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Metabolism "healing" or going back to "normal"

Travis_GM
Travis_GM Posts: 141 Member
in Debate Club
Hello all!

I was wondering what the science says about how long it takes for your metabolism to go back to "normal" levels after dieting but now eating maintenance calories? I know McDonald claims something like 7-14 days, anyone have any other claims??

Oh, and PLEASE back up your reasoning. I'm not exactly interested in gut-feelings or anecdotal experiences. Thank you!!
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Replies

  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    Could you please post the McDonald claim ref.

    Cheers, h.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited October 2016
    Post the link cause I found something different in following some of Lyles' work.

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/another-look-at-metabolic-damage.html/

    Now where the 7 - 14 days you are referring to may be in a different article.
  • nchrty
    nchrty Posts: 57 Member
    Where is your research that it takes 7-14 days? This McDonald reference you make--where is the article? Are you talking about McDonalds fast food? Or is this a person named McDonald? Or are you just going by your gut-feelings or anecdotal experiences?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    sijomial wrote: »
    YOLOboi19 wrote: »
    Oh, and PLEASE back up your reasoning. I'm not exactly interested in gut-feelings or anecdotal experiences. Thank you!!

    You really can't debate when all you are offering is your anecdote or gut-feeling interpretation of an unknown article. :)

    Add in the fact that there are loads of variables and how is the baseline even measured.
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    I'm working from memory here but I've seen Lyle McDonald talk about leptin levels requiring >2 at maintenance days to return to normal and I've seen him mention metabolism slow down from dieting be rectified after several days at maintenance. But I can't remember seeing a specific 7-14 day claim.
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    nchrty wrote: »
    Where is your research that it takes 7-14 days? This McDonald reference you make--where is the article? Are you talking about McDonalds fast food? Or is this a person named McDonald? Or are you just going by your gut-feelings or anecdotal experiences?

    OP means Lyle McDonald : http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/

  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    YOLOboi19 wrote: »
    Hello all!

    I was wondering what the science says about how long it takes for your metabolism to go back to "normal" levels after dieting but now eating maintenance calories? I know McDonald claims something like 7-14 days, anyone have any other claims??

    Oh, and PLEASE back up your reasoning. I'm not exactly interested in gut-feelings or anecdotal experiences. Thank you!!

    please back up your reasoning...
  • Travis_GM
    Travis_GM Posts: 141 Member
    edited October 2016
    First off, I've done loads of research. Please don't assume that I haven't. If you want to see my reasoning, just ask like the other members have. This isn't for a school paper or some other thing I have to write but am too lazy to do the research myself
    .
    Secondly, the article I was referencing is: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html/. He mentions in there how it may take up to 7 days for thyroid levels to go back to normal. He also mentions the 10-14 (not 7, typo in original post) day diet break for everything to normalize that I mentioned.

    Third, I'm talking of Lyle McDonald.
    And no, what I mentioned in my question is not anecdotal, I read it through Lyle's website linked early from another member on here and the link I posted here
  • CipherZero
    CipherZero Posts: 1,418 Member
    edited October 2016
    It depends entirely what you mean by "normal" as well as what you mean by "abnormal". The fact in your n=1 case may be your metabolism was never abnormal in the first place.
  • Travis_GM
    Travis_GM Posts: 141 Member
    gothchiq wrote: »
    Holy crap. That site is fascinating. *especially* in comparison to the stuff I'm doing at work right now. Gothchiq must not procrastinate from work by reading recomp articles. Gothchiq must save fitness reading for after work. unggggh.

    Yeah I found out about Lyle McDonald through a different post on here and have been hooked ever since. The guy is a fitness genius of sorts.
  • jolive7
    jolive7 Posts: 283 Member
    I would think it would vary depending on how long you were eating low calories, your activity level etc etc but 7 - 14 days sounds too short to me. I know some people spend years
  • Travis_GM
    Travis_GM Posts: 141 Member
    Aaron_K123 wrote: »
    I'm pretty sure science says your metabolism doesn't change when you are dieting. You become smaller so you require fewer calories but the only way that goes "back to normal" is if you put the weight back on.

    Well if you read the article I linked above to Lyle McDonald's website, the science that he's read has supported the idea that your metabolism does indeed slow down as you diet.
  • ichiban1205
    ichiban1205 Posts: 1 Member
    RoxieDawn wrote: »
    Post the link cause I found something different in following some of Lyles' work.

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/another-look-at-metabolic-damage.html/

    Now where the 7 - 14 days you are referring to may be in a different article.


