Store Energy Losing Weight
Store Energy Losing Weight |
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Human body energy stores and losing weightMany dieters think of stored energy as just body fat, and that to lose weight they need to follow a diet to enable the body to use up these fat stores. But there is more to losing body fat stores than just dieting, there are other stores of energy which can limit or interfere with the process of fat burning.
Carbohydrates stored in the body Glycogen is basically carbohydrates stored
in the body. It is stored mainly in the muscles and to a smaller degree in
the liver. Glycogen is a large storage molecule made up of millions of
glucose (sugar) units. The process of storing
carbohydrates causes it to
hold about three times its own weight of water. The body can store a maximum
of around 500 grams of glycogen but, the exact amount of storage at any given
time, will depend largely on the nutritional status of the individual. Even
if glycogen stores were full, there will only be the energy equivalent to
approximately 2000 calories, in other words if you didn’t eat for a whole
day then most of these stores could be used up. Storage of sugar (glycogen) causes the body to hold three times its weight in water. This means that if your muscles have 500 grams of glycogen storage before starting a diet program, then you’ll be holding an extra 1500 grams of water, so a total weight of two kilograms (4.4 pounds). If you used up 90% of the glycogen stored in the muscles – which is quite likely if you cut food intake dramatically or was following a low-carbohydrate diet – then you’ll lose just less than 4 pounds in weight. This is what tends to happen when following a very low calorie diet and
especially a low-carbohydrate diet, all the weight loss is basically the
fluid lost through reduced glycogen stores. It’s the reason why dieters lose so
much weight within the first few days, and also the reason why so many
dieters regain the weight after a diet ceases, the fluid is simply
replaced as glycogen stores are replenished. The fact is that most of the
weight lost was NOT fat loss in the first place. Knowing this information
helps many people make sense of the fact that slow steady weight loss
(around 1-2 pounds each week) is the best policy for permanent weight
control. Protein in the body is used as a building
material so it is not really stored in the same way as fat and
carbohydrates, but because muscle is frequently broken down and used as
energy the whole muscular system represents a
huge potential store of
energy. Some protein is always used to supply energy. It averages about 5%
of total energy expenditure; this can increase to 15% during long periods of
intense physical work, or high intensity exercise. Protein usage also
increases when glycogen stores are low, protein is converted to glucose in
the liver, thereby helping to maintain blood glucose levels. As glycogen
stores are generally lowered when dieting or following a low-carbohydrate
diet, it follows that more protein will be utilized for energy.
As is the case for glycogen, protein also
holds water, about four times its weight. Thus if your body uses more
protein for energy there will be a corresponding loss of fluid causing the
dieter to believe a diet is working well. A loss of glycogen fluid along
with protein fluid can result in some dieters losing between ten and thirty
pounds in weight fairly quickly. It is inevitable that any reduction in
energy intake will cause reduced protein but you should try to limit this
loss as much as possible with regular exercise and an intake of
high-quality
protein food sources. Fat is stored in virtually every area of
the body, not only under the skin but also inside the body cavity
surrounding the organs and within muscles. We cannot determine where fat is
stored or which area we burn it from first, although what we can do is
reduce the amount of stored body fat we carry. Fat is really the type of fuel we want to
burn off in order to lose weight, so anything that helps burn more fat would
be great for dieters.
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All tools and information on this site are intended as an aid to help healthy adults lose weight and not intended as medical advice. The information presented here is not for pregnant or breast-feeding women or for any person under the age of 18. If you suffer or think you may suffer from any medical condition you should consult your doctor before starting any weight loss exercise regime. Any weight loss exercise programs or diet should be started slowly and we advise you to always consult your doctor or physician beforehand. |
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