If dieting feels harder every year — and progress stalls despite more effort — this episode explains why.

Dr. Chad Larson unpacks the concept of metabolic adaptation, a normal biological response to calorie restriction that quietly slows metabolism, increases hunger, and makes fat loss harder over time.

This episode reframes plateaus not as failures, but as metabolic feedback, and explains why discipline alone can’t override physiology.

You’ll learn why sustainable fat loss requires restoring metabolic signals — not fighting your body harder.

Key Topics Covered

• Why the calories-in, calories-out model is incomplete
• What metabolic adaptation actually looks like in the body
• How calorie restriction affects thyroid, hunger hormones, and stress hormones
• Why high-discipline individuals are most vulnerable to metabolic slowdown
• The difference between losing weight and losing metabolic health
• Why plateaus are communication — not resistance
• What needs to be fixed before attempting another calorie deficit

Key Takeaways

• Metabolic slowdown is a defense mechanism, not damage
• Plateaus signal adaptation, not lack of effort
• Fat loss without muscle preservation worsens long-term outcomes
• Improving insulin sensitivity and reducing stress restores metabolic capacity
• Biology always wins against willpower

Who This Episode Is For

• People who have tried multiple diets with diminishing returns
• High-achievers who feel their body is no longer responding
• Anyone experiencing fatigue, cravings, or plateaus despite “doing everything right”
• Those looking for a smarter, physiology-based approach to fat loss

Next Steps
If this episode resonated, the problem isn’t you.
It’s the approach.

To stop guessing and identify what’s actually blocking progress:

Take the Metabolic Health Quiz

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