Whether you gain or lose weight is not only determined by your calorie balance or exercise routine, but by a combination of several factors . Some of them are genetic and cannot be influenced; others depend on your lifestyle and diet.
By choosing the right foods , you can control your hormonal balance and thus also your weight in your favor. Especially complex carbohydrates and a high-protein diet have a positive effect on your weight. That is why we also rely on a clever combination of fibre and protein for our VERIVAL muesli and porridge . This is the best way to start the day from a nutritional point of view.
You can now find out which factors influence your weight and how you can use this knowledge to your advantage.
The calorie balance must be right
One of the best-known theories about our weight is the so-called calorie balance. It states: If you eat more calories than you burn, you inevitably gain weight . This is called a calorie surplus. The excess energy is stored in the form of fat.
If you burn more calories than you eat, this is called a calorie deficit. If this is the case, the body uses fat reserves to burn energy and you lose weight .
In theory, this formula sounds simple. In practice, it is usually not so easy to implement. For example, you may still feel hungry even though you have already reached your total calorie expenditure, or you have a sudden craving attack.
Our next factor, which also affects your weight, can help:
Exercising burns excess calories
Here we go one step further and first distinguish between the basal metabolic rate and the power expenditure .
Your basal metabolic rate determines how many calories your body needs at rest. This means that your body requires this energy for all vital functions . Our brains use the most energy when they produce hormones and control our organs.
Power expenditure , on the other hand, determines how much energy you burn in everyday life . This is where exercise comes into play; it helps you burn extra calories.
However, this does not mean that exercise alone is enough to lose weight . Again, the calorie balance must be right. So you have to eat fewer calories than you burn.
If you focus on strength training and build muscle, you can not only increase your power expenditure but also your basal metabolic rate. Muscles burn extra calories even at rest .
How metabolism affects our weight
Your metabolism is responsible for various processes in your body . It ensures that your cells are supplied with energy and keeps your body functions running. In short, metabolism is the process in the body that converts ingested food into energy. The metabolism is related to the basal metabolic rate, i.e. the amount of energy that is burned at rest.
There can be various reasons for a slow metabolism and low basal metabolic rate. For example, it decreases with age . This is partly due to the fact that the body loses muscle mass and gains fat mass with age. Since muscles burn more energy than fat, the basal metabolic rate decreases.
There are also differences between the sexes: since men usually have more muscle mass than women, they also burn more energy .
Additionally, an unhealthy lifestyle can slow down the metabolism. If you follow a sugary diet, diet, and fast for a long time, you may be affected and potentially lose weight.
Diets – sensible or nonsense?
It seems like every week there is a new miracle diet to help get rid of unwanted pounds. With such a comprehensive range, it is difficult to keep track. According to these fad diets, you should, for example, only eat half, omit carbohydrates altogether, live on juice for ten days, or only eat grapefruit.
Many of these diets are very one-sided and characterized by an extreme calorie deficit. This deficit may allow weight loss in a short time. However, in the long term, this one-sided and low-calorie diet is bad for metabolism and health.
As soon as you switch back to your usual diet , you will quickly regain the lost weight. Sometimes there are even a few extra kilos as a bonus.
The reason for this is that through these extreme diets, our metabolism adapts to low energy consumption. The body then operates in the so-called hunger metabolism.
Lose weight, hunger metabolism (yo-yo effect)
The hunger metabolism is deeply rooted in us and has helped humans survive longer periods of hunger in prehistoric times.
It begins when you consume too few calories over a long period to cover your basal metabolic rate. This is precisely what the above diets entail: an extreme calorie deficit.
As a result, the body reduces its calorie consumption to a minimum; for example, by slowing down breathing and pulse and lowering body temperature. This reduces the basal metabolic rate, and you require less energy . So you could say your body is operating in energy-saving mode .
This can occur if diets or fasts last longer . If you suddenly revert to your usual diet after a period of deprivation, you will inevitably consume more calories than your energy-saving basal metabolic rate allows. The so-called yo-yo effect occurs, and you quickly regain the lost weight.
