|
Category Sitemaps
Diet
Food
Calories
Exercise
Losing weight
Weight loss help |
How the Body Adapts to Changes in Energy
Intake
Carbohydrates, proteins and fats are fuel sources for the body. Carbs are
stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen and in the blood as glucose.
There are, however, limited supplies of carbs available. These can be
significantly depleted by two hours of intense exercise (IE) and it takes 20
hours to replenish them. Soldiers and athletes eat high carbohydrate diets
to have more carbs available and recover glycogen quickly. This is best
accomplished through high carb meals with 30 minutes of
intense exercise or
by consuming small high carb snacks throughout the day. The problem is that
the high carb diet must be accompanied by intense exercise or the carbs will
be converted and stored as fat. A high protein diet is not the solution.
When protein intake exceeds what the body needs to maintain and repair
tissue growth, the excess protein is converted to fat.
Reducing Caloric Intake
When your caloric intake is reduced, your body responds by lowering the
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR or the number of calories burned as you rest) and
conserving energy. Your body temperature will decline. Less fat will be
converted to energy. In fact, your body will start burning muscle, instead
of fat. There are benefits to reducing caloric intake. Your blood pressure
and blood glucose will become lower. Studies by the National Institute on
Aging have suggested that reducing caloric intake by 30% results in the body
accumulating less pentosidine and having fewer age-related diseases, such as
diabetes and kidney failure. Chances are that you will live longer. The
downside of eating less is that your stress reaction time will be slower.
You will also be eating less foods that contain the essential vitamins and
minerals that your body needs to stay healthy. Rather than trying to
drastically slash your caloric intake, you can reduce your calories by
reducing the amount of complex carbohydrates that you eat. If you greatly
reduce the amount of protein you eat, however, you will find that you are
hungrier after you eat. If weight loss is the reason you want to reduce your
calories, you are better off eating a balanced diet containing little sugar,
and adequate protein and fat. Moderate exercise is a must.
Increasing Caloric Rate
When caloric intake is increased, the body has more energy to meet the
demands placed on it. When intake exceeds what the body needs, sugars are
converted to stored fats. This adds on weight until the BMR is raised and
the body burns up the fat. If you eat too much junk food, you will eat more
calories, but get little in the way of calcium, protein, vitamins and iron.
You'll gain weight and may become obease. This can cause or contribute to
high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Too much
fat in your diet will raise your blood cholesterol levels and cause plaque
to form in your arteries. Over time, the plaque narrows and hardens the
arteries (atherosclerosis) and leads to heart disease. It will also lead to
obesity and a greater chance of developing arthritis. You should not
eliminate all fat from your diet, so you should use fat derived from plants
(polyunsaturated and monounsaturated). This will help lower your cholesterol
levels. Too much protein in your diet makes your body start burning protein,
instead of carbohydrates, for fuel. You will become tired because protein
takes a long time to digest. A large amount of blood will leave your brain
and muscles and stay in your stomach for a long time for digestion. Less
blood will be available to supply the muscles and brain with oxygen, causing
sluggishness and decreased energy. Too much protein in the diet can lead to
high cholesterol or calcium loss from the bone, promoting osteoporosis or
gout. High-protein diets may also strain your kidneys and liver. These two
organs break down protein and then flushing away the excess nitrogen that is
created during this process. If you eat more processed foods, you will
increase the amount of salt in your body. This causes bloating. Your
body
will retain water to dilute the salt and protect your tissues. Studies have
shown that excess salt can lead to vision and cardiovascular problems.
|
|
