Ever wonder why it gets harder and harder to lose weight? Or why you’re finally doing it the right way, but the scale just won’t move?
Dieting… Why is it so hard?
The more you diet, the less likely you are to lose weight – because you lose muscle and gain fat repeatedly — ultimately crashing your metabolism. Some studies have shown that for every 13 pounds lost on a traditional, low-calorie/high cardio diet, six pounds of muscle is lost. That’s almost HALF. In case you didn’t know:
Muscle = metabolism
This means that the more you lose, the slower your metabolism is. Then when (not if) you regain – you gain back FAT ONLY. Every time this process repeats, the fat percentage becomes higher than it was before, while muscle mass drops lower. So, even if you are the same weight you used to be, you’re technically “fatter.” If your weight is higher than it used to be, it begins to seem almost impossible to get the weight off. In some cases, it actually is impossible — if not futile — considering the loss of muscle mass and resulting metabolic crash.
After going through several diets, our goals must change. No matter how much you weigh – the goal (whether you realize it or not – your body does) becomes to “bulk” and build muscle to replace what was lost. Even if you ignore this fact, and attempt to start cutting the right way (eating a proper amount of calories and including some lifting) – your body still wants and needs to do this. When weight training during dieting – even if you’re in a deficit – you WILL gain muscle to replace what was lost. This means that you could sit at an extreme standstill on the scale, until your body has replaced every.morsel.lost… Remember that the scale does not tell the whole story.
Some women may only lose four pounds, yet drop two jean sizes; others may gain several pounds, and drop the same amount on the jeans. Although this is a more than nerve-wrecking experience, STAY.THE.COURSE. Because your only alternative, is to repeat the above course of action – and end right back at square one…gaining MORE fat.
Terrianne hadn’t seen any progress…based on the scale ;) ~Check out her story!~
Still not convinced? This study goes into extensive detail about how each diet leaves our body with less of the metabolism boosting muscle that we need. For those not interested in the 97 pages of details, here’s the meat: women will lose muscle naturally (23% in women between ages 30-70), if they do nothing to preserve it. Diet + cardio = muscle loss (68% fat, 22% muscle). Diet + LIFTING = 97% fat loss, and only 3% muscle loss. Big difference? We think so. When you truly grasp how the fat continually increases (while the muscle stays the same or lessens) between diets, you’ll understand how we diet all our lives, yet end up bigger. Doing it right is so hard to wrap our brains around, but I’d rather have 97% fat loss over 68%. How about you?
So…Is there any hope?
Many women hear of the harmful effects of the dreaded yo-yo diet and throw their hands up in frustration. They either decide that eating properly isn’t worth it, so they go back to overeating (drowning sorrows) or undereating (back to the diet comfort zone). With all this bad news, they feel despair over their hopeless metabolism, and reaching their fat loss goals.
There’s always hope!! You simply have to be JUST as patient with doing things the right way as you were with the quick fixes.
We’ve trained ourselves to have much more faith in doing whatever it takes when the process is quick. Yet our faith wavers when doing the right thing takes “too long.” It really becomes about not looking for the same measures of success that you have in the past, and not putting yourself on those same timetables. Something is always happening, but the amount of patience that we have, and stress that we put ourselves through will come into play. I tell clients that taking on fat loss in the right way – after years of doing it the wrong way – is like going to college. Every time you doubt the process and change something up (unnecessarily) it’s like changing your major mid semester — you add more time to your journey. More time is lost in this process due to the wavering of trust, than to the actual length of time it may have taken with a tad consistency. Add stress/cortisol to the mix, and it’s like taking a full semester (or two…or three) off. Stressing about your journey, and changing things up constantly to make things happen more quickly, usually hurts more than it helps. It never makes them actually happen more quickly (you either stand still or head backwards). Stay the course. Again – it’s tough, but the alternative is worse.
But what if you can’t lift?
Some clients feel hopeless because they have limitations that keep them from being able to lift heavy enough. We are not talking mindset limitations, like “I’m too old/young/fat/skinny, etc…” Those would be considered excuses, not limitations. But others of us may have actual physical limitations, or injuries (permanent or temporary) and doctors orders to not do certain movements. If this is you, you have to work with what you have. Not everyone can lift heavy. Heck, I (Kiki) couldn’t for the past year, due to injury. If the situation is temporary, then keep your protein in check, allow yourself to fully heal, and get back to it when you can. All you can do is the best you can do. Don’t put yourself at risk by taking on more than you can, and don’t put your metabolism at risk by eating less than you need. The healing process is worth it in the end. You’ll be able to lift soon enough (although I personally know how hard it is to wait).
If the situation is permanent, then much of the above still applies. Finding ways to add resistance that works for you will be your key. Just find ways of putting as much resistance on the muscle as you can to maintain what you do have. Feel free to contact us if you need help, putting together a personalized plan for your circumstances.
Feel like you’ll NEVER see changes?
Sometimes it’s really hard to see changes in ourselves that are so obvious to others. My husband, family and friends always see changes in me before I “allow” myself to. My first instinct is to deny that anything is happening until he says it about three to four times…or until someone else says it. Remind yourself to take compliments at face value. Most people have nothing to gain by telling you that “you look amazing” or “like you’ve lost tons of weight.” Instead of saying “no I haven’t” followed by some negative retort (because of your own inner scale struggle), train your mind to just accept that they likely see something that you haven’t allowed yourself to see yet. Take a few moments to allow the compliment to sink in — and remind yourself of it every time you cross paths with a mirror, until the next compliment rolls in (or you find a new one to give yourself).
Learn to see yourself as (or better than!) others do, rather than constantly being your own worst critic.
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Trust me, as a busy momma of five children I understand that feeding a family, presents its own unique challenges. When you are working towards eating for your fitness goals, that can be even more challenging. And if you throw an food-allergic child or two into the mix, things really get interesting!
For years, I allowed these challenges to overwhelm me to the point that I figured there was no way I could possibly lose weight or become fit. I allowed excuse after excuse to creep in, and eventually just stopped trying. Years later, I came to a point where I realized that my excuses finally caught up to me. I had to make a way to embrace my challenges and succeed in the midst of them.
2010 – I’m smiling, but can remember dreading getting family pictures done because I hated the way that I looked. My life has completely turned around!
I’ve been at this for about three years now. After struggling to lose weight despite being on one diet right after the other, I learned that our whole family needed to embrace the changes that I was attempting to undertake. Fortunately, I am blessed with a great support system in my husband and children. Today, all of us are healthier, more active, and happier. Instead of looking at this like a diet, our whole family’s lifestyle changed.
Over the past three years, I have emphasized eating for different goals including powerlifting performance, weight loss, muscle gain, and fat loss. However, our family’s approach to eating has remained fairly consistent.
Below are a few things I’ve learned along the way…
Ditch the Diet Mentality
This sure doesn’t look like a diet to me! Big breakfasts are something our family loves to enjoy together.
There’s no reason that you should have to prepare separate meals for you and your children.
Even if you’re eating enough calories, preparing separate meals tends to make you feel like you’re on a diet. This feeling of mental restriction may actually trigger binge eating.
With a little recipe tweaking, even kid-pleasing family favorites like pizza, tacos and spaghetti can be included into your weekly meal rotation. Simple tweaks like adding a serving of protein, adding more veggies, or trying out a healthier twist on a recipe can ensure that you are hitting your macros. Get creative in the kitchen!
Have a weekly meal plan and stick to it
This can be as detailed as you want! To begin with, I’d recommend coming up with a list of weekly dinners. It may be helpful to ask for some input from your family as you are coming up with your list. I usually keep a list of meals on the refrigerator, and will sometimes ask my family which meal sounds best to them in the morning.
The good, the bad, and the ugly…a typical trip to the grocery store includes lots of whole foods, and plenty of treats too!
If you’re stuck in a cooking rut, you might check out our Pinterest boards for some healthy alternatives to family favorites. Your local library probably has some great cookbooks that you can check out for some new ideas. Trying out a new recipe once a week can be a fun family adventure, and may lead to coming up with some new recipes!
If you are home all day with young children, it may be helpful to come up with a list of breakfasts and lunches that they can select from. Keep some options for easy meals on hand, and as they get older, allow them some freedom to make choices and prepare their own lunches or breakfasts. It’s a great lesson in responsibility. As a homeschool mom whose kids seem to always be hungry, this has been a huge time-saver for me. Now that my oldest three are 13, 11, and 10, they are pretty self-sufficient and usually select pretty healthy meals for themselves.
After you’ve come up with your meal list for the week, make your grocery list so that you have everything on hand you need for a successful week of cooking (and eating).
Plan a day for food prep
After your trip to the grocery store, it may be helpful to do a little food prep make the cooking process a bit faster.
Since you already have all the groceries out, why not take a few extra minutes to think about the meals you have planned for the week ahead. It only takes a few extra minutes after you get home from the store to cut and bag fresh veggies, cook up and freeze some hamburger meat for soups and casseroles, or separate foods into single-serving containers.
I like to do this on grocery shopping day because there are already so many things to put away! I usually prep a few casseroles for the freezer to give myself some quick grab-and-go meals for those busy nights when I don’t have a lot of extra time. I also tend to cook extra meats, rice, potatoes , or vegetables when I am already cooking so that I can re-purpose the leftovers into a whole other meal. Thinking ahead can save a lot of time in the long run!
Don’t keep self-sabotaging foods in the house
At EM2WL, we are all about including all foods into your healthy eating plan. Nothing is off limits! That being said, however, many of us have foods that tend to be triggers to throw caution to the wind. It’s important for each of us to recognize our limits in this department. Keeping a lot of highly processed snack foods in the house “for the kids” may be a recipe for disaster if you are prone to occasional binges. Trust me, the kids will be okay without keeping them in the house. Help them to come up with healthier alternatives for snacks instead! Know yourself and your limits.
Involve your kids in the kitchen
Getting your kids interested in eating healthfully can be as simple as inviting them into the kitchen.
Even my youngest loves brussel sprouts…and dark chocolate chips too…OF COURSE!
Not only does getting them in the kitchen teach them math skills, responsibility, and nutrition, it can also be a fun time spent just with you. Even very young children can help measure ingredients, pour, and stir together a recipe. An older child can be taught to make an entire recipe by themselves and will get tons of satisfaction proclaiming they made dinner “all by myself”! Spending time in the Besides, they are much more likely to try something different if they have helped you prepare it!
Take the time to educate your children about the importance of including all kinds of foods as part of a healthy and balanced diet. These important life skills will serve them well their whole lives!
Don’t completely eliminate treats
Having a moderate and balanced approach to all foods, including treats, is an important part of any successful approach to eating.
Food is fuel, but it is also an important part of our family get-togethers and celebrations. Plan on including some mini-indulgences in your eating plan now and then.
Bake some cookies with your kids. Enjoy a cupcake guilt-free at your little girl’s birthday party. Have a few slices of pizza during family movie night. Enjoy the freedom to pursue your health and fitness goals without sacrificing your sanity! This isn’t a diet, but a lifestyle. Consistency matters! Make choices that allow you to win at consistency.
Becca is a busy wife and homeschooling mother to five children ages 5 to 13. About three years ago, she embarked on a journey to health and fitness that resulted in the loss of approximately 100 pounds. Today, she is a competitive powerlifter and strongwoman who loves ice cream and deadlifts. As an ISSA certified personal trainer, she is passionate about helping women to get started on a lifestyle of strength and fitness.
Once upon a time, working out at home was reserved for the Richard Simmons, Jane Fonda, leotard, thong, leg warmers, aerobics, aerobics, and more aerobics era. But with the explosion of Beachbody and other late night infomercials (are there other infomercials?) most of us have grown to accept a visual of more muscular looking individuals using dumbbells on our home workout screens. This new era of workout videos provides instant access to some of the top trainers of the industry today: Jillian Michaels, Kelly Coffey-Meyer, Jackie Warner, Cathe Friedrich, Chalene Johnson and so many more. The convenience of working out at home can be an amazing thing for the motivated individual, or the person who enjoys the “feel” of being in a class setting (minus worrying that one might be judged by classmates – gasp!! “can you believe she’s wearing those pink pajama pants?!”).
With the (over)abundance of workout vids, we might easily assume that ripped, superfit types (as seen on the videos) are also in great supply. If you are one of the growing number of at-home exercisers (like me), you may be – in fact – wondering when your ripped-ness will arrive. Or, perhaps you’re glumly thinking that you’re the only person on the planet who works your butt off with these annoyingly-ripped-freaks-of-nature, yet still look like you gave birth last week. Grrrr…How is it possible to work your buns off, yet still not be able to fit said buns into those skinny jeans? To collect bucket-loads of sweat from doing 30-Day Shred (for 120 days!), yet have no semblance of becoming “shredded” any time soon?
Whenever you can safely do so, increase weight.
