A DEEP DIVE INTO METABOLIC ADAPTATION
Metabolism is the processes that occur within a living organism in order to maintain life.
In most general cases, we think of metabolism as the processes that convert food and drink into energy that we can use. It’s a hot topic in today’s nutrition sphere as it so closely correlates to fat loss and dieting, but in a broader sense, our human metabolisms are all of the processes that work in our cells to keep us alive, down to the cellular level.
Since we consider metabolism here as it relates specifically to our nutrition and the wide variety of goals we see in the clients we work with at KLN, it’s important to understand that our metabolisms are highly evolved, responsive and complex. They react to their environment and the stressors they experience. For many clients that begin their work with an individual nutrition coach, they enter that relationship feeling as if their metabolism may be broken because they are eating an incredibly low amount of calories and still not seeing the fat loss results they desire. As coaches, we get to help provide education on the inner-workings of metabolism by first: showing them that they are not, in fact, broken, and second: teaching them about a physiological response we refer to as metabolic adaptation.
WHAT IS METABOLIC ADAPTATION
Metabolic adaptation is a physiological response within the body that creates a slow-down in our resting metabolic rate. That means, in just being humans and doing our daily functions (including exercise or not) we are going to be burning less calories overall than before adaptation set in.
This process of metabolic adaptation is a natural evolutionary response to food scarcity, going as far back as our caveman and hunter-gatherer days when resources were much more limited and the security of food was questionable. Our bodies slow down their metabolic processes and do so to conserve overall energy in whatever ways they can -- we become more efficient with less energy, aka less food, as a survival instinct through a lowering of our basal metabolic rate and total daily energy expenditure.
Spending a prolonged time in a calorie deficit (read: eating too little for too long) can lead to metabolic adaptation. This can lead to other ramifications such as shifts in our hormonal regulation. Leptin, the hormone that regulates satiety and communicates to our bodies that we are well-nourished, decreases. This means that we don’t get as much satisfaction or fullness from foods. Simultaneously, our “hunger” hormone, ghrelin, increases in a desperate attempt for us to consume more food. These components work against an already low metabolic rate, creating physiological signals to increase food intake. While it sounds like all bad news, these hormonal shifts can be early communication from the body that it is time to steadily increase intake to address metabolic adaptation. At a physiological level, we aren’t meant to feel under-nourished or be thinking about seeking food all the time!
HOW METABOLIC ADAPTATION OCCURS
When we spend too much time in a deep calorie deficit or live in the perpetual pursuit of fat loss, we are setting ourselves up for metabolic adaptation that is an unavoidable, evolutionary solution to that prolonged low caloric intake. Our charge as nutrition coaches is to meet all clients (and their metabolisms) exactly where they are at, creating ways to reach their individual goals with both sustainability, client lifestyle and overall health in mind. To the coach, we see metabolic adaptation in clients who feel “stuck” in reaching their goals after years of chronically underfeeding a speed bump -- it is a natural reaction that can be overcome with gradual work and learning about implementing seasons of nutrition. It is not our bodies being broken.
Our bodies are resilient, adaptive and responsive. When we work in harmony with their underlying needs, these adaptations and ramifications DO have the ability to sort themselves out. Our bodies want to be well nourished.
ADDRESSING METABOLIC ADAPTATION
There are solutions to the (temporary, natural) process of adaptation:
FIRST, A MINDSET SHIFT
We must acknowledge fat loss as a temporary goal, not a perpetual goal we are constantly pursuing. A fat loss goal is a valid goal when we prepare for it by going into a deficit after spending an adequate time eating enough food to support our metabolic function.
ADEQUATE TIME EATING AT MAINTENANCE
Earning the right to enter a fat loss phase by spending ample time eating enough food allows us to boost our resting metabolic rate. Working towards consistent nourishment throughout the day and preventing long stretches of time where the body does not receive access to food keeps us well fueled and prepared for future fat loss phases.
A REASONABLE CALORIE DEFICIT
When the timing is right, we can pursue a calorie deficit that is feasible and that we are able to adhere to. This doesn’t mean drastically cutting calories, but creating a deficit that we can actually sustain. This manages the stress our metabolisms internalize and wards off or delays that adaptive onset. We want to focus on giving our bodies as much nourishment as possible while working towards our goals.
SETTING REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS
Setting realistic expectations for what our unique bodies are capable of in their current states with their current stressors, allows us to create progress that can be maintained.
SHIFTING INTO MAINTENANCE MODE FOR THE HOLIDAYS
We are in one of the most magical and food-centric times of our calendar year. With the four mentioned “solutions” above in mind, working to enter a maintenance phase through the holidays can be a timely and appropriate way to give our bodies and brains the ability to flexibly enjoy our nourishment, while also combating the stress of prior work towards fat loss.
Being in maintenance mode means eating at maintenance calories, or eating about the same amount of calories that you are burning each day. There is no exact timeline that this maintenance season “should” last, but as mentioned above, feelings of insatiability, mental fatigue and burnout and weight loss plateaus can be great biofeedback that it’s time for maintenance.
There are many benefits of moving to maintenance mode beyond addressing burnout and a stall in fat loss progress. Shifting your goals from losing fat to maintaining your fat loss can help combat negative effects of diet fatigue, metabolic adaptation, and can provide a mental and physical “reset” so that you can eventually return to fat loss mode with even better results in the long run.
We are allowed to enjoy our nutrition. We are allowed to partake in family traditions and enjoy the foods that accompany those traditions without guilt or fear. In the broad scope of our nutrition, that emotional and mental ease and enjoyment surrounding foods and food-centric holidays are both critical parts in maintaining a sound relationship with food. These precious moments with friends and family are optimal times to introduce those seasons of maintaining our work at overall progress and really grant ourselves the greatest flexibility possible with our nutrition.
We believe that the best way to achieve your fat loss goals is working with a coach who creates a plan specific to you - your needs, your preferences, and your goals. A sustainable approach to our nutrition is essential to long-term habits and success. For high support coaching and guidance, apply for our 1:1 Nutrition Coaching here.
A few other articles related to metabolic adaptation, maintenance phases, and how to know if you’re ready for a fat loss phase: