Starvation on a diet makes it more difficult for you to lose weight

Many people today want a thin body. To achieve this, a weight loss diet is carried out by limiting food intake. Unmitigated, many of them are very strict in terms of limiting food intake. Some may even eat only one small portion. As a result, the metabolism in the body is disturbed and the body responds to this as hunger. Starvation when this diet makes the body have to change its "status" to a starvation mode so that the body functions can run normally.

What is starvation mode?

Diet to lose weight is a good thing for those of you who are overweight. This is an effort so that you have a normal weight so that your health status improves. However, sometimes the body does not see this as something good, it is the opposite.

When you limit your food intake so much that you lose a lot of weight, your body starts worrying about starvation. To prevent hunger when dieting, the body will save energy used by reducing the number of calories burned. The body will also prefer to use energy from muscles so that muscle mass decreases. As a result, your metabolism slows down too.

The longer you limit your food intake, the fewer calories the body releases. This is often referred to as the starvation mode or starvation mode . This is the body's natural mechanism to protect you from hunger. Starvation mode occurs when the body receives very few calories in the long run. As a result, the body will limit calorie burn and weight loss may not occur again.

The diet that you have been doing all this time may be in vain. This can actually disrupt your body's metabolism (slower metabolism) and make it harder for you to lose weight again.

How to prevent hunger while on a diet?

If you want to lose weight, don't do it carelessly on a diet. To achieve weight loss, you don't have to limit your food intake to very little. After all, not only is it limiting the intake of food needed if you want to lose weight, it also has to be balanced with exercise to help balance your metabolism.

1. Food intake when dieting

Reduce food intake little by little. You can start reducing your food intake by 300 calories, and then adding to 500 calories per day. Reducing just 500 calories per day can actually help you lose weight by 0.5-1 kg per week.

If you are not satisfied, you can lower your calorie intake even more. However, make sure you are still getting at least 1200 calories per day. Calorie intake below this number can make the body's metabolism slow down and the body's starvation mode is "activated" so that it will be difficult for the body to lose weight.

Eating lots of protein-rich foods while on a diet can also help prevent the body from "activating" starvation mode. Protein can help the body maintain muscle mass and increase the body's metabolism. Protein also helps you stay full longer, which helps reduce your appetite.

2. Exercise on a diet

Exercise is important when dieting to help maintain muscle mass and prevent the body from slowing down its metabolism. Do regular exercise for at least 30 minutes per day or 150 minutes per week. Exercise helps you balance calories in and calories out.

Choose a type of exercise that aims to maintain your muscle strength, such as lifting weights. Research shows that exercise that puts a strain on your muscles can greatly benefit your diet.