This is typically because, as consumers, we tend to equate sweating with results. Moving nonstop during your workout, doing endless reps, or cardio moves between every lift will surely provide the sweat. Unfortunately, the amount of sweat that you leave behind has little to do with the reshaping of your body. As great as it feels, your body will eventually adapt to ANY workout that you do repeatedly, and you’ll stop seeing results. So should you toss your hopes of getting fit at home and run to the nearest gym? Not necessarily. It’s always great to work with what you’ve got (and I, for one, am not willing to shew my pink PJs just yet).
Here are five ways to make any DVD worth while:
Lift heavier
Make any DVD work harder by simply picking up a heavier weight. Even if you only have one or two DVDs to work with, increasing the amount of weight that you’re lifting is a quick plateau prevention/fix. Just because the people on the screen are using five – eight pounds doesn’t mean that you need to. Pick a weight that challenges you (ie. you can’t do MORE than two reps beyond the amount you’re supposed to be doing) and will bring you the results you’re after. Even if you come up a few reps shorter than “the crew,” you’re all good. Most home workout DVDs have far too many reps for the desired results. For strength gains, lift as heavy as you can for up to seven reps, for muscle building and definition lift for eight to 12 reps, and for endurance (cardio) perform 12+ reps (or as directed by the DVD). For best results, alternate all three rep ranges using weight appropriate for each range.
Train like a pro. Jot down exercises, weights, sets, & reps.
Take Notes
In order to have greatest success with the previous tip, be certain to take a moment to bring a pen and pad with you to the workout area. Jot down the exercises done in the vid, and how much weight you used. Whenever you discover that you could’ve kept going, put an asterisk or other symbol (like an up arrow) to let you know to go up in weight next time. ALWAYS lift heavier if you can safely do so. You’re not doing yourself any favors by using the same weight amounts for months at a time, no matter how much sweating is going down. Also keep track of how many reps you did, so that you can adjust the next time around. If you were able to do 12 pounds for 15 reps, then you know that you’ll need to go heavier if aiming for eight to ten reps next time around. Keeping a journal of your workouts (exercises, reps, sets, and rests) is key to a successful workout, whether at home or the gym.
Press Pause
It’s perfectly acceptable to press pause if the DVD is moving too fast (this will become incredibly relevant when increasing poundage for lifts). When doing circuit type workout vids (a weight move followed by a cardio move – or weighted moves with no rest between sets), it becomes ridiculously hard to lift heavy enough weights. This may tempt us to believe that we can’t go heavier, but this is far from the truth. While I would typically recommend doing a workout via a professional as written the first few times around, this becomes much less relevant the 88th time the video is done. It’s OK to stray from the pro at this point, and pause the dang thing, so that you can get some serious muscle involvement happening. Base your “rest” periods on the amount of weight and reps that you’re doing — just as you would in the gym — using the rep ranges discussed above. The goal of endurance needs very little rest (30 seconds or less) between exercises, muscle building requires slightly longer (30-60 seconds), and strength requires the longest (60-90 seconds). If the crew is doing 15 reps and you’ve chosen to do only six, then consider the “extra” time that they are pumping out reps as part of your rest period.
Moving too fast for you to lift heavy? Pause the dang thing!
Re-purpose “strength” DVDs
As mentioned earlier, most DVDs suggest dumbbells that are far too light, have too many reps, and not enough rest to be considered a true “strength” workout. No problem. Why not change the way that you view your vids and accept the faster paced workouts for what they truly are…cardio! Most so-called strength videos on the market are really just a glorified HIIT workout. So why not treat them as such. Metabolic cardio and HIIT are all the rage these days anyway, so using your old circuit workouts for cardio helps you to cash in on this trend. This also works well as an alternative for the person who can only make it to the gym a couple times per week. Plan your lifting days for when you have access to heavier equipment at the gym, and your cardio (via video) on the days that you can’t make it.
Swap out moves (or equipment)
Could you use a ball for pushups? Sub jackknives for crunches? Allow your mind to wander..
