This study shows why it is so hard to keep weight off – Not fit to be tried!

Sometimes, what gets reported as research can brain wash you. Here is a recent example:

The Journal of New England published a study that looked into why it is so hard to keep weight off. The New York Times picked it up and interviewed so-called “experts” regarding the findings of this article.

Weight loss is not hard – If you do it right

The study enrolled 50 overweight individuals who were placed on a 10-week weight loss plan with a very low energy diet. In fact, dieters were allowed only 500 to 550 calories per day.

How much food is that? Here is a sample menu:

½ cup oatmeal (rolled oats) 152 calories

8 oz non-fat plain yogurt 100 cal

4 cups mixed vegetable salad 132 cal

8 oz non-fat plain yogurt 100 cal

3 oz wild salmon with 1 cup of cauliflower 148 cal

This is a total of 632 calories. That means you actually need to take one yogurt away to bring the total to 532 calories to stay in this study.

This is crazy!!!

Here is the why: A study conducted by the University of Alabama at Birmingham confirmed that energy restriction produces a transient hypothyroid-hypometabolic state that normalizes when you return to an energy balanced condition.

This study confirmed that your Resting Metabolic Rate, the rate of calories you burn at rest, fell during energy restriction, or dieting. This natural response is working against you if your goal is to lose weight efficiently over a longer period.

To avoid the lowering of your Resting Metabolic Rate, and to keep burning fat and losing weight, your goal is to avoid this occurrence. Your goal should be to ramp up your Metabolic Rate, which is accomplished with exercise.

Exercise builds lean muscle tissue.

Therefore, your body can burn more fat tissue without going into a calorie restriction diet.

As a general rule, women should consume about 1200 calories and men around 1800 per day. However, these numbers do not take into account your daily activity level.

When you eat less then the required BMR (calories per day required), your body goes into starvation mode and your body doesn’t burn body fat as efficiently.

Fat loss that works

This study also failed to incorporate the effects of activity, or exercise.

Exercise increases your metabolic rate. Strength training, in particular, can build lean body tissue in as little as 20 minutes per day. The more fat tissue you have, the more you have to burn. You can speed up this process by training with intensity during your exercise program. Exercising at the same speed for a longer time does little if you want to focus on burning fat calories. Studies have confirmed that a simple interval approach will increase your results.

Before you give up on weight loss because the headlines tell you it’s hopeless, dig deeper. Look at the study and see how it was designed. How large was the pool of people. A study with only 50 individuals and with a drop out rate of 16 who where not able to complete the study isn’t significant enough to prove much. If your goal is weight loss and to burn more fat, eating too few calories can work against you.

The best long-term results in my practice in terms of easy and simple natural weight loss come from eating a diet with 50 % carbohydrates, 30 % protein and 20 % fat. If you are in competition or have an event to get ready for, then follow a regimen of 30 % carbohydrates, 50 % protein and 20 % fat. Clients of mine who have eaten this way have achieved outstanding results.

For best results, you need to eat in order to avoid a slow down of your Resting Metabolic Rate. And, you need to exercise.

Stay informed and focused to expect results.

Kind regards,

Stefan

Europe’s Premier Youngevity Coach
AFFA, ACE, Reebok University
Masters in Science in Holistic Nutrition

Stefan Aschan, M.S., author of the Alpine Weight Loss Secrets, which teaches you how to outsmart your hormones and lose belly fat without drugs or surgeries. His approach is holistic, scientific and based on centuries of experience from those living in Alpine Environments. He is a certified strength coach, personal trainer and naturopath. Learn more about how to loss weight naturally by visiting www.AlpineWeightLossSecrets.com