Even though you diet, do you experience ping pong-like wild ups and downs in your weight? Do you then try a different diet plan only to encounter the same thing? It isn’t necessarily your diet per se; it’s your overall weight loss plan. Rarely does a simple calorie reduction plan work on its own.

When your diet is solely concerned with calorie reduction you may see good results at first. Then, your body reacts to the reduction in intake by reducing its calorie burn rate, called your metabolic rate. The body needs less and you regain the weight. You switch plans and again see success. Once again the body reacts and up goes the weight. It’s a never ending cycle, like a yo-yo that never stops. Sounds familiar?

Frequently, diets are based on low fat consumption. The mistaken belief is that if you don’t eat fat the body will have to take some from the tissues where you store it. This is just not the case. Low fat diets are frequently, on a percentage basis, higher in carbohydrates. This triggers increased insulin levels in the blood. The body does not convert fat to energy when blood insulin levels are high.

A better suggestion is to plan your diet to be high in proteins. A diet rich in proteins will produce more stable levels of insulin in the blood. This in turn creates conditions conducive for a stable metabolic rate. Also, protein is essential to building muscles. Fat tissues don’t require maintenance. Muscles do. They require nutrients to function. This means calories are burned even after exercise is finished.

Then, combine this with exercise. All forms are good but one of the best is weight training. Adding muscle mass has a double benefit. First, the act of the exercise burns calories. Next, as per the above, increased muscles need nutrients. This means calories are burned even afterwards.

If you have experienced the yo-yo effect, give some serious thought to a protein rich diet and a little exercise. You will likely find it an effective way to lose weight.

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