Let’s face it. Doing the same moves day in and day out for three years isn’t gonna “shape and tone” anything no matter how many times your DVD coach has told you so. Just as we get comfortable when we know what move is coming next on the DVD (or what words for that matter!) so do our bodies. And let’s just say that changes don’t happen when you’re comfortable…well, not good changes anyway. Now that you’ve been taking notes on your workouts (ahem?) you can use that same notebook to plot out ways to shake things up. Again, I don’t typically recommend taking a program written by someone who creates them for a living, and adding your own perceived “improvements.” However, if you know at exactly which pitch of the background song that a particular exercise will start…you stopped seeing results from that move many moons ago. There are safe swaps that can be done to most moves so that you are keeping with the general theme of the program’s intent. For example, you can sub the move for a variation of that same move: plie’ squat for regular, step ups or rear/side lunges in lieu of front lunges, hammer curls instead of traditional, etc..
You could also swap out equipment used in the vid, for equipment that you own but rarely use. I can’t count the amount of messages I’ve received from women asking if it’s “OK” to use hubby’s Bowflex, Nautilus, Smith machine, etc down in the basement…umm, YES! Don’t be scared to put someone else’s dust-collecting equipment to use – I did and it changed my life! The Gold’s Gym setup that I currently use in “Kiki’s Cave” is also formerly-known-as “Father’s Day Gift/clothes dryer” lol. Work with what you have. Teen son have an iron gym? Hubby have an old bench and rack? Score! Have some crazy as-seen-on-TV gadget that you just couldn’t pass up? Use. it. Variety is the spice of life, and just may help you get excited about working out to your old DVDs again. Sub out the old-is-new-again equipment for similar body-part movements. Bench press during pushups. Use a rowing apparatus (lat pull-down, rowing machine?) for bent over rows…or better yet, do pull-ups! Grab a Frisbee or gliding disc and do sliding lunges in place of regular. Use your Kettlebell in place of dumbbells, or sub Kettlebell swings (or sandbag cleans – see vid below) for another cardio move for circuit vids.
Take inventory of items you’d love to use, but never do, and allow your mind to wander. The possibilities are endless.
Not everyone can afford the time or finances that a full time gym commitment requires. Workout videos provide a convenient alternative for busy moms, housewives, or students that simply can’t make it to the gym regularly (or at all). With new formats popping up daily — whether via DVDs, downloads, or free sources like YouTube and Fitness Blender — you can make this growing trend work in your favor (and keep getting results!) with a few simple tweaks.
Do you workout with videos? What are your tricks for keeping the results flowing?
My name is Leigh, I’m 29 years old and my journey is not over. I don’t want it to EVER be over.
I was raised in the country by a single mom and two incredible grandparents. They often showed love through food. Biscuits, gravy, mashed potatoes, dumplings, cake. Country foods that men who worked on the farm all day would have no problem consuming and not gaining weight.
Unfortunately, to a sedentary child who preferred watching cartoons all day Saturday instead of going outside, this lifestyle was all wrong.
I’ve been overweight for longer than I can remember.
I remember being on diets. Always. My mom was healthy and active; she would encourage me to be the same way. I remember her trying to get me to go running with her.
I hated running.
We’d go for weeks eating nothing but a salad for dinner.
I hated lettuce. Especially iceberg (still do!).
Then, we tried the cabbage soup diet. Don’t EVER try the cabbage soup diet.
I joined a gym on my own when I started college. Whenever I was actively trying to lose weight on my own and my family members discovered it, it was a constant focus of conversation. “She’s on a diet again.” Eye roll.
When I joined the gym, I remember only telling my grandpa. He was good at keeping secrets and encouraging me in a way that didn’t make me feel like I was a fatty fat fatterson that just needed to eat bird food and run.
I went through cycles of gym time combined with a low-calorie diet – for years. When I turned 21 and discovered alcohol, I drank most of my calories and the weight piled on. Being the fat chick at a party was okay as long as I was drunk. My weight would go up, then down, then up and up some more.
I graduated college in 2006 and made a career choice in 2008 when I began working for a local county government in Public Information. I had to park my car on a hill and I worked on the first floor of the building. That meant four flights of stairs each evening to get to my car. Four flights of stairs to my obese body was … torture. It hurt. I couldn’t breathe. I was embarrassed.
I knew I had to do something. I’d been through the gym/diet continuum and didn’t want to enter a vicious cycle of ups and downs again.
The government office had a small gym equipped with a few free weights, a cable weight machine, an exercise bike, an elliptical and a couple treadmills.
I spent time researching weight loss. One site that popped up was MyFitnessPal.com – a weight loss support community where I could track my intake and my exercise and it was FREE!
