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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Tempted by the bombardment of “get thin quick” diets everywhere you turn? Don’t fall for it! Read on as Team EM2WL’s Becca interviews “Diet Recovery” Author, Matt Stone, about dieting: the dangers, warning signs, and healing process for diet damaged metabolisms.
Can you explain how you became interested in metabolic health?
When I first started doing health research I just tried to get my hands on as much information as possible. I kept hearing the name Broda Barnes mentioned repeatedly. After seeing his name in three or four books I finally decided to look into his work more carefully. I read all of his books and became very interested in the metabolism idea, especially considering two very important factors:
1) I was communicating with a lot of very health-conscious hardcore nutrition freaks that were suffering from symptoms of a low metabolic rate, and it seemed obvious that it had something to do with the health practices they were so obsessively engaged in.
2) I had gone through something in my own life that completely shut down my metabolic rate, so I immediately recognized the validity of the idea that metabolic rate plays a role in the proper functionality of virtually every system in our bodies.
That experience was one of semi-starvation, in part inspired by wanting to be “lean and healthy.” Reading extensively about starvation, including picking my way carefully through Ancel Keys’s 1,300-page book *The Biology of Human Starvation*, provided even more confirmation.
I’ve heard you say, “The perfect diet is very unhealthy.” What do you mean by that? How would you define “healthy eating?”
I think the mindset and mentality of perfection is unhealthy, especially as applied to personal health practices. Every other creature on earth relies completely on instinct to keep itself healthy in terms of the amount of sleep, food, water, and exercise it takes in. Instinct is a far better regulator of internal processes than conscious intellect, which humans are now relying on really for the first time in the history of the world. Ignorance really can be bliss when it comes to nutrition, exercise, fluid consumption, and other health practices that people are willing themselves to do—often in complete opposition to instinctual desires. This is a lot more dangerous than people realize.
I can’t really define healthy eating. It is all relative to a person and his or her immediate hour-to-hour needs. Every person and every day requires different things to be considered “optimal.” I couldn’t even tell a person how much water to drink without taking into considering the amount of exercise they have done that day, the air temperature, their metabolic rate, how much salt they ate in their last meal, the water content of their last meal, and more. And that’s just talking about water. Food is much more complex than that.
In your opinion, are there certain markers of metabolic health we should be looking for? How can we make sure we are keeping our metabolism healthy if our goal is weight loss?
Well first of all I don’t know if weight loss should consciously be a “goal.” A goal implies that are forcing your body to do something whether it wants to or not. In my experience, most who lose weight completely shut down their metabolic health in the process because they are too excited about the weight loss to take note of obvious signs of metabolic doom. The most common signs of metabolic rate falling too low, in my experience, are:
1) Reduced body temperature below 98.6 degrees F or about 37 degrees C.
2) Cold hands and feet.
3) Dry skin, especially around the hands and feet.
4) Drop in sex drive or sexual function.
5) Dry hair and maybe even some hair loss.
6) Constipation and other bowel problems related to a decrease in bowel transit speed such as reflux and bloating.
7) Changes in mood—either increased anxiety/aggression or depression or greater volatility between extreme mental states.
8) Insomnia, especially that ominous, consistent 2-4am wake-up and difficulty falling back to sleep. Those who can still sleep a lot don’t feel particularly rested no matter how much they sleep.
9) Frequent urination, or noticing that a small amount of fluid is enough to send you to the bathroom to pee every 15 minutes.
10) Intensified food cravings (although in some a reduced metabolic rate can shut down appetite, so this is not as consistent as some of the others).
If this sounds like you, don’t even think about trying to lose weight in your current state. If your attempts at losing weight have brought some or all of these things on, stop what you’re doing immediately.
What does low body temperature and being cold all the time have to do with metabolic health?
