Lots of people work hard to lose weight to make their heart healthier and avoid type 2 diabetes. But as many of us know, it’s no walk in the park to shed those pounds by cutting calories and hitting the gym.
And guess what? Sometimes, even after you’ve worked your butt off for months or even years, you might end up gaining some weight back. So, does that mean all the hard work you did to improve your health was a waste?
According to one recent study, the answer is no. Even if you gain some lost weight back, your efforts may still reduce your risk of heart problems and type 2 diabetes in the long run.
In today’s blog, we’ll tell you about this study and discuss the top ways to lose weight and keep it off at AFAC’s gym in Thornton, Colorado.
AFAC Gym Explains the Study
According to the study published on March 28, 2023, in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes by the American Heart Association, researchers examined over 50,000 participants from 124 clinical trials on behavioral weight management programs.
The findings showed that losing weight through these programs not only reduced the risk factors for heart disease and type 2 diabetes, but the benefits lasted for years even after the programs ended, and even if some weight was regained.
In the study, various behavioral weight management programs were analyzed, with some focusing on exercise, others on diet, and a few combining both. These programs typically offered counseling, education, and employed different strategies like intermittent fasting, meal replacement, or providing financial incentives for weight loss.
On average, participants lost around 5-10 pounds during the programs, but regained a small amount of weight each year afterward. The average age of participants was 51, and most of them were diagnosed with obesity.
All the trials followed up with the participants for at least one year. Compared to the control group, which either followed a less intensive program or no program at all, participants in the weight management programs experienced improvements in blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels – all of which are risk factors for heart disease. Although these improvements diminished over time as participants regained weight, they still maintained healthier markers on average compared to the control group.
Since only a few studies tracked participants for more than five years, it’s tough to say whether the actual risk of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes was lower. However, the available data suggests a reduced risk, and even after regaining some weight, participants still had a lower risk of developing these conditions compared to the control group.
The study results imply that maintaining a lower weight for a period of time reduces the metabolic burden on the body, resulting in lower risk factors for heart disease. Even though the study indicated that certain health markers may start to reverse when weight is regained, the temporary relief from this metabolic burden can delay the onset of diabetes, which ultimately benefits the heart.
The Struggles of Long-Term Weight Loss
According to studies, only approximately 20% of overweight individuals have been able to achieve long-term weight loss. This is defined as losing at least 10% of their initial body weight and successfully maintaining that loss for at least one year. That means about 80% of people who lose weight see some pounds come back.
Why is it so difficult to not only lose weight, but also to keep it off?
One explanation might be the “set point theory.”
Here’s how the theory goes.
You’re cutting back on calories and hitting the gym, but your scale just won’t give you the credit you deserve. Maybe it showed some progress at first, but now your weight seems stuck, no matter how hard you try. And to make matters worse, it’s even starting to creep back up. Ugh, talk about frustrating!
The set point theory explains why your body can be stubborn when it comes to losing weight. Basically, it’s like your body is putting up a fight to keep those pounds on, thinking it’s doing you a favor.
Believe it or not, there’s a method to this madness. Your set point, as crazy as it may seem, is actually an evolutionary adaptation that aims to keep you healthy. The only problem is, it’s not exactly helpful in our modern world.
Back in the day, when humans had to face the constant threat of starvation, our bodies developed a defense mechanism. Whenever there was a chance of losing weight, our bodies would kick into gear to protect us from potential famine. It was a survival strategy since food wasn’t as readily available as it is now. We’re talking about times when our ancestors had to hunt buffalo and gather berries just to put food on the table.
So, our bodies adapted to ensure we could survive with fewer calories. Our evolution created pathways to conserve the energy we consume whenever our intake drops below the level our bodies are used to.
This evolution was crucial for our survival when we had to rely on a bountiful harvest to last through a long, harsh winter. However, it’s not exactly ideal in today’s world of supermarkets and fast-food restaurants.
As a result of this evolution, humans developed a set point. It’s like a weight threshold that your body tries to keep you at or close to. It’s not really effective at preventing weight gain in the first place, but it does its best to keep you from losing weight too easily.
Eating Healthy, Exercising at the Gym, and Losing Weight
We’ve all heard that diet and exercising at the gym are the keys to achieving a healthy weight, right? It’s the common advice everyone seems to give. But here’s the thing: Why aren’t you seeing the results you expected?