MyFitnessPal calculated the calories I’d need to lose two pounds per week. It was the “magical” 1200! I reduced my calories to meet that low. Instead of eggs, bacon and toast for breakfast, I had cereal. Instead of chili and a baked potato for lunch, I had a scant sandwich. Instead of a big meal from a nice restaurant for dinner, I had a 6-inch sub from Subway.
I was still eating “junk” – just not nearly as much of it.
I started to lose weight. I began walking on the treadmill for a few minutes each day, finally working my way up to half an hour. Then, I tested the elliptical. Two minutes and … DONE! I dabbled with some weights (I’ve always favored lifting heavier), but never really picked up a routine.
The first time I stepped on the scale, it stared at me with a hard 280 pounds. I’m unsure of what I weighed before starting to lose; I was too afraid to step on the scale in the beginning.
My weight went down quite a bit. But … I began to binge. A night alone at home would wreak havoc on my entire week. I craved … pancakes. Crackers. Cookies. Cheese. Chips. Research told me I had an “underlying emotional void that I was trying to fill with food.” Bull; I was just HANGRY.
After a few years, my weight stabilized. I tried eating less, working out more, new workouts, gym classes, fasting and other extreme measures. Nothing.happened. Then – I tried eating more. I eventually took my 1200-calories per day up to 1800 and … I lost weight! A few pounds, but still weight! The next week, nothing. That scared me enough to take my calories back down to around 1200.
Finally, after searching and reading, I discovered a group on MyFitnessPal called Eat More 2 Weigh Less (EM2WL). What is this? Eat more and weigh less?! Pfft. Yeah – right!
I checked out some threads in the group. These people were living it; they were lifting heavy weights, eating 2000+ calories per day and … losing fat. A new mindset for me; your scale may not move, but your pants WILL get looser!
After some reading, I decided that since I’d been on a low-calorie diet for SO.FREAKIN’.LONG, I needed to do what the EM2WL group called a “reset.” Calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) and eat there for six weeks to allow your body to adjust and realize – “Hey! You’re not starving me anymore! I don’t have to hold on to every single calorie as fat for later use because I will be fed well regularly!”
The reset brought about an over 25 pound gain. Yes; my body GAINED weight eating what it should’ve required to MAINTAIN.
From there, I went into what is called a “cut.” I began to consume my TDEE minus 15 percent, creating a calorie deficit.
Because of my low-calorie life, it took me quite a while to begin losing weight again. It has not been an easy journey, but with EM2WL, it has become a more enjoyable one. I have delved into education; I read everything I can get my hands on and I have become more in tune with my body. Over the past few years I have discovered I have hypothyroidism (working on dosing with Armour) and am being tested for low cortisol and hormone imbalance with the help of an amazing physician.
Currently, I am the smallest I’ve been (size 14 pants (down from a size 24!!) and size L/XL shirts (down from a 3X!!)). I’m eating around 2000 calories per day of whole, good-for-me foods … with the occasional cupcake for sanity’s sake! ;) I recently began a Facebook page called Living with LA (https://www.facebook.com/living.with.la) to share what I’ve learned over the past five years with anyone who is willing to listen (message me if you have any questions!). I am a heavy lifter, I enjoy being active and no longer binge! I got married on Dec. 14, 2013 and am looking forward to continuing my healthy journey and starting a family.
If you’re battling the 1200-calories-per-day monster and wondering what it would feel like to EAT and continue your journey to health, do your research on EM2WL. The support here is like nothing else.
God bless!
Have you defeated the 1200 calorie diet monster? Have an EM2WL transformation to share? Willing to let us tag along on your journey? Let us know! Be featured on our Transformation/Journey page by submitting your story to Success@EM2WL.com
You’ve made the plunge into a metabolic reset, and you’re determined to stick it out as long as it takes.
You are no longer restricting foods or food groups but learning how to include some new foods into your healthy eating plan. You love the freedom of some extra food. You can go out to eat or enjoy a piece of birthday cake, guilt free. You have more energy, you’re sleeping better at night, and are killing it in the gym. You are prepared to put in the time, so that you can attain your fitness goals without sacrificing your life
But sometimes, you may feel so out of control, and it scares you!
You may not understand why you are feeling this way. After all, while you were restricting your calories, you hardly ever felt hunger. You may feel tempted to go back to restricting calories.
What’s going on?
First of all, know that this has happened to just about anyone who has walked down this road. You are not alone, and experiencing these symptoms does not mean that you are undisciplined or lazy.
