Although gaining weight often takes place slowly over the years, people who decide to go on a diet want to lose the weight quickly. Weight gain occurs when you take in more calories than you burn off each day, and the reverse is true for weight loss. Cutting back calories radically to lose more weight has side effects, though, which actually hinder the process.
What Metabolism Does
Metabolism is the process a body uses to convert calories eaten into energy available. Everybody has a metabolism, and the rate or speed of each person's metabolism depends on genetic makeup and lifestyle. When you consume more calories than you need in a day, your body stores the excess as fat.
Problems
One problem with losing weight too fast is losing water weight rather than losing fat. The initial water weight loss usually returns in a week or two, which might prompt you to restrict your food intake even further. But if you cut calories too radically, your body perceives a starvation threat.
Reactions
In response to this perceived starvation threat, your metabolism slows down to compensate for the lack of calories available to it. When you exert yourself, your body reacts to the demands for energy by actually breaking down muscle tissue. The body also reacts by storing food as fat as a defense mechanism against potential starvation. You tire easily and cannot exercise as much as before the calorie deficit. You might sleep more, which can lead to a further drop in metabolism. A slower metabolism means you burn off calories even more slowly than before.
Prevention/Solution
Preventing metabolism slowdown during dieting means making smaller changes and accepting the fact that healthy weight loss takes time. One hour per day of moderate exercise is the recommended amount for weight loss, but any amount of exercise helps in the effort, according to the Merck Manual website. In addition to burning calories, exercise boosts cardiovascular health, encourages muscle growth and helps boost metabolism--thereby fueling gradual and healthy loss of fat tissue.
Considerations
Check with your doctor before starting a diet or change in exercise routine. Fad diets that promise rapid weight loss do not provide lasting results and might be dangerous. Severely obese people might have existing health problems and should always diet under a doctor's supervision, according to the Mayo Clinic website.
Member Comments