Why You Can Eat Less and Gain Weight

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Why You Can Eat Less and Gain Weight

When you think of a weight loss plan, you probably think like many people do, “less is better” as far as calories go. But many people find that that is definitely not true. In fact, it’s very possible to eat less and GAIN weight, instead of lose it. Why does this happen?

The biggest reason is that eating too little sends the signal to your body that it is facing a possible famine. Your body, in response, throws the “panic” switch and starts conserving energy in any way it can. Your metabolism slows down, you start retaining water, and more of the food you eat is converted into future energy stores – yes, that means fat deposits in your body.

A sedentary lifestyle also contributes to this process by keeping your metabolism slow and sluggish. The less you move, the fewer calories you burn, and the more fat gets stored in your body. So you keep gaining weight even though you are eating less.

Another contributor: eating the wrong foods. When you eat mostly processed, fatty, sugary or high sodium foods, you create a chemical chain reaction that results in more fat being stored in your body.

Still another cause of weight gain while eating less is stress. The more stressed you feel on a regular basis, the greater the possibility that your body is being chemically driven to store fat – especially in the abdomen.

So – if you eat too little, don’t move much, eat a lot of “junky” type foods, AND you feel stressed much of the time, you are pretty much guaranteed to gain weight, or at least have a really hard time losing it.

As counterproductive as it might seem at first glance, the solution is to eat more and move more. When you increase your daily calories to the proper level, your body no longer fears starvation and your metabolism will speed up a little. When you add in daily exercise, it will speed up a little more. You’ll start releasing stored water (it also helps to be sure you’re drinking enough water daily), and next thing you know, you are eating more and losing weight, rather than eating less and gaining weight.

Why You Can Eat Less and Gain Weight

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