What is Metabolic damage?
Metabolic damage is better known as ‘starvation mode’, it is the phenomenon referring to the body’s physiological adaptation or natural response to long term calorie restriction or deficit.
The deficit can be a result of reduced calorie intake, increased calorie expenditure through exercise, or a combination of the two. Essentially, metabolic damage (or starvation mode) can come about as a result of your body’s attempt to maintain energy balance and prevent starvation.
How to Fix Metabolic Damage
Your metabolism works like a thermostat, that is now “broken”. The first step is to stop eating less and exercising more. This is the point in which a reverse diet is crucial. You have two choices, either eat less and exercise less, or eat more and exercise more. This is the only way to decrease the stress on your metabolism while not gaining weight in the process. The reverse diet is what I implement when this begins to happen after prolonged dieting. When a new member joins the CaseyTrain in this situation, the first step is reintroducing calories and pulling back on cardio. Or on the other hand, when a client has been in a deficit for 3-4 months and weight loss is slowing, reverse dieting will be implemented. The adjustments from decreased caloric expenditure over time is what will rebuild your metabolism.