|
Does serial dieting increase body fat? |
If you want to lose weight and you succeed, weight loss nearly always reduces your body fat percentage. But when you are on a diet you lose not only fat but also muscle tissue. And muscles burn energy.
Serial dieters usually put all their lost kilo's back on. When their body fat percentage is measured, it is usually higher than at the start of their 'last diet'. Sierial dieters will develop more body fat. If you lose weight and put it back on, you also lose muscle tissue that is not automatically restored. You weigh as much (or more) as you did before, but are less muscular. And because you have less muscles, you burn less calories.
It is therefore important that, when losing weight to minimize muscle loss through exercise and proper nutrition. You should primarily be aimed at burning body fat instead of losing weight. |
|
|
While exercising our muscles burn both fat and glucose (carbohydrates in the blood) in different proportions. Depending on how an individual exercises muscle can burn fat in a larger proportion to glucose.
When activity is light and easy we tend to burn a much higher percentage of fat. Fat is a slow burning fuel that requires oxygen so if oxygen is delivered to muscle cells in sufficient quantities the cells can easily burn fat for most of its energy requirement. A potential problem for weight loss is lighter exercise burns fewer total calories.
If an individual increases their effort by performing a more intense exercise they WILL burn more calories however, because oxygen cannot always be delivered to the hard-working cells in sufficient quantities, cells are forced to burn more carbohydrates in order to keep up with increasing demand. If the level of exertion continues to increase then glucose eventually becomes the predominant energy source for muscles as this quick-burning fuel does not require oxygen.
It means to burn fat directly we should exercise at a lower level of effort and for longer duration. However some people just don't have the time to exercise for longer periods. The only way to burn fat quickly is to increase the metabolism through anaerobic exercise so we burn the fat indirectly
|
|
|
|
|
|