A new study conducted by researchers at the Kent State University in the United States have come to an astonishing conclusion: losing weight has an impact over your brain.
During the first few weeks of a diet, it’s easier to lose weight from simply changing the foods that you eat and opting for a healthy nutrition. But as your metabolism adjusts to these changes, you might find that you’re not burning as many calories as before, and therefore it could be a bit harder to lose weight.
Furthermore, depending on the diet you are following, the more weight you lose, the hungrier you may feel. After every meal, the adipose cells in your body release a hormone called leptin. The growing of leptin levels in your body lets your brain know that you’ve eaten enough and you can stop. But since the adipose layer is lower when you’re losing weight, people who are on certain diets have a lower level of leptin.
CT scans on patients who have lost 10% of their body weight point to the fact that lower leptin levels may lead to activating certain areas of your brain that control the urge to eat. The result isn’t only higher appetite, but also a greater need to consume fat aliments, with a high number of calories, since the brain is trying to bring back leptin levels to normal.
Fighting against the urge to eat will always be rewarding on the long run
We know it might be harder to resist that cheesecake when you’re losing weight, but rest assured that your body will thank you later for fighting it. Losing weight will not only make you feel more motivated, but it also significantly reduces the risks of cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, high cholesterol or type 2 diabetes.
Moreover, scientists have shown that eliminating as little as half a kg of your body weight can lead to reducing the articular pressure on your knees with as much as 4 kg. Also, dropping the excess kilograms reduces pression on the blood vessels level, stimulating healthy blow circulation towards the brain and making its functions better.
The CT scans conducted on people who have lost weight and have maintained stable for at least 9 months, have proven that the individuals’ brains react differently when they see images of food containing high calorie levels, comparing to the previous reactions, from before losing weight. Thus, the brain areas responsible for the reward, motivation and taste feelings did not react as strong as before, while the areas associated with self-control have had a much stronger activity.
Therefore, as with any other activities, losing weight takes perseverance to overcome the first stages that can prove to be a bit more difficult, afterwards it usually becomes much easier. Successfully losing weight and maintaining it needs motivation and self-discipline. However, you should always try to mentally visualize what your end goal is – that’s how most people manage to succeed and stay motivated!
Leave a Reply