    Thanks for sharing! This is eye opening. I can now understand why some coaches say not to focus on counting calories, but to focus on eating healthy foods, and a couple of cheat meals. But TBH, it is so hard to change that mindset when all you've know for the longest time is to cut calories in order to lose weight. So then what is the answer? How can I lose weight if low calorie diets are out of the equation and according to the article too much cardio does not help either? Strength training? And so, if I eat "healthy foods" then is ok not to count calories?... hmm, now I'm realizing this is out of topic, sorry! but anyway please guide me in the best direction that you can :)
  • Travis_GM
    Travis_GM Posts: 141 Member
    ichiban1205 wrote: »
    RoxieDawn wrote: »
    Post the link cause I found something different in following some of Lyles' work.

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/another-look-at-metabolic-damage.html/

    Now where the 7 - 14 days you are referring to may be in a different article.


    Thanks for sharing! This is eye opening. I can now understand why some coaches say not to focus on counting calories, but to focus on eating healthy foods, and a couple of cheat meals. But TBH, it is so hard to change that mindset when all you've know for the longest time is to cut calories in order to lose weight. So then what is the answer? How can I lose weight if low calorie diets are out of the equation and according to the article too much cardio does not help either? Strength training? And so, if I eat "healthy foods" then is ok not to count calories?... hmm, now I'm realizing this is out of topic, sorry! but anyway please guide me in the best direction that you can :)

    Why are low calorie diets out of the question? That's the best way to lose weight. McDonald suggests a high protein diet (at least 1.2 grams of protein per pound of lean body weight), then as low as you can go with carbs and fat with a good weight training program. Follow all of that and voila! You'll lose weight
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    ichiban1205 wrote: »
    RoxieDawn wrote: »
    Post the link cause I found something different in following some of Lyles' work.

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/another-look-at-metabolic-damage.html/

    Now where the 7 - 14 days you are referring to may be in a different article.


    Thanks for sharing! This is eye opening. I can now understand why some coaches say not to focus on counting calories, but to focus on eating healthy foods, and a couple of cheat meals. But TBH, it is so hard to change that mindset when all you've know for the longest time is to cut calories in order to lose weight. So then what is the answer? How can I lose weight if low calorie diets are out of the equation and according to the article too much cardio does not help either? Strength training? And so, if I eat "healthy foods" then is ok not to count calories?... hmm, now I'm realizing this is out of topic, sorry! but anyway please guide me in the best direction that you can :)

    Now read this article by the same author (Lyle McDonald): http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/you-are-not-different.html/
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,324 Member
    I read advice on a well respected website on how exercise/cardio doesn't really work for weight loss. They listed a few reasons.. like the body adjusts to the exercise and people over eat after and over estimate the calories burned.


    Well, it is working for me.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    YOLOboi19 wrote: »
    First off, I've done loads of research. Please don't assume that I haven't. If you want to see my reasoning, just ask like the other members have. This isn't for a school paper or some other thing I have to write but am too lazy to do the research myself
    .
    Secondly, the article I was referencing is: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html/. He mentions in there how it may take up to 7 days for thyroid levels to go back to normal. He also mentions the 10-14 (not 7, typo in original post) day diet break for everything to normalize that I mentioned.

    Third, I'm talking of Lyle McDonald.
    And no, what I mentioned in my question is not anecdotal, I read it through Lyle's website linked early from another member on here and the link I posted here

    I don't think he's saying to take a diet break to heal the metabolism but to take a break to allow leptin, insulin, thyroid hormones, etc. levels to come back up. There's nothing that reads to me as if something is broken, just naturally somewhat depleted.
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    edited October 2016
    arditarose wrote: »
    YOLOboi19 wrote: »
    ichiban1205 wrote: »
    RoxieDawn wrote: »
    Post the link cause I found something different in following some of Lyles' work.

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/another-look-at-metabolic-damage.html/

    Now where the 7 - 14 days you are referring to may be in a different article.


    Thanks for sharing! This is eye opening. I can now understand why some coaches say not to focus on counting calories, but to focus on eating healthy foods, and a couple of cheat meals. But TBH, it is so hard to change that mindset when all you've know for the longest time is to cut calories in order to lose weight. So then what is the answer? How can I lose weight if low calorie diets are out of the equation and according to the article too much cardio does not help either? Strength training? And so, if I eat "healthy foods" then is ok not to count calories?... hmm, now I'm realizing this is out of topic, sorry! but anyway please guide me in the best direction that you can :)

    Why are low calorie diets out of the question? That's the best way to lose weight. McDonald suggests a high protein diet (at least 1.2 grams of protein per pound of lean body weight), then as low as you can go with carbs and fat with a good weight training program. Follow all of that and voila! You'll lose weight

    Lyle wrote the protocol for the safest way to crash diet. He never recommends that the average Joe should just go and lose weight this way. I read the book and applied his ideas to what I considered an aggressive deficit (no where NEAR as low as he suggests), and it was pure hell.

    To lose weight, just eat at a moderate deficit. Enjoy life and food.