Well, the problem could lie in the fact that your body doesn’t want to let go of that weight. It has its own defense mechanisms in place to keep you at your set point, the weight it’s accustomed to.
As you embark on weight loss efforts, your body reacts by releasing more ghrelin hormones, which make you feel hungry. At the same time, it reduces the production of leptin hormones, the ones that make you feel full. So, it’s not just a mental battle you’re facing. Your body’s internal workings are actively conspiring to make you feel the need to eat more.
Resisting these hormonal changes can be incredibly challenging. The hunger you experience isn’t a reflection of your willpower; it’s a result of hormonal shifts that make it difficult to adhere to your diet in the long run.
Moreover, dieting also alters the way your body metabolizes food. As you lose weight, the initial loss primarily comes from fat. However, having less fat means your body burns fewer calories, creating a frustrating cycle.
To make matters worse, calorie restriction can lead to muscle loss, which is counterproductive. Muscle actually burns calories faster than fat does.
So, despite all your hard work, what do you have to show for it? If you’re not careful, you could end up with less fat and less muscle, which means fewer opportunities to burn off calories and maintain weight loss.
Here’s the deal: You might start by changing your diet and hitting the gym, and yeah, you could see some initial weight loss. But then, boom, you hit a plateau and can’t seem to make any more progress. That’s because there’s a difference between losing weight temporarily and actually changing your set point.
If you want to achieve lasting weight loss, you gotta tackle that set point and make it budge. And hey, the good news is that it’s totally doable!
Changing Your Set Point With Diet, Exercise at the Gym, and More
When it comes to changing your set point for long-term weight management, things get a bit more complex than reducing calories and increasing exercise at the gym, although those are still a big part of the equation.
To achieve lasting weight loss, you need to convince your body that it’s safe and healthy to maintain a lower weight. And here’s the encouraging part: It is indeed possible to change your set point, especially with the support of a healthcare professional and a well-equipped gym like AFAC.
So, what does it really take to shift your set point? Let’s dive into the details.
Diet
When it comes to changing your set point, what you eat plays a significant role, but reducing calories is just part of the story.
The crucial thing is to focus on consuming nutritious foods, such as lean proteins, fiber, and plenty of fruits and vegetables. In addition, it’s important not to drastically restrict your calorie intake too quickly.
Keep in mind that your set point is designed to protect you from starvation. So, if you excessively limit your diet, your body will perceive it as a threat and trigger hunger hormones to counteract it. A reasonable place to start is by reducing your caloric intake by 500 calories per day.
Exercise at the Gym
We get it, you’ve probably heard a million times that exercising at the gym is important. It’s like a broken record, right?
But here’s the thing: Exercise still plays a vital role in changing your set point. And the type of exercise you engage in matters too.
When you work out, you not only burn calories but also have the potential to preserve and even gain muscle mass. This is significant because muscle has a higher metabolic rate than fat. By increasing your muscle mass, you can break through weight loss plateaus and lower your set point. Incorporating strength-training exercises like weightlifting, Pilates, and kettlebell training can be particularly beneficial in this regard.
It’s worth noting that as you gain muscle, your BMI (Body Mass Index) may stay the same or even slightly increase. But that’s perfectly okay. Muscle weighs more than fat, so gaining muscle can naturally elevate your BMI. However, it’s healthier for your body to replace fat cells with muscle, even if the number on the scale doesn’t show a significant change.
Sometimes, people can feel frustrated when they don’t see immediate weight loss. However, when you’re transforming your body composition by building more muscle, that’s a true success. Even if you’re maintaining your weight, if that weight reflects gaining muscle, it’s truly fantastic.
Cardiovascular exercise, also known as aerobic exercise, facilitates weight loss by effectively burning calories. Cardio also plays a crucial role in maintaining heart health. The more you engage in aerobic exercise, the more calories you’ll be able to shed. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, people who are trying to lose more than 5% of their body weight — or are trying to keep a significant amount of weight off once it’s been lost — may need to do more than 300 minutes per week of moderate-intensity cardio exercise. That’s about 45 minutes per day. Contrary to popular belief, it’s okay to engage in aerobic exercise seven days a week.
If the prospect of meeting this goal feels overwhelming, don’t worry. It’s perfectly fine to start at a slower pace. Any amount of exercise is better than none, so remember that every minute counts. If finding time for exercise seems challenging, try incorporating it in small increments throughout your day. For instance, if you begin by walking for ten minutes every three hours, you can accumulate a total of 60 minutes of walking throughout the day.
