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As we enter the new year with resolutions improve our livesthere’s a good chance we’ll also be carrying something less useful: extra kilograms. At least half a kilo, to be precise.
“weight “Creep” is not necessarily inevitable. Here are the reasons behind this sneaky phenomenon that happens every year and some practical preventative measures.
Small gains add up
Adults tend to gain weight gradually as they age, usually averaging 0.5 to 1 kilogram per year.
Although it may not seem like much per year, it has reached 5 kilograms in ten years. Slow but steady weight gain is why many of us don’t notice weight gain until our fifties.
Why do we gain weight?
As we advance in life, subtle, gradual shifts in lifestyle and age-related biological changes can cause us to gain weight. Our:
- Activity levels decrease. Longer working hours and family responsibilities can make us more sedentary and spend less time exercising, which means we burn fewer calories
- Diet worsens. Due to busy work and family schedules, we sometimes turn to prepackaged foods and fast food. These processed and discretionary foods are loaded with hidden sugars, salt and unhealthy fats. Better financial status in later life also leads to more eating out, which is associated with higher total energy intake
- sleep reduce. Busy lives and screen use can mean we don’t get enough sleep. This disrupts our body’s energy balance, increases our hunger, triggers appetite and reduces our energy
- The pressure increases. Financial, relationship and work-related stress increases our body’s production of cortisol, triggering food cravings and promoting fat storage
- Metabolism slows down. Around the age of 40, our muscle mass naturally decreases and body fat begins to increase. Muscle mass helps determine our metabolic rate, so when our muscle mass decreases, our bodies begin to burn fewer calories at rest.
We also tend to gain small amounts of weight during festivals – Eating calorie-rich foods and drinks, exercising and sleep Often overlooked. A study of Australian adults found that participants gained an average of 0.5kg over the Christmas/New Year period and an average of 0.25kg around Easter.
Why we need to prevent weight gain
Preventing weight gain is important for two reasons:
1. Weight changes reset our body’s set points
Set point theory suggests that each of us has a predetermined weight or set point. Our bodies work to maintain weight around this set point, adjusting our biological systems to regulate how much we eat, store fat, and use energy.
When we gain weight, our set point resets to a new, higher weight. Our bodies adapt to protect the new weight, making it difficult to lose the weight we’ve gained.
But you can also lower your set point if you lose weight gradually and follow an interval approach. Specifically, losing weight in small, manageable chunks that you can maintain—a period of weight loss, then a period of weight maintenance, and so on until you reach your goal weight.
2. Weight creep can cause obesity and health problems
Undetected and unchecked weight gain can lead to obesity, which increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and many cancers, including breast, colorectal, esophageal, kidney, gallbladder, uterine, pancreatic, and liver cancers.
One large study followed people for about 15 years and examined the link between weight gain in early to mid-adulthood and health outcomes later in life. The study found that participants who gained 2.5 to 10 kilograms in weight during this period had higher rates of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, obesity-related cancers and death than participants whose weight remained stable.
Fortunately, there are steps we can take to create lasting habits and make weight gain a thing of the past.
7 practical steps to prevent weight gain
1. From adults to snacks
Aim to eat most of your food early in the day and gradually reduce meal sizes to ensure that dinner is the smallest meal you eat.
A low-calorie or small breakfast can lead to increased hunger throughout the day, especially an increased appetite for sweet foods.
Burning dietary calories is 2.5 times more efficient in the morning than in the evening. Therefore, focusing on breakfast rather than dinner is also beneficial for weight management.
2. Use chopsticks, teaspoon or oyster fork
Eat dinner together at the table and use different utensils to encourage slower eating.
This gives your brain time to recognize and adapt to the signals from your stomach telling you that you are full.
3. Eat the whole rainbow
Start by filling your plate with vegetables and fruits of different colors to support a high-fiber, nutrient-dense diet that will keep you feeling full and satisfied.
Meals also need to be balanced and include sources of protein, whole grain carbohydrates and healthy fats to meet our dietary needs – for example, eggs with avocado on whole wheat toast.
About the author
Nick Fuller is Director of Clinical Trials, Department of Endocrinology, RPA Hospital, University of Sydney.
This article is reproduced from dialogue Licensed under Creative Commons. read Original article.
4. Contact nature first
Retrain your brain to rely on nature’s bounty – fresh vegetables, fruits, honey, nuts and seeds. In their natural state, these foods trigger the same pleasurable response in the brain as ultra-processed foods and fast food, helping you avoid unnecessary calories, sugar, salt and unhealthy fats.
5. Choose to move
Find ways to incorporate serendipitous activities into your daily routine—such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator—and enhance your workouts by challenging yourself to try new activities.
Be sure to include variety, as doing the same activities every day often leads to boredom and avoidance.
6. Prioritize sleep
Set a goal for yourself to get at least seven hours of uninterrupted sleep each night, and help yourself achieve this by avoiding screens for an hour or two before bed.
7. Weigh yourself regularly
Making a habit of weighing yourself every week is an effective way to avoid weight gain. Aim to weigh yourself on the same day, at the same time, in the same setting every week, and use the best quality scale you can afford.
At the Boden Group Charles Perkins Center we are studying the science of obesity and conducting weight loss clinical trials. You can register here Express your interest.