METABOLIC DAMAGE AND HOW TO FIX IT...

are you trying to lose weight, but can't drop a pound no matter how hard you try?

have you tried every diet in this world, but still can't lose weight?

you do hours of cardio per week and can't see results?

do you starve yourself and eat barely 2 times a day?

have you been on a very low calorie diet in the past (around 1200kcal/day or lower)?

have you been or still are on a ketogenic diet, you regained the weight and now you can't get rid of it?

are you eating less than 1500 calories a day and can't lose fat?

you have normal thyroid levels and a healthy liver, but you still can't drop?

do you gain weight even on a very low calorie diet?

have you experienced an eating disorder (bulimia, anorexia)?

you've been competing in bodybuilding/ fitness shows and prepping on a low cal or low carb diet and now you find yourself gaining a lot of weight on a low calorie regimen?

if you've answered YES to at least 3 of the questions above, you most probably have a metabolic damage. with this post i want to let you know that you are not alone struggling and that there are many other people just like you out there. i also want you to know that metabolic damage can be fixed and you can start losing again but it takes time.. it can be months, a year or even more. all you need to solve this issue, is a lot of hard work and a lot of patience.

why does it occur?
it's all about survival. our body is always looking for homeostasis and we've been programmed to store body fat in order to survive. when your body realizes that it's losing fat, it slows down the metabolism in order to stop weight loss. what you do, you lower the calories even further and maybe throw in some cardio. the body slows down the metabolism even more by lowering thyroid and testosterone levels. it also raises cortisol at the same time which leads to muscle loss. here you have a perfect recipe for a metabolic disaster. muscle is the active tissue so losing muscle means lower caloric burn and lower metabolism. 
some people can't lose weight on a very low calorie diet, some other can even start gaining on a very low cal diet.

how to fix it?
1. stop dieting immediately. do you think is normal that a person can't lose on a 1200-1500 cal diet? do you think is normal that a person gains fat on a such diet? do you think is normal that you maintain at that caloric intake? i mean, a 5-year old needs 1,800 cals a day... how much do you think you need?!

2. exercise less and ditch the steady state cardio which slows down the metabolism and raises cortisol levels. i don't recommend doing any cardio at all. 

3. start lifting heavy! weight lifting raises the metabolism. train with weights 4-5 times a week. on your rest days you can stretch or just sleep and eat.

4. eat small and frequent meals, every 2-3 hours.

5. eat natural. skip the processed foods. if it doesn't come directly form a plant or from the earth, don't eat it. if you consume natural foods, your body will start regulating the hormones automatically.

6. reverse dieting: just like your metabolism adapted to a low-cal diet, it needs to adapt to a high-cal diet. the good news is, that this is possible with a lot of patience and consistency. the problem is, that most people lack of these 2 characteristics and give up too quickly. this is why you must know that this is not a quick fix. it's a very long and slow process. i know that especially if you are a woman, it's very hard when you are overweight and you wish you could drop those pounds quickly. here the only thing you must do is accept yourself and your body as it is and realize that those pounds won't go away till you fix your metabolism. but you must always keep in mind that your actual situation is not your final destination. if you work hard and you are consistent, you'll get great results, i promise! so what you need to do is practically make your body adapt to a higher caloric intake. of course, if you add hundreds of cals at a time you will gain weight.. this is why you must do it slowly so that you give your body the time to adapt and 'absorb' those extra calories. those cals must come especially from carbs. this can mean adding even just 50 calories or less per week to your daily meal plan. the protein and fat intake will adjust by itself since carbs contain also some fat and protein.

7. get a good quality sleep.

8. be patient. keep adding the calories very slowly. 

you are not alone in this, ok?!! i know you want to get rid of the excess fat and the hard work to pay off, but right now you have to focus on adding calories to your diet and nothing else. if you do it slowly, you won't gain weight... what happens to many of my clients is that they actually start losing when we add calories. the max weight you can gain is 1-2lbs in the whole process. 
since fixing your metabolism is a long-term goal, you must also set short term goals in order not to give up in the process. your goal can't be fat loss right now. delete that from your list! what you can actually do, is focusing on building muscle. take advantage of the higher caloric intake and work hard in the gym (no cardio, though!!). in that hour give all you've got and you'll feel the difference the next day... you'll feel sore, sleepy, hungry... these are all signs that sth good is going on. 

don't be afraid to eat! believe me, there's no other way to solve this. trust the process!

Want to discover more? Visit my FB page by clicking here