    I've run a 12 day stint on RLD - I can attest, it IS Hell. The re-feed was fun, but from day 4 on wards I was just dreaming of carbohydrates and everything was a grind. I was tired, cranky, and powering through my days on coffee and will power. I remember one day calculating how many waking hours i had left until my re-feed. :(

    EDITED TO ADD - oh, and muscle cramps - I had plenty of those despite K and Mg sups. The cramps in my feet were daily and work me up in the night on a couple of occasions.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    edited October 2016
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    YOLOboi19 wrote: »
    ichiban1205 wrote: »
    RoxieDawn wrote: »
    Post the link cause I found something different in following some of Lyles' work.

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/another-look-at-metabolic-damage.html/

    Now where the 7 - 14 days you are referring to may be in a different article.


    Thanks for sharing! This is eye opening. I can now understand why some coaches say not to focus on counting calories, but to focus on eating healthy foods, and a couple of cheat meals. But TBH, it is so hard to change that mindset when all you've know for the longest time is to cut calories in order to lose weight. So then what is the answer? How can I lose weight if low calorie diets are out of the equation and according to the article too much cardio does not help either? Strength training? And so, if I eat "healthy foods" then is ok not to count calories?... hmm, now I'm realizing this is out of topic, sorry! but anyway please guide me in the best direction that you can :)

    Why are low calorie diets out of the question? That's the best way to lose weight. McDonald suggests a high protein diet (at least 1.2 grams of protein per pound of lean body weight), then as low as you can go with carbs and fat with a good weight training program. Follow all of that and voila! You'll lose weight

    Lyle wrote the protocol for the safest way to crash diet. He never recommends that the average Joe should just go and lose weight this way. I read the book and applied his ideas to what I considered an aggressive deficit (no where NEAR as low as he suggests), and it was pure hell.

    To lose weight, just eat at a moderate deficit. Enjoy life and food.

    In reading Lyle's support forums, most of the people doing his diet are extremely lean people (e.g. bodybuilders) trying to get even leaner. They're at the point where their body is fighting hard against losing any more fat and they have to resort to more advanced/unconventional methods.

    It's a very effective protocol, but the vast majority of people who've done it speak of the diet as being very difficult to adhere to and not pleasant in the least. I'd say "pure hell" sums it up pretty well, LOL. It's also done in the very short term, not intended to be a long term solution for weight loss.

    I've done it.

    Pure hell is about right.

    I may never look at egg whites the same way again in my life.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    I have done an 11 day Cat 1 run of RFL. It was by no means fun but I did make more progress in those 11 days than I could have done in 6-8 weeks on a slight deficit.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    StealthHealth wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    YOLOboi19 wrote: »
    ichiban1205 wrote: »
    RoxieDawn wrote: »
    Post the link cause I found something different in following some of Lyles' work.

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/another-look-at-metabolic-damage.html/

    Now where the 7 - 14 days you are referring to may be in a different article.


    Thanks for sharing! This is eye opening. I can now understand why some coaches say not to focus on counting calories, but to focus on eating healthy foods, and a couple of cheat meals. But TBH, it is so hard to change that mindset when all you've know for the longest time is to cut calories in order to lose weight. So then what is the answer? How can I lose weight if low calorie diets are out of the equation and according to the article too much cardio does not help either? Strength training? And so, if I eat "healthy foods" then is ok not to count calories?... hmm, now I'm realizing this is out of topic, sorry! but anyway please guide me in the best direction that you can :)

    Why are low calorie diets out of the question? That's the best way to lose weight. McDonald suggests a high protein diet (at least 1.2 grams of protein per pound of lean body weight), then as low as you can go with carbs and fat with a good weight training program. Follow all of that and voila! You'll lose weight

    Lyle wrote the protocol for the safest way to crash diet. He never recommends that the average Joe should just go and lose weight this way. I read the book and applied his ideas to what I considered an aggressive deficit (no where NEAR as low as he suggests), and it was pure hell.

    To lose weight, just eat at a moderate deficit. Enjoy life and food.

    I've run a 12 day stint on RLD - I can attest, it IS Hell. The re-feed was fun, but from day 4 on wards I was just dreaming of carbohydrates and everything was a grind. I was tired, cranky, and powering through my days on coffee and will power. I remember one day calculating how many waking hours i had left until my re-feed. :(

    EDITED TO ADD - oh, and muscle cramps - I had plenty of those despite K and Mg sups. The cramps in my feet were daily and work me up in the night on a couple of occasions.

    Yep. I only went as low as 1200 calorise but I did it RIGHT from the bulk. So the surplus to 1200 was painful. And in the end, it didn't work...cuz my *kitten* is weighing the same right now as it did at the end of my bulk :) Lesson learned.

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