That’s just the body allocating less energy to staying warm. It’s one of the first things the body sacrifices when it is trying to conserve energy (many times because it perceives a food shortage or other stress). A drop in body temperature of 1 degree is enough for the body to save hundreds of calories throughout a 24-hour period. I see temperatures in the low 90’s in some of the people I communicate with frequently. The animal with the lowest metabolic rate in all of the animal kingdom is the sloth, with a resting body temperature as low as 86 degrees F. Do a little research on
the characteristics that define sloth-like behavior and you’ll see some parallels to the changes humans experience when their metabolic rate falls and the body starts to conserve energy.
Could you explain how foods have heating or cooling properties, and what this means for our metabolism?
Calories, carbohydrates, and salt have the most stimulating effect on the metabolic rate. But it’s all relative to the water content accompanying those calories, carbohydrates, and salt surprisingly. Someone with a low metabolic rate needs to eat calorie-dense foods with a low water content to raise metabolic rate. Someone with a high metabolic rate can do fine eating foods with a high water content, such as fruits, vegetables, juices, soups, salads, and other iconic health foods. Ironically, if your metabolism is low you will probably heal much faster eating “unhealthy” foods than you will eating “healthy” foods.
What is “radical refeeding?” Which individuals need to go through this phase? What role does weight gain have in recovery from dieting?
I’m not sure what “radical refeeding” is. It sounds like it probably involves a skateboard, a halfpipe, and a buffet, lol. I usually call it “rest and refeeding,” and it’s really not all that radical. You just want to achieve a consistent surplus of calories and sleep for several weeks to a few months to encourage the body’s cells to ramp up their energy production (i.e. increase metabolism). People who demonstrate a low body temperature and several signs of a reduced metabolic rate such as the ones discussed above usually get the most benefit from it.
It typically does involve some gain in body fat, followed by a gain in lean body mass, followed by complete weight stabilization eating as much as you want with or without exercise. The gain in body fat is the most important, as an increase in body fat increases the hormone leptin, and this sends a signal to the brain that triggers a big rise in metabolic rate and drop in appetite. The process works essentially the same whether a person is fat or thin. If your body temperature is low and you have some signs of a low metabolic rate, starving yourself and exercising more from that point is most likely to make matters worse and actually backfire long-term.
What role does stress play in our nutritional requirements and how do we adapt our dietary needs to stressful circumstances?
Stress is by far the greatest facilitator of degeneration and death. Stress is ultimately what ushers us towards the big red exit sign in the sky. But stress isn’t just “worry” but something much broader. Stressors come in dozens of forms and all uniformly cause a rise in stress hormones—the glucocorticoids. These hormones are not without benefit, but they put much of the wear and tear on our systems that ultimately break us down and cause illness. The body seems to instinctively know this and compels us to seek out calorie-dense, highly-palatable foods rich in sugar, starch, salt, and fat when we are exposed to high levels of glucocorticoids.
It’s better to engage in anti-stress activities like warm baths, massages, and extra sleep than it is to try to avoid those types of food under stress. In fact, if you feel strong cravings for those foods, it is not without reason and you should obey them. If you feel that eating those foods is unhealthy or does harm to you, avoid the situations and circumstances that strongly compel you to eat them. Sometimes it’s as simple as eating a bigger breakfast or going to bed earlier. But you can tap on your forehead like a lunatic if you want to, haha.
You say, “You have to solve your weight problem to lose weight, not lose weight to solve your weight problem.” Can you clarify what this means in real life?
Well I’ve already written a lot so I’ll give you the short answer to what otherwise could be a short novel. Intentional weight loss means to actively restrict your diet or burn calories through exercise to force a calorie deficit and lose weight. It has a very high failure rate, and many, such as obesity scholars like Paul Campos and Linda Bacon, believe that intentional weight loss can lead to an increased risk of health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, and even the very obesity people are trying to avoid with this approach. I have always found this to be true personally. Any attempts at losing fat always resulted in increased fatness long-term, despite good results initially.
If you are always preoccupied with your weight, you will likely always be trying to intentionally intervene with some kind of diet or overzealous exercise program. If anything, these habits just strengthen the resolve of your body to hold onto fat and conserve energy via a reduction in metabolic rate. Constant dieting just sends a repeated famine signal to your physiology, and it intelligently responds.