Experiencing hunger is a GOOD thing. Hunger and fullness are our body’s ways to control our dietary intake. Both undereating and overeating have a detrimental effect on our metabolisms.
Two hormones that help us understand what is going on here are leptin (a hormone which promotes a feeling of satiety and fullness) and ghrelin (a hormone which promotes a feeling of hunger). In those with healthy metabolisms, these hormones alert us to eat an appropriate number of calories. Leptin also alerts the thyroid that there is enough stored fat for survival, so it is safe to burn stored fat. In response to a restrictive diet, leptin levels decrease or the body becomes resistant to leptin. As a result, metabolic rate decreases, body fat is stored, and appetite increases. On the other hand, ghrelin alerts your body to eat and drink by causing a feeling of hunger. Ghrelin also signals the body to hold onto fats rather than burning tem off. Under stressful circumstances (i.e., lack of sleep, emotional stress, restrictive dieting, overexercise, etc.), ghrelin increases and leptin decreases. Under these circumstances, you may find it difficult to feel satisfied, no matter how much you eat.
One purpose of a metabolic reset is normalizing hormone levels so they do the jobs they were intended to do. A common symptom of those who are undereating is the loss of the hunger sensation. This is a natural response to a lowered metabolic rate as the body adapts to an insufficient amount of calories. The return of the sensation of hunger and fullness are good things. Learning to honor those feelings is a big step in having a healthy and balanced approach to fueling your body. A primary goal of your metabolism reset should be listening to and honoring what your body is trying to tell you! Eventually, learning to honor these hunger and fullness cues will be responsible for your long-term success.
(NOTE: It is important to stress that we do recommend accurate calorie counting during a metabolism reset, since dieting has likely made it difficult to recognize these physical cues. “Listening to your body” during a metabolism reset can be tricky, since many chronic dieters will intuitively eat 1200 or fewer calories. It is important to reacquaint the body with an appropriate number of calories first, paying attention to these cues in the process. )
(To print this poster, click the image for link to a downloadable PDF version)
Others will experience a loss of control as they start re-introducing some “forbidden foods” back into their diets. After declaring these items “off limits” or “cheats” for months, you may feel like you just cannot stop eating them. This is usually a psychological issue. We usually want what we tell ourselves we cannot have! By allowing all foods back into your diet, you will likely find that you no longer feel the need to overeat these foods. There is a learning curve there, however, so proceed with caution and give yourself time and lots of second chances.
Your metabolism reset should not be a stressful time. Relax and look at this as a time to set yourself up for future success, while allowing yourself to recover from the damage done by excessive dieting. Here’s a few tips to make the most of this time and stay sane:
1. Stress Less.
Stress causes a hormonal response in our bodies that causes an elevation in cortisol levels. A catabolic hormone, increased levels of cortisol will make it difficult to lose fat and gain muscle. It is definitely within your best interest to de-stress! If you are approaching this process with constant stressing about how much weight you are going to gain, how tight your jeans are, etc., you are probably sabotaging yourself from the very beginning. Find ways to manage the stress in your life, and do not allow your reset to become yet another stressor. Journal, pray, catch up with an old friend. Take a bubble bath or a long, relaxing walk.
2. Increase calories slowly.
By increasing intake slowly and steadily, you will likely experience less bloating and discomfort along the way and allow your body to slowly adjust to a higher caloric intake. This also reduces the likelihood of a sudden, shocking weight gain.
3. Honor your hunger.
If you find yourself extremely hungry, eat, even if it means you will end up over your calories for the day. Try to focus on whole foods that are nourishing. If this means that you go over your recommended calories a day or two, don’t stress over it. Making sure that you are full and satiated will prevent future binges.
4. Eat more fats.
Healthy fats have a number of health benefits. One gram of fat is equivalent to 9 calories, versus 4 calories per gram of protein or carbohydrate. Eating a diet higher in fats will allow you to meet your calorie quota without feeling overly stuffed from a huge quantity of low-calorie foods. Fats also promote a feeling of satiety which usually prevent overeating. Good sources include coconut oil, whole eggs, dark chocolate (our favorite!), raw almonds, and avocado.
