I often had patients in primary care who would come to me and say, " Well Doc, I don't eat much so how come I am gaining weight or can't loose any weight." They have a very valid question.
Often as Internists, we are not trained to delve into research of what portion is appropriate for my patient, or how much to tell my patient to eat or what variety is needed. How much portion size is needed. What type of foods are best for weight loss?
This article is a scientific breakdown of points that may help narrow some of those questions:
Studies have shown that adults and children when offered or presented with bigger portions end up consuming more.
Food that is considered more liked such as fast food or junk items which are generally more palatable are a major cause of food intake and choice.
When larger food quantities are presented, people tend to eat more and even when satiety hormones are signaling satisfaction, overconsumption is common.
These above proven points are a key to understand when trying to loose weight. Buffets are not a good idea neither is a dinner table full of larger quantities of food. To counter these points, use of cups, spoons and scales becomes important to help define the quantity of food that should be taken in. Another important tool, is a plate that can be used that has clear boundaries or portions that proportionate the food. Studies showed that using such a plate for 6 months resulted oin weight loss in people who have this habit of eating larger quantities.
As we have seen in the weight loss industry, the food that is sent or provided is pre-proportioned and hence has a bigger role in weight loss. These are the key steps in most diets such as weight watchers and so on.
But what about the density of the food? People in general are consistent in eating foods of a consistent weight or volume, however if the density of the food is changed, or the calories are more rich and weight is same, then additional energy is taken in hence leading to weight gain.
The studies show when the energy density of foods is reduced such as taking in more water during meals or water rich foods which are our fruits and vegetables, this reduces the energy density and hence the caloric intake. These changes have been scientifically proven to reduce calories and lead to weight loss in 6 months. These people ended up eating a constant weight or volume of food but by reducing the energy density of the food they were successful in weight loss.
If a person's diet severely restricts the food intake, this leads to counter hormones causing greater hunger and thus overeating. But if the density id changed of the food to ones low in calorioes and high in water content and fiber, it greatly increases satistfaction and so helps in weight loss and prevents the counter hormones from causing excess hunger and dissatisfaction.
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