How do you make your metabolism go back to normal after dieting?
March 13th, 2009 | by Diet Advisor |
Starting out asked:
I heard that when you diet your metabolism goes down because your body is slightly starving. How do you make it go back up after dieting? And how do you not exercise as often or as ******** and eat normal and not gain weight without being on a permanent diet?
ROBIN
I heard that when you diet your metabolism goes down because your body is slightly starving. How do you make it go back up after dieting? And how do you not exercise as often or as ******** and eat normal and not gain weight without being on a permanent diet?
ROBIN
5 Responses to “How do you make your metabolism go back to normal after dieting?”
By Archie B on Mar 16, 2009 | Reply
The key is to not starve yourself!
It is possible to lose weight without fasting. All you have to do is replace fatty foods with healthy ones such as fruit and veggies.
Exercise helps too. Depending on your metabolism you should be working out at least every other day. Cardio is your friend.
I’ve stuck to the above regiment and have lost 15 pounds with the help and a pomegranate supplement ( more info at: )
By Ant Boogie on Mar 20, 2009 | Reply
good question!
people in the know, have a remedy for this WHILE dieting.
they implement “cheat meals” or “cheat days” once per week, that spike our metabolism.
they also include strength training in ensure we keep our existing muscle. since muscle keeps our metabolism high.
cardio training also keeps our metabolism moving along.
eating 4-6 meals is good for ur metabolism.
when you say “diet” i think, no food, hunger pains, misery. because that is what most people go through when they “diet”.
but if you do it correctly, you will be full throughout the day! when i cut, i am sooo full before bed, my stomach is stickin out. but guess what? its gone in the morning and so is the fat.
good luck!
By tearsforgod on Mar 22, 2009 | Reply
Unless you drastically restrict calories for a very long period of time, no permanent damage is done to your metabolism. I challenge anyone to dig up a study to prove otherwise.
That said, get a post-diet sluggish metabolism back on track while increasing calories, you should slowly add calories into your diet over the course of a few weeks, while INCREASING your exercise levels. Keep an eye on the scale and on your measurements.
The idea is to keep increasing calories while staying at the same weight. You will be increasing the rate of tissue turnover (read:metabolism) through all the exercise, while getting your body accustomed to a much higher food intake. After you have maxed out your exercise (6-8 hours a week), cut back on the exercise and your food intake just a bit, and then just monitor your progress to make sure you are not gaining or losing weight.
This is also a good strategy to use for a couple of weeks BEFORE going on a fat loss diet to get your metabolism really revved up before you reduce calories.
By Tofo on Mar 23, 2009 | Reply
You are absolutely right, your metabolism slows anytime you go 20% or more under your maintainence level caloric intake for an extended period of time.
The trick that I have used with great success is simply identifying what your base caloric level is (based on Basal Metabolic Rate) and eat for that on a daily basis.
If you really want to kick your metabolism into overdrive, try eating above that number on days in which you workout, and about 20% less on days you dont.
This will keep your metabolism efficient, let you stay on a weekly caloric deficit, and allow you to workout with intensity and drive you are used to when not “dieting.”
The trick is to change your lifestyle. Not easy, but worth it.
By Healthy Helen on Mar 25, 2009 | Reply
f you have been dieting or skipping meals your body’s metabolism slows down to compensate for the lack of nutrients. When lean people overeat their metabolism speeds up and when obese people diet their metabolism slows down. The key is a balance of exercise and diet.
Aerobic exercise, like walking, swimming or cycling, has the added bonus of speeding up your metabolism for 4 to 8 hours after you stop exercising. Additional calories will be burned off long after you stop exercising.