Why do I gain weight if I eat little?

The secret to effective and healthy weight loss is not to stop eating or limit your food intake too much. Absolutely. The secret is that know how our body works and, thus, you will be able to organize a balanced diet consistent with the needs of your body at all times of the day.

In general, you should know that the fact of gaining weight is due to the fact that we are consuming more calories than we need. Calories are the energy of our body but if one day we go too far and give it more than it is going to consume, this energy is stored in the body in the form of accumulated fat. Therefore, we have to try never to exceed the recommended daily calories in order to avoid gaining weight.

You have to know that our body consumes this energy in the form of calories per different pathways:

• basal metabolism: our body needs a minimum amount of energy every day to be able to function correctly both externally (walking, moving, etc.) and internally (our organs also consume calories to carry out their daily functions). Therefore, for the mere fact of being alive we need energy and this consumption is what is known as basal metabolism. There are people who, naturally, burn more energy and others who burn less and, therefore, tend to gain weight more easily.
• Thermic effect of food: for the simple fact of eating, our body also consumes calories since it has to process these foods and metabolize them. For this reason, there are some foods that are considered “negative calories”, that is, they provide us with fewer calories than we need to process and digest them.
• Physical activity: In the event that you work doing physical exercise or that you like to play sports, you have to know that this is another of the ways that our body has to consume energy. Faced with this “extra” demand for energy, the body accesses fat reserves to satisfy this increase in energy and thus burns stored fat. For this reason, when you want to lose weight, sports and physical activity are very important to achieve results more quickly.

Therefore, not eating or eating little is NOT the solution to lose weight. What we have to do is know how many calories you need per day and, based on this, readjust our diet a little to eat a little less than necessary and, thus, day by day our body burns the excess stored.

Now that you have understood how our body works, we will go into the matter to tell you why you gain weight if you eat little. Here we will indicate the most common causes that may be making you gain weight even if you eat small amounts of food.

As we have already told you, the trick is not to stop eating or to eat very little, but the trick is to know our body and, based on that, give it food taking into account our needs. That said, the most common causes of your gaining weight can be the following:

1. You do not distribute food well

We have to keep in mind that it is not the same amount of energy that we need in the morning as that which we will need at night. Early in the day, our body is empty and requires enough energy to face the whole day, but at night, this energy is not so necessary and we only have to eat dinner to satisfy our appetite but without excesses.

The correct organization of the food groups for the day would be as follows:

• Breakfast: any food group is allowed
• Mid-morning: it is recommended to take a piece of fruit
• Lunch: the ideal meal would have a small portion of carbohydrates, a portion of vegetables and a portion of protein
• Snack: it is recommended to have a yogurt or a fruit. Avoid carbohydrates
• Dinner: the ideal dinner should not contain carbohydrates, the best combination is the one that mixes proteins with vegetables

The subject of the fruit is something complicated. There are many nutritionists who indicate that the best way to eat it is individually, that is, mid-morning or mid-afternoon. At night it is recommended not to eat fruit because it has a lot of simple sugars that can make us fat.

2. You don’t watch dinner

One of the most common causes of people not losing weight even when eating little is that dinner is not taken into account. No matter how much you spend most of the day eating little, if at dinner time you gorge yourself or eat a large amount of high-fat foods, you will eventually gain weight. This is because, at this time of day, our metabolism slows down because it gets ready to sleep, besides, you are not going to waste that energy because the next thing you will do is go to the sofa or to bed to sleep. It is important to opt for light dinners that calm our appetite but do not fill us with unnecessary energy.

3. You eat a lot of fatty foods

If you want to know why you get fat if you eat little, you also have to analyze what type of food you eat when you eat. That is, even if you eat in small amounts, if these small amounts are very rich in fat, sugar, etc., you will not lose weight. The important thing is not so much how much you eat but what you eat, therefore, the ideal is to eat well and balanced but opt ​​for foods that are healthy and low in saturated fat. Avoid sauces, fried foods, batter, sweets, etc., and opt for a more natural and fresh diet.

4. You don’t eat several meals a day

It may also be that you gain weight because you don’t eat properly. All nutritionists and health experts affirm that dividing food into 5 meals a day is essential for our body to be nourished throughout the day, to avoid the sensation of ravenous hunger and, also, to activate the metabolism. If you only eat 3 times a day you will make your metabolism work slower and, in addition, digestion will be heavier and you will feel more bloated. It is best to eat every 2 or 4 hours and you will get your body active throughout the day.

5. You eat a lot of diet products

Another reason that you gain weight even if you eat little is that you have a large amount of light foods in your pantry. You have to know that this type of product is designed to be taken occasionally and to satisfy a “craving”, however, they cannot form an active part of our diet because, although they have less fat and calories than the original product, they are still rich in these ingredients. Therefore, the light ones have to be taken in a punctual way if what you want is to lose weight.

6. You sleep little

Night rest is essential for our body to function optimally. If you do not sleep well or deeply, the metabolism is disturbed and, therefore, you are likely to consume less energy during the day, causing it to remain stored in your body. In order to enjoy a healthy life, resting 7 to 8 hours a day is essential.

7. You drink alcohol often

Even if you eat little, if you drink alcohol regularly you will end up gaining weight. Alcohol is a drink that is loaded with empty calories and that, in addition, promotes fluid retention, swelling of the body, and so on. Therefore, it is totally counterproductive in weight loss diets. In addition, carbonated drinks like beer will also make your stomach look more bulging and you will be more bloated in general.