Is your metabolism broken from dieting?

People often think that their metabolism has been broken from over dieting.  The phrase has been banded about all over social media by diet gurus who then proceed to push their ‘metabolism fixer’ program or supplements.Is your metabolism actually broken though?  Does it really need fixing?In this article I’d like to challenge your thinking and show you that while dieting and exercising is a proven way to lose body fat, sometimes you need to take a step back.  It’s very easy to stay in our own bubble and be afraid of eating more when eating less has brought you results so far.It’s easy to keep on exercising more and to reduce food even more.  Eventually though this will lead to ill health and exhaustion.You know this deep down and it might scare you a bit that there’s no solution.I want to give you that solution that will make you happier, healthier, allow you to eat more and still lose weight.Sound good?  Then lets’ get into it.If you’d like to watch or listen instead of reading then scroll to the bottom.

Why your calorie deficit is not working

As you restrict calories and exercise your calorie deficit will increase.  After a while the body recognises that fat is being lost and if that deficit is quite high it will start to put the brakes on.  This happens when metabolic hormones are suppresed such as thyroid and leptin.The reduction in leptin boosts your hunger so that you eat more to increase calorie intake.The reduction in thyroid hormone reduces your calorie expenditure by making you more lethargic and reducing your metabolic rate.In short your body is creating a direct counter to the situation you have created through your diet and exercise.Eventually you stall and no more weight is lost.

Why cutting calories even more isn't the answer

It might sound logical that once weight loss has stalled the answer is to reduce calories more or to increase exercise.In many cases this could actually be the right solution.  Gradual weight loss does result in a lowering of metabolism because you are carrying less weight around.  If you weren’t exercising then I’d suggest that was a sound strategy as weight loss can be achieved from only restricting calories.Exercise does bring some nice adaptions though.  The more you exercise the more efficient your body becomes at using the fuel you put into it.Exercise increases the quantity of enzymes that produce glycogen – your muscle’s main fuel for explosive exercise.  This means you can turn more carbohydrates into serious muscle fuel and there’s less chance of it ending up as body fat in a surplus.Exercise also increases the enzymes in your muscles that process the fat stored in your muscles – called IMTAGs (Intra Muscular Tryglycerides)What this means is that your body becomes a more efficient machine both at absorbing the food you put in and burning that food up as exercise.This in turn means that you can exercise for longer at a higher level providing you’ve got the fuel to do that.