The solution is to stop thinking about it so much and go for more of a spontaneous drop in body fat by improving your personal self-care practices. More nutritious food, better sleep, better relationships, more inspiring/fulfilling work and hobbies, and more time outdoors for starters.
Of course, there is a whole psychological component to it as well. Negative self-image is a powerful stressor, and stress prevents fat loss—even encourages fat gain. If you aren’t upset and ashamed of how you look, you’re much more likely to actually lose fat. Thus, it’s important to resolve body image issues BEFORE losing weight.
And trust me, a pound lost with hard work is likely to come back (because of the body’s reaction to that suffering). A pound lost effortlessly and spontaneously is likely to never return. Anything you do to lose weight should be as easy as it can possibly be and still deliver results.
Here, I’ll go ahead and put some quotes around that and my name so everybody reading this can paste that right onto Twitter and Facebook in early January when everyone else is doing their self-deprecating resolution thing…
“Anything you do to lose weight should be as easy as it can possibly be and still deliver results.” ~Matt Stone; www.180degreehealth.com
How can someone learn more about the resources you offer?
My information is very easy to obtain and is free. Go to my website and you can get my free 90-day eCourse on raising metabolic rate, which will tell you everything you need to know to raise your metabolic rate successfully and why it’s so important to do so) and get my books on the subject for free as well. And that’s www.180degreehealth.com.
“With a high metabolic rate, EVERYTHING works better.”
Matt Stone is an independent health researcher, #1 Amazon bestselling author of more than 15 books, and the founder of 180DegreeHealth, a controversial website that has challenged the status quo on health with a combination of cutting-edge science and radical common sense since 2006.
New to EM2WL?
Grab our FREE quick start guide!
Are you curious about how the process works, or wondering what's in our Starter Kit E-Book? START HERE. We'll send you a free breakdown of the basics, exclusive videos explaining why everything that you've learned about diets have only led you astray, and an action plan to take your life back immediately.
So, you’ve finally made the decision to go through with a metabolism reset. You’ve had it with diets and excessive exercise and you are ready to make the necessary changes to get your body functioning properly again.
We are proud of you. That first step is incredibly scary. The road that you have ahead is not easy, but it is worth it!
Cardio…how much is too much?
One question that we get asked quite frequently at EM2WL is about the amount of cardio that is “permissible” during a reset.
We are all about moving your body in a way that is enjoyable and achieving your fitness goals. We would never tell you to give up something you love! Even though we are passionate about getting women to lift heavy weights, we know that many of our readers really enjoy cardio, whether it is training for a marathon, crossfitting, or gettin your groove on at a Zumba class. As long as you are making sure to match your caloric goals to your activity level, you should be able to continue to participate in the activities you love. Just make sure to incorporate some heavy lifting in there in order to stimulate your metabolism and build that fat-burning muscle.
Unfortunately, many people are not asking these questions because they love cardio, but out of a place of fear. They are afraid that if they eat all this extra food, and do not compensate for it with extra activity, they are sure to balloon up.
It’s important to remember that the goal of a metabolism reset is NOT weight loss. Our bodies need energy to function properly. Breathing, eating, sleeping, doing the dishes, lifting weights, walking the dog…these are all activities which require energy. We get this energy from eating food. If we are not giving our bodies the nutrients that we need, our bodies will respond by taking nutrients from some other source. At a small deficit, some of this energy will come from the burning of adipose tissue (fat) for fuel. However, at a very large deficit (whether that is created through exercise or diet), the body will begin to conserve metabolic energy.
The purpose of a reset is to slowly get the body accustomed again to eating an appropriate number of calories for your activity level. Its is fairly common to gain weight as you begin to up calories, but eventually, weight should stabilize. Just as the body was quick to make adaptations to the lower calorie level, the body will quickly bounce back to eating a consistent and appropriate number of calories. It is crucial to be patient, consistent and to trust the process.
You have kids, a job, housework, and bills. Don’t let your fitness goals become one more stressor. Enjoy the journey!
