365 Ways #14–Are many of us overweight because we don’t eat enough?

#14–the World Health Organization defines starvation as beginning at less than 2100 calories/day. Half of US women eat fewer than 1500 calories a day. Maybe part of the reason 2/3 of America is overweight or obese is because they don’t eat enough. Without enough calories and protein to run the system, the body will catabolize muscle to fuel the body. This loss of metabolically active tissue lowers the “flame” of your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and you burn fewer calories just to live. Levels of T3, the thyroid hormone in charge of your BMR, begin to drop within hours of any calorie deprivation (including skipping a meal) in an effort at self-preservation in what is perceived as a life threatening famine. So even though you’re fully aware that you’ve got some food in your cupboard or the Wendy’s dive thru is still open, your genetic code thinks another ice age is coming. Better pack on the insulation now….