AVOIDING “REBOUND” WEIGHT GAIN AFTER A DIET

The first thing most people think about when they are on a diet is how little they can possibly eat in order to see the fastest weight-loss results. They assume that the only way to lose weight is by starving yourself. However, a full 98% of all first-time dieters end up failing in their effort, and in fact many dieters do not lose weight and in fact end up gaining about five pounds by the end of the diet.

So how does this happen? Over time, our bodies evolved a “smart” metabolism capable of adjusting during periods of food shortage – the idea of “dieting” never crossed the minds of our distant ancestors; in their case, restricting calories was a fact of life when no food could be found. As a result, the body reacts to many typical diets by slowing down and conserving energy, trying to hang on to fat as a ready source of fuel. As a consequence you will feel the fatigue and lethargy and constant hunger that plague many dieters unaware that their bodies are actually working against them every step of the way.

Meanwhile, after coming off of your diet, your body will respond by putting keeping your metabolism in “starvation mode,” packing away any food you eat as fat for energy the next time a “famine” comes around. This is typically referred to as “rebound weight-gain,” and it can sabotage even the most committed dieter’s best efforts at taking inches off their waistline.

However, there is no need to fall into the rebound weight-gain trap, if you go about losing weight correctly, rather than relying on ill-advised crash diets and severe calorie restriction. Instead, use a common-sense meal plan and eat frequent meals every three to four hours. You will find that, in fact, you will lose more weight by eating just as much as you were before, but just taking a different approach to it.

In order to convince your body that weight loss is makes sense, you must keep your metabolism elevated and eat consistently, avoiding any “feast or famine” patterns that can cause your system to conserve body fat and add more of it whenever you eat. If you use these common-sense strategies, you will find that your weight-loss efforts will be easier (no uncomfortable starvation diets) and also much more rewarding, since your efforts will not be wasted in the end.