Is dieting making you fat?

Most people don’t realize that a “calorie restriction” type of diet can actually make you fat. It’s true, when you cut down on your calories too much; the body simply changes the way it operates.

Have you ever dieted and felt like you were going to fall asleep all day at the office? Or simply wanted to go to bed at 9 pm. Because you were so tired?  The reason this happens is due to something called “the basal metabolic rate” or BMI.  Your BMI is different than you neighbors, and it is the basically the intensity at which your body’s furnace burns. The cells in you body are very efficient when it comes to using or conserving energy. They can change the intensity of their little internal furnaces whenever necessary, and when you diet they simply slow themselves down to conserve energy.  It’s like lowering your thermostat in the winter after you get your first gas bill.

The secrets to weight loss include maintaining a high BMI while bringing calorie intake under control.  One of the things we advise our patients to do, is to exercise with the intention of actually “gaining weight”.

What!  No I’m not a lunatic.  Our muscles are consuming a lot of calories throughout the day, even when we are not exercising.  Think of your muscles as little cars idling at a stoplight.  When the cars move they consume more calories than when they idle, but what is important is that they are idling most of the time.  The more cars you have (muscle fibers), the more fuel you will burn.  This results in raising that “BMI” we talked about and actually burning more calories a day than you did before. People with good muscle mass will actually have less fat if their calorie intake is appropriate (not restricted).  If you would like to learn more secrets of efficient weight loss, call our office today to schedule a “weight loss” consultation.

Michael Halan DC.

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