Weight Maintenance
By: Shahin Soltanian (PhD in
Philosophy). Checked for Scientific
accuracy by: Dr. Ameneh Khatami (MD, FRACP)
When it comes to weight maintenance
there are many prevalent misconceptions.
There is no shortage of advice for a person who is trying to lose weight
or maintain a healthy weight. The
problem is that much of that advice is based on unproven methods spread through
the word of mouth, advertisement by companies trying to sell a specific product
or claims of traditional medicine. In
this article I will go through some of the misconceptions and conclude with
some notes about what are the main factors for weight management.
Calories versus Volume
Volume alone is not an indication of
how the body produces mass using food.
When a person consumes food, the digestive system goes on to break down the
food into the chemicals that the body can use to produce energy in order to
function. The energy the body uses to
function is measured by the unit of measurement commonly referred to as calories
(kilocalories or Kcal to be exact). Food
calories provide energy in the form of heat.
The amount of calories (Kcal) in a specific type of food is the amount
of energy it can provide the body. One
misconception about weight maintenance is that if a person just eats less they
would not gain weight and go on to losing weight. This is an oversimplification of the relationship
between the human body and food.
If a person’s body takes in more calories
than it uses it will store the rest of the energy in one form or another and
adds to the body mass (fat, muscle or both depending on the activity of the
person). If it takes in less than what
it uses it will utilize the existing mass in the body to produce the required
energy and as a result lose weight. If
the body takes in the same amount of calories as it uses the mass will stay the
same (a person’s weight is maintained).
It is important to mention that there are medical conditions that might
disrupt the normal system of the body by affecting appetite and/or metabolism. That is a separate case that needs
appropriate medical treatments and a person’s nutrition supervised by a
dietician. The basics of how the body
uses food however are the same across human beings.
Some foods contain more calories in
smaller volume than other foods. For
example, 100 grams of lettuce has around 15 calories whereas 100 grams of
cashew nuts has about 553 calories. A
person can eat quite a bit of lettuce before getting nearly as much calories as
100 grams of cashews. Hence, volume
alone is not a good indication of whether the body gains, maintains or loses
weight. To lose weight a person needs to
count calories. This does not mean
necessarily measuring everything meticulously (although if you cannot achieve
it otherwise go ahead and do that). It
does mean that a person must get a grasp about the amount of calories their
body is taking in versus the amount it is using for everyday energy use.
Eat for the Body’s Need
A person needs to calculate the
amount of calories they need or what food it should include that sufficiently
satisfies the body’s nutritional needs and maintains energy levels without
exceeding the body’s calorie intake. The
fact of the matter is that if a person with no other underlying medical
conditions affecting their calorie intake (such as conditions that increase
appetite, reduce energy, disrupt metabolic pathways, etc.) is gaining weight
they are consuming more calories than their body needs. If a person only consumes the amount of
calories their body needs to function they should not be gaining weight. Simply reducing portion sizes of meals is not
enough for weight loss or weight maintenance if calorie intake is not
considered. If a meal is small in
proportion but high in calories, in the sense of more than what the body uses,
there will be weight gain. Also reducing
portion sizes without a plan in place to deal with a person’s hunger cravings (such
as replacing some foods with higher portion low calorie foods) could have a
negative effect on weight control and lead to any diet plan being short term
for some individuals. In most cases, to
maintain weight, some portion control is needed but must also include reducing
calorie intake.
The other issue that is an important
factor in weight maintenance is the essential nutrients a person needs to
maintain a healthy body. Food, in
addition to being a source of energy, also provides other vital chemicals
needed for the body to function in a healthy manner and its longevity. Again here is where people misunderstand the
difference between getting the required nutrients and energy from a healthy
diet plan versus calorie intake. A
person can maintain a low calorie intake with food that lack sufficient healthy
nutrients. Similarly, a person can have
a high calorie intake by eating a lot of unhealthy foods and not get the
required nutrients they need for a healthy body. For example, it used to be commonly assumed (and
for some this assumption continues) that a healthy child is one that is
overweight. Whereas being overweight as
a child leads to weight issues and other medical conditions as an adult. For weight maintenance each individual needs
to balance their diet so that 1) Their calorie intake does not exceed the
amount used up by their body and 2) They receive the nutrition they need for a
healthy body.
