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It
is important to know why we get fat. Once you
know the underlying reasons behind fat gain, you
can take that information and apply it to fat
loss. Knowing why something happens is the first
step towards changing the result.
The
one major reason we get fat is that we put in
more than we burn off. This may be an overly simplistic
view but it's also a very liberating one. It shows
you that if fat gain is not that complicated,
fat loss is not necessarily that complicated either.
But
what are the origins of our body's amazingly efficient
fat storage mechanisms? In a nutshell, why do
we gain fat so easily?
Your Inner Caveman
Our
earliest ancestors did not go to the supermarket
to hunt for food. They didn't point at a cave
drawing with a Big Mac on it when they were hungry.
They did not sit at a desk all day. They didn't
drive everywhere they went. In fact, fast food
had to be chased down before it outran you!
The
daily life of the earliest humans, whom we owe
our genetics to, was consumed with getting enough
food to survive. In order to eat, they had to
either hunt it or gather it. As you can imagine,
this burned a lot of calories.
With
the start of agriculture, people no longer had
to hunt down or forage for their food. They could
stay in one place and grow it. Animals were domesticated.
They could sell this produced food to others in
return for other goods or services. This is known
as the Agricultural Revolution and it was the
start of our society as we know it.
Agriculture
became the primary means of food production in
the world. The story changes during the 1900's,
however. As we progressed as a society, manual
labor was no longer required of most people. Machines
were starting to take over more of the hard labor
jobs. This led to less and less physical activity
by a growing number of people. It was the start
of the modern obesity epidemic.
To
sum it up: these days food is plentiful and easy
to get and physical activity is no longer a part
of daily life.
Thank Your Ancestors
The
human body of 50,000 years ago when we were hunter/gatherers
is exactly the same as the human body of today.
Our body had successfully adapted to continuous
cycles of feast and famine. How did it adapt?
It adapted by developing extremely efficient fat
storage capabilities.
By
storing large amounts of fat whenever possible,
the body would protect itself against the inevitable
famine to come when food was scarce. By storing
up large amounts of energy, our ancestors could
survive the harsh conditions and thrive. In winter
conditions, it would often come down to survival
of the fattest, not fittest.
Our
bodies are still programmed with this desperate
need for storage even though, due to highly available
food supplies, we don't really need it anymore.
This is the reason you can often put on fat quite
easily but have a hard time taking it off. Your
body is protecting itself against the famine that
it thinks is coming.
Compound
this need for storage with reduced physical activity
and readily available, calorie-dense foods and
you have the recipe that has resulted in rampant
obesity in our society today.
Diet = Famine
If
you've ever been on a diet you've probably experienced
that quick weight loss when you first start then
the gradual slowdown and sometimes complete stop
in progress that comes after a few weeks.
You
can thank your ancestors for this one too. When
you dramatically reduce your calories, such as
when you begin a diet, your body starts using
up the stored fat quickly. Your metabolism is
still high and you are losing weight.
The
trouble is, your body can't distinguish between
the lack of available food known as famine and
the voluntary reduction in food known as dieting.
To your body "diet = famine." After
a short period of time, your body will go into
a panic state. You are losing your energy stores
too fast and your body will do everything it can
to slow down or put a stop to it.
- The first thing
that will happen is that your metabolism will
slow down. You won't burn as many calories during
the day, regardless of how much you are eating
or exercising.
- The next thing
that will happen is that your body will step
up its burning of muscle tissue. Muscles are
very metabolically active and require a lot
of calories to maintain. Your body knows this
and, in its effort to
reduce the drain on its energy supplies, will
start destroying muscle tissue. Your body will
metabolize your muscle into energy in order
to hold onto its fat stores.
This
vicious cycle will continue every time you further
reduce calories in order to compensate for a slower
metabolism. Your body will slow your metabolism
down even more and destroy more muscle tissue
to reduce energy usage.
How
do we avoid this problem? There are a number of
ways to approach it:
1.
Reduce your calories slowly.
If
you are trying to lose fat, don't slash your food
intake rapidly. This will throw your body into
a panic, causing it to grind your metabolism to
a halt.
2.
Mix up your caloric intake.
Don't
eat the same things in the same amounts every
day. Eat a little more on some days and a little
less on other days. It's what you do in the long
term that will really affect your results.
3.
Exercise.
Since
most people don't actually have to exercise as
part of their daily life, you must take the initiative
and make it a point to exercise regularly. It
helps by burning calories and giving your body
the stimulus to preserve muscle mass (it's the
old principle of "use it or lose it"
at work).
4.
Reduce your intake of processed foods.
Your
body is not readily equipped to efficiently process
Twinkies. Try to stick to foods that are closer
to their natural state, such as whole grains,
lean meats, etc.
Remember, your body is an extremely efficient
fat-storing machine but, with the right knowledge,
you can very easily work with your biology and
not against it and get the results you want.
If
you're interested in learning more about how to
burn fat, I highly recommend the following eBooks:
"Burn
the Fat - Feed the Muscle" by Tom Venuto
"Diet
Supplements Revealed" by Will Brink
For
more information and fat-burning tips, check out
the following articles from past issues of BetterU
News:
What Do
You Mean Low-Intensity Training Isn't The Best
For Fat Burning?
10
Things You Can Do To Lose Fat Without Even Trying
3
Part Article on Protein and Fat Loss
Boost
Your Metabolism
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