Rebound: Weight gain after calorie restriction
I hope when you first saw the word Rebound you didn’t think I was going to talk about the benefits of jumping up and down on a trampette. Sorry if I am about to disappoint you but I have never tried it … to be honest I am a bit of a wuss and was petrified of trampolining at school so the very idea of these mini-trampolines makes me feel queasy with nerves.
Rebound
Rebound weight gain is your bodies attempt to ‘bounce back’ to your earlier or pre-diet weight. It is that quickly regaining weight after you have finished a diet and it is especially common after periods of yoyo dieting or extreme calorie deficit.
Often the weight can go on quicker than you lost it or you can end up becoming HEAVIER then when you first started your diet.
Calorie deficit /restriction
Reducing the number of calories consumed to less than the body needs for maintenance or keeping your weight stable. This will vary from person to person as we all have differing energy and nutritional needs. There are a number of different ways that people do this from calorie counting to restricting specific food groups.
Why we rebound
There are various reasons why we rebound and the weight goes back on. The following list is just a quick guide of the most commonly thought theories. Not everything on the list is applicable to everyone.. we are all unique. Plus this list is not exhaustive. There are no firm conclusions as to why rebound weight gain happens…yet!!
Why we rebound:
our bodies need for homeostasis or balance
adding back in of foods that we have been deprived of
changes in our metabolism
changes in gastric emptying, motility and the microbiome
type of diet that has been followed
???
Homeostasis: programmed to put the weight back on
Dieting can cause a great deal of stress on the body. Our bodies like to work within set boundaries for weight and bodyfat. Our bodies will try to sabotage drastic weight loss by making us hungry, making us fatigued so we burn less energy and for some of us we can also dream about food. The more server the diet the more our body will adapt and send these messages to get us to eat differently.
Once we have stopped dieting our bodies continue to stick to these adaptations … even though our intake of foods is different our body doesn’t catch up to these changes straight away.
Entitlement: ‘treating’ yourself because you have done so well
Cheat meals, blow outs, binges etc can be common when ending a diet plan. Anecdotal evidence I have heard over the years have included a Chinese and bottle of wine after weigh-in; fish and chips after a week of sticking to a plan; bulk buying chocolate at the end of lent.. . the list can go on. Most of us will have rewarded ourselves with food at some point in our lives.
Changes in Metabolism
This can include the hormones that control our hunger and satisfaction with the foods that we have eaten; the thyroid hormone axis and resting energy usage; cortisol and energy storage; to name a few. Changes at a metabolic level can effect every process in the body. Key nutrients from the foods we eat are the building blocks of every reaction in the body … if we are denying our bodies specific key nutrients then the knock-on effect will be on our metabolism.
Changes in gastric emptying, motility and the microbiome
The calorific content of a meal can alter gastric emptying and how quickly the food is passed through our digestive system . There is some research that highlights that low calorie meals can lead to quicker gastric emptying and motility through the gut. Dieting also alters the microbiome and a combination of all of these things can alter what is absorbed from our food and what is just passed as waste.
Type of diet followed
Certain molecules in our foods have the ability to hold onto water making us look like we have gained weight on the scales. It you are adding more fibre into your diet then your body will hold onto more water.
???
Unknown factors that science hasn’t found out about yet. (But they will :-) )
Ways to avoid the Rebound weight gain
Having a plan in place to transition from your diet phase into your maintenance phase.
Avoid extreme dieting in the first place. Approach weight loss by eating a nutritionally dense range of foods.
Making sure that you do not deny yourself your favourite foods when you are in your weight loss phase.
Think of weight loss as a marathon and not a sprint - it probably took you a while for the weight to go on so think of reducing weight at the same….boring I know but the safest way to do it.
Seek appropriate advice and support. If you are at a loss at what to do for the best always seek advice from people qualified and regulated to do so.
Weight gain: Not as simple as Calories in V Calories out
Weight gain and weight loss are so much more complicated than simply calories in verses calories out. We are all individuals with differing needs and have varied experiences that have lead us to where we are today.
If you are fed up of struggling with rebound weight gain?
I know the answer is yes .. you are here.
Watch my FREE webinar How to Lose weight at menopause and keep it off HERE
Nutritional therapy can support you break the patterns and make rebound weight gain a thing of the past
It is a personalised and holistic approach putting you at the centre.
To find out more either visit my services page OR send me a message via my contact page
Lesley x