Why can calorie restriction backfire? One reason is our bodies are GREAT at adaptation. If we eat in a calorie deficit too long, our bodies may adapt by slowing down metabolism to conserve energy. Let’s say that your body used to use 1900 calories to maintain your weight, but you restricted and restricted eating only 1200 calories. Your body thinks “HELP, we are in a famine. There’s less food available!” and it may down regulate your metabolism. Your body becomes more efficient at utilizing energy, and your total energy expenditure (calories burned) may decrease. This means that your body requires fewer calories to maintain its current weight. If you go back to eating 1900 calories you will gain weight fast. This makes it much more difficult to lose weight.
Something else happens when we restrict too much or for too long. We can lose our muscles. Muscle tissue is very expensive to keep around so if the body is sensing “there is a famine!” it will start off loading the expensive tissue (muscle) and stop supporting less important functions like hair growth. Yep, that’s going to feel horrible and make us look even worse. That was not the goal at all.
Then there is the stress of white-knuckling it with increased hunger and food cravings. Calorie restriction can trigger hormonal changes that increase hunger and food craving. This can so easily lead to a binge which can last for days or weeks.
Since we are not eating enough food, we most likely are not getting enough nutrients so now we have deficiencies in vitamins and minerals impairing overall health. This can easily lead to fatigue, weakness, and bad moods among other things.
The reduced energy intake (lack of food) can lead to reduced energy levels (the body is conserving now) leading to fatigue, lethargy, making it harder to do things like tend to children or even make decisions. Motivation, mood, brain fog, dizziness – there really is no upside to restricting calories.
So now your metabolism is slower, you have less muscle, your mood sucks, your hair is limp and thin, your skin dull, you have cravings and all you think about is food, you binge and regain weight only to start all this over again. The mental toll this takes really hits our well-being, our confidence, and can jump start that negative self talk. It can lead to feelings of deprivation, frustration, food obsession and even disordered eating patterns.
There is HOPE! Here is what to do instead.
If you want to lose weight, FIRST you need to be healthy. Unhealthy bodies do not like to give up resources so can hang onto fat like it is hanging onto life. Nourishing our bodies, eating enough, being in a decent calorie range, working out and building muscle, NOT doing chronic cardio, sleeping like it is our job. . .all the things you know are healthy to do. Turn off the TV and stop with the news. Fix our stress. Get outside more often. Block blue light. Those things. Yes, do them, and get good at them. When your body is healthy, then you can start a slight calorie deficit, but it has to be done with care.
If your maintenance calories are 2000, then a calorie deficit would be 1500-1750, and would not go on longer than 4-6 weeks, then 1-2 weeks of eating 2000 calories again. Some people do better with 3 weeks on, 1 week off. But doing one day a week of a blow out binge eating is not a good idea. We want a subtle deficit, then eating back at maintenance and we want to do this periodically. It is called calorie cycling and it may help prevent the adaptation issues discussed earlier.
Another idea is to do intermittent fasting. This is when you eat in a specific window of time, then not eat the rest of the time. I did this for a while. I’d stop eating at 6 pm and not eat until noon the next day. That gave me 6 hours of eating and 18 hours of not eating. This worked until it didn’t. It was stressful on my body and I started gaining weight after a bit. I found that as an older woman (I’m 64) that jump-starting my day with breakfast I fed/nourished my body better. So a nice sized breakfast at7am, then an early dinner at 3ish was perfect. I would fast from 3pm till 7am the next day. My sleep improved dramatically when I did this. Guess what the body LOVES? Sleep. When we get our sleep fixed the body is more likely to release fat.
Next is the food itself.
I love to eat and knew I only had so many calories to “spend” per day. So I spent those on the most nutrient dense food that satiated me. I am a volume eater which means I can eat all of whatever. Not lying here. I can easily overeat. But by focusing on protein and fat, there are sometimes that I honestly cannot eat another bite. It used to be rare that I’d leave food on my plate, and it happens a lot now. It is so much easier to be in a deficit by focusing on protein and fat. Do I eat veg and fruit? Some. Only low glycemic foods like zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli – not pineapple, sweet potato, rice, grains. Well, not often. I’m not a robot and I do enjoy special foods on special occasions. But my day to day food is more prescriptive and goal focused. It is delicious, but I’m not finding a reason every other day to celebrate something as an excuse to have another piece of cheesecake or whatever. There is a time and place for the fun foods, the indulgences. I focus on the protein first, then fill in the rest of my calories with mostly fat and some low glycemic produce. This is how I do all I do everyday and stay full, satiated, maintaining my weight at a 64 year old with hardly any cravings.
Think of this like your budget. When you are on vacation you buy that cool whatever, and spend the extra money on the fancy dinners. But you don’t spend money like you’re on vacation everyday. We understand we have limited funds. Your calories, the way you do your food each day, do it like that. Your daily food is your fuel, how your body is built, how you make your hormones and support your immune system. You have a daily budget and you fill it with the most nutrient dense food you can so you are stacking all the odds in your favor. When your body is healthy it is more likely to release stored fat. That’s what we want. A healthy, fit body that maintains weight properly.
The last thing I do is track. I used to track everything but after a while I know what I can and cannot do or tolerate. BUT, I still bring tracking back every so often because it is easy to fool myself – “Yeah, that looks like a cup” – no, girl, that’s 2 cups easily. I don’t like weighing myself but I do that now and then, pictures are best as is the tape measure. Use it.
It’s important to emphasize that sustainable weight loss is not just about calorie restriction. It is about building a life and eating in a way that makes you THRIVE! Remember healthy weight loss happens as a result of that.
Here is a guide that can help you with this
I do have a guide available that can help you create this in your life. It is a self study, do it at your own pace. Filled with ideas, tips and tricks. Ways to change your mindset on all of this, and see the bigger picture of how to be healthy and thrive. It is $22.97 and you can buy it HERE I hope you do buy it because it is helpful.
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. I am sharing what has worked for me and a number of people I work with. Your needs and results may be quite different so please check with your trusted healthcare provider before making lifestyle changes. This is not medical advice. And even though I am a holistic nutritionist, I am not your nutritionist.
