![]() Can eating too little actually damage your metabolism? Exploring the truths and fallacies of . In this article, we’ll take on this interesting topic and separate fact from fiction. ![]() We’ll also teach you exactly why crash diets might be linked to struggling to maintain your weight in the future.++++Despite working out consistently and intensely, plus eating carefully, you’re not losing weight (or not losing it as fast as you’d like or expect). Or you were losing weight consistently. Maybe you did fitness competitions. Maybe you did some crash diets. But now, even when you put in the same effort, you just can’t seem to get as lean. Then we’ll talk about whether the metabolism can actually be damaged. Note: This post delves into the science of energy balance, thermodynamics, and metabolic regulation. You can get this energy from food, or you can retrieve it from stored energy (e. Most of the time, the numbers don’t add up. Importantly: This mismatch between expectations versus reality is not because the Energy Balance Equation is wrong, or a myth. Nobody’s body defies the laws of physics, even though it seems like that sometimes. It’s because the equation is more complicated than it sounds. Many factors affect the Energy Balance Equation; they aren’t mutually exclusive. It doesn’t take all of the complex, intersecting factors into account. Let’s take a look at some of these factors, starting with the . As a result, food labels can be off by as much as 2. And even if those food labels were correct: Reason 2: The amount of energy a food contains in the form of calories is not necessarily the amount of energy we absorb, store, and/or use. Remember that the food we eat has to be digested and processed by our unique bodies. The innumerable steps involved in digestion, processing, absorption, storage, and use . ![]() 5% each decade, after. The researchers found that almost 3. Whereas seemingly all of the fat in the peanut butter was absorbed. In addition: When eating raw starchy foods (like sweet potatoes), we absorb very few of the calories. After cooking, however, the starches are much more available to us, tripling the number of calories absorbed. Interestingly, allowing starchy foods to then cool before eating them decreases the amount of calories we can extract from them again. ![]() Recently, USDA researchers asked test subjects to consume 4. That’s 7. 9 percent of the calorie content on the label. In similar research, people also absorbed only 8. Beyond the average, there were individual differences: Some people absorbed more of the energy in the nuts, while some absorbed less (likely due to the differing populations of bacteria in their large intestines). In the end, by eating a diet rich in whole, minimally processed foods, the number of calories you absorb can be significantly less than what you expect. Plus they require more calories to digest. ![]() Conversely, you will absorb more calories by eating lots of highly processed foods, plus burn fewer calories in the digestive process. This doesn’t invalidate the Energy Balance Equation. It just means that if you want an accurate calculation, you probably have to live in a fancy metabolic lab. For most people, it’s not worth the effort (that’s why Precision Nutrition moved to a hand- based measuring model for portions). Resting metabolic rate (RMR)RMR is the number of calories you burn each day at rest, just to breathe, think, and live. This represents roughly 6. If you’re that 2. ![]() Effects of a 5:2 Diet on Weight Loss and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Obesity. Effects of a 5:2 Diet on Weight Loss and Cardiovascular Risk Factors. ![]() RMR of 1. 90. 5 calories, another guy just like you on the next treadmill might burn 2. Thermic effect of eating (TEE)This may surprise you, but it takes energy to digest food. Digestion is an active metabolic process. That’s TEE.)TEE is the number of calories you burn by eating, digesting, and processing your food. This represents roughly 5- 1. Physical activity (PA)PA is the calories you burn from purposeful exercise, such as walking, running, going to the gym, gardening, riding a bike, etc.