One goal of your metabolism reset is to give your body a chance to relax and remove some of the stressors placed upon the body by restrictive dieting and excessive exercise.
Cortisol is a hormone known as “the stress hormone.” In response to stressful situations, cortisol levels will increase. Despite the negative press it receives, cortisol is a good thing! It helps us through those “fight or flight” situations by increasing our pain tolerance, giving us a surge of energy, and conserving energy expended. If you are being chased by a bear, that extra cortisol will help you to run for your life. After these situations, cortisol returns to normal levels and the body’s relaxation process kicks in.
However, many different types of stressors which are not really “fight or flight” scenarios can also spike cortisol levels. Not getting enough sleep, a trying family situation, eating at a caloric deficit, and exercise all place stress upon our bodies and can trigger the release of cortisol. If many of these stressors are occurring all at once, cortisol levels remain high, and the body may respond by making metabolic adaptations.
Too much cardio can elevate cortisol levels, particularly when not enough calories are being consumed.
Many of our readers are already finding it mentally (and often, physically) challenging to increase calories to the level that will support a healthy metabolism. Doing excessive cardio is often a way to make them “feel better” about the increase in calories. However, this creates a caloric deficit which will not allow for the healing process to take place. Increasing activity will increase energy needs during your reset. If you are already uncomfortable with eating more, you will want to keep the cardio to a minimum.
On the other hand, doing some heavy resistance training during your metabolism reset will yield a number of benefits. Provided the calories are sufficient, a metabolism reset can provide an environment for building some quality muscle. Often switching the emphasis from fat loss to muscle growth can be very refreshing and empowering, and it gives you something else to focus on. A pound of muscle burns more calories at rest than a pound of fat, so focusing on building muscle now will help you tremendously when the time comes for you to focus on losing fat later!
The bottom line? Taking a break from the cardio (for now) will also allow you to receive the maximum benefit from this later when you proceed into a caloric deficit. But if you absolutely feel like you cannot live without it, keep those cardio sessions short and sweet and make sure that you are fueling those cardio sessions.
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.
Many of our readers come to us seeking answers. They are beyond frustrated with dieting. They are have done everything “right” according to most of the information geared towards women. No one would ever question their determination. They have cut out most of their favorite foods and are barely eating enough calories to keep a sedentary 8 year old alive. They are working out daily, often as much as two hours a day or more. They pass on cake at their children’s birthday party and eat chicken breast and salad at the family barbeque while everyone else feasts on hamburgers and chips. They can’t remember the last time they enjoyed a nice restaurant meal and ordered what they actually wanted without guilt. They saw weight loss for awhile, but now everything seems to have stopped. No matter how much more they workout, or how much less they eat, they can’t seem to get the scale to move.
Under these circumstances, a member of our team will often recommend a metabolism reset. If you’re curious as to just what this entails, check out this video where Kiki explains the basics.
Thepurpose of a metabolism reset is to give your body a break from the stress of dieting, to get used to eating an appropriate amount of food, and to provide some time to begin healing some disordered thoughts and attitudes about food that have likely surfaced as a result of restriction.
It isn’t hard to sell people on the reasons why they need to do a reset. But many of our readers want to know how long they should expect this process to last before they can get back to the whole fat loss party.
Under general circumstances, we will recommend a time frame of 8-12 weeks of consistently eating TDEE. After this time, most people can return to eating a small deficit (TDEE-15%) and they will see slow and steady fat loss.
However, every person responds differently. The length of time required for a successful reset will depend greatly on the severity of restrictive dieting and how long the individual dieted. It is critical during this time that you trust the process and are willing to stick it out as long as it takes. Do not approach a metabolism reset as just another diet to try because you’ve tried everything else.
To someone who has spent a long time restricting food, a metabolism reset can sound really appealing. Eat lots of food, and fix my metabolism? Score!!! If you are thinking about doing a metabolism reset, it’s important that you approach it with both eyes wide open. Most people will gain some weight during this time. Many people will feel stuffed as they adjust to an increased quantity of food. Your friends and family may wonder why on earth you would do this. The thought of eating more food while not increasing your exercise will probably make you feel uncomfortable. Even a little anxious. You may feel out of control as the feelings of hunger return which have likely been suppressed due to dieting.
