Weight loss truth: Why don't you eat dinner and lose weight? Why do you exercise more without losing weight

Hungry at night, tossing and turning, and the next day weighing without any change? Sweating profusely in the gym for a month, but with no change in waist circumference? These "supernatural events" on the road to weight loss actually have scientific explanations. Uncovering the truth behind these anti common sense phenomena may save you a few years of detours.

1. The Three Main Causes of Weight Gain by Not Eating Dinner

1. Diving of Basal Metabolic Rate

When the body does not eat for 12 consecutive hours, basal metabolism will automatically decrease by 15% -20%. Just like turning on power-saving mode on a phone, even the amount of heat consumed by breathing is decreasing. Even worse, muscle tissue will be preferentially decomposed for energy supply.

2. Retaliative binge eating cycle

Excessive hunger can lead to a surge in ghrelin levels, making it easy to eat 300-400 extra calories for breakfast the next day. Research has found that on average, dieters will consume 80% of the reduced calories within 24 hours.

3. Continuous high levels of cortisol

When fasting, stress hormone levels will increase by 37%. This hormone not only promotes fat accumulation, but also triggers a strong thirst for high sugar and high-fat foods Hope.

2. Hidden pitfalls of ineffective weight loss through exercise

1. Calorie compensation psychology

After exercise, there may be an illusion that "I have already consumed 500 calories", but in reality, I may only consume 200-300 calories, but I feel comfortable eating an extra piece of cake. This psychological compensation will on average offset 30% of the exercise effect.

2. Decrease in non exercise activities

Subconsciously reduce daily activities after fitness, such as taking elevators or sitting for long periods of time. This phenomenon of reduced energy consumption is common among people who exercise to lose weight.

3. Muscle Water Storage Phenomenon

After strength training, muscles may experience mild inflammatory reactions, leading to temporary water storage and weight gain. This physiological process usually lasts for 4-6 weeks and can easily lead people to mistakenly believe that exercise is ineffective.

3. The golden combination for scientific weight loss

1. Stepwise distribution of calories in three meals

A ratio of 30% for breakfast, 40% for lunch, and 30% for dinner is most beneficial for metabolism. Dinner can reduce carbohydrates appropriately, but it is necessary to ensure a high-quality protein intake of at least 20 grams.

2. Timely supplementation of nutrition after exercise

Supplementing protein within 30 minutes after strength training can improve muscle synthesis efficiency. Eating low GI carbohydrates after aerobic exercise can prevent excessive hunger.

3. Normalization of NEAT activities

Non exercise calorie expenditure (such as standing for work, walking commuting) actually accounts for 15% -20% of the total daily consumption. Prepare a pedometer to ensure no less than 8000 steps per day.

4. Key strategies for breaking through the plateau period

1. Regular "metabolic restart"

2 days of maintaining a calorie diet every 4-6 weeks can prevent a sustained decrease in metabolic rate. It's like pressing the refresh button on the body, breaking the adaptive response. When the body adapts to a fixed exercise pattern, the consumption efficiency will decrease by 20%. It is recommended to adjust the exercise routine every 3 weeks, such as changing slow jogging to interval running.

3. Focus on circumference over weight

Muscle density is 1.2 times fat, and after starting exercise, weight may not change but body shape will become tighter. Prepare a tape measure to measure waist and leg circumference weekly, which is more reliable.

Weight loss is not simply about addition and subtraction, but requires an understanding of the workings of the body as a sophisticated instrument. Instead of competing with a weight scale, it's better to focus on cultivating sustainable healthy habits. Remember, those seemingly illogical phenomena often hide important signals that your body wants to tell you.