Sleep
With our hectic schedules, it’s often tempting to neglect the significance of getting quality sleep. We may view sleep as merely a break for our minds, but in reality, it plays a vital role in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It’s also the time when your body rebuilds and grows muscle tissue that you trained at the gym.
When it comes to your set point, sleep is crucial for hormone regulation. Studies have revealed that insufficient sleep is linked to increased levels of hunger hormones and decreased levels of hormones that signal fullness. Establishing a consistent sleep routine, aiming for about 7-8 hours per night for most adults, can help balance these hormones and reset your set point.
Managing Stress
Just like sleep deprivation, living with chronic stress can have a negative impact on the hormones that control your appetite. Chronic stress can also cause an increase in unhealthy belly fat.
Managing your stress levels is crucial to maintain a healthy set point. Practices such as meditation, deep breathing, and yoga (which also serves as a great form of exercise) can help reduce stress and lower your set point, ultimately enhancing your overall well-being.
Medication and Bariatric Surgery
Anti-obesity medications function by either reducing appetite or inducing a feeling of fullness more quickly. These medications can be effective, but they should only be prescribed and monitored by a healthcare professional.
Since the 1970s, bariatric and metabolic surgery, also known as “weight loss surgery,” has been a viable option for individuals struggling with obesity.
Studies indicate that those who undergo bariatric and metabolic surgery experience substantial improvements in metabolic conditions, essentially helping to lower their set point.
However, with both anti-obesity medication and bariatric surgery, individuals must continue to maintain healthy habits like a proper diet, regular exercise, adequate sleep, and lowered stress in order to sustain a lower set point.
Learning from Those Who Successfully Kept Weight Off
For the 20% of people who lost weight and kept it off, what’s their secret? A recent study aimed to find out.
To do so, researchers asked thousands of people who had lost a substantial amount of weight and didn’t regain it for more than a year to share their best advice.
This resulted in the first large-scale study that gave a voice for weight-loss maintainers to express what helped them succeed in their own words. It was published in February 2022 in the journal Obesity.
Some of their advice included:
- “Don’t EVER give up. You just have to keep going and keep working hard and it will pay off eventually.”
- “Go ahead and accept that this will be a lifetime of effort and attention. You wouldn’t expect to do laundry one time and be done. If you want to lose weight and maintain it, you have to keep doing the work.”
- “You have to get up every day and make a choice to track and eat right.”
- “It’s harder being overweight than it is to work at a healthy lifestyle.”
The National Weight Control Registry, which also focuses on people who have successfully maintained weight loss, uncovered similar findings. The majority of its members followed a low-calorie diet, with around 90% engaging in approximately one hour of daily exercise. Additionally, three out of four individuals reported weighing themselves at least once a week.
Even Modest Weight Loss at the Gym Can Yield Big Rewards
Taking a step back, healthcare professionals say that shedding around 10% of your body weight can make a real difference if you’re carrying too much body fat. For some folks, that might mean saying goodbye to 15 or 20 pounds. But even if you can’t reach that exact number, smaller amounts of sustained weight loss can still bring about some positive changes.
Losing about 20 pounds may sound like a big challenge, but a modest drop in weight can have some great benefits for your heart and blood vessels. The key is to set realistic goals that you can work towards gradually. If you’re overweight, even losing a little weight can improve things like your metabolism, blood pressure, and how well your heart pumps and relaxes. It can also make your heart tissue and blood vessel walls thinner, which is a good thing. And don’t forget, your cholesterol and triglyceride levels are likely to improve, too.
Do you have more questions about exercising at the gym and weight loss? Your doctor can help you with those. And, as an added bonus, AFAC gym has an experienced team of personal trainers on our staff who can assist you, as well! They can even help you design a fitness program that can help keep you lose fat, gain muscle, and strengthen your heart.
As the best gym in Thornton, Colorado, AFAC’s state-of-the-art strength training and cardio equipment provides you with virtually unlimited options for your workouts. In addition, AFAC gym has a full schedule of group classes that can teach you fun ways to burn calories, lose weight, and keep your heart healthy. These are some of the many ways that AFAC gym is committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of our members and ensuring they see the results they’re working toward.
If you’re not a member of AFAC gym but would like more information, please stop by and speak to our team. For more information and assistance, you can also contact our gym owner, Susan, at 720-849-0245 or susan@adventurefitness.club.
