Do you believe a restrictive diet "ruins your metabolism"?
Running_and_Coffee
Posts: 811 Member
Or have you seen any evidence that it does, other than anecdotal?
I ask because I'm only 3 lbs from goal and have been very good at maintaining a healthy weight--it's just vanity lbs. at this point. I'm tempted to go really low in calories and carbs for a week or two and just get those pounds off already...watching the ounces chip off (and sometimes come back) week by week is getting me antsy.
The only thing holding me back is the concept that you "ruin your metabolism" by going too restrictive. Just wondering if this is a real thing or a myth!
I ask because I'm only 3 lbs from goal and have been very good at maintaining a healthy weight--it's just vanity lbs. at this point. I'm tempted to go really low in calories and carbs for a week or two and just get those pounds off already...watching the ounces chip off (and sometimes come back) week by week is getting me antsy.
The only thing holding me back is the concept that you "ruin your metabolism" by going too restrictive. Just wondering if this is a real thing or a myth!
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Replies
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Metabolism adaptation is real, but it doesn't happen in a week or two.
If I went on a crash diet to lose three pounds, my main concern would be just gaining it back as soon as I stopped the excessive restriction. It seems like a bout of misery for not much reward.9 -
Myth.
You can cause many health problems, though. You're young, hopefully it will all work out.0 -
Here, read this @storyjorie. Adaptive thermogenesis probably isn't what you think it is:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1077746/starvation-mode-adaptive-thermogenesis-and-weight-loss/p13 -
If 1/2 lb is less than 1% of your body weight, just keep that as your goal and both accurately and honestly log your food to hit that calorie target every day. You'll eventually get those last 3 lb off without risking adaptive thermogenesis.1
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But remember, even when you do get the last few lbs off, you will still see the "ounces" (or lbs) come back on the scale from day-to-day because our weight is not static. Could it be you are within your maintenance range already?6
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storyjorie wrote: »Or have you seen any evidence that it does, other than anecdotal?
I ask because I'm only 3 lbs from goal and have been very good at maintaining a healthy weight--it's just vanity lbs. at this point. I'm tempted to go really low in calories and carbs for a week or two and just get those pounds off already...watching the ounces chip off (and sometimes come back) week by week is getting me antsy.
The only thing holding me back is the concept that you "ruin your metabolism" by going too restrictive. Just wondering if this is a real thing or a myth!
It's proven, (and logical I might add) that as you lose weight, your metabolism does slow, as an adaption to that smaller mass. Clearly, if you are a smaller person, you need less fuel. I do not believe there is any such thing as "ruining your metabolism", it's simply a fact that you will take a hit on your metabolic rate, when you lose weight. I was just reading a study about this the other day. It stated that as weight was gained back, metabolism returned to the previous level - in that study for those people. But who wants to regain the weight? The best method? Never get fat! Don't let yourself get overweight in the first place. Probably should beat everyone over the head with that science, at a young age. Don't know if it would really make a difference though. People will do what they want to do.
I found this as a good quote from someone's blog:
"To put it simply, someone who is naturally 12% bf will ALWAYS find it easier to stay in that condition compared to someone who had to diet down to that level regardless of the amount of time that may have passed since the dieting phase.
The only "natural" way to completely reverse these adaptations is to simply regain the lost weight. Reverse dieting or anything even remotely related to it is useless and will NOT prevent or help you recover from these adaptations.
"
You'll find plenty of people here that do subscribe to the "ruination" thing though. They will beat you over the head with it.
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'Ruin your metabolism' is a stretch.
Extreme calorie deficits such as fasting will reduce your RMR, yes. Temporary and reversible change though.1 -
Being too restrictive is a bad thing if you do it for a very long period of time. For the amount of time that it would take you to lose 3 pounds? That's not really a concern. The bigger problem is that you'll likely regain them quickly as soon as you go back to eating normally.1
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janejellyroll wrote: »Metabolism adaptation is real, but it doesn't happen in a week or two.
If I went on a crash diet to lose three pounds, my main concern would be just gaining it back as soon as I stopped the excessive restriction. It seems like a bout of misery for not much reward.
