Feeling hungry is burning fat

Many people lose weight by dieting, thinking that not eating and feeling hungry is the process of fat disappearing. But feeling hungry is actually burning fat. Do people burn fat when they are hungry? In fact, this is a big misunderstanding. The reason for feeling hungry is that there is no food in the stomach, that is, the stomach is empty, and when it moves, people will feel hungry. Exercise is required to burn fat, so dieting is not very effective for losing weight.

Does fat burn when you are hungry?

Not really. When we are hungry, it is the stomach's job to break down any extra food into glucose to supply energy to the human body. This hunger information will be fed back to our brain, so we feel very hungry. However, if you diet for a long time, once your body lacks energy, the first thing to be consumed is not your fat, but other nutrients. It starts by breaking down glycogen to produce energy, that is, it breaks down your muscles first, and when the glycogen is broken down to a certain extent, it starts to break down glycogen, and then fat.

The emptying of the stomach is your body telling you that it is time to eat. If you don't eat at this time, your body will secrete blood sugar-raising hormones, which will break down the stored glycogen into the blood. At this time, there is a risk of muscle consumption. Hunger is just low blood sugar. If you eat less, your body will protect you by lowering your basal metabolism and storing all the calories you eat. The same goes for being hungry. When you are hungry, your body will send out warning signals, thinking that you are in a dangerous state. Being hungry for a long time will also consume the body's muscles.

Starvation diet is not a reliable way to lose weight

When we are hungry, our body prioritizes mobilizing sugars in the blood for energy. As the hunger time increases, carbohydrates are consumed and blood sugar drops sharply. In order to reduce the state of hypoglycemia, the body stops burning carbohydrates and starts using protein as an energy source. Since protein is an important component of muscle, protein consumption will directly lead to muscle shrinkage. Until the very end, when protein becomes less and less, fat steps in and becomes the fuel to supply energy to the body.

However, this does not mean that dieting will definitely make you lose weight, because after dieting, the body will respond quickly and slow down the metabolism to adapt to the body's reduced calorie intake. At the same time, dieting will also reduce your athletic function. In this way, calorie consumption is greatly reduced, and energy intake and expenditure reach a new balance at a low level. Therefore, it is not reliable to lose weight by dieting alone. How can you have the energy to lose weight if you don’t eat enough? Healthy weight loss does not mean dieting or not eating, but eating nutritious and healthy food so as not to give fat a chance to accumulate.

How much weight can you lose by not eating for a day

1. Theoretically, you can lose 3-5 catties ​​without eating or drinking.

A person eats about 3-5 kilograms of food a day. Part of it will be digested and absorbed by the body, and the other part will be excreted as feces. If you don't eat for a whole day, your stomach and intestines will be emptied. Theoretically, you can lose 3-5 kilograms.

2. Not eating but drinking water can reduce weight by 2-3 catties

A person eats about 3-5 kilograms of food a day. Part of it will be digested and absorbed by the body, and the other part will be excreted as feces. If you don't eat for a whole day, your stomach and intestines will be emptied. Theoretically, you can lose 3-5 kilograms. However, people will drink water, and the stool may not be completely discharged, so generally they can only lose 2-3 pounds.

3. The actual fat loss is only 0.5 catties

A person's basal metabolic calories per day are 1500-2000 kcal, and one kilogram of fat can provide 7700 kcal, which means that if you don't eat or drink for a day, you actually only need to consume 0.38-0.51 kilograms of fat. The rest of the weight loss is caused by dehydration or reduction of stool.

But be careful: losing weight in this way is not only harmful to your body, but it only reduces your water content, giving you signs of weight loss. But one day you will have to end the days of not eating to lose weight. By then, your body will need to consume several times more than before in order to restore its normal functions, and your appetite will naturally increase exponentially. After dieting, you will inevitably binge eat. This is why almost everyone who diets will gain weight back. Unless you don't eat, you would have starved to death long ago. Not eating to lose weight can easily lead to a series of problems such as endocrine disorders (and thus irregular menstruation), liver damage, amenorrhea or infertility, and osteoporosis. Not eating for a short period of time can indeed help to lose weight, but few people know that skipping meals to lose weight is a complete misunderstanding.