Biology's A B*tch: 5 Reasons It's So Hard To Keep Weight Off (NPR, 2019)

[usonian]

https://www.npr.org/2019/04/25/717058877/the-biology-of-weight-loss

Always timely.

If you've ever tried to lose weight and found the pounds won't come off easily — or they come right back — you are not alone.

The fact is that when we shed pounds, we trigger mechanisms that make it hard to keep the weight off. Some factors are within our control, but many are not. Understanding how this works might make you look more kindly on your body.

Walking is good, but not when temps are in the high 90's. I miss my walks.

This except rings a bell for me:

For most folks, exercise is a minor player in weight loss. The fact is that it's a lot easier to cut out 600 calories by skipping a Starbucks muffin than it is to burn it by running for an hour or more.

What's more, people tend to use exercise as an excuse to let themselves eat more. When that happens, they tend to eat more calories as a "reward" than they burned off at the gym. Or they might compensate by crashing out on the sofa and moving less the rest of their day.