That's a real concern. Is that what would happen? Say I lose slowly/maintain on 1350-1500 calories a day, eating a variety of foods (not doing keto or low carb or anything.) Then I drop to 1100-1200 and avoid carbs for a week, probably losing 3 lbs. Would I gain them back if I went back to 1350-1500/regular foods? Isn't 1350-1500 losing or maintenance mode?1 -
storyjorie wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Metabolism adaptation is real, but it doesn't happen in a week or two.
If I went on a crash diet to lose three pounds, my main concern would be just gaining it back as soon as I stopped the excessive restriction. It seems like a bout of misery for not much reward.
That's a real concern. Is that what would happen? Say I lose slowly/maintain on 1350-1500 calories a day, eating a variety of foods (not doing keto or low carb or anything.) Then I drop to 1100-1200 and avoid carbs for a week, probably losing 3 lbs. Would I gain them back if I went back to 1350-1500/regular foods? Isn't 1350-1500 losing or maintenance mode?
you would gain some of it back based on carbs alone.
I allow for a range...my goal is 145 but allow for 5lbs either way.
I've been on the upper end for a while now but not going to do anything "drastic" to lose the weight.
3lbs won't matter a whole lot I don't think...5lbs maybe...;)1 -
storyjorie wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Metabolism adaptation is real, but it doesn't happen in a week or two.
If I went on a crash diet to lose three pounds, my main concern would be just gaining it back as soon as I stopped the excessive restriction. It seems like a bout of misery for not much reward.
That's a real concern. Is that what would happen? Say I lose slowly/maintain on 1350-1500 calories a day, eating a variety of foods (not doing keto or low carb or anything.) Then I drop to 1100-1200 and avoid carbs for a week, probably losing 3 lbs. Would I gain them back if I went back to 1350-1500/regular foods? Isn't 1350-1500 losing or maintenance mode?
You'd lose 3 lbs because, by restricting carbs you reduce your water retained. As soon as you reintroduce carbs, water retention goes back up. Any fat you lost would still be gone and you would be still losing fat, but your weight would come back.4 -
storyjorie wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Metabolism adaptation is real, but it doesn't happen in a week or two.
If I went on a crash diet to lose three pounds, my main concern would be just gaining it back as soon as I stopped the excessive restriction. It seems like a bout of misery for not much reward.
That's a real concern. Is that what would happen? Say I lose slowly/maintain on 1350-1500 calories a day, eating a variety of foods (not doing keto or low carb or anything.) Then I drop to 1100-1200 and avoid carbs for a week, probably losing 3 lbs. Would I gain them back if I went back to 1350-1500/regular foods? Isn't 1350-1500 losing or maintenance mode?
To lose 3 pounds of fat, you'd need to create a deficit of 10,500 calories. One week at 1100 calories doesn't do that, so if you lose more than projected during that one week, it's not real fat loss. It's going to be water weight and will likely come back just as quickly as you lost it.2 -
Alternatively, you can not worry about weight and pick up some heavy weights (if you aren't already) and change how your body looks.2
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Gotcha. Thanks. I'll just keep on doing what I have been doing, then. There are worse things than slowly losing (like slowly gaining.) It would not make sense to lose 3 lbs and then just gain it back...I just can't realistically eat any less than I have been--and I work out a lot, too, and don't eat those calories!! I know I'd lose more quicklyif I regularly ate 1200-1300 a day, all the time, but blech. I just can't!1
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cmriverside wrote: »Here, read this @storyjorie. Adaptive thermogenesis probably isn't what you think it is:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1077746/starvation-mode-adaptive-thermogenesis-and-weight-loss/p1
Great read, thanks!2 -
Golden rule for me is don't do anything you are unwilling to maintain.2
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storyjorie wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Metabolism adaptation is real, but it doesn't happen in a week or two.
If I went on a crash diet to lose three pounds, my main concern would be just gaining it back as soon as I stopped the excessive restriction. It seems like a bout of misery for not much reward.