If you stick it out, you will be setting yourself up for a lifetime of future success. It is not easy! Our forums are filled with people who have walked this road ahead of you and are seeing fantastic results! Check out the many success stories those who have walked this road ahead of you and are reaping the rewards.
Consistency is the name of the game. Too often, we see people who approach a reset with excitement and determination. There is often a kind of “honeymoon period”- energy returns, new foods are being enjoyed, workouts are approached with a new-found intensity, sleep quality improves, and there is an overall feeling of wellness.
However, there tends to be a pretty significant water weight gain for many people here. When they start to notice that their pants are fitting tighter, or they see a few pounds weight gain, they may feel discouraged enough to go back to a few days of low-calorie eating. It is very important not to flip-flop back and forth between these two extremes. You need to give your body time to adjust to the new calorie level. Remember that the body is very good at making adaptations! Just as it was quick to adapt to the low calories, it will be relatively quick to adapt to higher calories! Remaining consistent and fighting through the hard days is all part of this process.
So how do you know when your reset is complete? Generally, if you are in a rush to get it over with so you can go back to dieting, that is probably a good sign you’re not quite there yet. Overcoming these mental challenges is such a key part of this. Being able to enjoy “normal” food without guilt is a good sign that you’re getting there!
If you had any symptoms of metabolic damage (hair loss, low body temperature, loss of menstruation, dizziness and/or fatigue), you should begin to see a turnaround. These are all signs that something is wrong, and rushing back to trying to lose fat before your body is ready is only going to sabotage your long-term success.
In the meantime, trust the process and take advantage of this time to focus on some goals, prioritizing your fitness and strength goals over fat loss. You might be surprised with how much you enjoy this time!
The measuring tape is one of our favorite tools for measuring progress.
Even though we generally discourage focusing on the scale, it is good to check in every once in awhile if you don’t allow it to stress you out. Seeing the weight gain level off and then stop completely is a good sign that the body has adjusted to a normal caloric intake. Of course, please make sure you are taking progress pictures and measurements along the way as well! They tend to be a much more significant marker of progress. As muscle is gained, you may notice that you are shrinking even if the scale does not agree! This is a great way to track trends in weight that we often recommend if you choose to weigh daily.
The bottom line: set a general time table, but be prepared to be flexible and trust the process. Every one will respond to a metabolism reset a little differently. Sticking it out and taking it slow will help you to meet your future fat loss goals!
Disclaimer: If you are dealing with clinical symptoms of disordered eating, please do yourself a favor and talk to a doctor or mental health professional. We are not doctors and you should not understand this to be medical advice.
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.
While many women spend their lives dieting, or doing whatever it takes for the ripped, “fitness model” or competitor look, other ladies are choosing to walk away from industry all together. In this special interview, Danny-J (of The Sweaty Betties) was so awesome to share with us her experience not only to the competition stage, but also AWAY from it and its damaging extremes. If you’ve been dieting and killing yourself for hours in gym for longer than you can remember, yet feel like you’re moving further from who/where you thought you’d be by now — you will want to read EVERY word. Being over-trained and under–fed for a “look” was once her driving passion…how does she feel about it now?
EM2WL: At what age did you start competing? Danny-J: I was 25 when I started competing.. oh wow, that makes me sad
E: What inspired you to compete? D: Initially I was an acrobat and in really good shape and people just kept asking me if I competed. I didn’t even know what that meant so I looked into it. Then I was intrigued and very impressed with the bodies and I really wanted to have that kind of physique.
E: How long did you compete before deciding to leave the competition world? D: My first show was in December 2006 and my last show was in November 2009. So it was 3 years.
E: Did you always do Bikini or have you competed at multiple levels? D:I did Figure for my first two years (it was the only option besides bodybuilding) and the last year I tried two bikini shows.
