Explaining why you can't keep your weight off

We have all tried dieting, lost some weight, and suddenly, we regained it faster than we lost it. It becomes so frustrating, so we get back to dieting, and then regaining, falling into this vicious cycle.

The thing is, it's NOT about YOU and lack of willpower. An extortionate amount of research has established that only approximately 1 out of 5 individuals can maintain weight-loss long-term.

There are several factors that play a role in post-diet weight gain. Let's look at it from the scientific perspective and our personal experience!

What causes post-diet weight gain?

The researchers estimate that 80-95% of dieters gain even more weight than previously lost after putting so much effort into it. But WHY is it so hard to put it off?

First of all, our weight is one of the main determinants of our overall health, thus our bodies are thriving to preserve and regulate it to keep us alive. It does so through our central nervous and peripheral systems, which regulate energy and nutrient balance through physical and cognitive processes:

1. You start getting inaccurate hunger cues. When you are on a diet, you are consciously depriving your body of the calories it needs. This is called "caloric deficit". When your body is in a deprived state for a long time, your hormones change. Leptin, a hormone that tells your body that you are full, decreases, and ghrelin, a hormone that signals hunger, increases. This is normal when a person is actually hungry, but it was found that post-dieters experience this even after eating a regular meal, which leads to overeating and weight gain.
   

2. When you lose weight, your body starts burning fewer calories, even if you regain it back. Your body burns energy not only during the physical activity but also to be able to sustain all the processes it needs to perform to basically keep you alive. This is called resting energy expenditure and includes breathing, digestion, cell rebuilding, transportation of nutrients, and much more - basically metabolism. Each cell of our body needs energy. When your body is in consistent deprivation, it starts to reduce fat cells in volume (which is long-term energy storage) and get it from there. That is another complex process on its own. So, after the weight is lost, your body adapts to the new energy needs, which are much lower than they used to be prior to weight loss. It achieves this by making your metabolism more energy efficient, meaning it needs less energy to run itself. Thus, to continue losing weight, you will need to eat even fewer calories.
   

3. Psychological changes. Dieters experience "always thinking about food". It is normal because due to caloric deprivation the brain gives the signal "we need more calories". There are quite a lot of scientific articles about this, for example when volunteers, who were semi-starved for 6 months were examined, mostly talked about food, planning their next meal, and checking out cookbooks. The more we think about food, the more we end up eating, which leads us to weight gain.
   

4. Biological factors. There is a theory that your body might be bringing itself to the weight that it wants to be at, called "set point". It is specific to each individual and is not an exact number, but rather a range. Your set point is very individual and depends on a number of factors, such as your muscle mass, hormonal needs, and daily activities. It is especially more prevalent in women, as we are directly affected by hormonal imbalances. The idea is that your body sets a range so that it feels comfortable to maintain the functionality of all the necessary processes. It feels uncomfortable when you go beyond the maximum and below the minimum weight required. So it loses weight quickly when you are overweight, and slowly when you are below comfortable weight. However, this theory is a theory, there is little to no scientific evidence to support it. It is based on observations. The truth is - most of us experienced a "plateau" during the weight loss journey, meaning our bodies in fact do stabilize themselves to adapt to metabolic changes. But they are not as efficient in preventing us from gaining weight beyond the maximum mark of the set point. Though it is a fact that we need a certain minimum % of body fat, especially women, to maintain optimal health, no matter how this fat looks like.

Now, let's talk personal

Both my mother and I, have a great experience in dieting. We have tried absolutely EVERY diet and fitness challenge out there throughout the past 20 years, and you can find more about us here.

Here is what we think about it: THEY NEVER BLOOMIN' WORK for long-term weight management. Yes, we lost weight quickly by significant restriction, but then not only we gained it back, but also had to eat below 1000 calories per day to maintain this "gained" weight, train 2x a day and walk at least 10000 steps. It is just unsustainable. Furthermore, our bodies went through hormonal imbalances, which led to period loss and constant hunger.

So, what works then?

After loads of experimentation, we found that having a sustainable, healthy weight and lifestyle worked best for us. This means that we might be not as "lean" as the fitness industry "considers" normal, nor are we in a competitive form. But we are in the weight that we experience optimal health, high energy, rebalancing our hormones, and enjoying our lives through HEALTHFUL NUTRITION and TRAINING.

The ultimate thing is to focus on your health. You and your body are much more than your looks. It is about how you feel, both physically and mentally. Focusing on receiving healthful nutrition, enjoyable training, and feeling good are the things that matter.

We want YOU to experience the same stable and sustainable lifestyle that brings optimal health, and that is exactly why we have created Alyana Fit. So every girl in this world can be her happiest, best self while achieving her life goals!

We do not focus on weight loss, weight gain, or whatever.... We provide you with all the tools that you can use to learn about your body, create your own healthy lifestyle and guide you through your journey of self-care through our programs!

Are you interested? Then fill in the contact us form to be the first to know when our programs are live!

Sincerely yours,