Metabolic Damage or starvation mode, as it is better known as a series of hormonal, metabolic and behavioral responses of the body to prolonged or extreme calorie deprivation, and is generally common when you are going through low-caloric weight loss diets. The body cannot differentiate between starving and severe dieting and as a result, it goes to starvation mode and thus, decreases the rate of weight loss. In addition, it reduces your energy level, which in turn, can lower your physical activity and increase your appetite. Worst still, when the body goes to starvation mode it will slow down your metabolism and you can hardly lose weight even with the most popular weight loss diets.
Some of the common symptoms of metabolic damage and starvation mode are low energy, slower weight loss, increased appetite and feeling hungry all the time. Moreover, you tend to gain back more weight and before once you return to normal eating. But before moving further into this topic, it is important to know that metabolic damage and starvation mode are not scientific terms. The technical term is “adaptive thermogenesis”. And it can affect some dieters more than others due to lifestyle and genetic factors. However, the good news is that you can avoid metabolic damage and starvation mode by following some of the best fat burning strategies. These fat burning strategies will keep your metabolism burning hot and at the same time your hormones happy.
Eat natural and healthy foods: Health and fitness experts usually advice to avoid refined and artificial foods and they will take their toll on your health. They will decline your hormonal health and will increase risk of metabolic damage during your weight loss program. Moreover, the natural and unprocessed foods are considered as healthy foods, for example, lean proteins and vegetables are low in caloric density and can help you to decrease your caloric intake. The calorie quality of such foods are also better in comparison to refined and artificial foods and thus, results in optimal body composition and better metabolic and hormonal health.
Eat more healthy foods on a regular basis: To lose weight quickly you will need a caloric deficit; however, there are various ways to achieve it. You can either eat less or exercise more, or do a bit of both. Health and fitness experts usually recommend to avoid crash diets; instead, they recommend to opt for pursue slower but steady weight loss diet. In fact, health and fitness experts give more stress on fat loss with an eye on your body composition. You can opt for a caloric deficit of just 20% below your normal maintenance level or 30% under maintenance if you are seriously overweight. Another good way to lose weight is to eat healthy meals often and regularly. You need to eat at least 6 small meals including healthy foods. Such healthy foods may include vegetables, fresh fruits, low-fat dairy products, lean protein, dietary fiber, good fats and complex carbohydrate. Also, drink a lot of water along with your healthy meals.
Take a break from your diet plan: Prolonged periods of aggressive dieting will force your body to go to starvation mode. To avoid metabolic damage you need to take breaks from your diet plan. You can opt for 12 weeks of restricted dieting followed by a week’s break. During this time, increase your calorie-intake to boost your body metabolism.
Lift weight to lose weight: Weight training is the secret of many successful weight loss programs. It helps you to avoid metabolic damage; rather, weight training is important for boosting your metabolic health and helps you to achieve a better body composition. In fact, weight training provides much better result than cardio, when it comes to successful fat loss and weight loss.
