Weight Loss for Your Biology 101

You’ve decided it’s time for a change. You’re going to bite the bullet and embark on a weight loss journey. It’s often said that healthy living is really a matter of willpower – you’re halfway there, right?

Well, not quite. It’s certainly true that making positive changes does start with the will to follow through.

But when it comes to weight loss, your biology is against you. While your body will thank you in the long run, when you start out it’s going to do everything it can to get in your way.

So losing weight successfully comes down not just to determination, but to understanding how your body works, how it can be different for everyone, and how you can combat your biology.

To find out how, read on!

Understanding Biology for Weight Loss

Metabolism

Your metabolism is the process through which your body converts food into energy. It varies from person to person, between sexes, and slows as we age.

We don’t know everything about it, but scientists do know that the ratio of fat to muscle in your body is a factor and it works in three main ways. Your resting metabolism, which is the energy used to keep your organs working, the thermic effect of food, or the energy used to digest food, and physical activity.

Unhelpfully, your metabolism slows down when you start to lose weight. Your body gets slower at turning food into energy. To maintain a healthy metabolism, you’ll need to plan diets and exercise routines that you can maintain because as soon as you stop your metabolism will start to pile on the pounds again.

Hormones

When you start to lose weight, the hormones that tell you how hungry you are start to change. Leptin, one of the hormones involved in appetite, is released by fat cells.

As you start to lose weight, the reduced release of leptin serves as a sort of starvation signal for your brain and begins to dial up your hunger levels.

This can make it almost impossible to stick to your planned calorie intake, but there are things that can help. Prescription weight loss medication like Wegovy or Saxenda helps you feel full for longer, essentially counteracting the effects on your brain.

Energy

There’s no getting away from the fact that losing weight is tiring. Not only is it mentally exhausting, but your body is getting less fuel thanks to your healthy diet and is burning more thanks to your killer workout routine.

Your body won’t love you for this initially and feeling tired sucks. It’s important that you do everything you can to give yourself a fighting chance.

This means eating foods that are high in energy and low in fat, but it also means sticking to sleep hygiene 101, getting a proper night’s sleep, and waking up refreshed.

Also, Read: Why Every Beauty Guru is Talking About Coconut Water for Skin

Evolution

In a lot of ways, when we set out to lose weight we’re going against evolution.

That might sound strange. Obviously, we haven’t evolved to be overweight. But before the modern world, food was a lot harder to come by.

That’s why our biology is built to fight against losing weight. As far as our body is concerned, that weight is our stockpile of energy set aside for when times get tough.

Our bodies try to preserve what experts call a defended fat mass set point. This is a great evolutionary trick, but as we’ve started eating more and exercising less, that defended fat mass set point has risen across the population.

Summing Up

Exercise, diet, and perhaps the right medication can help you lower this over time.

Ultimately, successfully shedding pounds comes down to preparation and compassion.

By planning diets and exercise routines that you like, you’re more likely to be able to stick to them.

By taking the time to understand your body, you’re less likely to beat yourself up when you find you’re ravenous or completely drained.