Eat More to Lose Weight - Will it Work?

Although it may seem counterintuitive to eat more to lose weight initially, it is actually the healthiest manner to go about it. It is the only way you will be able to keep your body's natural weight and metabolism levels where they should be. After all, there is no point in trying to increase your metabolism if it will not naturally come back down when the stress of carrying excess weight sets in. However, you cannot just eat more red meat and white bread and expect to shed pounds. Study results show that most rural Chinese were, indeed, more active than most American citizens, but because they engaged in more physical activity and were, thus, physically active more often than average Americans, researchers compared their calorie intake with those of the less active Chinese and found that the calorie intake was actually quite similar.

The researchers also looked at two specific types of eating behavior: the westernized "fast food" style of eating and the traditional, slow-paced "family cooking" style of eating. They found that people who eat more plant foods tend to eat fewer calories. The reason for this? Plant foods contain a lot of "good fats" that actually burn fat, so eating more plant foods helps you lose weight while simultaneously maintaining your body weight.

The researchers further examined how the people in these two different cultures used the remaining calories. For example, they asked the participants to fill out questionnaires on their preferences in food. They then ate these foods on a "cash basis" for 24 hours straight. After the study was concluded, the participants were given a scale to rate how many calories they burned on a daily basis. What they found was that there was absolutely no correlation between the amount of calories the participants ate and the number of calories they burned throughout the day.

The only real correlation found was between people who ate a lot of fast food during the day and low energy availability. Low energy availability is where your body has a low appetite for food but is also tired after eating. This causes you to eat more than you might otherwise. This is known as "comfort eating" and is often associated with obesity.

Interestingly, when the study concluded, the overweight people actually lost weight! Not, because they ate fewer calories overall but because they actually burned more calories when they ate. Their bodies had increased energy availability and their cravings for food were curbed. So, eating to lose weight is a bad idea when your goal is to eat less.

When you eat to lose weight, you are starving yourself. You may be tempted to go back to your old fatty eating ways because you think you will feel better this way. This is not true. BMR doesn't lie: it's true about what you eat. By depriving yourself of necessary nutrients you are setting yourself up for failure.

In addition, you are sabotaging your own efforts to lose weight by eating too few calories. Your body won't burn calories like it should if it has no carbohydrates, protein or fat. When your body tries to break these down for energy, it can fail and store some of them as body fat. And that's just plain unhealthy.

Eating to lose weight is a bad idea for so many people. There is an easier way. Don't allow your cravings for fried chicken, waffles and big-screen TVs to get the best of you. Make smarter food choices and get the rest your body needs to function properly.