Is your metabolism “damaged?”
Short answer: No.⠀
Having a “damaged metabolism” is not a thing. Sure, your metabolism can slow down, but it’s not the “point of no return” when it comes to fat loss. ⠀
Our metabolism is actually really cool because it’s constantly changing and ADAPTING to what’s going on in our lives. ⠀
Let’s talk about traditional diets and how your body adapts…⠀
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Say you’re eating around 2,000 per day and decide to go on a diet and reduce your calories to 1,700. Initially, you will see weight loss. At the same time, the body down-regulates its metabolism, so that it can conserve energy to increase the likelihood of survival. ⠀
I know, I know… “survival” sounds super dramatic, but, essentially, your body is doing everything it can to run well on fewer calories. It’s not expending any extra energy. ⠀
And the more extreme your diet (larger calorie deficit) and the more times you attempt to diet, the more efficient your metabolism becomes using what calories it has to work with. I mean, hello, your body just wants to keep you alive!⠀
If you want to lose more weight, you have to continue to reduce calories… 1,400 calories, 1,200 calories, 1,000 calories… soon you can’t cut calories any lower.
Eventually, the body will stop losing weight because it holds on to every calorie as a means to keep your bodily systems functioning. This survival response is why so many people who have been dieting for a very long time often say, “I can’t lose weight!” It’s because the metabolism has adapted to chronically low-calorie consumption. When this happens, you might even see weight GAIN. (And, at the same time, you MAJORLY screw up hormones, thyroid, gut, nervous system, and more.)⠀
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In order to get yourself out of this kind of metabolic adaptation, you need a plan.
Introducing #FasterMetabolism Live: An In-Depth Reverse Dieting Workshop for women who feel like their metabolism has slowed down, think they might have hormonal imbalance and can’t lose weight no matter what they do.