E: How many competitions did you typically participate in per year? D: I did about 3 a year. It was too many.
E: Can you describe the weight fluctuations between off season and competition prep? What about changes to your diet? D: I didn’t have a lot of weight fluctuations. I was in great shape before competing and I mayyyybe would lose about 3-4 lbs. However, the more I competed the more I thought I had to do. I pushed too hard when I didn’t need to. After my last show I gained over 30 lbs and now I am still sitting about 15-18lbs above my old “normal” weight
E: Can you describe what a typical day was like when prepping for the stage? D: Eating the same meals every day, on the clock: 7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, 7pm, 10pm.
Usually a workout before work then cardio and then work. Then sometimes more cardio after work around 9-10pm.
E: You’ve mentioned on your website and in videos how competing has affected your metabolism. Were there any signs that led you to discover this? D: Sure, there were signs, that I heavily ignored. Fatigue, hunger, loss of sex drive. I thought these things were “normal” or “just part of the process” so I had to just “suck it up” …I felt like this was what set apart champions from the rest, was that “we” could tolerate some discomfort and lack of sleep. Little did I know how badly I was hurting myself and how long it would take to crawl out of that.
E: Can you tell our readers some of the extreme methods you utilized to achieve a ‘stage ready’ look? D: I would say, for me, it was just a very low calorie diet (900-1100 per day) for over 8 months straight with zero carbs nearly the whole time and an hour of cardio a day, 7 days per week and I worked two jobs. During my first year I did two hours of cardio a day, but I was eating carbs and I convinced myself that was better… it wasn’t. Luckily, I didn’t do any fat burners, T3, or other drugs I’ve heard of, but truth be told, I think I’m still just as damaged from the extreme dieting for so so long. Your body can only be deprived so long before it rebels.
E: Were there other areas, physical or psychological, impacted by competing? D: Absolutely. I was depressed. I went to the Dr. for Prozac. I thought I was crazy. I had anxiety because of my weight gain. My sex life was in the toilet, so obviously my marriage was affected. I didn’t even want my husband to touch me or see my body, which makes me want to cry now. I panicked about being in public. I didn’t want pictures taken of me. My skin was a mess, breaking out all the time. I felt completely exhausted, like a zombie, for months. Honestly, there were times I wanted to die.
E: Do you feel that there are any methods of prepping for Bodybuilding/Figure competitions that don’t compromise ones metabolism? D: I have seen very few coaches do it, but yes, I do believe there are. For one, I think that its making sure you have plenty of time to prep—this trying to lose 30 lbs in 12 weeks and get on stage is BS. Also, you need breaks between shows and there is NO reason why anyone needs to calorie restrict so bad. I just recently trained a client from Fit To Be in Your Kitchen with guidance from Ruben Sandoval and saw first hand how someone could eat more food and have less and less cardio before the show. However, you still have to be STRICT and its mentally taxing.
E: Was there an aha moment where you decided to get out of the business? D: Yeah, honestly, it was more of a political issue at the time than even a physical one. I went to a show where I was basically threatened by the organizers, it was my last show. I did not place well and I was basically being “taught a lesson”. I realized at that point, that this wasn’t even a physique contest, it was a business and one that I no longer wanted to be part of. Ironically, my body didn’t want to be part of it either.
E: What would you say to the many women who want to look like a fitness cover model? D:Looking like a cover model is an interesting goal. Sometimes I wonder what is really lying behind that goal? It is possible and attainable. Sometimes I think people just want to prove that they can do something, and I understand that. My whole life I have felt that I needed to prove that things could be done when others say they couldn’t. However, I will say that getting a cover is fleeting. Someone else is on the cover the next month. You need to have more depth and substance. If working out becomes your life to the point of missing family events, not enjoying dessert on your wedding anniversary or affecting your family life, its time to step back and see what you’re really avoiding. If you’re just wanting to be the healthiest you have been and feel great and encourage others, then, great! Just check your motives and try to live life in balance. Life is too darn short.
