Making the decision to get healthier is an admirable and often attainable goal. However, many people tend to struggle with this. Dieters are well acquainted with the frustrations of a new diet plan. Cutting out unhealthy foods, watching calories, focusing on exercise, and creating an overall healthy lifestyle are all part of a well rounded weight loss plan. Consistency can lead to incredible results, but sometimes there are instances where dieters follow these methods and see minimal changes.
When it comes to the battle of the bulge, science has discovered that there are a number of reasons why your diet just isn’t working for you. Read on to learn about the top reasons why your diet may not be working for your body.
Genetics
If you’ve been diligently dieting – watching what you eat and making healthy choices – but you’re still not seeing significant changes in your body, look to your genetics. Many dieters do not realize that some individuals are at a biological advantage when it comes to weight loss and maintaining their thin frame due to genetics. A person who is naturally thin who eats healthy foods with the occasional indulgence, may give off the impression that their body is the result of a healthy lifestyle.
A heavier individual who eats the same foods as a naturally thin person, may not be as slender as the slimmer person due solely to genetics. The heavier person does not have the same set of genetics working in their favor, which can be incredibly frustrating to a dieter who is working hard to lose weight.
A dieter may eat the same foods as a slim person, however they typically need less calories than a thinner person to survive. While this may seem like a good thing, when they eat the same amount of calories as a thin person, they have much more calories left over in their bodies, which will eventually be converted into unwanted fat.
The dieter will have to adjust their eating habits by eating fewer and fewer calories. As they eat less calories their metabolisms will slow down, forcing them to adjust their calorie intake yet again. It’s a difficult cycle that will cause most dieters to give up.
Neurological Changes
There’s an actual scientific reason why you notice every little morsel of tempting food when you’re on a diet. Individuals who have not had to battle with their weight don’t notice food in the same way that a dieter does. While a dieter may find it hard to resist the cookies in front of the cash register at a local deli, a naturally thin person may not notice them at all.
Dieting creates neurological changes that causes dieters to notice food more than non-dieters. Dieting not only make you notice food more than before you started a diet, the neurological changes make the food taste even better than before, and the brain sends a more potent surge to the reward center of the brain once you taste those tempting foods. Once you notice these changes, it makes it very difficult for a dieter to go back to their former relationship with food.
Hormones
Dieters struggle with the rush of the reward hormone, dopamine, when they eat. Naturally thin individuals do not receive this same, pleasurable surge when they eat. Dopamine creates a similar rush that addicts receive when they use drugs.
Individuals who do not struggle with their weight do not have a natural resistance to the satiety hormone leptin, because their bodies naturally help them to stay fuller longer. Dieters suffer from a leptin deficiency, which makes it difficult for them to stay full and satisfied after a meal.
Cognitive and Executive Functioning
As if dieters didn’t already feel as if everything is working against them, they are also facing an uphill battle due to a lack of self-control. Dieters may seem to lack willpower, however their diets are causing changes in their body which leads to diminished cognitive and executive functioning, which is directly responsible for our willpower and self-control. Non-dieters do not struggle with diminished cognitive and executive functioning- they were born with more than they need, while dieters struggle to find it.
These discoveries may seem bleak, however, knowing this information can help you develop a weight loss plan that is tailored to your body and your specific needs. When you know the reasons why your diet may not be producing the desired results, you can easily tackle the problem!
