Why Dieters Regain the Lost Weight: 4 Main Reasons.

We have often seen in our daily life that most of the peoples, regain the lost weight a few months or years after losing it.

Although there are no exact numbers for this but some estimates suggest that 80-95 % of people regain the lost weight.

This is due to a variety of reasons.

To understand this you have to fully understand the science behind it.

Science behind regaining of lost weight:

 

 

1. Fat cells and their structure:

Studies show that the average person has between 10 to 30 billion fat cells (Adipocytes) in the body.

These fat cells are determined during the childhood and adolescence stage of a person and remain the same throughout life. (Read study)

When you take more calories than your body consumes, the fat cells grow both in size and numbers.

Obese people have almost twice the number of fat cells in their body as against normal ones.

These fat cells store fats in the form of triglycerides and thus the weight of body increases.

2. Shrinkage of fat cells:

When you adopt a weight loss diet and lose weight, the fat cells shrink in size but their number remains approximately the same.

 The whole process involves breaking down stored triglycerides in the fat cells for fueling the energy needs of the body.

When you eat less than your daily calorie requirements the body uses the triglycerides for daily energy requirements.

The process creates waste products like water and carbon dioxide. These waste products are removed from the body through sweat or urination and thus the body loses weight.

So the fat cells remain in the body even after losing weight and they decrease only in size and not in numbers.

Thus if you adopt a sedentary lifestyle, or overeat in the near future. The fat cells can again grow.

They can not only grow to their original size but can become larger than before.

Reasons for regaining of lost weight:

1. Weight set points:

Dr. Gribbler stated that “weight set point” are the main culprit behind regaining of lost weight .

The weight at which body is programmed to remain stable is known as “weight set point” It is a combination of various factors including

i.  Genetics

ii . Behavior

iii. Hormones

iv. Environment

In addition to the weight set point, metabolism also plays the same role in regaining lost weight.

Metabolism burns energy at a rate that will maintain weight set points.

2. Calorie restrictive diet:

When you take a calorie restrictive diet your body goes into protective mode. It increases appetite and reduces metabolism.

All these factors combine  together and contribute to regaining lost weight.

3 Sedentary Lifestyle:

It is a lifestyle with very little physical activity. This type of lifestyle slows down your metabolism and results in regaining lost weight.

4. Lack of stability:

Many calorie-restrictive diets are short term solutions rather than habits that you adopt in daily life. This discourages long term weight maintenance.

How to maintain the lost weight for long term :

The weight loss can be maintained for the long term by taking the following steps:

1. Eat more protein to maintain lost weight:

We have also discussed in earlier articles that protein reduces the level of ghrelin hormone.

In this way, protein helps to reduce hunger, which is increased due to a calorie-restrictive diet.

Apart from this, protein also helps in increasing metabolism.High amounts of protein help to maintain weight loss for the long term.

2 Weigh yourself daily to maintain lost weight:

 

 

It is also an important step in maintaining weight loss for long term. It helps you consume fewer calories.

Weighing daily helps you to develop more self-control. This is due to the fact that the weighing scale indicates even a slight increase in your weight.

In this way, you can correct it immediately by keeping an eye on your calorie intake.

Conversely, if you weigh yourself after a long gap i.e. weekly or fortnightly you may regain your weight by 1 or 2 kg.

3. Do Strength training to maintain lost weight:

Researches have found that muscle mass is reduced during the weight loss process. It reduces your metabolism and thus burns fewer calories throughout the day.

Doing strength training such as lifting weights helps in improving muscle mass. This helps improve your metabolic rate.

4. Get proper sleep to maintain lost weight:

Studies show that lack of proper sleep increases the level of the hormone ghrelin which increases hunger.

Also, lack of sleep reduces the level of leptin. (the hormone responsible for reducing hunger)

Thus the combination of two factors results in overeating and high-calorie intake.

So proper sleep should be taken so that weight loss is maintained for long-term.

5. Manage your stress levels:

It is already discussed in the previous article that increased stress level causes an increased level of stress hormones cortisol.

The elevated levels of cortisol results in increased appetite and food intake.

So for long-term weight management stress levels should be in control.

For this, you should include activities like exercise, yoga, and meditation in your daily routine.

6. Eat slowly and mindfully to maintain lost weight:

The food should be taken without distractions and chewed thoroughly. This makes you enjoy the aroma and taste of your meals to a greater extent.

Thus you can stop eating when you are truly full.

On the other hand, distractions while eating may result in un recognizing fullness, and you end up eating more than your needs.

7. Make Sustainable lifestyle changes to maintain lost weight:

The primary reason for regaining the lost weight is that people follow restrictive diets, that cannot be sustained for the long term.

This makes them feel deprived and thus gain more weight than lost when they resume normal eating.

Thus you should adopt permanent changes in lifestyle. This includes prioritizing healthier alternatives over many restrictive diets.

8. Exercise regularly to maintain lost weight:

Regular exercise is the most important parameter in the maintenance of lost weight. It is the best defense against the body’s tendency to regain the lost weight.

            Exercise not only burns extra calories but also boosts metabolism. Besides this, they also make the body more sensitive to leptin hormone.

(A hormone responsible for decreasing appetite.)

Studies also show that overweight people who exercise regularly, end up eating less after exercising.

9. Recalculate your calories intake:

According to Body metabolic rate (BMR) formula the less your weight, the lesser your calorie needs should be.

So as soon as you start losing weight you should you should recalculate the new calorie needs of your body to maintain the weight loss.

10. Abandon a Sedentary lifestyle to maintain lost weight:

A sedentary lifestyle is a lifestyle with little or no physical activity. This is the main reason for most people to regain lost weight.

The sedentary lifestyle is directly linked to your relationship with computers, TVs, cars, and other electronic gadgets.

All these items encourage you to sit for long periods of time. This slows down your metabolism.

Apart from a balanced diet and regular exercise. You should limit your time with electronic gadgets and try to be active throughout the day.

Conclusion:

Although when you lose weight, the fat cells of the body get reduced only in size and not in numbers.

But you can keep off the lost weight for the long term by adopting many scientifically proven ways.

Exercise, nutritious diet, proper sleep, and mental health plays a large role in long term maintenance of weight.

So it is better to adopt simple and permanent lifestyle changes rather than adopting and leaving weight loss diets again and again.