E: Do you think it is a realistic goal for the average woman to have if they are not competing? D: Realistic… maybe. I think so much depends on genetics. It may be very realistic for some and not at all for others. I honestly am not really sure if I think it’s a WORTHY goal. I spent 3 years so focused on my abs and how my body looked, but do you know what my goals are now? To donate as much money as I can to Big Brothers Big sisters, to volunteer with tornado clean up, to build teams of amazing women, to help people get out of debt. I think it’s a possible goal and I think goals like that give us a reason to keep working out and be healthy, but I’d like to see some deeper and more meaningful goals at this time in my life. I’d like to see us AS WOMEN have better goals. We are capable of more. What happens if you get up and can’t walk tomorrow?! (It happened to me) guess what? You won’t give two sh**s about your abs. This I promise.
E: Do you have children? What kind of message do you think bikini and figure competitions send to young girls? D: That’s a tricky question. I do not have children, but I did have a daughter, whom I gave up for adoption. I was pregnant at 15 and now she is 16.
I actually went to a “real pageant” where they had a talent and swimsuit competition and it was SO different. The suits were so modest and there were no sexy or provocative poses. When I was first “in it” I saw the “physiques” I didn’t see all the sexed up parts, but then being away and seeing the other type of pageant, my eyes were opened. I would not want my daughter to look at those types of bikini shows and aspire to be in them, however, I would support her in whatever she chose to do and I’d try and make sure she was being as healthy as possible.
E: How has your life changed since stopping competing? D:The first two years were rough. I was miserable. Sick, tired, fat, depressed, lost. I felt like a lot of my identity was wrapped up in how I looked.
Now, today, it’s better than ever. I don’t have panic attacks if I can’t work out. In fact, I can take weeks off of the gym and just be active and eat what I want and maintain my weight. I have learned to LISTEN to my body and have learned to LOVE and FORGIVE my body. I’m still heavier than where I want to be, but I’m honestly feeling more comfortable with myself than ever before. I can try new fun workouts instead of being so regimented in my schedule. I can be spontaneous and have a fit LIFESTYLE rather than be a gym rat (which there is nothing wrong with). I had to do a lot of INTERNAL work to get to where I am now and who would have ever guessed that the damage I caused would eventually be a blessing? (If you had asked me in 2010 I would have said HELL NO!!) I have really found freedom in movement and food and life in general. Parts of me regret competing but then I would not have the self-awareness that I do today.
E: How can our readers see more from/follow you? (FB/IG/Website, etc)
D: Thank you Kiki, this interview was fun…I hope it hits home with the right people
Danny-J is the owner of The Sweaty Betties: an “irreverent group of women who are looking to get fit and have a whole lot of fun along the way.”
Danny-J’s fans (The Sweaty Betties) are wildly enthusiastic about listening to someone who isn’t afraid to put some of the diet and exercise myths on blast. Danny’s passion in fitness lead her all the way through a Master’s program in Health Promotion and Exercise Science at California University of Pennsylvania. She holds numerous certifications for personal training and weight-loss and is an accomplished trainer, helping dozens of clients lose OVER 100 lbs. and helping 1,000’s of clients live healthier lives in her 8+ years training.
However, Danny-J, wasn’t always such a positive and motivational person. She had her share of struggles, being a suicidal teen, she ended up pregnant at 15 years old. She chose to place her daughter for adoption and that motivated her to start to get her act together, so she could be proud when and if she ever got to meet her child again.
She is now married to her best-friend and “Big Tattoo Muscle Man” and they live in Dallas, Texas with their two silly pups.
