Gained Weight after quitting the Gym? What went wrong?

Surrounded by perspectives and opinions, no matter how false or inaccurate, people not only do nothing, but they also stop others from doing it. This reminds me of a story of a group of monkeys, I'm sure a lot of readers remember it.

The story goes like this: 

"A monkey was put in a cage with no roof and manageable height of the walls so it could easily climb his way out and set itself free. The moment he tried to climb the cage wall, a machine from top came and pulled him down with a hook. The monkey was now baffled and after multiple failed attempts, it finally gave up and made peace with the cage considering there was nothing it could do to change things. Soon the sun was down, and the machine was gone, the monkey had the whole night to escape the cage, but due to its past experience, it did not even try this time and stayed in the cage for the whole night.

Next morning, another monkey joined it, and, like the first one, it also tried to climb the cage wall, but the first monkey pulled it down thinking it will be a failed attempt and the machine will ultimately pull them if they try to escape. But, there was no machine from second day onward. Each day one additional monkey joined them and the existing member pulled it down when new monkey tried to climb its way out. Soon they became a big group of monkeys that never tried to escape, just because one monkey thought it can never escape."

Moral of the Story: 

Things do change, and the only way to know that is to try. Try something different this time, consider more things this time. Maybe your knowledge was limited, be open to suggestions and other information. Just because you know one thing does not work, doesn't mean everything won't work.

I can confidently say there are millions of people in India, who think a person should not go the gym because they will gain weight after quitting it. It is my humble request to all those people out there, please be open to new information, it's for your own good. How would you feel after knowing that your very perception of weight gain related to quitting the gym is a misconception and that there is a better way so that you can go to the gym and become fit for life? I bet you will regret it, because you just wasted the precious time of your life by not going to the gym, even when you wanted to, simply because your judgment was clouded by the fact, which is partially true and can be overcome.

So what's the reason for weight gain after quitting the gym?

A typical person who does not know much about fitness goes to a gym. He works out every day and tries to limit his calorie consumption. One day he quits the gym, for any reason he might have. He does not go the gym for months and also forgets about his calorie consumption limit he set for himself. Basically, he gets back to his old life, with one change. That change is additional weight, and that made him think, that going to the gym will only make things worse upon quitting.

The very reason for weight gain was his diet. To limit his calorie consumption, he ate very less quantities of food and also maybe ate only 2 or 3 meals per day. Due to inadequate energy, the body started to shell out weight, but after quitting the gym, he went back to his old life where he eats more. The body will again start to react and gain weight. 

Does this mean he should not have abandoned his practice of eating less?

No, it means he should not have started this practice in the first place. One needs to understand, the only way you lose weight that can stay with you is by increasing your metabolism.

Metabolism, in simple words, is a system which burns your calories. The faster your metabolism, the faster your calories will get burned.  

How do we Increase our Metabolism?

Our body needs food to survive, and if you don't give enough food (and the right food) to the body, it will literally just survive and not thrive. We need to keep supplying the right food to the body and keep the energy supply uninterrupted, just like the power of your house. If you eat only 2-3 times

in a day of 24 hours, how can you possibly imagine yourself in good shape and health? Your metabolism is barely functional and you will keep on gaining weight. Before you know it, you will appear at least 5 years older than you actually are. 

A person should eat every 2-3 hours to supply essential nutrients to the body and to get the energy he needs to survive the day. Like I said in my earlier post, treat your body like an American Muscle car, give it the nutrients it needs and it will live longer and healthier. 

By putting the right food in your body multiple times in a day, your metabolism will speed up and you will begin burning more and more calories, thus losing the stubborn fat. 

Eat 5-6 good meals in a day to speed up your metabolism and you will start to see the difference in your health and physical appearance. If you wanna lose weight, eat in fewer quantities but do eat 5-6 times.

You become what you eat, choose your meals wisely, they will change you
either in a positive way or in a negative way.

Things to keep in mind

• Eating 5-6 times day does not mean you can eat junk, that won't speed up your metabolism, instead, that will ruin your metabolism. Those 5-6 good meals should contain all the essential micro and macronutrients your body needs.
• Eating 2-3 times a day in fewer quantities will make you lose weight but that would be temporary, your body reacts to an inadequate supply of energy, and your metabolism will decline which you did not want in the first place. You will gain that weight back once you get back to normal eating lifestyle.
• Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for a reason. After starving for almost 10 hours, you wake up and do not have a good breakfast when your body needs it the most. Don't forget to have a good breakfast at the earliest upon waking up.
• You can have your last meal 2 hours before going to bed, there no harm in that. 
• Quitting the gym did not make that guy gain weight, his eating habits did. He unknowingly slowed down his metabolism. Well, now you know how.
• If you have work and cannot manage time to eat, then keep fruits and nuts with you, they are a really great option than to skip your meal altogether. 
• If you eat multiple times, it will increase your efficiency at work since your body will have energy, so it is to your benefit to adapt to this lifestyle.