5. Introduce new foods slowly.
At EM2WL, we don’t generally recommend restricting foods (animal proteins, gluten, dairy, etc.) unless there is a medical reason. If you are new to this process, you may be excited about the possibilities of eating “forbidden foods” once again. As you introduce foods back into your diet that you may have been eliminating, you may want to monitor your body’s response very carefully. You may find that you feel out of control when you introduce ice cream back into your diet after months of pronouncing this an “off-limit” food, you can’t seem to stop eating it. Subconsciously, you may be approaching this food with a “feast or famine” attitude. You may be tempted to conclude that that you just can’t handle ice cream. Give yourself time to adjust to foods that feel uncomfortable. Chances are when you tell yourself you can have ice cream as often as possible, you will no longer feel the need to overeat it. We recommend adding such foods slowly to monitor your body’s reaction.
6. Eat small and frequent meals
Dividing up your calories over 5-6 small meals will allow you to never be waiting too long before your next meal of snack. That way, if you get hungry, you will can have a small something without feeling like you are blowing your whole plan. Keep healthy snacks on hand. Some of our favorite go-to’s are Greek yogurt, raw nuts, protein shakes or bars, beef jerky, or cheese and crackers. For best results, make sure to include a balanced combination of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates at each meal or snack. Making sure that you are satisfied throughout the day will go a long way in preventing binges.
7. Stay off the scale
During a metabolism reset, while you are increasing calories to a reasonable level, you should expect to see a temporary increase on the scale as your body adjusts to a higher volume of food. This weight is very rarely fat. Typically, the scale increase can be blamed on water retention. In some cases, the increase on the scale may be due to repairing of tissue damage resulting from very low calorie diets. Being overly focused on this number can be very discouraging. Understand that you may see a weight gain during this process, but that you are setting yourself up for future successes. If you mentally cannot handle seeing this number, it may be best to hide the scale for awhile.
8. Forgive yourself, and don’t try to “undo” the damage.
If you slip up and binge unintentionally, don’t stress about it. Acknowledge what has happened, and move on. Stressing over what cannot be undone is only going to compound the problem. Think about what might be done differently in the future and come up with your plan of attack, but understand that you are probably not bingeing because you are weak and undisciplined, just hungry. Be gentle with yourself during this process, and give yourself grace and compassion.
Trying to “earn back” calories you’ve overeaten by doing extra workouts or eating a bit less the next day may seem like a great idea. But it gets you into a vicious cycle of overeating, overexercising, and an obsession with trying to get the numbers just right. Remember, the cortisol response to excessive exercise often makes it more difficult, not easier, to control the weight gain and get back on the path to losing fat.
9. Have a strong support system.
Explain to those close to you what you are doing and why. Hopefully this will help them to be more understanding of what you are doing. Realize, however, that there will be those who don’t understand or agree with your plan of attack, and that is perfectly okay. Check out our forums to connect with those who are at all different stages in this process. You will be able to find someone to commiserate with, encourage you, or help you work through the many questions that seem to pop up along the way.
10. Be patient and trust the process!
Above all, enjoy this time of nourishing your body and being kind to yourself. If you stick with it, this will prepare you for a lifetime of success!
If you missed them, be sure to check out the other articles in this series:
Becca is a busy wife and homeschooling mother to five children ages 7 to 15. About five years ago, she embarked on a journey to health and fitness that resulted in the loss of approximately 100 pounds. Today, she is a competitive powerlifter and strongwoman who loves ice cream and deadlifts. As an ISSA certified personal trainer, she is passionate about helping women to get started on a lifestyle of strength and fitness.
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hich promotes a feeling of satiety and fullness) and ghrelin (a hormone which promotes a feeling of hunger). In those with healthy metabolisms, these hormones alert us to eat an appropriate number of calories. Leptin also alerts the thyroid that there is enough stored fat for survival, so it is safe to burn stored fat. In response to a restrictive diet, leptin levels decrease or the body becomes resistant to leptin. As a result, metabolic rate decreases, body fat is stored, and appetite increases. On the other hand, ghrelin alerts your body to eat and drink by causing a feeling of hunger. Ghrelin also signals the body to hold onto fats rather than burning tem off. Under stressful circumstances (i.e., lack of sleep, emotional stress, restrictive dieting, overexercise, etc.), ghrelin increases and leptin decreases. Under these circumstances, you may find it difficult to feel satisfied, no matter how much you eat.
uring a metabolism reset, while you are increasing calories to a reasonable level, you should expect to see a temporary increase on the scale as your body adjusts to a higher volume of food. This weight is very rarely fat. Typically, 
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