Q: I lost around 30lbs very quickly by doing over an hour of cardio/day, 7 days/week, and severely restricting calories. When I hit a plateau, I increased cardio further and decreased cals to lose the last 12lbs. Eventually 15 of those pounds came back. I found out about EM2WL, and began a reset, and I’ve gained a LOT of weight. Is being up 20 pounds ‘normal’? Is it normal to lift and not fit into any clothes? Am I eating too much and that’s why I feel so bloated and puffy? I’m just at a loss and feeling pretty down on myself. I’m right back where I started…
A: As much as I hate to be the messenger…yes, it is normal to be gaining weight during reset. Because you were undereating for so long, it takes a while for your body to regulate (which is why we recommend metabolism resets). When we diet using extreme caloric deficits and excessive cardio, the weight that is lost comes not merely from fat, and water, but also from muscle, joints, tendons, ligaments, and brain tissue. We also deplete our bodies of much needed vitamins and nutrients. So when we increase calories, coming from an extended period of undereating, our bodies will often first retain everything, assuming that this is merely a binge. During this period of retaining, your body is seeking to replenish the nutrient deficit, as well as balance out mineral deficiencies. As noted in the Biology of Human Starvation (see our synopsis), a period of OVERfeeding is often necessary before proper balance is restored. Because most people just starting out on a reset are petrified of eating more, this re-feed period is a bit understated. Many will only eat the bare minimum (TDEE) and often undercut/skew that amount, for fear of gaining. But recall that Dr. Keys made it clear that during a refeed, calories must be in abundance in order to rehabilitate properly. This is why many choose to use their reset as a period of bulking, to purposely overfeed and rebuild lost bone and muscle. This gives their reset purpose, and helps them to have something to focus on other than waiting for the cut.
None of this means that the reset process is exceptionally pleasant, although you will surely notice some unexpected benefits. You will feel bloating and discomfort as you retain water while your body is forced to figure out how to gather the nutrition it needs while digesting larger amounts of food properly. Once your body understands that proper nourishment is a mainstay, it will then look to replenish the areas that have been depleted. The rebuilding process is necessary and essential to your well-being. However, weight gain can be less drastic when food intake is increased slowly, and done for a much longer, realistic, time frame. Rushing the reset is often the cause of unnecessarily high weight gain, causing one to quit early, and results in an unsuccessful cut. Skipping the reset altogether is also a reason why you’ll see many struggle in the beginning of their cut.
Treat your reset as a bulk. Put those extra cals to work building muscle.
You are lifting heavier now, in addition to eating more, which will assist in rebuilding any muscle that has atrophied. Exercises that create strong muscles will also increase bone mass. Healing will always be your body’s primary goal (unfortunately, it doesn’t really care about your physique goals), although some fat loss may be happening simultaneously. As the body begins to rebuild the muscle/bone/brain tissue, etc., this will show as “gain” on the scale. But you will have so many things going on that solely judging by the scale will not give you the full story. This will seem very frustrating at first, but you will still likely notice positive changes in the mirror, pictures, and the tape measure during this time. As the rebuilding slows, you will eventually see scale movement as well.
It is most important to remember that what you are dealing with now, is what you would have dealt with anyway, the minute you tried to eat “normal” again. The fact that you are gaining weight on what should be your maintenance level calories, shows that your metabolism had completely slowed to meet the lower calorie level. This is the point of the reset. This is something that you were bound to experience, regardless. In order to keep losing, you would have kept lowering cals and slowing the metabolism further, constantly recreating your maintenance level. This means that anytime your calorie intake exceeded this level, you would gain.
So for some, the first 4-6 weeks or so may bring gain and then a gradual release as the body gains trust. But for those who have drastically undereaten for a length of time, this process can take longer. This is especially true if someone needed a reset, yet refrained from taking one (the body will attempt it’s own reset by simply resetting to the cut level calories being given). We must always remember that when we chose drastic measures to lose weight, there will be consequences. Losing the wrong “type” of weight, just for the sake of seeing the scale move, tears our body down and causes it to lose trust in us. A body that does not trust us is left to it’s own devices to nurture itself, deciding what will stay (fat) and what can go (muscle, etc). It also means that the loss was not true. When a loss is not true, it is essentially temporary, and we can typically expect to gain it all back…and more.
The #1 reason that weight gain during a metabolism reset is surprising for most of us, is because we forget that it’s only ONE phase of the journey. The Reset Phase is about healing, not fat loss (that’s a whole ‘nother phase!). For more info on the 5 phases click here.
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, 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.
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