The yo-yo effect can be avoided by slowly and gradually increasing your calorie intake after a diet. In general, however, it is advisable to avoid extreme diets altogether . Instead, opt for a balanced diet to feel good about your weight in the long term.
Calculate how many calories your body needs and meet your needs with whole foods that keep you full for a long time. These include, for example, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and proteins such as legumes , dairy products, lean meat, or fish. To lose a few kilos without entering hunger metabolism, it is best not to save more than 500 kcal per day.
It is said that a total of 7000 kcal must be saved to lose 1 kg of fat. So if you commit to saving 300 to 500 kcal per day, you can sustainably lose 1 kg of fat in two to three weeks.
Hormones control our weight
Hormones play a crucial role in regulating your body weight. If they become imbalanced, it can affect your body weight.
Three of the most important hormones are:
- Insulin
- Ghrelin
- Cortisol
Insulin – lowers blood sugar levels
Insulin plays an essential role in your diet and weight. After consuming carbohydrate-rich foods, your blood sugar level rises. To lower it again, your pancreas releases insulin. Increased insulin release leads to fat accumulation . For this reason, it is important to maintain the blood sugar level as constant as possible and to prevent it from rising too high. This also helps avoid an excessively high insulin secretion .
Ghrelin – regulates appetite
Another hormone that helps determine your weight is ghrelin . It is produced in the stomach lining and regulates appetite . The more ghrelin is released, the greater the hunger. Before eating, this hormone levels rise, and after eating, they decrease again. Studies show that high-protein foods lower ghrelin levels the most .
Cortisol – the stress hormone
Cortisol is an important hormone that is increasingly released in stressful situations. As a result, blood sugar levels rise and you experience cravings . By consuming small, healthy meals regularly, you can prevent cravings due to stress in everyday life.
How can you use this knowledge to your advantage? We have collected some tips for you so that you can consciously manage your weight with the right diet .
With these nutrition tips for your feel-good weight
Replace simple carbohydrates with complex
Avoid simple carbohydrates such as sweets or white flour products whenever possible. They quickly enter the bloodstream and cause blood sugar levels to rise rapidly. Consequently, your body releases insulin, and blood sugar drops quickly. This can lead to you feeling hungry or experiencing cravings more quickly .
Instead , choose whole grains , vegetables, and high-fiber foods to maintain steady blood sugar levels and, consequently, consistent insulin production. Incidentally, one of our favorite ingredients for our muesli and porridges is particularly suitable for this: oats . Due to their high fiber content, high-quality carbohydrates, and good protein composition, oats help keep blood sugar levels stable. Whether or not the grain aids in weight loss has been examined here: Losing weight with the oat diet – is that possible?
Proteins against hunger
To inhibit the production of the hunger hormone ghrelin, it is recommended to eat protein-rich foods such as legumes , dairy products, white meat, fish, or eggs.
For breakfast, for example, our delicious sports breakfast is rich in vegetable proteins and fiber .
Snacks for stressful times
In stressful times, it is helpful to have healthy snacks such as nuts ( hazelnuts , cashew ) fruit or small cut vegetables handy. This will help you avoid cravings caused by the stress hormone cortisol . Also, make time for your meals and avoid multitasking while eating.
And if cravings arise, our homemade cereal bars quickly provide a solution:
Muesli bar with Verival coconut apricot muesli
Ingredients
- 190 g Verival coconut apricot muesli
- 70 g (gluten-free) oatmeal
- 3 tbsp sesame seeds
- 50 g raisins (or other dried fruits of your choice)
- 30 g cashews (or other nuts of your choice)
- 120 g honey (or agave syrup)
- 120 g cashew butter (or other nut butter of your choice)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Tip
- Mix the coconut apricot muesli, oatmeal, sesame, raisins, nuts, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.
- Line a rectangular container with parchment paper.
- Heat the honey and nut butter over low heat, stirring well.
- Mix the dry and liquid ingredients until all flakes are coated. Pour the mixture into the container lined with parchment paper and compact it tightly with another layer of parchment paper and your hands. The bars should be as dense as possible.
- Place the container uncovered in the freezer for about 30 minutes, then cut into bars with a knife and store them in the refrigerator. Caution: In heat, the homemade bars soften quickly.
