Many of you surely wonder, how is my friend or colleague stuffing ten times more food than me down their gullet and still keeps fit? You've probably encountered the feeling that you've tried every diet, cut back on everything possible, and yet you weigh more than someone who doesn't even count calories next to you.
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So how does it work? Is weight a predetermined story?
The field of weight gain has received special attention in recent years, as the obesity epidemic has reached international proportions. The rates of excess weight and obesity have already reached over 59% of the adult population in Israel. In other words, every second person suffers from excess weight.
Over the years, science has shown that losing weight is easy. Most of us have experienced those weight loss journeys. We are filled with motivation before a wedding, a bat mitzvah or the summer bikini season, and within a few months, we've lost a ton of weight. And then, miraculously, we gain it all back and often even more than before.
So why do people struggle to maintain their weight after losing it?
Our bodies are designed for one purpose - survival. Therefore, naturally, they operate hormonally and are programmed to store the food we consume. For thousands of years, this mechanism was healthy, but in today's era of abundance, high-calorie values in every meal, and sedentary lifestyles, this mechanism works against us.
It all starts in your head
The main hunger mechanism in our body is located in the brain in an area called the hypothalamus, which controls the hunger and satiety mechanism. We are all born with a certain "set point" of weight in the brain, and it varies from person to person. Throughout our lives, the body will try to return to that exact set point. And it's not solely dependent on how much we eat.
That friend who has always weighed 40 pounds less, never set foot in a gym and orders pizza every night, why is he slim? It turns out that body weight is influenced by our hormonal balance and is not solely determined by lifestyle choices.
About six months after a diet and weight loss, the hormonal process starts to accelerate. Many people think it's a loss of motivation, but in fact, it's a natural process that occurs in the body to make us eat more and preserve the previous weight.
In studies conducted on identical twins, when different sets of twins were given the same amount of food, each pair of twins reached the exact same weight, unlike the weight of other sets of twins who received the same amount of food. This led to the understanding that weight control is individual and influenced by the set point in the brain, which is dependent on the hormonal system in the body.
We are all familiar with the yo-yo effect. We start a diet highly motivated, and indeed, most people lose weight. However, within five years, most will regain all the weight they lost.
How does our body cause us to regain weight after a diet?
The answer lies in the hormonal system in our body. After each weight loss, the body starts to activate a mechanism in which it increases hunger hormones.
In the short term, two hormones are at work - ghrelin, produced in the stomach, and PYY, originating in the intestines. Both of them stimulate appetite and decrease metabolism. Not only does the body increase hunger hormones, but it also decreases the levels of hormones responsible for the feeling of satiety in our body, such as GLP-1, amylin, and leptin. These hormones work on the hypothalamus region responsible for weight in our body.
When does the weight regain process occur?
About six months after a diet and weight loss, the hormonal process starts to accelerate. Many people think it's a loss of motivation, but in fact, it's a natural process that occurs in the body to make us eat more and preserve the previous weight. At this stage, the diet already feels like a battle against ourselves.
So do hormones determine what happens in our body?
The answer is yes. While we can change our lifestyle, we are much more dependent on our hormonal system than we realize. We understand that weight gain is complex, not simply about "closing our mouths." We can't compare our weight to that of others because we were born with different genetics and hormonal composition.
Dr. Dana Kagansky Photo: Yoni ShermanWhat about new medications and injections?
The new weight loss medications work on natural mechanisms and disrupt satiety hormones, not only helping us lose weight but also protecting us from expected weight gain.
However, in a world of abundance, multiple screen hours, and a powerful hormonal system working against us, maintaining a healthy weight has become a global challenge, especially since much of what happens in our bodies is predetermined.
- The writer is a physician who treats obesity-related issues.