Addressing the Slow Elephant In The Room

If you’ve been on diets for any length of time, there comes a point where the weight loss seems to stop or where the diet seems like its quit working. Truth be told, just about any diet will work and they work via various principles (like cutting out wheat, or fat, or what-have-you) though cutting calories is the most common. Some diets focus less on calories, like Atkins, because the diet controls hunger thru an action known as ketosis. The idea being that if you eliminate hunger, food intake will naturally decrease due to lack of hunger. But this is just an example.

Regardless of the diet, over time, extreme rigidity and calorie cutting can cause a decrease in your metabolism, it’s true. Age can also decrease your “burn rate”, but a sedentary lifestyle will also make it slow down. But there are several things you can do to get your metabolic furnace doing again.*

1. Consider getting your RMR tested.This was the single most beneficial thing I did to get my weight under control. Many diets provide a calorie requirement that you are supposed to meet. For many women, it is around 1200-1600 calories per day. When I was first tested, my Basal Metabolic Rate was 1209. So, eating to the number of calories they prescribed had me maintaining weight, not losing it.

   There are two mainstream ways to get tested.

   1. Find a MedGem or BodyGem testing provider. Many fitness facilities have one one. Independent dieticians and nutritionists also have sometimes have them. If you’re in the US, you can try and locate a provider here: http://www.microlifeusa.com/weightmanagementdealers.asp If you live near me, I offer BodyGem RMR testing. =)
   2. DXA (pronounced Dexa) and Bod Pod are two more scientific ways to get statistics. They also measures body fat. So if you’re concerned about fat distribution. these would be the way to go. DXA is one option, but there only seem to be locations in the states. https://www.dexafit.com/dexafit-store-mapper While Bod Pod is the other, with more locations worldwide:

   Once, I had my baseline reading, I had something I could work with.

2. Consider working out or switching up your workouts.The second most beneficial thing I did to not only improve my health, but increase my metabolic rate was workout. Now, I want to caveat this “tip”. First, you can’t out exercise your diet – no matter how many miles you slog. Second, cardio and aerobics won’t really help because you need to build muscle. And third, if exercise is not something you want to commit to for your entire life, then you should probably skip this section all together, because if you don’t continue, you may lose the muscle you’ve gained and revert back to where you were.All of that said, I was able to go from 1209 RMR to roughly 1300 cals with just 3 days a week of a cardio-based workout similar to what you get at Curves. The more muscle you build, the better your metabolism will become, making it easier to lose weight.
3. Consider a food journal.When I was really struggling to lose weight, I felt like I was “doing everything right.” I was eating my prescribed calories per day, no cheating or anything and I wasn’t losing the weight I wanted. It was maddening. In fact, I was pissed off. I cried a lot. LOL But the problem would, according to my support team, typically come down to over-estimating something (like exercise) or under-estimating something (aka food.) So, for a week, I went back to measuring. Coffee, creamer, salsa, dressings, broccoli, everything.

   And guess what I found out?

   My “eyeballed” 2 tbsp of heavy whipping cream was closer to 3 tbsp. My 2 tbsp of dressing was actually closer to 4 tbsp. The old adage “close enough only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades” comes to mind here. Because an extra 2 tbsp of a salad dressing can add almost 200 calories. That little pinch of cheese could be almost 100 calories. And, unfortunately, it does add up. So these days, I don’t always measure, but when things start slowing down or not going at the speed I would like, I go back to basics and start measuring. Every time I have done that, the scale starts moving again.

4. Consider having food allergies or intolerance tested.You know how when you get bitten by a mosquito, you swell up around the bite? That’s due to an inflammation response from your body. Inflammation can be a major source of extra weight and water. Food intolerance and allergies can cause all sorts of inflammation responses in the body. And I’m not just talking about gluten or Celiac or dairy. Those, if they are severe enough, will let you know they are a problem for you by creating cramping, bloating, or diarrhea. But there are other allergies and intolerance issues you may be dealing with.

   When I was tested, my results showed I was potato intolerant and fruit and sugar intolerant. This was a big shock to me. However, excluding potatoes from my diet all but eliminated the psoriasis I was struggling with. If you don’t want to get tested, you can always try an elimination diet for several weeks and see how you do. If you don’t want to make such a drastic change, you could try eliminating the most common culprits: wheat, dairy, corn – but keep in mind that much of the livestock butchered for consumption are brought up eating these foods.

5. Consider cycling.This may sound like I’m suggesting exercise again, but I’m not. The body is designed to maintain balance or homeostasis. And it’s designed to do it as quickly as possible and at any cost. Now, I have this “theory” that if you have been dieting for any length of time, that your body learns to adapt quicker and quicker. Just like anything you practice, you get better and better at it. And let’s be honest, your body doesn’t care about how much you weigh or what you look like in the mirror. It just wants you to survive. So, when you start losing weight rapidly, it has an “oh $#!+” moment, and tries to auto-correct and compensate for the losses. It does this by making you hungrier, and down-regulating your metabolism.

   One way you may be able to offset this is to keep your body guessing (without stressing it out.) If you cycle calories or carbs or whatever you are doing, then they body doesn’t ever fully adapt to what you’re doing. I’m not suggesting a “cheat day”, because for many of us, it works against us by making us store extra water and setting us up for cravings. But sticking to your plan and creating a small uptick or deficit of calories for a day may be enough to get your weight loss train going again.

6. Check your beliefs.There have been numerous books written on belief. The Biology of Belief comes to mind instantly. But the idea is that the body may manifest what we think, and believe about it. So, if you believe you have a slow metabolism, those thoughts may be affecting your metabolism. If you believe that weight loss is hard – then weight loss may be harder than it needs to be. Write down all the beliefs you have around weight loss and your body. (Really.) Then write down all the proof – the ways you know that it’s true. Don’t gloss over it – dive deep. Then tap on it and see if you can get it to change. If you can get to a point where those statements are no longer true for you, you may find your weight loss and metabolism will naturally correct themselves.

I hope this list is helpful to you. If you have any questions, or just want to talk about it, let me know.

* This is a metaphor. The metabolism does not work like a furnace and you don’t really “burn” calories.