We’re all familiar with the age-old concept of “calories in versus calories out” right?
That’s how we’re told it’s meant to work when it comes to burning body fat. But if this is true, then why doesn’t it work for so many people? Or are those people just weak-minded excuse-making types who actually bathe in ice cream behind closed doors?
Well, in basic theory, “calories in/calories out should work. When our body and metabolism is functioning optimally then this equation delivers efficient fat loss, no questions about it. Go science, go.
But how long will we keep dropping body fat until we hit a brick wall?
I ask this because from my own personal experience, and working with our clients, basically everyone hits a point where eating less no longer works.
And to top it off, often people find their energy plummets, their more moody, sleep quality is poor, and the drive to exercise often fades.
If you can relate to any of this, its more than likely that metabolic adaptation, or damage in some instances has taken place. The only way to repair it, start feeling better, and getting results again, is by implementing something called reverse dieting which I’ll talk about later on.
Did you know your body fights against fat loss?
Without getting too sciency, lets quickly talk about our metabolism. The best thing to keep it burning strong is to feed it constantly with nutritious whole foods.
But when we don’t give our body enough of what it needs (food), eventually it down regulates and slows down – becoming the all too common sluggish metabolism. The body does this to make sure that more critical survival mechanisms can still take place like managing our cortisol (stress). Now even though you may not feel overly stressed, the reality is most of us live highly stimulated lifestyles, and we are often malnourished due to any assortment of issues.
So when we don’t eat enough food, we burn less energy while at rest. The major hormones influenced in these adaptations includeleptin,ghrelin, thyroid hormones, and testosterone, which are all unfavorably affected by weight loss.
In other words, the longer we eat less than what our body is designed to, the more our body will resist it.
So if it feels like your body stops losing weight as you eat less, that’s because it is!
There are a few other things we also need to take into consideration that work against us when it comes to reducing calorie intake.
- Our BMR (energy burnt at rest) decreases
- The thermic affect of food (energy used to eat and digest) decreases
- The energy burned during exercise also reduces.
Basically, losing body fat through less calorie intake is like trying to push a boulder up a progressively inclined hill. It gets moving easy enough as you get started, but every step gets smaller due to the increasing incline. Until it just stubbornly stops climbing no matter how much effort you put into it.
These weight loss countermeasures are what makes it so hard to lose weight and keep it off.
Rejuvenate your metabolism back to life
So, let’s talk about reverse dieting and what we can do to repair our metabolism.
If you’ve been in a restricted calorie phase for a while and you’re about to hit that brick wall, then it’s time to slowly bring your calories up, but so that it doesn’t result in gaining body fat.
Reverse dieting is a structured approach to awakening our metabolism once again. It allows us to feel good, cope with the demands we place on our bodies, and get lean in the process!
3 Critical Steps:
- Slowly push calories back up until your reach your BASE or maintenance calories. Aim for just 100-150 calories per week. How the calories are split up between the macros (protein, carbs and fats) will be dependent on where your body fat % and lean muscle mass.
Unless you are already familiar with this, then it is best done under the supervision of a coach experienced in writing macro plans to minimize fat gain.
- Heavy resistance training – If you haven’t already, stop doing cardio! You need to use training that utilizes big lift “bang for buck” exercises to burn the extra calories from the additional food you’ve started to consume.
You’ll put on a bit of lean muscle, but lose a lot of fat. And the increased lean muscle mass will have further positive impact on your metabolism.
- Be kind to yourself. Physically, mentally and emotionally. Understand this is a journey of controlled weight management and improved metabolic health. It’s not a dramatic way to drop body fat in 7 days! I hope you’re more mindful of your long-term health than that.
For anyone keen to pursue this further, I suggest you educate yourself and when you start a reverse diet, have the perseverance to follow the process through (easier said than done I know!)
This is where working with a knowledgeable trainer can have a major positive impact because they can guide you and support your progress through regular follow-ups of your body fat and lean muscle mass.
It Can Be Tough, But You’ll be the Optimal You
I’m not going to lie. This process takes an open mind, patience and decent amount of knowledge. I know because I went through it myself about 12 months ago.
But you want to know something?
It is so empowering to not fear food, have a healthy appetite, and have lots of drive to train hard. Aside from all that, it’s just great to feel damn good- 95% of the time.
I’ve helped more than a few clients go from little energy and stalled results, to big appetites and leaner physiques.
Once you’ve repaired your metabolism you won’t have to put yourself through the ringer every day just to maintain or lose even the smallest amount of body fat.
And just think about how good it would feel to enjoy generous amounts of yummy nutritious food and not have to worry that you’re putting on weight. It is possible.
Just contact us to arrange a consultation if you’d like more help in regards to this.