That's a real concern. Is that what would happen? Say I lose slowly/maintain on 1350-1500 calories a day, eating a variety of foods (not doing keto or low carb or anything.) Then I drop to 1100-1200 and avoid carbs for a week, probably losing 3 lbs. Would I gain them back if I went back to 1350-1500/regular foods? Isn't 1350-1500 losing or maintenance mode?
Let's say you maintain at a certain weight, at 1400 calories a day, and then cut to say, 1200 to lose a couple of pounds. After you lose, you WILL have a new, lower, maintenance number. You certainly cannot eat the same as you did before and keep that weight off, unless you permanently increase your calories expended by increasing exercise.0 -
fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »storyjorie wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Metabolism adaptation is real, but it doesn't happen in a week or two.
If I went on a crash diet to lose three pounds, my main concern would be just gaining it back as soon as I stopped the excessive restriction. It seems like a bout of misery for not much reward.
That's a real concern. Is that what would happen? Say I lose slowly/maintain on 1350-1500 calories a day, eating a variety of foods (not doing keto or low carb or anything.) Then I drop to 1100-1200 and avoid carbs for a week, probably losing 3 lbs. Would I gain them back if I went back to 1350-1500/regular foods? Isn't 1350-1500 losing or maintenance mode?
Let's say you maintain at a certain weight, at 1400 calories a day, and then cut to say, 1200 to lose a couple of pounds. After you lose, you WILL have a new, lower, maintenance number. You certainly cannot eat the same as you did before and keep that weight off, unless you permanently increase your calories expended by increasing exercise.
If she's only talking about losing 3 more pounds, that will hardly make a difference for her maintenance intake.2 -
You aren't going to "ruin" much over a two week period. I'm just a little concerned about this approach to losing three pounds because that same approach might get carried into maintenance, where you will need to lose or gain three pounds occasionally.0
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Short term, no. Long term, yes.
3 lbs? Really? WTF, just let it go. That's probably within the accuracy margin of your scale anyway (meaning if you compared to some NIST-certified scale, your home scale might be off by 3 lbs in the absolute sense but still be accurate for measuring the difference between starting and ending weights, which is of most concern to dieters).2 -
I have personally caused a lot of damage to my metabolism from over a decade of extremely low calorie intake. I've been seeing a metabolic specialist for over a year. My BMR is down to 763. It feels and is virtually impossible and so incredibly frustrating for me to even lose a pound. I would highly caution any restrictive dieting. I thought it was all BS until I woke up one day and kept gaining. It's been a long painful journey ever since. 3 lbs is only 3 lbs. Celebrate each ounce as a victory and don't be so hard on yourself.1
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My aunt (now in her 50's) is convinced she ruined hers by yoyo dieting in her 20's. I've personally witnessed her eat about 500 calories as a snack of corn chips and helluva good dip although she's convinced she eats very little. Small adaptations are normal but you can't "ruin" it long term.3
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By the same logic eating a ton more should make you have a super matablism and we all know thermodynamics doesn't work that way3
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OP, you'll have a maintenance range, not a set number that you'll stay at all the time. Most chose a 3lb-5lb range, so if you're only 3lbs from your goal weight, you're pretty much into maintenance already
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janejellyroll wrote: »Metabolism adaptation is real, but it doesn't happen in a week or two.
This. I zig-zag all the time with success. If I have a day where I blowout my calories, I just make it up the next day by going well under. I've done it by a week as well. The main thing I try to do is not eat junk. To eat their own.
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I have been 2-3 pounds from goal now for 3 weeks. I was about to do the same thing as you, and still may, just not sure how and if. but I understand your frustration.0
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How much have you lost OP, and over what period of time?
Have you calculated your maintenance calories (TDEE) for your goal weight?
How big of a deficit are you eating at now, and does your rate of loss support that (ie if at a 500 cal deficit, are you losing 1lb/week)?
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fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »storyjorie wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Metabolism adaptation is real, but it doesn't happen in a week or two.
If I went on a crash diet to lose three pounds, my main concern would be just gaining it back as soon as I stopped the excessive restriction. It seems like a bout of misery for not much reward.
