Food hasn’t always been easily available, and our genes remember those days, according to a new study. It turns out, rapid weightloss could lead hormones to signal the body to keep eating higher calorie levels than it needs for up to a year or more after weightloss occurred.
This, then, leads dieters to rebound and regain at least a portion of the weight lost, as well as have lower morale, and potentially regain the health risks that having a higher weight carries.
Of note, the study was sponsored by Nestle’s Optifast, and further studies are necessary to determine whether the method of weightloss affected the results: rapid weightloss lead by diet (as opposed to the recommended 1-2 lbs a week lead by both diet and exercise) might signal to the body that’s it’s starving, whereas slower weightloss built around lifestyle changes may not.
How To Maintain Weightloss
First:
- Before assuming hormones are causing weight gain, make sure that there aren’t other psychological triggers (stress, relationships…).
- Make sure that the Thyroid, which controls energy use and sensitivity to hormones, is receiving adequate nutrition and functioning properly (especially if weighloss has been a life-long struggle).
- Know that women approaching or going through menopause may also have hormone fluctuations that trigger weight gain.
If you think hormones are triggering hunger urges (and you are getting adequate Calories daily), try approaching the problem from a health-food standpoint: eat nutritional foods, like lean proteins, fruits & veggies, and low-sugar carbohydrates. If the urges are still acting up, make sure you have all your nutritional bases covered with a daily multivitamin.
What other things get in the way of weightloss, or maintaining weightloss?
