Are you having a hard time losing or maintaining weight? If so, you’re not alone. There’s a billion dollar industry trying to help millions of people with the same thing. The problem is the number of myths, half-truths, and unnecessary details distracting you from the basics. It’s worth taking a step back to revisit the fundamental evidence-based principles that apply to everyone, no matter the starting position. Let’s see how they work and how insects fit in.
To lose weight you need to take in fewer calories than you burn off. So, if you have strong willpower you’ll lose weight easily, right? Probably yes, but only in the short term. Willpower is a limited resource and studies confirm that. People who just cut calories tend to gain the weight back over the long-term (1). That’s because they aren’t dealing with what makes them overeat in the first place. Let’s look at what naturally influences how much you eat.
Your food is not satiating enough
Studies show that foods containing a lot of protein, fibre, and water are best at making us feel full and satiated (2). If you want to eat less without trying hard, you need to make sure you get enough of those in your diet.
Insects are a great source of complete protein and beneficial fibre, adding them to your diet is sure to make it more filling and easier to eat less.
{{cta Try our cricket-based protein bars. They will keep you full!}}
This unfortunately works the other way too. If you eat or drink foods that have a lot of calories yet no protein or fibre, you will be more likely to overeat. The first thing you should do is avoid liquid calories. Swap sodas and juices for water and you’ll cut down on calories that don’t bring much nutrition anyways.
Your food is too addictive
Addictive foods are another reason why we have a hard time eating the right amount. They are full of sugar, fat, and salt and have just the right texture – you know, like pizza, chocolate, cookies, ice cream, or chips (3). Your brain gets a reward for eating those foods (the same you get for sex, alcohol, and drugs) which changes your behaviour to want them more, even past the point where you feel full (4).
If you avoid foods that are triggering you to overeat you won’t need as much willpower to stop eating when you’re full. And there are plenty of foods that are very tasty yet full of protein, fibre, vitamins, and minerals that you can enjoy instead.
Sources:
1) Mann, T. et al., ‘Medicare’s search for effective obesity treatments: Diets are not the answer.’, 20017, http://psycnet.apa.org/record/2007-04834-008
2) Holt SH et al., ‘A satiety index of common foods.’, Eur J Clin Nutr. 1995, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7498104
3) Erica M. Schulte et al., ‘Which Foods May Be Addictive? The Roles of Processing, Fat Content, and Glycemic Load’, 2015, http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0117959
4) Sørensen LB et al., ‘Effect of sensory perception of foods on appetite and food intake: a review of studies on humans.’, Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2003, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14513063
