Of course, it’s true that top-to-bottom lifestyle changes won’t be simple. The commitment to make a drastic difference in your diet and begin regular exercise can seem altogether impossible for any busy person who is starting from square one. The upside, however, is that a single change towards healthier living, like going for a run every morning, can make the rest of the process a whole lot easier, as your body starts sending new signals about what food it craves and what it can simply do without.
With a little help, college students dump junk food
A study published in January in the International Journal of Obesity has helped to shed some light on this phenomenon.1 A group of 2,680 college students who did not exercise regularly was asked to participate in 30 minutes of intense aerobic exercise three times a week for 15 weeks. The students were also asked to keep track of their food at every meal but were not instructed to change their diets.
The results showed that the exercise coincided with a voluntary change in diet. Over the course of the 15 weeks, the students cut down on fried and processed foods and sugary drinks in favor of more fruits and vegetables and other whole foods. What’s more, the participants were found to consume less food overall. On the other hand, students who did not adhere as strictly to the exercise regime made smaller changes to their diets over the course of the study.
A “conscious and unconscious” change in diet
“The process of becoming physically active can influence dietary behavior,” said Molly Bray, co-author of the study and chair of the Nutritional Sciences department at UT Austin.2 “One of the reasons that we need to promote exercise is for the healthy habits it can create in other areas. That combination is very powerful.”
It’s hard to pinpoint the exact source of this connection between diet and exercise, but Bray and her teammates offered a few possible explanations. For one, exercise releases the “feel-good” chemicals like dopamine and serotonin in the brain, taking the place of, say, a milkshake. There is also, according to Bray, a certain level of confidence-building involved in exercise that can translate well into building a healthier lifestyle overall.
“I think it’s a combination of conscious and unconscious,” she said in an interview, regarding the participants’ changes in diet.3 “They find they are more capable than they thought and it enables them to make other healthy changes.”
NUTRITIONAL DISCLAIMER
The content on this website should not be taken as medical advice and you should ALWAYS consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. We provide nutritional data for our recipes as a courtesy to our readers. We use Total Keto Diet app software to calculate the nutrition and we remove fiber and sugar alcohols, like erythritol, from the total carbohydrate count to get to the net carb count, as they do not affect your blood glucose levels. You should independently calculate nutritional information on your own and not rely on our data. The website or content herein is not intended to cure, prevent, diagnose or treat any disease. This website shall not be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or recommendations on the Website or actions you take as a result. Any action you take is strictly at your own risk.
Dr. Rosmy Barrios, MD is an aesthetic medicine specialist whose work focuses on patients who are treated for obesity, metabolic syndrome, and other weight-related issues through nutritional analysis, keto diet programs, and supporting medications.
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