The Truth About Caloric Intake
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Posted Aug 21, 2024
I wrote a compelling article explaining why cutting too many calories can backfire, leading to weight gain. I explored the science behind calorie hoarding
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The Truth about Calories – Eating Too Few Will Make You Gain Weight
If you follow the most common advice out there about weight loss, then you will certainly
be tempted to cut down the number of calories you consume on a daily basis by a
significant amount. After all, a reduction in caloric intake is vital to your weight loss
efforts, right? Actually, this is wrong. In fact, you will actually find that consuming too
few calories will in fact make you gain weight! How can this be true? It flies in the face
of all that modern nutritionists and fad diets have taught you, yet it remains a cold fact.
Too few calories in your daily routine are just as harmful as too many. Most people
simply assume that because overeating leads to obesity, then under eating will lead to
weight loss. They find out the harsh reality all too soon, though. Why does a drastic
reduction in calories consumed lead to weight gain, rather than weight loss?
Essentially, your body remains on automatic pilot, even when you are awake. When
you eat fewer calories than you burn during the course of the day, you create a deficit –
one that will ultimately lead to weight loss. However, when your caloric intake drops too
low, your body immediately goes into starvation mode. That is, it begins hoarding the
calories that you consume, stockpiling them in fat reserves throughout your body. Your
body believes that the reason you are lacking calories is that there is no food available.
Therefore, it anticipates your future need for energy and stores fat away for future use.
It’s a wonderful system, actually.
However, for those who are unaware of the automatic pilot nature of their metabolic
system, it can come as quite a rude surprise. As their metabolism slows to an apparent
standstill, their fat level increases tremendously. In addition, they find that they are
tired, depressed, that their minds do not function as well – these are all signs of
starvation and of calorie hoarding. If this process goes on too long, then it can lead to
serious health problems, including anemia, brittle bones, depression, swollen joints and
more.
Therefore, you need to ensure that you are able to consume enough calories on a daily
basis to avoid this problem, but still few enough that you create a calorie deficit to lose
weight. With the right diet plan, this can be relatively simple.