How to Lose Weight the Healthy Way

The extended lockdowns, increased stress, and lack of activity during the COVID-19 period led many of us to gain weight, feel sluggish, and lack energy. It’s known that being overweight is a metabolic disorder related to the body's metabolism. When there is an imbalance, we gain weight. What's causing this imbalance?

A. An abundance of processed food and consumption of empty carbohydrates

B. Poor quality of food

C. Lack of physical activity

All these reasons cause the regulatory system to collapse, leading to weight gain.

Excess weight also increases the risk of numerous diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, and more. However, it turns out that weight loss done incorrectly can harm your health and lead to a decrease in bone density.

The risk of osteoporosis problems increases with weight loss that is done independently and not supervised. Research has shown there is a direct link between loss of muscle mass and decrease in bone density. Sometimes, weight loss results from muscle tissue breakdown, not from losing excess fat.

Therefore, it's essential to do exercises that strengthen the muscles throughout the skeleton: arm muscles, thighs, back, chest, etc. When we exert the muscles, they strengthen, preventing muscle mass loss that can weaken the bones.

Resistance exercises are crucial for maintaining muscle mass and even increase the BMR - the number of calories the body burns at rest.

Dr. Gil Yosef Shahar M.D, in his article on the link between lack of sleep and weight gain, explains that researchers have found the biological mediators between sleep deprivation and weight gain. One of these mediators is "ghrelin" - the "hunger hormone", which makes us feel hungry. It has been found that its concentration in the blood rises when there is a lack of sleep, causing us to eat more. Therefore, it’s recommended to get 7 hours of sleep at night - and no more than eight hours (as advised by the holy Rambam).

In the next article, we will discuss nutrients that help accelerate fat burning, and with the help of wonderful food types, we will encourage the body to store the good - healthy nutrients, and expel the bad - fat and toxins, by maintaining a healthy digestive system and proper metabolism.

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