MODULE 9 LESSON 6

When you go through a weight and fat loss phase your metabolism does slow down. This is natural, so don't panic. The slowdown is primarily due to 2 factors:
  • Decrease in body weight - You weigh less and therefore need fewer calories to exist.
  • Metabolic Adaptation - The body's ability to down-regulate certain functions and conserve energy.
This lesson will help you understand more about Metabolic Adaptation and the changes that occur as you diet. Metabolic Adaptation may begin to have an effect when you lose more than 10% of your original body weight. Although, this is no hard-and-fast rule.
What does this mean in practical terms? Essentially, your body becomes more efficient with the lower amount of calories you’re consuming. For example, the body may down-regulate subconscious movement and you may feel more lethargic in general, resulting decreased energy expenditure.
In real terms, metabolic adaptation can turn a calorie deficit into a maintenance diet. And these adaptations still occur if you retain muscle mass.
  • Metabolic Slowing with Massive Weight Loss despite Preservation of Fat-Free Mass. Johnannsen et al, 2012 (Full Text)
This isn't Starvation Mode!!!
How to fix your slow metabolism
The best thing to do is make a conscious effort to move more. Now it’s going to be pretty hard to force yourself to fidget, so forget that. But you could actively increase your NEAT. And this is where activity trackers can be really useful. Because they make you consciously aware of how much you’re moving.
So look at your step count on a daily basis and push yourself to get a couple more thousand steps in during the day, because it will make all the difference.
Never use the calories burned to judge food intake because they’ve proven to be pretty inaccurate. Just use it as a prompt to be more active.
After that, you may be looking at increasing cardio in the gym or cutting a few more calories out of your diet, if the makes sense to do so.
What About A Refeed?
Single-day refeeds probably aren’t enough for you to see any significant impact. The research indicates that 3-7 day refeeds are needed to see any physiological benefits.
When planning a refeed, opt to keep dietary fat as low as possible, and increase carbohydrates. Calories can be at, or just above maintenance, during this period. The increased carbohydrate intake can increase leptin, which could make a subsequent dieting phase easier.
  • The roles of leptin and ghrelin in the loss of body weight are caused by a low fat, high carbohydrate diet. Weigle et al, 2003. (PubMed Link)
  • Effects of short-term carbohydrate or fat overfeeding on energy expenditure and plasma leptin concentrations in healthy female subjects. Dirlewanger et al, 2000. (PubMed Link)Increases [plasma leptin] by 28%, & 24h EE by 7%.
    However, BMR was not changed.
There are potentially a number of psychological benefits from a structured refeed. Simply having more calories and more food can provide a much-needed lift to your mood. Making subsequent periods of dieting less of a grind.
You may also experience an increase in NEAT, due to the increase in calories. However, this may only be temporary. NEAT may reduce as and when you revert back to a calorie deficit