WEIGHT LOSS METABOLIC ADAPTATIONS

In order to lose weight, we know that you must expend more energy than you consume - creating a calorie deficit.

However plateau's can occur where weight loss slows down or stalls completely from remaining in a consistent calorie deficit. This can be due to metabolic adaptations in the body in response to dieting over time.

This is when changes take place in the body during weight loss to decrease energy expenditure, resulting in metabolic rate lowering. Your metabolic rate is made up by the total amount of calories you burn a day.

When you lose weight, due to having less body mass, your BMR lowers (Basal Metabolic Rate - how many calories you burn at rest to keep your body alive.) This can reduce by 10-20%. So your body doesn't expend as many calories to sustain it's new weight (Your maintenance calories).

The amount of calories you burn during exercise and non-exercise activity (e.g. walking) also reduces in response to weight loss. The reduced body mass will reduce the energy needed to complete the given amount of activity. Generally, the greater the weight loss, the greater the reductions. So when your walking daily, you have less body mass to carry around, so will expend less calories.

And when your training, you may burn less calories in that workout than you did for the first time when you weighed more. Your muscles become more efficient and reduce the amount of energy needed to work.

The body is smart, and will try to reserve energy as you get leaner, such as making you subconsciously reduce the intensity that you train at, or subconsciously lowering the amount of Non Exercise Activity that you do.

So, how can you combat this?

▪You can further reduce your calorie intake. As due to weighing less and reduced energy expenditure, your deficit will be very very small, or even flat lined at maintenance level. Reduce by extra 100-200 calories daily, and track your calories consistently in your new deficit and assess each week.

▪You can increase your output by getting at least 1 extra gym session in per week, or adding in more cardio (Start with 1 hour cardio per week and increase from there if needed). Try and move more daily, make conscious efforts to get up and move around, to walk more, increase your efforts in and out the gym.

Assess your current situation, and put a solution in place to continue your progress.

If you have any questions, or need any help, please do send me a message and I'll be happy to help you