I recently did a speech at a speaking engagement in Miami for a self-development conference where I got the opportunity to answer some great fitness questions.
And one popular question I got was, do low calorie diets crash your metabolism? More and more do we hear these horror stories about people’s metabolisms crashing and getting slower from dieting.
My thoughts on this issue are quite interesting because, I believe there is a much deeper problem that we need to uncover.
In this post, we’ll also discuss how to structure the perfect diet to lose fat fast, without losing your mind, your muscle or your sex drive!
The Problem Is Not Your Low Calorie Diet
Low calorie diets do not ruin your metabolism.
In actuality, the adaptation component of your metabolism slowing down during dieting is a lot smaller than you would think. The fact of the matter is, eating in a calorie deficit is the only way to lose weight and we have over 50 years of research to back this up.
Again, the only way to lose fat is to restrict your calorie intake! Many people are mislead to think that doing so will hurt their metabolisms and this is far from the truth.
For example, if someone were to eat below their BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate – which is the amount of energy expressed in calories that a person needs to keep the body functioning at rest.) weight loss will happen.
But is eating super low calories every day, easy and sustainable? Heavens no.
And that’s the problem!
Going on a crash diet typically ends up with you “crashing” and overeating, ruining any progress you made. If one were to be completely honest with themselves and accurately tracking calorie intake, chances are, they probably are not hitting that low in calories.
With that said, it’s not necessarily a damaged metabolism for not seeing the desired weight loss. Not in the least.
The reality that you’re not seeing desired fat loss is because you’re not following a sustainable plan you could stick to for the long term.
Low Calorie Diets Work But You Still Shouldn’t Do Them
Building a couple important strategies into your plan will make dieting to lose body fat effortless. If you weren’t aware, I actually struggled for a long period of time to get really lean.
You see, I had done the super low calorie intake (1400-1700 calories per day), and wow, that was miserable.
It was an awful experience and my sex drive was shot and I could never fully stick with it long enough to see tangible results.
That said, I found an ‘aggressive deficit’ (not extreme deficit) to be much, much, more manageable.
Pair that with a balanced intake of macros to best support sex drive and training, intermittent fasting, strategic black coffee (my favorite is Fasting Fuel), a couple servings of fruit to stave off hunger between meals, and two big satisfying meals per day, and you can make eating at an aggressive deficit a walk in the park.
In fact, this is why I decided to write the Aggressive Fat Loss Program. It’s a really incredible routine if you want to make leaning down fast (6-9 pounds of fat loss per month), pretty damn enjoyable while maintaining muscle.
And thousands of people have been experiencing the same awesome results…
*Your results may vary. Testimonials and examples used are exceptional results and are not intended to guarantee, promise, represent and/or assure that anyone will achieve the same or similar results.
*Your results may vary. Testimonials and examples used are exceptional results and are not intended to guarantee, promise, represent and/or assure that anyone will achieve the same or similar results.
View more success stories here
People that have been reading my writings for some time, watching my videos, or listening to my podcasts… Know very well that I promote this idea of not being in an absolute rush to get lean.
That it’s important that we learn to accept ourselves right now, enjoy the process, and make our nutrition habits rewarding and something that we can continue with ease.
When you are able to finally enjoy the process and see weekly progress, it truly is beautiful.
An important strategy I learned from that, which has allowed me to reach sub 7% body fat is listening to my body.
When you keep trying to go against your body and resisting your natural instincts, that’s when dieting becomes difficult.
Make sure you have your calories properly dialed in for fat loss, but if on some days you have some cravings and need to eat around maintenance, then do so.
Or even if you feel full and satisfied before you finish all of your calories and macros, that’s fine. It’s okay to go under your calories if you’re satisfied on a cut.
This allows you to stay consistent for the long term and actually enjoy your journey so the awesome physique you build is sustainable.
As well, this teaches you to work with your body, so maintaining high testosterone levels and a very low body fat, becomes the status quo.
Your Kino Question For The Day: What is your experience with low Calorie diets? Which tips in this article helped you the most? Let me know in the comments below.