Natural Foods
One of the most harmful rumors that have
gained traction in our modern technological world is the idea that everything
natural must be good for our health whereas anything made in a factory is harmful. Based on such an irrational reasoning medical
treatments, health benefits of such things as fluoride for the teeth and many
medications are rejected and replaced with unproven so called natural remedies. The idea that anything natural is good has
led many to believe that weight gain is only the result of consuming
non-natural products. The reality on the
other hand is different. There are many
things in nature that are harmful for the human body (poison ivy and malaria
are just two examples). There are also
many things that are not naturally produced or are not produced in large
quantities in nature but can be made or isolated in factories that are
beneficial for the body such as medications.
In a conversation with Dr. Ameneh
Khatami, she made the example over the hype around Himalayan salt. Himalayan salt is promoted as having health
benefits due to it containing extra minerals not found in ordinary table salt. Dr. Khatami points out, “The best example of
this is the idea that Himalayan salt is better for you than table salt because
it is “natural”. The number of people I
have had to have this argument with is alarming. Salt = NaCl whether it comes from a mountain,
the seas, deserts or is “produced” in a factory, its effects on your heart and
blood vessels is the same. And the
absence of iodine in many of these “natural” salts is a major health hazard.” An article in healthline (link: Is Pink Himalayan Salt Better Than Regular Salt?)
examines the claim of Himalayan salt as having extra minerals beneficial for
health and concludes that any extra minerals contained in Himalayan salt are
not in significant enough quantity in a serving to have any impact on a
person’s health.
Hence, whether or not the source of
the caloric intake is natural or not does not change the fact that the body
will put on weight if it takes in more calories than it needs, will maintain
weight if it takes in the same amount and will lose weight if it takes in less
calories. This is not to say that the
way food products are processed or what is added to them does not have an
effect on the functionality and health of the body. Each individual case needs to be examined
independently. However, whether or not
something is natural is not an indication by itself of whether it will or will
not cause weight gain or is or is not healthy.
Nutrition versus Exercise
One of the false expectations that
many people have is that weight maintenance is all about exercise. If a person just exercises a little more they
will lose weight. There are many
individuals who spend hours exercising wondering why it is they are still
putting on weight, specifically fat mass.
I have emphasized numerous times in this article that weight maintenance
has to do with the body’s calorie intake.
Again when it comes to exercise whether exercise will be effective in
any kind of weight management goes back to the body’s calorie uptake.
Exercise has its own benefits. Many health benefits have been attributed to
various kinds of exercise which include both physical and psychological. There are also the obvious aesthetic results
that people could achieve with exercise (think six packs). But to maintain or lose weight, exercise alone does
not have a significant effect. Exercise
will only be effective in weight maintenance if it is coupled with an
appropriate diet plan. For example, if a
person’s calorie intake is only at maintenance level for an ordinary no
exercise routine then adding exercise to that routine without any addition of
calorie intake will cause them to lose weight.
If a person is at a desired weight and eats at maintenance level in
terms of calories (including their exercise routine) then they will see the
aesthetic result of being more toned as well as the health benefits.
In conclusion
The most important factor for weight
maintenance is the amount of calories your body takes in. So what you eat and how you eat it will
indicate how you manage your weight.
There are many other factors that also play a role in the effect
different kinds of food have on a person’s body, appetite and energy
levels. However, the most important thing
to remember is that food calories are what decide whether a person gains,
maintains or loses body weight. Exercise
can be helpful only if accompanied by calorie counting.
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