Understanding weight loss
Weight loss is probably the biggest topic for most gym goers or people looking to get fit. For years many health professionals, doctors, personal trainers including myself have been talking about losing weight without truly understanding the concept or process of how our bodies control it. This is probably one reason why it has become such a difficult thing for most people to do.
Weight loss and the importance of fat!
Firstly I think that it is important when talking about losing weight we are talking about losing unhealthy, excess body fat. Body fat is identified as a vital organ and important for preserving life. Its main properties are, it acts as insolation, it is lightweight compared to muscle or bone to carry and it can store a lot of energy. Fat cells' specific function is “energy regulation” through storing and controlling its usage. It can be considered as our bodies' fuel tank of energy and can store on average about 30 days of energy. Carrying excess body fat, however can be very inefficient and can be very unhealthy.
Health issues
In most cases when training we will look to build muscle mass and lose body fat. Excess body fat has very strong links to cardiac diseases, diabetes and many other health issues. There is a strong campaign about “body confidence”, which is a great thing however there still needs to be an understanding that carrying excess body fat is unhealthy. I think everyone is aware of these health issues however there is still a massive increase in overweight and obesity rates within the UK and even the rest of the world. So why is this the case when we are all aware of these health issues?
Eat less, exercise more?
When it comes to weight loss most personal trainers and even doctors will tell you that, all you need to do is to “be more active and eat less.” Unfortunately it is not as simple as that and our body is incredibly good at adapting to new situations and environments, such as over or under eating. For years I have been telling my clients that weight loss comes down to simple physics:
energy consumed (kcal) - energy used (kcal) = energy stored (kcal).
The energy is then stored as fat cells within our body.
Another way of looking at weight loss
In my last blog I talked about this and although this seems true in theory, it is a lot more complex in reality. This is because our fat cells will have a massive impact on the number of calories we burn in order to create a homoeostasis state (creating a stable state) or a set body weight. A better way of looking at weight loss is through an equation, which takes into account of the basal metabolic rate (BMR):
Energy consumed - (basal metabolic rate (BMR) + active energy lost) = energy stored.
Your BMR is the amount of energy your body needs to function everyday and for most people makes up the majority of energy lost through the day. Our BMR is regulated and controlled by our fat cells. It can easily fluctuate between increasing or decreasing calories burnt based on the body's perception of survival. For example if you go on a low calorie diet you may lose weight in the short term, however your body will start to adapt as it will think that it is in a famine and will slow down your metabolism so that the body needs less energy to function. The body will then think that it needs to store even more energy just in case it goes through another famine. Therefore increasing your weight. So because the body is so efficient at altering its metabolic rate low calorie dieting can make losing weight a lot more difficult.
The Weight set point theory
Just like many other systems within our body, it controls the levels to what it perceives to be right. For example our thermoregulatory system when our core temperature increases we start to sweat to cool down and when our core temperature decreases we start to shiver to warm up. Our body has a set temperature that it tries to control. Dr Jenkinson claims that this system of self regulating and having a set level is the same for energy and fat stored. This is called the weight set point theory. This theory can be one explanation to explain why it is difficult for us to alter our body weight.
So how can we reset our “weight set point”?
- Cook and make your food
- Avoid processed food
- Avoid sugary food
- Make progressive changes
- Mindfulness eating (are you actually hungry)
- Create healthy habits
- Get a good night's sleep (8hrs)
Hopefully after reading this you have developed a better understanding of weight loss and why it can be so difficult for people.
Reference list
Farias, M. M., Cuevas, A. M., & Rodriguez, F. (2011). Set-point theory and obesity. Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1089/met.2010.0090
Jenkinson, A. (2020). Why We Eat (Too Much): The New Science of Appetite. Penguin UK.
Kemnitz, J. W. (1985). Body weight set point theory. Boletin de La Asociacion Medica de Puerto Rico.
Lasker, G. W. (1947). The effects of partial starvation on somatotype: An analysis of material from the Minnesota starvation experiment. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.1330050305
Unger, R. H. (2005). Longevity, lipotoxicity and leptin: The adipocyte defense against feasting and famine. Biochimie. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biochi.2004.11.014