For this matter, what we have to do is not only how to become thin, but also how to maintain it after becoming thin, but when we go through the whole process, we will find that it is not difficult to lose weight, but it is difficult to maintain it for a long time, especially with age, it is more difficult to reach middle age, even if we can maintain a good diet and exercise habits, we will still face the problem of becoming fat.
So, why is it easy to lose weight and hard to keep it?And why is it that as we get older, we are at risk of becoming fat?
To put it simply, the reason why it is easier to lose weight than to keep it is because there will always be a time frame for losing weight, and keeping it is different, that requires long-term maintenance, and in the final analysis, it is a good habit formation. And, in the early stage, our motivation is often the strongest stage, under the influence of this strong motivation, our execution will also be very high, at this time the willpower is also relatively strong, which can allow us to better fight hunger, better adhere to exercise, of course, at this time the speed of weight loss is also faster.
Over time, our motivation will decrease, willpower will become weak, and metabolic adaptation will also lead to a decrease in daily consumption, all of which will affect the speed of weight loss, that is, the speed will become slower and slower, and at this time, there will be a psychological imbalance, and we will think that our efforts are not proportional, and it is easy to give up at this time, especially when encountering a plateau.
Well, even if our weight can drop to our ideal value, it does not mean that our **fat loss task is over, because we will face a maintenance problem next, at this time, in order to avoid the ** weight**, we still have to control the diet, still insist on exercise, because the calorie balance at this time is not the same as the previous calorie balance, after losing weight, the overall calorie consumption throughout the day will decrease, so we still have to control the diet.
So, in the long run, the ultimate goal is not to become thinner, but to stay thinner.
In fact, the same as maintaining fat loss, when people reach middle age, it is not only difficult to lose fat, but also to maintain weight, because as we age, our overall metabolic level will decline, so even if we can maintain a healthy diet, it is the same, because the overall calorie consumption is reduced, and in the case of the same diet, it will be easy to have the problem of excess calories. So, how does the overall level of metabolism decline with age?
1.Basal metabolism decreases
As we age, basal metabolism will begin to decline at a rate of 2-3% per decade after reaching a peak, and in the case of keeping other factors unchanged, just because the decline in basal metabolism will lead to a reduction of about 50 kcal per day, so under certain circumstances (diet and exercise remain the same), the decline in basal metabolism will become the main reason for our fat and fat.
Solution: The stability of basal metabolism will help us to maintain weight relatively easily after fat loss or after middle age, and if you want to maintain the stability of basal metabolism, on the one hand, we must develop good living habits, such as healthy diet, regular sleep and stable mood, etc., on the other hand, we must increase our muscle mass, because the amount of muscle mass will directly affect the level of basal metabolism, so this is why it is recommended that everyone pay attention to strength training.
2.Active metabolism also decreases
From the perspective of calorie consumption, only activity metabolism is the one that can be controlled by us, but activity metabolism does not specifically refer to the consumption generated by exercise, but also includes non-exercise consumption (the consumption generated by any physical activity, we can simply understand the consumption generated by daily activities), and the consumption generated by non-exercise is more important than exercise consumption.
However, with the development of age and technology, our daily activities have become less and less, such as the development of transportation has reduced the time we have to walk, the emergence of various gadgets has reduced the time we have to do housework, and so on, these factors will reduce the amount of daily activities, plus exercise will produce compensatory psychology will also make us tend to choose to spend it in a comfortable way.
Therefore, the reduction of daily activity will reduce the overall activity metabolism, which will lead to a decrease in calorie consumption throughout the day, which is why many friends can't lose weight even if they insist on exercising.
Solution: Pay attention to non-exercise consumption, use all kinds of fragmented time to move your body, such as being able to walk without taking a car, not using tools for housework that you can do by yourself, standing up regularly (every 30 minutes or so) to move your body, avoiding sitting for a long time, etc., don't underestimate the consumption generated by any small thing, because the accumulation will be very considerable.
3.Changes in eating habits
However, we cannot deny that as we age and shift our focus, it will become more and more difficult to control our diet, because we have to consider the diet of our family (especially our children) and ignore our own needs, in this case, it is difficult for us to achieve good dietary control, not to mention that we will tend to underestimate the calories of food and think that it is okay to eat more.
Resolution. Maintain a light diet, take care of your own needs while preparing hearty food for your family, and use smaller utensils to avoid eating more for yourself, so that you can eat one or two bites less at each meal.
4.Other factors
Other factors are mainly related to mood and sleep, emotional instability and lack of sleep can become an obstacle to maintaining weight, emotional instability can lead to an increase in cortisol, which can lead to difficulty in lipolysis and the occurrence of central obesity, and also lead to difficulty in muscle synthesis. Lack of sleep and poor sleep quality not only affect the body's recovery, but also increase hunger, make it difficult to control eating, and lead to a decrease in activity, which can lead to a decrease in calorie consumption throughout the day.
Resolution. Adjust your emotions and learn to take the initiative to release stress, such as going out for a walk, listening**, chatting with friends, and so on. Have a regular schedule, develop good sleep habits, do some soothing exercises during sleep, or soak your feet to relax your body, and create good sleeping conditions for yourself, such as not too bright lights, choose comfortable bedding, etc.
In fact, it is not difficult for middle-aged people to maintain their weight, and it is the same for people who have lost fat. When people reach middle age, we have to fight against various factors and influences brought about by age;For people who have lost fat, it is necessary to develop good habits of life and exercise, rather than returning to the state before fat loss. Either way, we need to break the previous relatively comfortable state, which is also the difficulty.
Author: October Zhixing.