The good news (for me, at least) is that you are reading this blog. The bad news is that part of what I have to say may be frustrating to some people. But hopefully you will learn something new, and perhaps this information will hit a nerve, which might cause you to take action.
Let’s review the last (miserable) blog. We talked about BMR, or Basal Metabolic Rate (don’t get this mixed up with BMI, which is kind of a crock, but don’t get me started), which is basically the amount of calories that a body needs to function. There are some quick estimates, and some longer equations to help determine what your body needs. There are also BMR calculators on line that are free and do it all for you. We talked about tall and small, men and women, etc.
If you started keeping a food log in order to determine your caloric consumption, good for you. If you didn’t, you are probably still in the “thinking about it” stage. That’s okay; there are several steps to taking action when changing behavior, so no worries. (We’ll have a blog on Behavior Changing later).
Let’s say, however, that you kept a food diary (hopefully, an honest one!), and you determined that, based on BMR requirements, you may be consuming more “fuel” than your body actually needs. And in addition, you seem to be putting on 1-2 pounds on a regular basis. (This is a little bit like trying to stay within a budget, but every month you find one more pair of shoes or that perfect, must-have outfit that you just can’t wait to have, and so you end up having a few more bills to pay the following month). These things are part of what make us human, and they can seem unmanageable at times, but they shouldn’t present insurmountable roadblocks to your goals.
Let’s take just a moment to talk about homeostasis. It’s kind of like balancing a budget. Money comes in, money goes out. Hopefully, what you spend roughly equals what you make. If you have money left over, perhaps you put it into a special savings account for later use. It’s the same way with balancing the weight in your body, or maintaining homeostasis. If you take in more calories than your body needs, your body stores it, because it might need it later (this is not a new concept and anyone who has read anything about weight control knows this). Many years ago, when we had to go out and hunt and gather food for our subsistence, it was often necessary for a tribe to fill up on whatever they had killed in order to survive until the next kill. But we don’t exactly have that scenario in modern times, do we? If you take in fewer calories than you need, your body will start to “burn fat” in order to supply the body with the energy it needs to function. You lose weight. That might be a good thing.
Okay, now back to the amazing body, food logs, and calorie consumption. I am also going to give you bad news. If you continue to consume fewer calories as you seek to lose weight (and this is not an easy task, as “dieting,” per se is an arduous task), you also lower your BMR. Now, that’s a kick in the teeth, isn’t it? Because now you are becoming one of the “little people!” Ha! I knew I’d have my revenge! Your body now needs fewer calories, because you told it that was all it was going to get. You (said in the voice of Rod Serling) have just entered the “Plateau Zone.” Stay tuned for further revelations.
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