Written by
John Carter
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In this guide, we’ll start by debunking two of the biggest myths about weight loss plateaus and metabolism. We’ll provide a science-backed explanation (with sources) for why these common dieting strategies usually don’t work - and in fact - might actually make you gain weight.
We’ll share evidence on how damaging standard dieting can be for your metabolism.
Most importantly, we’ll teach you what weight loss experts think is the best way to reset your metabolism and get past weight loss plateaus.
Have you recently hit a weight loss plateau? We’ll start by explaining the most likely reason.
A large and growing volume of scientific research shows that when someone loses weight through calorie restriction, their basal metabolism (the amount of calories their body naturally burns) plummets.
To help understand this, we can look at the oft-quoted “Calories In - Calories Out” (CICO) equation. The standard advice given to dieters for the last century has been to reduce calories in (eat less), increase calories out (move more), and thereby create a calorie deficit (more calories out than in) leading to weight loss.
This has been the most prevalent dieting strategy and the fundamental basis for the most popular weight loss companies, like Weight Watchers and Noom, for decades. During the time that this approach has been dominant, rates of obesity have skyrocketed. 22.9% of American adults were obese in the late-80s. That number has nearly doubled to reach 42.4% in 2017-2018. (1)
Why has CICO failed us so dramatically? Because while calorie reduction does work short-term, it wrecks our metabolism medium- and long-term. As we reduce calories in, our basal metabolism adapts, lowering calories out in order to balance the equation. We’re doing the same thing we did at the start of our diet (eating a lot less) and no longer seeing any results because we’re no longer creating a calorie deficit.
Why has CICO failed us so dramatically? Because while calorie reduction does work short-term, it wrecks our metabolism medium- and long-term.
The famous Biggest Loser study, based on the hit reality TV show, demonstrates this phenomenon clearly. The study tracked 14 contestants from Season 8 of the show who lost significant weight. Six years after their incredible weight loss transformations, nearly all the contestants had gained back nearly all the weight they had lost, and some were heavier than before. (2)
Perhaps more importantly, they all now burned many fewer calories than would be expected for someone of their size. That is to say, even though they were back to their starting weights, their metabolisms were significantly slower than when they were at that same weight six years earlier.
So why do weight loss plateaus typically happen? Because when you go on a standard calorie restriction diet, your body will quickly adapt to burn fewer calories and eventually stop your progress.
Cutting calories even further will only accelerate this metabolic slowing!
A typical response to hitting a weight loss plateau is to try to “exercise past it.” Exercise has incredible health benefits and increasing your activity level long-term is a great idea. But as a strategy for weight loss, focusing on exercise rarely works.
Research shows that nutrition is by far the biggest driver of weight loss results. A typical blueberry muffin has around 450 calories. With a nutrition focus, we might start a diet that teaches us to avoid that muffin. To achieve a similar calorie reduction through exercise, the average person would have to run for 45 minutes. Which seems easier? Running for nearly an hour or simply not picking up a muffin? (3)
Of course, you can choose to eat less and move more. Interestingly, studies have shown that when dieters significantly increase exercise, they often compensate with a much higher calorie intake. That is to say, they actually end up eating more calories than they burned from increased exercise. (4)
Lastly, and most importantly, trying to break a weight loss plateau through exercise is just another approach that relies on the flawed CICO equation. Whether the calorie deficit is created through nutrition or activity change, our metabolism will still adapt to balance out the equation. This might help temporarily, but will ultimately make lasting results more difficult.
If “Calories In - Calories Out” fails 99% of the time, how do you break through a weight loss plateau? An increasing volume of research, and a growing choir of qualified experts, point to the power of the hormone insulin. According to the increasingly respected “Insulin Theory of Obesity” - it’s hopeless to focus on CICO while ignoring the massive importance of insulin. (5)
Insulin is a fat-storing hormone - that’s its role in the body. Insulin levels, which naturally vary throughout the day, help determine whether food is stored as fat or burned as energy. This is normal and not a bad thing.
The problems arise when our insulin levels become out of balance. The following passage from Dr. Jason Fung, MD, a leading weight loss expert, explains this theory:
"Does high insulin cause obesity? The 'insulin causes obesity’ hypothesis is easily tested. If you give insulin to a random group of people, will they gain fat? The short answer is an emphatic ‘Yes!' Patients who use insulin regularly and physicians who prescribe it already know the awful truth: the more insulin you give, the more obesity you get. Numerous studies have already demonstrated this fact. Insulin causes weight gain.” (6)
Indeed, according to this increasingly accepted theory, obesity is a hormonal, not caloric imbalance. So to break through a weight loss plateau, we have to shift our focus away from simple calorie reduction. We have to find a way to address our hormonal imbalance.
So to break through a weight loss plateau, we have to shift our focus away from simple calorie reduction.
If what we’ve been doing for decades has backfired - obesity levels are skyrocketing - then perhaps we should look to our ancestors for guidance. Experts actually believe that looking at the eating patterns of ancient hunter-gatherers can tell us a lot about what’s gone wrong with our modern diets.
Our ancestors didn’t have the abundant and constant access to food we now take for granted. They often went long periods with very little food and thus ate very little. At other times, after a successful hunt for example, they had an enormous quantity of food and limited ability to store it long-term. So they spent some periods eating little and then some periods eating a lot.
What hunter-gatherers were doing now has a name: intermittent fasting. Indeed, this unintentional “eat stop eat” pattern has been practiced for centuries. It’s been wrong-headed advice like “Eat six times a day” and “Eat lots of snacks” that has convinced so many of us to eat constantly. We have such plentiful access to food that we almost never go for any real period of time without eating something.
As Dr. Jason Fung explains further:
"Fasting maximally lowers insulin and ignites the flames of fat burning. Caloric reduction wrecked our metabolism by causing it to shut down. How to fix it? Do the exact opposite of what you expect. Push your caloric intake towards zero!”
Indeed, intermittent fasting - taking periodic breaks from normal eating - is now considered by many experts to be the single best way to improve our increasingly common hormonal imbalances, break through plateaus, and thereby lose weight long-term. (7)
If the last part sounds intimidating, remember one key takeaway: in order to get past a weight loss plateau, you should eat without calorie restriction most of the time. You’re going to want to throw the concept of calorie counting out completely.
So does that mean that you should eat as much as you possibly can? Absolutely not. It means that you should eat mindfully. Mindful eating means eating to fuel your body. It means eating healthy, nutritious, whole foods when possible. It means listening to your body and stopping when you’re no longer hungry. It means not eating just because of boredom or other emotions.
You will find that this mindful eating is MUCH easier when you’re no longer constantly feeling restricted. Calorie restriction has taught us to constantly think about eating as a negative thing that we must limit and control. That makes us want to eat even more. Mindful eating involves a shift to an abundance attitude: food is plentiful and we have the rest of our lives to enjoy any foods we want.
In summary, to break through a weight loss plateau, mix in periodic intermittent fasting with mindful eating.
The Reset weight loss program will guide you step-by-step through this lifestyle if you’d like some structure and support. You'll be walked through two days of intermittent fasting each week (low-calorie Reset Days) and five days of mindful eating. Our habit-building program helps you learn the mindsets and strategies to make mindful eating routine and easy for you.
Take our quiz today and start busting through your weight loss plateau!
