It has happened to all of us…
We are a few kilos away from reaching our ideal weight or target weight, after spending days, weeks, even months on alow-calorie diet. We have moved away from everything we like: bread,cereals, sweets, evenfruitsbecause the diet marks it, and we only limit ourselves to a smallsaladflavored with nothing.
Touching on the subject of exercise…
We have been constant, we do not miss a day to the gym and we even double our exercise sessions (a situation that I do not recommend if you are not a professional athlete), we do a thousand sit-ups every day …
But no matter how hard we try to avoid food and destroy our body, there comes that time when you no longer advance, you do not lose more weightand you even start storing body fat.
But how is this possible? Aren’t we supposed to be on a diet?
Why does it seem so difficult to lose the last 5 kilos?
In this article I will explain why there comes a time in your diet when you no longer advance and even regress.
Although in the title I have specified “how to lose the last 5 kilos”, the reality is that we can stagnate at any time without notice and this is not because your nutritional plan (prepared by an expert, I clarify) is not effective.
In fact, to startlosing weightit is enough to only reduce a percentage of our energy requirement. It is not necessary to touch a machine in the gym or do aerobic exercise – obviously I recommend that you step into the gym and sweat the towel for its multiple health benefits.
Well, the reason why we do not continue to lose weight is because of a defense mechanism of our body, specifically we are talking about ahormone called leptin.
That’s right, leptin is responsible for appetite regulation and influences energy utilization (1).
Let’s say it’s our fuel regulator and, like any fuel regulator, it needs maintenance and such maintenance is calledeating more.
Is it true that we should eat less to lose weight?
Not 100%.
If you’re a person who has married the advertising of eating less and moving more, you may be wondering: Will I regain everything I’ve lost? The answer is NO!
Several studies show thatprolonged periods in hypocaloric diets (well calculated and adapted to your needs tolose fatand not muscle) decrease leptin levels in our body, which leads to stagnation (2).
However, by making periods of caloric surplus, leptin levels increase allowing us to move forward with our goal (3).
In other words:
- Low leptin levels = little or no loss of body fat
- High leptin levels = constant fat loss
But do not forget that nutrition is an art that has golden rules, which if underestimated can cost very expensive.
Encones, how and when to do it?
How can I raise my leptin levels in 3 steps?
First of all, if you are a person who has no relationship with nutrition, I recommend that you go to an expert to design your nutritional plan and thus have a correct notion of what your daily requirements are.
Now, to plan a “surplus, re-feed or recharge”, as we handle it in the world of fitness, we must firstcontemplate the time you have been in a strict hypocaloric plan (without days off).
If you’re a person who has been strictly following your plan for more than 12 weeks, chances are you’re already stuck.
A week will be enough time to raise our leptin levels, recover muscle glycogen and improve your mood, that is, give your body a break.
But remember, there are rules, and in this case it’s simple:
1Erstep:
We will resort to the best allies of refills, carbohydrates (see differences between sugars and carbohydrates).
As mentioned in this study, carbohydrates (HC) are the ones that show the greatest benefit by regulating leptin levels in the body and, for this, carbohydrate consumption must be increased by 50-70% (4).
For example: if you consume 200 g of carbohydrates and raise them by 50%, it means 100 g more to your intake, that is, 300 g of carbohydrates.
Step 2:
Proteinis recommended to keep between 1 g and 1.4 g per kilogram of body weight if you are a person who does little or no physical activity.
If you are an active person, the amount is between 1.4 g and 2 g.
3Erstep:
Another step to follow is ourbody fat percentage: the higher it is, the longer the time to take our recharge.
If we are above 30% body fat, it would be advisable to do a loading day every two weeks.
On the other hand, if we are between 20-24%, it is advisable to recharge every 6-7 days.
The best parameter will be to monitor your fat percentage to know when your progress slows down.
Note: Fats will remain low during recharge periods.
Final recommendations
The lower your fat percentage, the more frequent these refills should be: up to 3 times a week if you are below 10% body fat.
Do not panic if you gain weight during your day of recharge: it is normal and it happens to anyone. This is due to a slight retention of intra- and extracellular fluid, as well as an increase in our muscle and liver glycogen equal to higher energy level.
My last recommendation, which I always emphasize to my patients, is: do not make the scale your first indicator.
Remember that a good body composition counts much more with a higher percentage of lean mass than fat mass. It is useless to weigh 50 kg with 35% body fat, when you can weigh 60-70 kg with 20% or less percentage of body fat (5).
I hope this article saves you the frustration that many people experience along the way. If you are at this point of stagnation, try what I share with you here.
On the other hand, if you are a person who is starting the path, take into account these guidelines that will save you many disappointments and even fall into practices that will put your life at risk.
Discipline and effort is all you need to achieve your goal.
Did you already know the technique of carbohydrate recharging? Tell me about your experience
For more information, you can go toZenteno and associates, where you will find articles related to overweight, obesity and women’s health.
References:
(1) http://press.endocrine.org/doi/10.1210/jcem.82.2.3757?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%3dpubmed
(2) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1002573/pdf/westjmed00110-0071.pdf
(3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4237876/
(4) http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/v24/n11/full/0801395a.html
(5) http://m.ajcn.nutrition.org/content/72/3/694.full
University Professional in the area of Human Resources, Postgraduate in Occupational Health and Hygiene of the Work Environment, 14 years of experience in the area of health. Interested in topics of Psychology, Occupational Health, and General Medicine.