What’s the bottom line? You need to eat 3500 calories less per week to lose one pound of fat. I know what you’re thinking… “If I cut more calories, then I will lose more weight.” WRONG ANSWER. You have to eat to lose weight.
What? You have to eat to lose weight?*
Yes! This is one of the biggest mistakes that people will make on their weight loss journey… not eating enough. Otherwise, your body will go into hibernation mode similar to a bear preparing for winter. When bears prepare for winter, they pack on the pounds to make it through months of no food. Your body acts in the same way. If you do not take in enough calories, your body says “Uh Oh!” and starts storing food as fat. In essence, your body thinks it’s starving to death. It’s protecting itself from starvation.
When you do not consume enough calories, your body lowers its metabolism. As a result, you feel more tired, less hungry, and GAIN weight. It’s especially important for hypothyroid patients to consume enough calories throughout the day.**
How many calories do I need to consume daily?
This depends on several factors. How sedentary is your lifestyle? Do you exercise regularly? How much is your current weight? Are you a male or female? How old are you? How tall are you?
There are many factors that contribute to daily calorie consumption. This is why I LOVE Weight Watchers. They take the guess work out of your daily regimen. You earn extra points for exercise and fitness. I can tell you right now that I consume EVERY ONE of my extra activity points each time I workout or play tennis.
Although you have complete control over which foods go into your mouth, it is important to understand that you need to make smart choices. If you eat higher fat foods, this will actually consume more of your daily WW points. On the contrary, if you eat higher fiber foods, you will us up less of your points. Generous portions of low glycemic fruits and vegetables will help you stay fuller longer.
I recently experimented with my calorie consumption, and I was amazed at the outcome. Over a course of three weeks, I consumed different amounts of food. During the first two weeks, I consumed an average of 1800-2000 calories per day, eating a balance of proteins(40-50%), carbs(30-50%), and fats(-20%). I stayed within my WW points allowance, and I ate ALL of my activity points. However, on week 3, I raised my fat intake and decreased my carb intake. As a result, I ate an average of 1500 calories per day. Exercise– Throughout the first week, I burned 2600 calories during exercise. Within the second week, I burned 1900 calories. Throughout the third week, I burned 2100 calories for the week. During all three weeks, I was weight training two times per week, and the amount of cardio varied between tennis and 30 minutes of HIIT training on the recumbent bike. The result? After week one, I lost 2.8 pounds. Upon completion of week two, I lost another 2.8 lbs! However, at the end of week three, I GAINED 2.8 pounds back. What does this mean? As active as I had been, I was not consuming enough calories for my metabolism. No wonder we start a low calorie diet and plateau after a few weeks. After the initial loss, our body goes into shock.
I can’t wrap my brain around this. Psychologically, we think to ourselves, “I really need to eat less”. We start a cycle of starving ourselves to become thin. This simply does not work. After my little experiment, I am 100% convinced to eat more from now on! I hope you are convinced, too. Weight Watchers works. Trust the method, make smart choices, exercise, and eat every bit of your extra points! Give your body time to adjust to your new improved way of eating, and soon you will become a fat burning machine!
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* Eating For Size
** Thyroid Diet Secrets: Are You Eating Enough Calories to Lose Weight?
Posted by bigsis in Hypothyroidism, Nutrition, Weight Watchers