Are you having a hard time losing those stubborn pounds of bodyfat? The answer could lie in how little you're eating! It seems counterintuitive, but not eating enough of the right foods could be the reason you aren't seeing any physical bodily changes. Most people think: weight loss= restricted diet, but science proves that only eating enough for your body to function that day, actually trains your body to store fat as extra energy.
Fuel the Fire
Imagine your metabolism like a fire. To get it burning strong for the day, you need to fuel it early — ideally within the first two hours of waking up. If you skip this, the fire doesn't catch; it just smolders weakly. Eating something high in sugar is like throwing paper on the fire: it burns up quickly, leaving you craving more fuel without any real substance. Instead, the right mix — the trifecta of fat, fiber, and protein — acts like kindling and solid logs, keeping the fire burning steadily for hours.
If you don't feed the fire enough, it clings desperately to whatever it has.
An example of this is how many starving populations have bloated bellies despite severe malnutrition. Feeding just enough low-quality food also keeps the fire sluggish, slowing metabolism as the body braces for famine. But when you fuel it properly — with the right amount of nutrient-dense food to match your activity level — your body thrives, allowing lean muscle to grow and bodyfat to be released. Overfeeding on low-quality foods, though, just smothers the fire under excess, storing energy as fat.
Eating the Right Types of Food to Support Your Metabolism
In summary, eating more to boost weight loss all lies in the types of food you're eating. If you eat a lot of low quality foods like ultra processed foods (UPFs), the calories can add up fast. Unless you're a two year old running around all day, much of those calories are going to be stored as fat. We call these "empty calories". For example, if you eat potato chips vs a baked potato (including skin) with the same amount of calories, the baked potato will process better in your body because of the nutrients it provides. Because your body doesn't understand non nutrient-dense foods, it can't efficiently facilitate the metabolic process. Eating these types of foods excessively can lead to chronic disease and obesity.
How We Can Help
This is something we address and take into great consideration in our Biggest Loser Challenge. Many participants have been trying to lose weight for years, but nothing is working or sticking. With this challenge, they not only lose the excess weight, but they learn and understand the tools to keep the weight off. Call (250) 541-0411 or email info@deemhealth.ca to find out more.
