Obesity & losing weight
Sustainable weight regulation with intermittent fasting
Slim and active people can metabolize (short-chain and complex) carbohydrates more effectively and need less insulin.
As obesity increases, the metabolism also reacts by metabolizing carbohydrates less effectively and more slowly. This leads to elevated blood sugar and insulin levels, and if persistent, even to increasing insulin resistance in muscle cells. Such a metabolic state can lead to chronic diabetes.
This example alone demonstrates the difference between theory and practice when it comes to weight control. For many, it initially seems quite simple: calorie intake and calorie expenditure are identical.
However, if you just look at carbohydrate metabolism, as above, you notice a certain complexity and "inequality." Lean people have an easier time regulating their own body weight. Hormonal, orthopedic, or psychosocial challenges are completely ignored, making sustainable weight regulation even more difficult for many overweight people.
People who have trouble maintaining a constant weight should weigh themselves occasionally. This isn't about beauty ideals or figure, but rather about self-monitoring. It's best to maintain a stable, "normal weight."
How can you assess your own “normal weight”?
In medical practice, the so-called Body Mass Index (BMI) – the ratio of a person's weight to height – is used to assess body weight. It's definitely not the best method!
A normal body weight is defined as a BMI between 18.5 and 25. Below 18.5 is considered underweight, and above 25 is considered overweight. At a BMI of 30 or higher, you should no longer think about adjusting your weight and lifestyle, but rather act – this is where morbid obesity begins! However, BMI requires context to be meaningful: A bodybuilder, a breastfeeding woman, or a pregnant woman may have abnormal BMI values on paper, but are not obese.
There are certainly more meaningful methods, but none are more widely used. The best approach is certainly to use a combination of methods that allow you to capture body proportions. For example, the Salufast app takes into account not only BMI but also waist-to-hip measurement and waist-to-height ratio.
For example, it's well known that belly fat is worse than hip fat. The difference between an "apple" and a "pear" figure is also well known. In a "pear" figure with more hip fat, obesity poses less of a medical risk.
How to lose weight properly?
A good nutritional strategy for losing weight and staying slim is certainly intermittent fasting. You can find various synonyms for this on the internet, such as intermittent fasting, time-restricted eating, 16:8, etc.
This involves eating within a 6- to 12-hour window and fasting for a corresponding 12- to 18-hour period. Intermittent fasting usually involves longer fasting periods before bed or after waking up in the morning.
Medical studies show that intermittent fasting results in better adherence – i.e., maintenance – than conventional diets.