Is starvation useful for losing weight? The real reason for the rebound effect
About 10 million years ago the entire equatorial area of Africa was a lush jungle. In this type of habitat, full of trees, it was a good idea to live without touching the ground. Primates had specialized in arboreal life for millions of years with surprising adaptations such as prehensile hands and feet, carnivore eyes to measure distances, and high brain capacity as a result of their need to live in a community and interact. Another striking adaptation was their ability to see in color because their eminently frugivorous diet forced them to continually look for ripe fruit, something you can do much more easily if you are able to distinguish reds and yellows.
In these times, our happy primates did not know what was coming to them, at that time, millions of tons of magma from the Earth’s mantle were heading towards the Earth’s crust with the clear intention of breaking Africa in half (a process that continues today ). This convective plume caused what is known in geology as a Rift Valley, a distension of the terrain that gives rise to extensive valleys with mountain ranges on both sides. These mountains began to prevent the passage of water-laden clouds to the eastern part of Africa, so the lush jungle began to transform into the extensive plains that we know today as savanna. The primates that had been unlucky enough to stay in the eastern area were on the ropes., their old adaptations were not worth much in a treeless plain, a plain in which many other animals had millions of years of evolutionary advantage, something that translated into better sight, hearing, claws, teeth or a greater ability to run, attack and flee. . It is believed that the vast majority of our unfortunate primates would die and for the few who resisted disappearing, life had to be really hard.
Adapt or die
We have already seen that man’s ancestors did not stand out in any way compared to their new competitors. In nothing? Well, Cranial capacity was a point in favor of our grandparents. It is thought that some groups of primates must have exploited this cranial capacity to generate survival strategies. And, as for the food? Well, forget about fruit, simply because there wouldn’t be enough. These monkeys became opportunistic omnivores that they could not despise anything that looked edible, seeds, tubers, insects, bugs, carrion… As we see, the saying “bird that flies to the pot” has its years. This new dietFar from being a problem, was an advantage Since it incorporated proteins of high nutritional value that fruits did not have, this allowed the brain to develop more and better, so there was a virtuous relationship between greater protein consumption and more intelligent behaviors that little by little improved the chances of survival. .
It is impossible to imagine the harsh conditions that early hominids had to endure for millions of years. These conditions produced adaptations that remain today. Regarding food, the one that interests us, These adaptations must have regulated the numerous and prolonged periods of famine who were surely faithful companions on our prehistoric journey. Something that had to be cushioned by the metabolism so that when these appeared the body had two clear strategies, on the one hand reducing energy expenditure to a minimum and on the other making the most of anything minimally edible. Let’s think that the continuity of the species depended on this and the survivors transmitted this adaptation to their descendants until it reached us.
We do not distinguish between famine or diet
The control of these processes corresponds to the brain’s amygdala and the biochemical mechanisms it triggers are very powerful, let us not forget that life is at stake.
Going on a diet is typical of the last 50 years, a joke in evolutionary terms. Your body won’t distinguish between a diet and a life-threatening lean period, For this reason, starvation is not a good strategy because it is impossible to control that impulse. It doesn’t matter what the guru’s name is who proposes a diet where you starve because in the end it will fail, sooner or later the binge will appear. It’s like thinking that you can last without breathing. The moment our body detects that it is in serious danger, it will take the reins and force you to take that breath of air. With hunger the process is similar, what happens is that as it is more spaced out over time it gives us a false sense of control.
So the hunger thing will last just as long as Sooner rather than later you will return to eating similar to how you did before But with something new, your body will have already activated the austerity mechanisms, consequently, the same thing you ate before will make you gain much more weight.
In the end the conclusion is the same, no diets and shortcuts. Food re-education based on scientific rigor is the only mechanism for a nutritionally healthy life.
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