Obviously, how much energy you expend through PA will change depending on how much you intentionally move around. Non- exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT)NEAT is the calories you burn through fidgeting, staying upright, and all other physical activities except purposeful exercise. This, too, varies from person to person and day to day. This means: Each of these is highly variable. ![]() But things get crazy when you consider that altering any one of the variables causes adjustments in other, seemingly unrelated variables. This is a good thing, of course. Our human metabolisms evolved to keep us alive and functioning when food was scarce. One consequence: When . But that’s how the system is supposed to work. That’s how our bodies avoid unwanted weight loss and starvation. It’s how humans have survived for 2 million years. The body fights to maintain homeostasis. Likewise, when . But the adaptation really ramps up as you lose more weight. In some cases, it could even lead to weight re- gain. To add insult to injury, a rise in cortisol from the stress of dieting can cause our bodies to hold onto more water, making us feel . There are similar responses when trying to manipulate each of the other variables in the equation. For example, research suggests that increasing Physical activity above a certain threshold (by exercising more) can trigger: Increased appetite and more actual calories eaten. Decreased calories not absorbed as we absorb more of what we eat. Decreased RMRDecreased NEATIn this case, here’s what the equation would look like: In the end, these are just two of the many examples we could share. The point is that metabolism is much more complicated (and interdependent) than most people think. Understanding energy balance means setting better expectations about body change. It’s important to note that if you have lots of body fat to lose, many of these adaptations (i. But, as you become leaner, this . We’ll call him Frank. Frank works a desk job, and is only lightly active outside of work. This calculates that he needs 2,9. By knocking off 5. And he doesn’t plan on changing his physical activity. Now, you’ve probably heard somewhere that a pound is equivalent to 3,5. Frank every day, he should lose 1 pound per week (5. He should end up at 1. He’s 2. 05 lbs. What the hell? That’s 2. 2 pounds more than I should be! Frank rages to his wife Maria, who smiles knowingly. She’s 4. 0 too, and has been trying to lose weight since having two kids in her mid- 3. Tell me about it, she says. I’ve lost and gained the same 1. I’ve been exercising and eating pretty healthy. Then they both think: Maybe I should try that juice cleanse after all. My body is obviously broken. Nope, nobody is broken. Don’t hit that juice cleanse just yet. Instead, Frank and Maria could both benefit from a clear understanding of how weight loss actually works. Then they can set appropriate behavior goals, and have realistic expectations for their progress.(Postscript: Frank and Maria decide against the juice fast and enroll in Precision Nutrition Coaching. At the end of a year, Maria’s . Her firm arms and glowing skin are the envy of the other moms. Frank is down to a fit 1. Maria that he should buy a mountain bike.)So, does dieting damage the metabolism? Despite what you may have heard: Losing weight won’t . Studies have shown that it can hang around for up to 7 years after weight loss (or more, 7 years is as far as it’s been studied). This likely means it’s permanent, or at least persistent. This is extra relevant for people who have repeatedly dieted, or for fitness competitors who may repeatedly fluctuate between being extremely lean and being overweight in the off- season. I don’t have data to back this up (to my knowledge no one has studied it), but adaptive thermogenesis seems to react more strongly or more rapidly with each successive yo- yo of extreme body fat fluctuations. All of this explains why some people can feel like they’ve . Their metabolic rates are understandably lower than predicted by various laboratory equations. So, where does this leave us? Body change is going to be harder for some people, and easier for others. That can mean all physiological changes: weight loss or gain, fat loss or gain, and muscle loss or gain. But even if your body might resist. Eat plenty of protein. Protein is essential when losing weight / fat for a few reasons. Protein helps you keep that all- important lean body mass (which includes connective tissues, organs, and bone as well as muscle). Protein significantly increases satiety, which means you feel fuller despite eating less. Eat a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, quality carbs, and healthy fats. Vegetables are loaded with vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, water, and fiber to help you fill up during meals, stay full between meals, keep you healthy, and recover from your workouts. We recommend 6- 8 fist- sized servings per day for most active men. And 4- 6 fist- sized servings per day for most active women. The carbs will fuel training, boost leptin (a super important hormone), keep up sex hormones, and prevent feelings of deprivation. And the fats also keep up sex hormones, boost the immune system, suppress excess inflammation, and make food taste really good. For most active men, this would be 6- 8 handfuls of quality carbs, and 6- 8 thumbs of healthy fats per day. For most active women, 4- 6 handfuls of quality carbs and 4- 6 thumbs of healthy fats per day. Adjust your intake as you plateau, or to prevent plateaus. As your weight loss progresses, you will need to lower your calorie intake further to continue to progress, as your smaller body will burn fewer calories, and your body is adapting to your diet. Be ready, willing, and able to adjust portion amounts by removing 1- 2 handfuls of carbs and/or 1- 2 thumbs of fats from your daily intake. Then reassess and continue to adjust as needed. However, one study found that weight loss plateaus have less to do with metabolic adaptations and more to do with . In other words, not actually sticking to a nutrition plan consistently.
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November 2017
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