WHY ARE FAT BURNING DIETS NOT SUSTAINABLE AND DO NOT PRODUCE LONG-TERM RESULTS?

How do these plans work then?

You start enthusiastically with the plan, the motivation is at the ceiling, you do long walking or running laps every day and eat little. If you lose weight and your clothes stay bigger, you will get more inspiration - your stomach is empty, but the desire to see a quick result is stronger and you are ready to make an effort. You see that your body is changing and you are right, it is changing - your body is changing its composition.

When it's time to sum up, you're sure to rejoice - you worked hard and lost weight. But at the same time, the result can be disappointing, the weight has dropped and could be a joy, but the mirror image is not quite what you expected. The result is not satisfactory, because largely the weight was lost at the expense of the muscles - that is, the body composition changed and in addition to the adipose tissue, much more valuable muscle tissue was lost. However, the body does not know that it is a short project, but instead receives a signal that little energy is coming in, energy consumption has risen and the future is unknown, but it is necessary to stay alive, then the body begins to optimize energy use. By doing quick calculations, it will get to the right places of savings - muscle and fat tissue. It is already known that you only need to carry your (decreasing) body weight, and you don't need a lot of energy-consuming muscles, you can save energy by giving up muscles. By breaking down muscles, the body also gets extra energy - amino acids and does not have to go to valuable adipose tissue, because it is not known how long this situation will last. A valuable energy bank, adipose tissue, is only attacked when absolutely necessary, because its preservation does not require additional fuel.

What's next?

You've made a good effort, but since it's not a lifestyle change but a project, you're about to return to a normal, perhaps a little healthier, lifestyle. However, your body is in a situation where your weight was higher before the challenge, but your body's energy needs were also higher, partly to maintain your muscles. As a result, your daily base energy needs are now much lower. But you consume more energy and replace some workouts with entertainment - it's life :).

However, your body does not know that it was just a project and just in case, it will continue its survival program and store excess energy in adipose tissue.

… And then you start with a new challenge… but from a worse position… it's a vicious circle…

  

But what would give a better result?

This is not a myth - cardiovascular training is often used to burn fat effectively - long running or walking laps, cycling or some other analogue. The logic is correct, especially when making them in the  "fat burning zone". It is also important to monitor your diet so that your body has the optimal amount of quality building material.

But to be healthy and viable, you need muscles. However, as you age, muscle mass and strength begin to decrease (changes in body composition occur - body weight decreases and fat mass increases) and for this reason, attention should be paid proactively to adequate muscle load.

Muscles are living tissues and are constantly hungry for calories, and the body needs nutrients to keep them alive - in other words, muscles consume energy at all times. As for adipose tissue, however, we can conditionally say that adipose tissue is not living tissue - but like an energy bank that can be used in the event of energy surpluses and deficits.

However, muscle mass only develops during overload. The body gets a boost for muscle development when it feels that the available muscle strength is not enough. Simply - the body always maintains optimal muscle mass, because maintaining muscle mass is energy-intensive. If you still give a signal three or four times a week that "nope, the available muscle mass is not enough to move the weight x", then the body needs the development and increases muscle capacity. Muscle development takes place and is also accompanied by an increase in metabolism because muscles need more nutrients.

And, as already mentioned, the reverse logic is the opposite - if the muscles are used only for routine and numb movements and there is no need to constantly deal with additional difficulties, then the muscle mass also decreases, because it is not wise for the body to maintain it. If we now add a low-calorie diet, the body in turn optimizes energy use and takes the missing energy from the muscles - the fewer the muscles, the lower the energy needs and the greater the chance of survival. Unfortunately, we should not forget - the motor of our body is also muscle. A heart about the size of a fist is the strongest muscle in the body, beating an average of 100,000 times a day - and the heart muscle can also be damaged during optimization. Therefore, it is very important to give the body enough nutrients, load and rest. Because just during rest, using nutrients, the body recovers from the load.

Women should not be afraid of muscle training - very rarely women train with the same difficulty as men - if you add hormonal differences and much more, there is no fear of gaining excess muscle mass and a masculine figure, not in any way physiologically justified.

All of our daily activities require muscle strength and this is one of the main physical abilities that form the basis of other important physical abilities such as coordination, speed, flexibility and much more.

Muscle mass gives vitality, increases metabolism, helps maintain hormonal balance, shapes the body shape and frames our bones.

So, if you like to eat, you want a feminine hourglass figure and self-confidence, then find a way to weight training. By keeping the body active, the mind remains young and vital.

And remember - weight loss may not be the same as fat loss ;)