Obesity reversal specialist explains weight gain despite eating ‘healthy’ homemade meals: Problem lies with slowing BMR

Homemade meals are always healthy. However, they can also lead to weight gain if not balanced according to one's nutritional needs.

It is common knowledge that homemade meals help us stay healthy. However, sometimes it makes us gain weight, especially as we age. That is not reflective of the meal itself becoming unhealthy, but rather, of us focusing on the wrong issue, according to Dr Malhar Ganla, a 'diabetes and obesity reversal' specialist.

With age, metabolism slows down and the body burns off less calories. (Unsplash )

Taking care of the bottom line

Taking to Instagram on February 26, Dr Ganla explained the scenario with a business analogy. “Your body, just like running a business, has a top line, which is the total turnover of that business, and the bottom line, which is the profitability of that business,” he stated.

“At the end of the day, the purpose of a business is the bottom line, not the top line. There is no point in just turning over a lot of money and making no profit. Food is just like that.”

Home food is like the top line, said Dr Ganla. An individual consuming 2000 calories every day is not the problem; it is the bottom line, or the net nutritive value of the food, that one should be concerned about.

If one does not question the net nutritional value of food, they will likely increase the top line to meet the bottom line, which is a dangerous concept to apply to the human body, cautioned Dr Ganla. This is because the jump from 2000 to 2200 calories per day results in tremendous weight gain.

Slowing down of metabolism

According to Dr Ganla, the real problem with weight gain lies in an individual's BMR, or basal metabolic rate. When a person is young, it is close to 2000 calories a day. So even when they eat more or less at times, the body adjusts.

However, when one reaches the age of 35 to 40, the BMR drops to 1700 calories per day. “Now this 300 reduction per day becomes 90,000 calories a year, which is close to 10 kg of fat gain,” shared Dr Ganla.

It is natural to wonder why the weight gain happened, especially if one has not made any noticeable changes to their diet.

“The problem is that two rotis at lunch and 2 rotis at dinner when you are going to sit in an office are not affordable now. You have to learn to reduce one from each meal,” noted Dr Ganla. “Maybe you are having rice and roti, you need to reduce one. Maybe there is too much oil still. These are hangovers of the 20s and the 30s that intelligently have to be released.”

It is not about completely abstaining from outside food, junk food, or ice cream. It is about a “300-calorie correction” every day that will automatically make a person calorie-deficient and help them to lose weight.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.

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