his is a guest blogpost by metabolic4you, a Swiss nutrition coaching firm.
Key insights:
Ready for the details? Here you go:
Maybe you were or are in this situation yourself, or someone you know has already told you about it: If you weigh a lot, you lose weight quickly.
But we all know those 5-10 kilos that simply creep in between our 30s and 40s, for women usually after the first pregnancy and for men gradually over the first ten years of their career. No matter what we do, they just won't go away! Why?
The closer you get to your goal (and the older you get), the slower the weight loss seems to be happening. Yet precisely these seemingly resistant fat pads are what separates you from your personal top shape. This can have several reasons. In this article you will learn what can be the reason, why these last stubborn kilos simply won't go away despite regular exercise and a "healthy diet"...
During sleep, the fat cells secrete the hormone leptin, which is important for weight loss. But you only "lose weight while you sleep" if your sleep is deep and restful. A "disciplined" approach to sleep should be easy. So why don't we sleep enough? We have a lot to do and too much stress.
Whether work or relationship stress, the source doesn't matter, our reaction to it does. During stress, cortisol is released in the adrenal cortex. It puts the body on alert and causes the fat cells to quickly provide energy for the muscles. At the same time, the cortisol ensures that the body continuously replenishes its fat deposits. To ensure the supply, the stressed body prefers foods that quickly release a lot of energy - especially carbohydrates or even more specific sugars. That's why we tend to grab the sugary snack in the afternoon or as a way to de-stress. With increased production of cortisol, the blood sugar level rises, which in turn prevents fat burning. Do you have stress?
If hormones are out of balance, our body weight is heavily affected. The bitter truth: The older we get, the fewer calories our body burns. On the one hand, this is because the muscles break down over time and without any training, they diminish. On the other hand, it's because the production of hormones changes. Women tend to gain 12-15 kilos between the ages of 20 and 58. Sure, it can be due to genes, diet or lack of exercise. But hormones can be blamed too: for one thing, those produced by the body itself whose production decreases over the years. On the other hand, there are hormones that are produced artificially and are taken as medication. Especially with the beginning of the menopause a shift in hormone production occurs: The growth hormone and the hormone DHEA, which is produced in the adrenal gland decreases even more. Both stimulate muscle growth and control the formation of fat deposits. At the same time, the production of oestrogen, which has a positive effect on the growth hormones, decreases. The metabolism slows down because the thyroid gland produces fewer hormones. The function of the thyroid gland is also affected by stress, among other things. As a result, the musculature decreases and we need less energy. If you now eat as you did when you were twenty, you will put on fat pads - especially around the waist and belly. That's mean.
Losing weight means weighing less. That's great but it also means that you need less energy to support your body, or your body needs to burn less energy to function. Picture this: every kilogram that you have to move during a workout or in everyday activities such as walking or standing, requires strength and burns calories. As your weight decreases, your energy consumption also decreases - the energy that you use in everyday life drops.
At the same time, people on diets tend to move less, feel sluggish or become lazy more often. You may not notice it yourself, but if you are often sluggish and not moving, you use less energy. If you do not adapt your food intake to these conditions, you will lose less and less weight over time.
We are often highly motivated at the beginning of a diet. This shows in the fact that you can resist even the smallest temptation and stick to your previously defined diet and exercise plan. However, willpower is a limited resource, which, by the way, is strongly related to the nutrients we consume. The less nutrient-rich food you eat, the more often you make exceptions: You start treating yourself to a piece of cake or fries now and then, starting tomorrow, you can stick to your diet again. It's a vicious cycle. What's the way out of this catch 22?
You should not put yourself under too much pressure. Better to take it slowly but surely than to give up being too strict with yourself and eventually giving up too early. Concretely, this means enjoying foods rich in fiber and protein so that your body can produce the neurotransmitters responsible for motivation and satisfaction. The amino acid tryptophan is particularly important for this, as it it enables serotonin release and thus ensures the necessary motivation. Especially rich in tryptophan are chicken, turkey, beef, tofu, salmon, edamame, pumpkin and pumpkin seeds, oatmeal and eggs. And then, it also means to treat yourself and enjoy something from time to time without feeling guilty.
The more weight you have already lost, the more stubbornly your body refuses to break down more fat. This evolutionary behavior has helped people survive in times of food shortages and famine. Today, unfortunately, it means that you have to work extra hard to lose the last few kilos.
Even if the last few kilos on the way to your desired weight feel as heavy as all your progress so far. These practical tips shall lead you to success.
Of course, the best ways to increase your calorie consumption are sports and exercise. With effective strength training you build up muscles and increase your energy metabolism even when you are not exercising. Muscle mass consumes more calories than fat - even when you're not moving. It is therefore worth setting muscle building as your goal. The super effective method to get rid of the last stubborn kilos through sport is Hight Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). The short and crisp, but exhausting endurance workouts at high intensity burn many calories. With increased fat burn "mode", they help you reduce the fat on your problem zones.
The longer you keep going on with a daily calorie deficit, the more difficult it becomes to get your body into a metabolic state in which it breaks down fat. You can do this particularly well by combining phases of more and less energy intake. This can be done, for example, by fasting intermittently: During intermittent fasting you take in your daily calories in a narrow time window of eight to ten hours. The rest of the time you do not eat anything, i.e. you fast. If you do a HIT workout in this time window, you force your body to burn the last surplus of fat immediately.
Another possibility is to eat cyclically. You do not eat the same amount of calories every day. Instead, you consume your full energy requirements on days you workout. This so-called feed ensures that your body can regenerate itself well and continue to build muscles. On rest days you reduce the amount you eat. The alternating intake of more and less calories boosts your metabolism and makes it easier for you to lose the last few kilos. At the same time, you prevent an unfavorable change in hormone production or the loss of muscle mass through excessive starvation.
What few people know: Not only nutrition and training have great effects on our shape and metabolism. Enough sleep is also crucial for you to lose weight effectively. At night, the body releases more of the important hormone leptin. It reduces feelings of hunger and thus helps you lose weight. If you have slept in, you can resist small temptations easier. In order to reduce stress levels and lose weight, regular breaks, relaxation and lots of movement are important.
In order for your metabolism to run smoothly and for fat burning to be at its best, you need to supply your body with vitamins and other nutrients. Metabolic Balance can help you boost your metabolism again and lose the last few kilos.
I have a deep passion for movement and sports, and an insatiable curiosity for understanding human nature. While researching the connections between physical vitality, mental acuity, and the pursuit of longevity, I care to share valuable insights and practical tips that can easily be incorporated into our daily lives.
See All Posts
