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Adults tend to do that gradually gain weight as they grow older and gain an average of 0.5 to 1 kg per year.
Although this doesn’t seem like much each year, it amounts to 5 kg over a ten-year period. The slow but steady nature of weight gain is the reason many of us won’t notice the extra weight until we’re in our 50s.
A busy life and screen use can prevent us from getting enough sleep. Photo / 123rf
Why are we arriving?
Subtle, gradual lifestyle changes as we progress through life and age-related biological changes cause us to gain weight. Us:
- The activity level decreases. Longer work hours and family commitments can make us more sedentary and have less time for exercise, which means we burn fewer calories.
- Diets are getting worse. With hectic work and family schedules, we sometimes turn to pre-packaged and fast food items. These processed and discretionary foods are packed with hidden sugars, salts and unhealthy fats. A better financial position later in life can also result in more eating out, which is associated with a higher total energy intake.
- Sleep decreases. Busy lives and screen use can prevent us from doing so get enough sleep. This disrupts our body’s energy balance, increases our hunger, causes cravings and reduces our energy.
- Stress increases. Financial, relationship and work-related stress increase the production of cortisol in our bodies, which triggers food cravings and promotes fat storage.
- Metabolism slows down. Around the age of 40, our muscle mass naturally decreases and our body fat begins to increase. Muscle mass helps determine our metabolism, so when our muscle mass decreases, our body begins to burn fewer calories at rest.
We also tend to gain a small amount of weight during festive periods – times filled with high-calorie food and drinks, when exercise and sleep are often overlooked. A study of Australian adults found that participants gained an average of 0.5 kilograms over the Christmas and New Year period and an average of 0.25 kilograms around Easter.
It is possible to lower your set point if you lose weight gradually and with an interval weight loss approach. Photo / 123rf
Why we should prevent weight gain
It is important to prevent weight gain for two main reasons:
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1. Weight gain resets our body’s set point
Set point theory suggests that we all have a predetermined weight or set point. Our bodies try to keep our weight around this set point and adjust our biological systems to regulate how much we eat, how we store fat and use energy.
When we arrive, our set point resets to the new, higher weight. Our bodies adapt to protect and protect this new weight challenge to lose weight we won.
But it is also possible to lower your set point if you lose weight gradually and with an interval weight loss approach. Specifically, it’s about losing weight in small manageable chunks that you can maintain: periods of weight loss, followed by periods of weight maintenance, and so on, until you reach your goal weight.
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2. Weight gain can lead to obesity and health problems
Unnoticed and unmanaged weight gain can result in obesity, which increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and several types of cancer (including breast, colorectal, esophageal, kidney, gallbladder, uterine, pancreatic, and liver cancer). can increase.
A large study examined the link between weight gain from early to mid-adulthood and health outcomes later in life, following people for about 15 years. It was found that those who gained 2.5 to 10 kg during this period had an increased incidence of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, obesity-related cancer and death compared to participants who had maintained a stable weight.
Fortunately, there are steps we can take to build lasting habits making weight gain a thing of the past.
7 practical steps to prevent weight creep
1. Eat from largest to smallest
Try to consume most of your food earlier in the day and reduce your meal sizes to ensure that dinner is the smallest meal you eat.
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A low-calorie or small breakfast leads to an increased feeling of hunger during the day, especially the craving for sweets.
We burn the calories from a meal 2.5 times more efficiently in the morning than in the evening. So emphasizing breakfast during dinner is also good for weight control.
2. Use chopsticks, a teaspoon or an oyster fork
Sit down at the table for dinner and use different utensils to encourage slower eating.
This gives your brain time to recognize and adapt to your stomach’s signals telling you that you are full.
3. Eat the entire rainbow
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Start by filling your plate with fruits and vegetables in different colors to support eating a fiber-rich, nutritious diet that will keep you feeling full and satisfied.
Meals should also be balanced and include a source of protein, wholegrain carbohydrates and healthy fat to meet our nutritional needs – for example eggs on wholegrain toast with avocado.
Fresh vegetables, fruits, honey, nuts and seeds can trigger the same pleasure response in the brain as ultra-processed and fast foods. Photo / 123rf
4. Reach for nature first
Train your brain to rely on nature’s delicacies: fresh vegetables, fruits, honey, nuts and seeds. In their natural state, these foods trigger the same pleasure response in the brain as ultra-processed and fast foods, helping you avoid unnecessary calories, sugar, salt and unhealthy fats.
5. Choose to move
Look for ways to record incidental activity into your daily routine – such as taking the stairs instead of the lift – and boost your exercise by challenging yourself to try a new activity.
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Make sure you provide variety, as doing the same activities every day often leads to boredom and avoidance.
6. Prioritize sleep
Set a goal of getting at least seven hours of uninterrupted sleep every night, and help yourself achieve this by avoiding screens for an hour or two before bed.
7. Weigh yourself regularly
Getting into the habit of weighing yourself weekly is a guaranteed way to keep the pounds from piling on. Try to weigh yourself on the same day, same time and in the same environment every week and use the best quality scale you can afford.