Health

Weight Loss – Not Enough Food

April 13, 2008
By J White

Your choice of foods is an obviously important part of any weight loss program. And no matter how much you try to convince yourself, cinnabuns will never be considered a diet food. However, an overlooked problem that goes unmentioned is that many of you cut back on your calories too much and therefore do not consume enough food during the day.

When it comes to weigh loss too little food is just as bad as too much food. For many this seems counter-intuitive. But as we take a look at how the body operates, you will understand why.

When there is balance between the food eaten and energy expended,your body neither loses nor gains weight. Of course when you eat more calories than you take in, your body responds by adding weight.

When you subtract calories, your body responds by losing weight and compensates for the energy deficit by consuming mostly fat. For fat to metabolize, carbohydrates are necessary. This is why in exercise physiology they say that fat burns in a “carbohydrate furnace”.

When you consume too few calories, especially carbohydrates, your body has to get that energy from somewhere else. This means that it will not only burn fat, but muscle as well.

As long as you’re in a negative calorie deficit, you will continue to lose weight, but body your fat ratio will be higher because of the catabolizing of muscle. If you are eating sufficient calories to replace the loss of carbs necessary to burn fat, your body fat ratio will be lower.

So by consuming sufficient calories, you not only continue to lose weight, but help to preserve muscle mass. If on the other hand, your calorie intake is too low, your body will respond by consuming muscle tissue as well.

So to obtain the best body possible, make sure you consume a sufficient amount of nutrients to keep your body burning fat efficiently.

If you liked this article, please bookmark it on del.icio.us or vote for it on Digg or use another of your favorite social bookmark. I’d appreciate it.