02/11/2024
This is an excellent read from Susan Birch - The Health Detective about calorie restriction and weight loss:
Thanks for the feedback on my last newsletter. I was asked to share this on FB - here you go.
It's that time of year again! The sun's shining (well, not while I'm writing this), the days are longer, and you’re probably digging out your shorts and tees from the bottom drawer, only to be hit with a realisation - “I need to do something before the beach and BBQ season!”
I know it's tempting to jump straight into dieting and exercise when you’re feeling the pressure to get into shape fast. But before you slash your calories and join the jogging club or boot camp, let’s talk about how reducing calories too quickly can do more harm than good - and what to consider instead.
The problem with cutting calories and increasing exercise
When you cut your calorie intake too drastically, particularly if you also increase your exercise - your body doesn’t see this as a quick way to drop a few kilos of body fat.
Instead, it goes into survival mode. You might lose weight initially, but there’s a hidden cost: muscle loss, a slower metabolism, nutrient deficiencies, and hormonal imbalances.
This is a genetic adaptation we’ve inherited from our ancestors. It's designed to help us conserve energy during food scarcity to keep us alive. While this might have been essential for survival back then, it works against our efforts when we’re trying to achieve sustainable fat loss today.
One of the main issues is that when you lose weight rapidly in this way, up to 40% of the weight loss comes from your muscles rather than body fat. Losing muscle is a big problem because muscle burns more calories than fat. Muscles are also important hormone-signalling organs, so losing muscle interferes with these vital functions.
Losing muscle means your metabolic rate drops, leading to fewer calories burned throughout the day. Muscle loss speeds up even more when you combine a severe calorie deficit with lots of endurance exercise. Our bodies will conserve energy by reducing muscle because carrying less weight makes it easier to endure longer activities.
Although you might burn a lot of calories during these workouts, the end result is a slower metabolism. You’ll need to eat less and run further to stay in the same place. Over time, this makes it harder to continue losing fat, and whenever you eat a bit more or don’t exercise as much, you’ll regain body fat rather than muscle.
Why slow and steady wins the race
What’s the alternative? Slow, sustainable change. I know it’s not as appealing when you want quick results, but you’ll look and feel better in the long term.
Before deciding on a calorie deficit, you’ll need to know how many calories you eat daily. Anything below 1500-1800 for women and 2000-2200 for men is not enough. Spend a week or two tracking your calories to get an overview of what you're doing.
If you're eating less than this, particularly if you’re doing endurance exercise, the SECRET to sustained fat loss and better body composition is to train your metabolism to speed up. That means taking care of your muscles.
I know this sounds counterintuitive to everything we hear and can be scary. You’ll need to slowly increase your calorie intake and lift some weights to send a muscle-building signal to your body. Focusing on protein at each meal will help.
On the other hand, if you’re eating too many calories, reduce them very slowly over a few weeks, again focusing on prioritising protein at every meal and adding in some muscle-building exercises. You’ll know you’ve hit the sweet spot when the scales stay much the same, but your clothes fit better and everyone congratulates you on how good you are looking.
This is Adrienne Osuna, at the same weight with a different body composition!
Doesn't she look fantastic?
I'd love to hear how you're getting ready for summer. Let me know if I can help in any way.
