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Cutting calories is only half the weight loss answer! The other half? Exercise! By: Jonathan Bille  |
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 Cutting calories seems like a great way to loose weight. A person who cuts 2100 calories a week from their diet will experience weight loss but they are also certain to regain all the weight that they lost. The reason is when we dramatically cut our caloric intake we trigger the body to go into a starvation mode, which slows the metabolism and causes the body to burn fewer calories.
Exclusively eating fewer calories over a prolonged period of time will eventually slow weight loss to a complete stop. Perhaps even worse, reducing calorie intake over a prolonged period of time can actually trigger weight gain, as the body attempts to retain more from the calories we intake, and any sudden dramatic increase in calories is sure to result in weight gain as the body reacts from the perspective of starvation.
If you’re going to loose weight and keep it off you need to not only cut calories but also increase your physical activity to counteract the metabolic slowdown that occurs when reducing calories.
Exercise not only increases your metabolism to burn calories while you’re exercising but also when you are at rest. It is the metabolic rate while at rest that will make the biggest difference in your weight loss pursuits.
Increasing your metabolic resting rate is done by the introduction of a vigorous activity three to four times a week. Activities like walking for two to three miles at three to four times a week is an easy way to keep your metabolic rate in place for health calorie burning.
For those who have been sedentary for a long time, results are slower in coming but are certain to come for those who stick with it. Just start slowly and work yourself up to higher intensity calorie burning activities. If you have been sedentary be aware that before you start loosing fat weight you will start to put on muscle weight, so in the beginning you’ll have to measure your success in inches lost rather than weight loss.
Once you’re in the routine of exercising three to four times a week, you’ll be in calorie burning mode and you should notice not only weight loss but also a greater resistance to weight gain. Once your metabolism has been raised you’ll burn calories at a much higher rate even when you are at rest. From there it’s up to you to target those certain areas of your body that you feel need direct attention. One thing’s for sure, you won’t feel so guilty when you slip in a snack between meals, because those snacks will have less and less of an effect on weight gain when you get your metabolism up through a regular, vigorous exercise routine. |
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