Why do we get fat

Chapter 14 Move more and eat more, move less and eat less—this is "energy conservation"!
Before setting aside the thermodynamic fallacy, let's reorganize the false inferences that the laws of thermodynamics have produced on diet and weight loss concepts: weight problems can be solved when we expend more energy than we take in—that is, eat less and move more. And keep us light forever.Such an idea can even be overturned by another thermodynamic assumption.

This hypothesis asserts that the energy we consume and the energy we expend are inseparable and uncorrelated.We can consciously change one without causally affecting the other; and vice versa.The idea is that we can choose to eat less or remain semi-starved (reduced calorie intake) without affecting our subsequent energy expenditure (calorie expenditure).By the same token, if we increase energy expenditure, this will not affect our hunger (appetite will not be aroused).

Intuitively, you'd think this assumption is flawed, but even so, a century of animal and human research has sought to confirm it.In fact, people who are half-starved, or forced to be half-starved in war, famine, or scientific experiments, will not only always be hungry (not to mention psychologically grumpy and depressed), but also lethargic and physically wasted. energy is also reduced.Their body temperature dropped and they felt themselves starving and cold.And the increase in physical activity will really increase their hunger, and exercise will really wake up their appetite: lumberjacks eat more than tailors.Physical activity makes us expend more, feel tired and exhausted; but after physical activity is over, we use less energy.

Simply put, the energy we consume is closely related to the energy we expend.According to mathematicians, these two are dependent variables, not independent variables.Change one of the quantities and the other will cancel out.To a large extent, if not entirely, the energy we expend on a daily, weekly basis will determine how much energy we consume, and the energy we consume and the energy supplied to our cells (this is a key point, more on this later) will determine how much energy we expend.The relationship between energy intake and energy consumption is intimate and complex, but those who hold different viewpoints face the extremely complex existence of life as if it is just a simple mechanical device.

In 2007, Jeffrey Freer, dean of Harvard Medical School, and his wife and colleague Terry Malatos-Freer published a paper in Scientific American titled "What is Fat Provides Fuel." paper.In this article, they talked about the close connection between appetite and energy consumption, clearly showing that they are not just a mechanical and simple trade-off relationship, and they cannot be consciously determined and determined by individual will changed.

When an animal's diet is suddenly restricted, the animal tends to reduce its energy expenditure by reducing activity and slowing energy use in cells to maintain a certain body weight.At the same time, its hunger will also increase, so once the restricted diet is over, it will eat more food than before without restriction until it regains its original weight.

Through the above two sentences, the Freers successfully explained why the popular view of "eating less and losing weight" for more than 100 years did not work on animals.If we limit the amount of food an animal can eat (we can't just tell the animal to eat less, it has to give it no choice), not only will its hunger increase, but it will actually use less energy.Its metabolic rate slows down.Its cells will burn less energy because there is less energy available to burn.So, once he gets a chance to eat as much as he wants, his weight will rebound immediately.

The same is true for humans.I'm not sure why the Freers used "animal" instead of "human," since the same effects seen in animal studies have been consistently confirmed in humans.

One possible answer is that the Freers (or the magazine editors) didn't want to make the insinuation too obvious an accusation that the advice to diet and lose weight we're constantly preaching to us is inappropriate.

If you want to lose weight, eating less and exercising more is not a practical solution. This approach may have short-term results, but after a few months or a year, the effects will still be gone.Eventually, our bodies will compensate themselves.So, you will be frustrated to find that you have gained weight again.

(End of this chapter)