There is no denying the fact that the past year has taken a heavy toll on our bodies. If you are a few pounds over your pre-pandemic weight, do not worry. Stress can easily cause your body to maintain some extra weight, and if you found yourself looking for comforting food during the pandemic, you are not alone. Regardless of how the weight gain happened, you may feel uncomfortable with the extra weight on your body and feel motivated to lose it. And what is the world’s answer to losing weight? Working out.
Then, you start working out. You try to run, HIIT, pilates, weight training, cycling or any other workout that suits your fantasy. However, despite how dedicated you are to your new exercise routine, you may end up not losing the weight that originally motivated you in the first place. In fact, you are winning.
Sound familiar?
It is because it has been very misunderstood that working out will make you lose weight. When, in reality, exercise is only a small part of weight loss – 20% of it, to be exact. Most of the weight loss happens due to your diet (about 80%), as well as a good sleep.
This is where nutrition is the most important thing to focus on when trying to lose weight compared to exercise, according to some nutritionists. And for healthy recipes that keep you motivated, check out our list of the 100 easiest recipes you can make.
“It is very easy to consume enough calories to make up for the burns during exercise, so it may be possible that someone does not create an energy deficit with exercise that would allow for weight loss, or even consume the right number of calories to just maintain the same weight. “says Jinan Banna, PhD, RD.
“Recognize that you’re probably not burning as many calories with exercise“, Continues Banna.” If you run five kilometers, for example, you may burn about 300 calories, which could be the equivalent of a loaf of bread with a thick layer of peanut butter.
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“Weight loss is 80% nutrition and 20% exercise and movement,” says Emily Danckers, MS, RD. “If someone is exercising consistently, but is not changing what they are eating (or is eating more to make up for what they burn during exercise), it is very possible to continue to gain weight. A common saying is, ‘You can’t get over a bad diet’, and this is definitely true. One solution would be focus on total calorie intake. At the end of the day, this is what causes weight loss: eating less calories in general and moving more. “
In case you’re wondering, these are how many calories a week you should be eating to lose weight.
“Your metabolism may be slowing down due to calorie restriction and / or adrenal fatigue,” says Trista Best, MPH, RD, LD in Balanced One Supplements. “To help solve this, you can consider adding foods that are more likely to increase your metabolism. Foods that increase the thermal effect of food (TEF) also increase your metabolism. When these foods are digested, they increase the body’s internal temperature, which increases the number of calories burned during that time. That means you’re burning calories while eating. High TEF foods include dairy products, fish, meat, eggs, nuts, seeds and vegetables. “
Here are 31 healthy meals that increase your metabolism for weight loss.
“My suggestion would be to pay close attention to exactly how much [you] are eating, “says Lisa Young, PhD, RDN and author of Finally full, finally thin. “The best way to do this is to keep a food diary for at least a week and pay attention not only to what you eat, but how much you eat. People are often surprised to find that they eat more than they think. I suggest that people reduce their portions of calorie-rich foods (chips, meat, sauces) and increase their portions of foods with less calories (such as starchy vegetables and fruits). It is also important to pay attention to the snacks here and there that they often do not notice. “
“Focus on incorporating enough foods that are not as calorie-dense into your diet to maintain a better balance between the calories ingested and the calories eliminated, “says Banna.” That would mean enough of those fruits and vegetables which are rich in water and fiber and relatively low in calories, for example. Incorporate these foods in creative ways into your diet to keep you interested in eating them, like a smoothie that involves some vegetables. “
Here are 18 easy ways to control your portion sizes.
“When it comes to exercise, changing your routine can increase the calories you burn,” says Young. “The body gets used to certain exercises that we do regularly and burn less calories over time. Changing things can often increase energy expenditure. If you run regularly on a treadmill, consider the stairmaster, for example. Outdoor exercise free! “
Here is an important side effect of working regularly, says a new study.
“An exercise regimen stresses muscle fibers. When this happens, it causes microrruptions in the muscles, often called microtrauma, and a little inflammation, consequently, extra weight gain,” says Edie Reads, RD and chief editor of healthadvise .org.
Reading points this can happen for two reasons – water weight and lean muscle mass.
“Your body’s response to these changes can also cause you to gain some of the weight of the water,” says Reads. “First of all, stress and muscle tearing cause water retention. Only a small micro-rupture will cause your body to retain some fluid in the area to heal it. During that time, your body will also give your muscles extra energy that will also can have adding weight. “
However, once the initial weight of the water is gained, your body will make changes.
“As their muscles continue to keep up with training, they will continue to need less and less glycogen for the same energy production. Therefore, you will probably begin to notice a reduction in weight, ”says Reads. “You will also gain weight because of your lean muscle mass. This usually occurs later, as you continue to train and build muscle”
“Furthermore, [try to get] sleep 7 to 9 hours every day so that you have a maximum healing time and keep the hormones that regulate hunger under control, “says Reads. Here are 7 changes to a healthy diet that help you sleep.
Between changes in your eating habits and getting enough sleep, as well as a consistent exercise routine, you will likely see differences in maintaining a healthier weight once and for all.