk of cardiovascular diseases decreased significantly during this time. Overall mortality was also lower.
The point is not to force the body under any circumstances, but rather to listen to it. Not forbidding him anything, but to ask: What is good for you? Because food is more than just calories. They not only provide energy, but also trigger a wide variety of reactions in the body. And these influence the likelihood of getting fat or not.
The mechanisms behind this are still being explored. But there is evidence that the microbiome in particular benefits from this form of nutrition. Those who eat this way will quickly see how they are doing better. The blood pressure and blood sugar levels drop. The fat stores are shrinking, the changes are dramatic. If you combine the right foods with each other, nutrition becomes a pleasure. More vegetables, more fruits, something high in bacteria every day, like an unsweetened full-fat yogurt. From time to time also organic meat from animals that have not been treated with antibiotics, plus fresh fish. Again, don’t consume processed foods that contain preservatives and additives. As little sugar as possible. No sweetener, it kills the good bacteria. Long-fiber foods such as sauerkraut and kimchi, on the other hand, are good.
A calorie is not just a number
Behind all of this is the recognition that a calorie is not just a calorie. It not only provides energy, but also consists of nutrients that trigger very individual reactions in the body. Also because we live in a deep partnership with our bacteria. Together with viruses and fungi, these microbes belong to us like our own cells. Around 40 trillion of them live in us and on our skin, and they weigh a total of around two kilograms. They form a kind of superorgan – also called a microbiome – without which humans would not be able to survive. Most of them are in the colon. Via the nerve pathways that lead from there to the brain, they influence numerous processes in our body. The microbiome produces around a third of all metabolic products in the body. Even vitamins that we need to ward off pathogens are produced by our little roommates. Dietary fiber, which is indigestible for humans, is broken down by bacteria into short-chain fatty acids. Some activate the immune cells, others inhibit inflammation or regulate the cholesterol metabolism. Microbes play an important role in the question of whether we will grow old healthy or suffer from chronic diseases such as diabetes or asthma.
There is a clear link between the microbiome and body weight. Slim people have a greater variety of microbes than fat people. There is also evidence that preservatives, artificial additives, sugar and flavor enhancers harm the diversity of the microbiome. Once unbalanced, unhealthy bacteria can take over for us. They strive for power – and once they have it, they use messenger substances and hormones to make us keep eating. Although the body’s energy needs have long been met.
The good news: If changing your diet may be difficult at first, the longer you persevere, the easier it will be. The goal is to turn the conscious decision to eat healthily into a routine. Habits are the key to success. Change takes time – from studies it is estimated that it takes about three months for a process to be automated.
