What is a damaged metabolism?
Metabolism is the complex, multifactorial process by which your body converts food into energy. A damaged metabolism can lead to a variety of health problems, including weight gain, fatigue, and difficulty losing weight. This is due to the inability of the body to efficiently convert food into energy. In this post, we will explore some of the common causes of a damaged metabolism and what you can do to improve it.
Have you tried counting calories with little or no success?
There's a lot more to weight loss than simply counting calories. In fact, this concept is entirely oversimplified for most. Many people find themselves in a situation where they simply cannot lose any more weight, even though they count every calorie and meticulously track their food. The reasons for this can be complex, many of them related to a damaged metabolism.
The truth this, many of the actions people take to lose weight are the exact things that worsen their metabolic health and lead to problems. If clients cannot lose weight or they continue to gain despite their efforts, I typically see one or more patterns in their dieting and/or lifestyle. Let’s explore the most common ways the metabolism can be damaged:
1. Low-protein diets. This often happens when the person switches to a plant-based way of eating and mistakenly eats too little protein or protein of the wrong sources.
2. "Yo-yo" dieting. This refers to trying many different popular or fad diets. This takes a major toll on the metabolism.
3. Chronic stress. When your body is under stress, it releases a hormone called cortisol, which can lead to weight gain (especially abdominal due to the increase in insulin receptors in that area) and a slowed metabolism. The adrenal glands also become taxed leading to a sluggish metabolism.
4. Lack of high-quality sleep. When you're tired, your body produces more of the hormone ghrelin which makes you feel hungry. It also prevents the hormone leptin (our satiety hormone) from working properly in the brain.
5. Certain medical conditions: hypothyroidism, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and Cushing's disease can cause a damaged metabolism. If you suspect you may have one of these conditions, it's important to seek help with your diet from a medical professional. These are specific cases that require individualized guidance.
6. Chronic undereating. This often occurs when the person is in a calorie deficit long term. The body’s natural defense mechanisms will kick in to upregulate hunger hormones and fat-storing enzymes needed to efficiently convert food to fat stores. This is a natural survival mechanism.
7. Fasting. Fasting can be a very powerful tool, but it's not for everyone. Determining the type of fasting that is appropriate for you is super important. Otherwise, the body will send out too many stress hormones that will halt your weight loss.
8. Excessive cardio or HIIT. Many people think of cardio and HIIT as the ultimate way to burn fat. This is untrue. Weight loss is hormonal and therefore needs the appropriate type of exercise to send the right signals. Not only that, but you need to make sure you are building muscle, not burning it. This is one of the most common mistakes I see in my clients. In my opinion, it's also the most defeating, because it takes a huge amount of effort (and/or time)
9. Very low-fat diets. Fats are critical for hormone production, cell signaling, and brain function. If any of these are compromised, you are setting yourself up for failure.
10. Long term low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets. This causes the body to become a sugar burner and not a very efficient fat burner. This leads to less metabolic flexibility. If you return to eating “normal” again, the body will store fat very easily.
Conclusion
As you can see, both metabolism and weight loss are much more complex than calories alone. Some of the very things that damage our metabolism are the things being promoted by the weight loss industry.
If you find yourself in a situation where you can't lose weight no matter how hard you try, you may need to focus on healing the metabolism. The good news is that a damaged metabolism is reversible with the right plan in place.