Have you ever followed a very low calorie diet and noticed how difficult it is to lose weight? If so, you are one of the millions of fitness enthusiast out there trying to build a better body but not experiencing the results they want. Today's article will explain why you can't lose weight on a low calorie diet unless you get a few fundamental rules in place first.
The general rule for those looking to drop some pounds, of course, is to eat less calories and exercise more. However, there are thousands upon thousands of people out there who are doing too much of one thing and not enough of the other. In rare instances, you even find people who are doing too much of both things.
If your goal is to get a smaller waist and retain it, you need to avoid the common trend of coupling starvation diet tactics with a near gym addiction. Otherwise you'll find it very difficult to forge further progress and get frustrated to see others obtaining results while you stay in the same position.
At some point, almost every adult gets sucked into that quick fix trend. Mainly because it's featured in celebrity magazines which are aimed at overweight people attracted to instant solutions rather than hard work. Either way, it's bad advice.
If you have ever followed a diet which calls for eating less than 1000 calories per day while battering the bike or treadmill every night, you will know it's not the most effective or lifestyle friendly choice. Individuals who go down this route usually encounter the following things:
An initial drop in weight is seen due to the sheer shock placed on the body as it struggles to comprehend with this new routine. The person fools themselves into believing this drop must mean it's working, before hitting a sticking point a couple of weeks later. About one month into it, they reach a stage where they feel like they cannot lose anything no matter how hard they work or how little they eat. As a result of this sticking point, they begin eating even less and exercising even more. The depression takes hold and forces them to come off the rails, binge eating on junk foods and takeaway meals. Their body cannot handle this sudden influx of calories after a starvation diet and suddenly piles a lot of weight on in reaction to it.
Of course, once the individual ends up in that situation they often blame themselves and begin a new diet, adding an even greater calorific restriction and increasing cardiovascular exercise as a punishment for their previous failed effort.
How can it be possible to eat under 1000 calories per day and hit the treadmill for over two hours a night but still not lose any fat? The answer is very simple. The body isn't getting the nutrients it needs to survive, therefore it has slowed down your metabolism and prevented you from burning what little stores it has left. That's right, your body is actually stopping you from burning off any more fat.
Instead, it will feed you lean muscle and learn how to adapt to survive on a low calorie intake. Almost all of the carbohydrates and fats in everything you eat will be stored in a bid to bolster it's reserves of these all important fuels which crash diets often advise you to cut out. Long, steady state cardiovascular exercise has also been shown to have a detrimental effect on lean muscle tissue, making a severe problem even worse. Instead, switch to a short but effective HIIT routine coupled with a regular resistance training program.
Building more lean muscle is key when it comes to losing fat, because the body will find it far easier to burn off fat as it gets leaner and stronger.
Your daily diet should be fun, not punishment. You need all three macro's and you need a good number of calories to see any results otherwise your body will enter starvation mode and revoke your control, which has already been documented. If you have previously put yourself through yo-to dieting tactics you will need to slowly increase calorie intake over a period of weeks and months to get yourself back on track. Once the issue is fixed, it's fixed permanently.
If you had two people that weighed the same but one individual ate 400 calories while the other ate 2500, which one would find it easier to drop unwanted pounds? Clearly, the second individual would easily be able to achieve more results because the first case is already starving themselves.
If you have reached a point where you think you can't lose weight on a low calorie diet and want some answers, the first thing to do is look at your present diet and your training regime. If you recognize any of the signs in today's post then correcting this issue has to become a priority before you cause serious damage.
The general rule for those looking to drop some pounds, of course, is to eat less calories and exercise more. However, there are thousands upon thousands of people out there who are doing too much of one thing and not enough of the other. In rare instances, you even find people who are doing too much of both things.
If your goal is to get a smaller waist and retain it, you need to avoid the common trend of coupling starvation diet tactics with a near gym addiction. Otherwise you'll find it very difficult to forge further progress and get frustrated to see others obtaining results while you stay in the same position.
At some point, almost every adult gets sucked into that quick fix trend. Mainly because it's featured in celebrity magazines which are aimed at overweight people attracted to instant solutions rather than hard work. Either way, it's bad advice.
If you have ever followed a diet which calls for eating less than 1000 calories per day while battering the bike or treadmill every night, you will know it's not the most effective or lifestyle friendly choice. Individuals who go down this route usually encounter the following things:
An initial drop in weight is seen due to the sheer shock placed on the body as it struggles to comprehend with this new routine. The person fools themselves into believing this drop must mean it's working, before hitting a sticking point a couple of weeks later. About one month into it, they reach a stage where they feel like they cannot lose anything no matter how hard they work or how little they eat. As a result of this sticking point, they begin eating even less and exercising even more. The depression takes hold and forces them to come off the rails, binge eating on junk foods and takeaway meals. Their body cannot handle this sudden influx of calories after a starvation diet and suddenly piles a lot of weight on in reaction to it.
Of course, once the individual ends up in that situation they often blame themselves and begin a new diet, adding an even greater calorific restriction and increasing cardiovascular exercise as a punishment for their previous failed effort.
How can it be possible to eat under 1000 calories per day and hit the treadmill for over two hours a night but still not lose any fat? The answer is very simple. The body isn't getting the nutrients it needs to survive, therefore it has slowed down your metabolism and prevented you from burning what little stores it has left. That's right, your body is actually stopping you from burning off any more fat.
Instead, it will feed you lean muscle and learn how to adapt to survive on a low calorie intake. Almost all of the carbohydrates and fats in everything you eat will be stored in a bid to bolster it's reserves of these all important fuels which crash diets often advise you to cut out. Long, steady state cardiovascular exercise has also been shown to have a detrimental effect on lean muscle tissue, making a severe problem even worse. Instead, switch to a short but effective HIIT routine coupled with a regular resistance training program.
Building more lean muscle is key when it comes to losing fat, because the body will find it far easier to burn off fat as it gets leaner and stronger.
Your daily diet should be fun, not punishment. You need all three macro's and you need a good number of calories to see any results otherwise your body will enter starvation mode and revoke your control, which has already been documented. If you have previously put yourself through yo-to dieting tactics you will need to slowly increase calorie intake over a period of weeks and months to get yourself back on track. Once the issue is fixed, it's fixed permanently.
If you had two people that weighed the same but one individual ate 400 calories while the other ate 2500, which one would find it easier to drop unwanted pounds? Clearly, the second individual would easily be able to achieve more results because the first case is already starving themselves.
If you have reached a point where you think you can't lose weight on a low calorie diet and want some answers, the first thing to do is look at your present diet and your training regime. If you recognize any of the signs in today's post then correcting this issue has to become a priority before you cause serious damage.
About the Author:
About your writer: Established online personal trainer Russ Howe PTI teaches effective weight loss facts on his website for free. If you feel like you can't lose weight on a low calorie diet he will show you how to correct this issue.
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