That's a real concern. Is that what would happen? Say I lose slowly/maintain on 1350-1500 calories a day, eating a variety of foods (not doing keto or low carb or anything.) Then I drop to 1100-1200 and avoid carbs for a week, probably losing 3 lbs. Would I gain them back if I went back to 1350-1500/regular foods? Isn't 1350-1500 losing or maintenance mode?
Let's say you maintain at a certain weight, at 1400 calories a day, and then cut to say, 1200 to lose a couple of pounds. After you lose, you WILL have a new, lower, maintenance number. You certainly cannot eat the same as you did before and keep that weight off, unless you permanently increase your calories expended by increasing exercise.
If she's only talking about losing 3 more pounds, that will hardly make a difference for her maintenance intake.
It will make a difference. I did not say it would make a substantial difference.0 -
WinoGelato wrote: »How much have you lost OP, and over what period of time?
Have you calculated your maintenance calories (TDEE) for your goal weight?
How big of a deficit are you eating at now, and does your rate of loss support that (ie if at a 500 cal deficit, are you losing 1lb/week)?
I am and have always been at a "healthy" and even a "happy weight." This for me is about getting better control over yo-yoing.
I have not lost much--I slowly put on a few (5) pounds over about six months from June to January, and have slowly lost three of them since February. I'm sort of more of a "maintainer" than a "loser," which might make me an oddity--my overall goal has been to find a way to figure out how to manage special occasions/business trips by eating less on non-special days, because every time I have a cluster of holidays or business travel, I end up in this healthy binge/restrict cycle. Yes, I want these last 3 lbs gone, but beyond that, I want to not regain them.
Calculators tell me otherwise, but for me personally, I seem to maintain at 1600-1900 calories while exercising 5-6 days a week. I know that seems really low, but I have been tracking on MFP for years. And I'm over 40. It just seems to be my reality.
I am losing less than .5 a week but am eating pretty close to maintenance, 1350-1500 a day with 1-2 days at maintenance. I don't eat anything "extra" for working out.
Previously, to lose 1 lb a week required eating 1200-1300 calories a day without a "cheat" meal. I know this works but would rather not go that route as I think it's what started my "cycle" in the first place!0 -
storyjorie wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »How much have you lost OP, and over what period of time?
Have you calculated your maintenance calories (TDEE) for your goal weight?
How big of a deficit are you eating at now, and does your rate of loss support that (ie if at a 500 cal deficit, are you losing 1lb/week)?
I am and have always been at a "healthy" and even a "happy weight." This for me is about getting better control over yo-yoing.
I have not lost much--I slowly put on a few (5) pounds over about six months from June to January, and have slowly lost three of them since February. I'm sort of more of a "maintainer" than a "loser," which might make me an oddity--my overall goal has been to find a way to figure out how to manage special occasions/business trips by eating less on non-special days, because every time I have a cluster of holidays or business travel, I end up in this healthy binge/restrict cycle. Yes, I want these last 3 lbs gone, but beyond that, I want to not regain them.
Calculators tell me otherwise, but for me personally, I seem to maintain at 1600-1900 calories while exercising 5-6 days a week. I know that seems really low, but I have been tracking on MFP for years. And I'm over 40. It just seems to be my reality.
I am losing less than .5 a week but am eating pretty close to maintenance, 1350-1500 a day with 1-2 days at maintenance. I don't eat anything "extra" for working out.
Previously, to lose 1 lb a week required eating 1200-1300 calories a day without a "cheat" meal. I know this works but would rather not go that route as I think it's what started my "cycle" in the first place!
But if you are more of a "maintainer" then surely you have a normal weight range that you fluctuate within, right? 3 lbs is usually well within a reasonable range for women. Now, you may be 3 lbs above the top end of your range, and if that's the case, and you want to lose a little to get back on the other side of that range, that's understandable. But based on what you've described with a repeated pattern of yo yoing, I don't think going with an aggressive deficit to lose the weight, only then to go back to your maintenance calories, is going to work for you. I think you'll rebound, maybe not the full 3 lbs, but some of it.
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