"Since I cut calories, my body is holding on to the weight."
"I have been on my diet for a week and I still haven't lost weight!"
"I must be in 'starvation mode,' so my body is storing everything I eat."
These are quotes that I hear a lot. Not necessarily from my clients, but overheard at the mall, or in general conversation when people learn I am a trainer. Even worse, I read articles encouraging this line of thought in popular magazines.
Before you continue reading this, you must understand that I cannot possibly explain the entire human metabolic process in one brief blog.
There is some faint truth behind the quotes above, but the truth is misunderstood, and thus misapplied. I hope to put some perspective on what actually happens when you cut your calories.
- The most basic of truths is this: if you are not eating enough calories, you WILL lose weight. If you wish to dispute that you will need to explain anorexics, runway models and the people living in poverty around the world who starve to death. They are not eating enough calories, yet they consistently lose weight and ultimately die if there is no intervention. What makes their physiology different than any other human's? It's not.
- Your body does not want to lose weight. Or gain weight. Your body fights constantly to maintain homeostasis. In other words, your body wants to stay right where it is, in a predictable state. The body runs most efficiently when food intake is balanced (consistent meals) & energy output is balanced (regular schedules). Think of it like a business: businesses run efficiently when inventory sells in a predictable manner and customers visit at predictable times. The manager knows how much stock to buy and when to buy it. He knows how many registers to have open and when to close up shop.
I can write volumes on homeostasis but we will have to leave it at that explanation for now. I hope you can see how if you drop your calories lower than what you have been eating, it will take some time for your Body Manager to adjust his plans accordingly. At first, he will try to keep things the same: same staff levels, same inventory levels because he thinks this will blow over. In your body, that means you feel more hunger pangs or you breath heavily in a light workouts (assuming you just started working out). Over time, assuming the original change is still in place, your body adjusts (less hunger, more efficient breathing & sweating, yada, yada, yada). (check out the chart & explanation below)
- Your body will attempt to preserve fat storage when in starvation mode. Let's define starvation mode. Starvation mode is clinically defined as at least 3 consecutive days of fewer than 1200 calories each day. After this time, the body will shift its search for energy sources from fat to muscle! However, lean tissue is not its ONLY source of energy. The body will still utilize fat storage, just to a lesser extent. And you will still lose weight through the loss of lean mass.
- Fat burns in a carbohydrate fire. You have heard of the low carb diets and how they supposedly force your body to use fat for fuel. Here's the kicker: you can't burn fat without carbs. The metabolic system used to burn fat simply won't work without a little help from their friends The Carbs. Sure there are a few carbs included in those diet plans, but your digestive system and your brain get first dibs. If you don't have enough left over, then you aren't burning fat, you are burning lean mass. But yes, you would ultimately lose weight. Just don't expect to eat normally again and keep that weight off.
- Lean tissues (proteins) are TOO IMPORTANT to lose. Here is a key point: too long in starvation mode and the body will revert back to using fat storage as a primary source of energy. Proteins make up the structures in our bodies...not just our muscles. Our cell membranes require proteins to function as cell membranes. If we don't have cell membranes, we don't exist. If you don't exist, then you will lose weight.
- Light bodies require fewer calories than heavy bodies. Your body has ways of trying to maintain its current state, but ultimately, without the proper number of calories to manage its energy requirements, your body has no other choice but to reduce its size. If you eat properly (by including carbohydrates & without starving), and exercise (especially resistance-based) then you will be able to tap into your fat storage for energy, maintain your lean mass, AND lose weight! After all, the lean mass helps you burn more calories while becoming a more compact size. People who eat too few calories will lose weight through their fat stores and their muscle. That's what you call "skinny fat."
I made the graph below to help illustrate why homeostasis causes you to have to stick to a new lifestyle plan for a reasonable amount of time. I recommend at least two months before you try to change to a different plan. You should see improvements before then, but depending on how "out of whack" you were to begin with, it may take longer. I had a client who took SIX WEEKS of consistently following a plan before she saw improvement in her weight. Mind you, she saw improvements elsewhere: stamina, energy, mood.... After that initial six weeks of a weight stalemate, she lost 40 pounds in 5 months! All while eating a diet of about 1500 calories! She is not starving herself and I do not approve of low calorie diets!
So tell me: what is the longest you have consistently stuck to a weight loss (or weight gain) program? Did you give the plan enough time for your body to adjust? I would love to hear about your experiences with it.
