How Your Body Processes What You Eat and When You Exercise

One may ask how the body knows when the eating and exercise levels are appropriate to support the metabolism. It is as if the body does a scan for viruses and errors as a computer does on a regularly schedule basis. The body evaluates whether it is receiving enough food to support the amount of activity it requires. It is believed that the body is on a 72/48 hours schedule. The 72/48 hour

schedule can be looked at like a computer where you will input information into the computer for 48 hours straight and then during the next 24 hours, your body begins to scan all the information you imputed into the computer to determine what it needs to do with that information. Does it need to save the information (save fat) or does it need to purge to the recycle bin (burn fat). It will also look at whether you are imputing enough information each 48 hours in order to perform all the other programs (body processes) to keep the computer running. When you do not give it enough of the proper information to perform its programs properly it crashes (extreme fatigue, weight gain and illnesses can occur).

Think of the computer analogy while reading this section. The body takes 72 hours to deplete the glycogen in the muscles before it can begin using the “fat” in your body. It takes 48 hours for the body to determine if it has received enough food in order to spend the necessary energy. Why is this important to understand when thinking about how your metabolism works? Every time you go without a regular intake of food and water, your body is storing that information and recalibrating your body’s system. This is the cause of plateaus, binging and great weight gain after you resume your typical eating patterns. Anyone who has tried a starvation diet or an extremely restrictive diet has experienced these end results much to their dismay. Eating in moderation is a common phrase we hear in regards to metabolism and diet. Moderation really is key to losing weight; but what does in moderation mean to the average person? Moderation is eating correct serving sizes of healthy foods and eating at a regularly spaced time frame. If you eat every 2 ½ to 4 hour intervals throughout the day your metabolism will remain consistent as it does not go from overfed to starving. Your body is geared to understand that it will receive regular intakes of foods to maintain its energy levels.

This is a great thing when you are dieting. Eating good healthy food at regular intervals during the day, still lose weight and have more than enough energy for the day’s activities. A diet where you are not hungry and still loose weight is incredible.

Taking care of the written word,

dannielyn

copyright © Dannett Frey, Taking Care of the Written Word, 2010