What is a stress response and how does it affect your weight loss progress.
Does eat less, move more always work?
Let me first start by explaining that the human body is complex, no two humans are alike therefore, you can’t expect the same diet to work the same way for everyone, and second, no, eat less move more won’t always work.
In this blog I’m going to explain why some people can eat at extremely low calories, exercise daily, and still not lose weight, and how you can overcome those challenges.
Most people are surprised by my advice to eat more and sleep more as a tip for improved body composition. Everywhere you look for advice on fat loss you’ll come across words like “calorie deficit, low fat, exercise”, but not enough sources discuss the importance of rest and recovery.
Here’s the thing….
Our bodies are incredibly smart and they are designed to keep you alive.
This means that any time it starts to feel threatened by constantly being in a calorie deficit, it begins to think its starving. What does it do? It shuts down some of the systems it doesn’t need for basic survival like our sex hormones for example.
The problem with that is that some of those hormones are also related to appetite management and therefore often has a direct impact on your weight, which means that longterm dieting could essentially be the stressor that is causing you not to lose weight.
What is a stressor?
A stressor is defined by anything that causes an imbalance to the homeostasis; emotional state, physical trauma, the environment you live in, these can all affect your level of stress.
Undereating, overtraining and constantly worrying about what and how you eat, are all considered stress.
So you can imagine, it doesn’t take much to be under stress in the modern world, but that’s a whole other conversation for a later date.
Can exercise really be a cause of stress?
Yes. An individual who exercises too much and does not plan enough time for rest days could be sabotaging their recovery process.
But how am I supposed to increase speed and strength?? This question might be lingering around in your head right now and yes you’d be right to wonder, because unless we introduce some level of stress, the body isn’t ever going to become accustomed to the challenges and therefore won’t be able to improve in it’s ability to deal with the stressors.
The stress response follows a predictable pattern
The pattern of a stress response
The stress response follows a predictable pattern; homeostasis, stress indicated, alarm phase, recovery and rebuild, new state of homeostasis.
Now imagine if you continuously forced the body into a state of stress and alarm. Instead of building a series of structures in which the body can learn and grow, you’re continuously breaking it down (not to mention run the risk of increasing the levels of cortisol), this is where many of us get stuck.
You often hear things like I’m doing everything right! I exercise, I stay in a deficit, and restrict cheat foods, why am I not seeing results?
Chances are, if this is your approach to training, you probably need a break. It might sound counterintuitive to eat more move less, but unless you start giving the body the break that it needs, it isn’t going to do what you want it to do.
Putting your body under intense pressure over a long period of time could lead to
“Results from a number of studies indicate a general endocrine response to hypocaloric diets that promotes increased hunger, reduces metabolic rate, and threatens the maintenance of lean mass. Studies involving energy restriction, or very low adiposity, report decreases in leptin, insulin, testosterone, and thyroid hormones”
For the original source of this paper visit this link.
If you’re interested in understanding more about how to reverse diet so that you can continue to progress in both your training and improve your body composition read this easily digestible blog I wrote here.
How come I’m in a deficit and still not losing weight?
I talk frequently about adaptive thermogenesis. Athletes often come to me after months or sometimes years of being in a “deficit” and still not losing weight.
The problem with the term “deficit” being thrown around everywhere is that most people now assume the term to mean the same thing as “low calorie dieting”.
Fact: You can still eat at eye-wateringly low calories and still not lose weight. Why? Because of adaptive thermogenesis.
Oftentimes when athletes slowly increase their food intake, they begin to experience weight loss. It’s not magic, it’s science. Let me explain.
If you are no longer losing weight even though you are eating at super low calories, your body is no longer in a deficit. You might physically be eating very little, but your metabolism has also slowed down which means you are no longer putting out as much energy as you are putting in.
This problem can be fixed by slowly increasing your energy intake and your energy expenditure at the same time. Increasing your food intake will give you more energy to crush your workouts harder, and by default put you back in that deficit even if you are eating more!
Increasing energy intake will make you feel better, perform better and over time, help you improve your body composition.
Want to learn more about how to deal with weight loss plateau? Read 3 Simple Strategies For Dealing With Weight Loss Plateau
Conclusion
Weight loss isn’t always about eating less and moving more. Our bodies are incredibly intelligent and are designed to keep you alive, therefore any prolonged periods of deficits can result in weight plateau, which can be often lead to feelings of frustrations.
When it comes to eating for performance and improved body composition you need a strategy, one that comes with a long period of maintenance and a reverse.
