How Different Diets Can Mess with Your Metabolism
Ever feel like you eat next to nothing but still don’t lose weight? Or maybe you’ve got that one friend who eats whatever they want and never gains a kilo? Yep, metabolism plays a role – but diets mess with it way more than you think.
Why Dieting Can Backfire
When you drastically cut calories, your body doesn’t see it as a weight loss strategy – it sees it as a famine. To survive, it slows down how fast you burn energy, making it harder to lose weight and way easier to gain it back later. The more extreme the diet, the more your body fights back.
How Differents Diets Mess With Your Metabolism
1. Extreme Low-Calorie Diets: Metabolism’s Worst Enemy
Eating way too few calories for too long puts your body in survival mode. It’s like, “Oh no, food is scarce – better slow things down and hold onto fat!” Your metabolism slows right down, making weight loss even harder. And when you start eating normally again? Boom – your body stores those calories like a squirrel hoarding nuts for winter. That’s why extreme diets lead to the dreaded yo-yo effect.
Better option: Instead of starving yourself, eat enough food with a slight calorie deficit so your body keeps burning fuel efficiently.
2. Low-Carb/Ketogenic Diets: Hit or Miss
Cutting carbs makes your body burn fat for fuel, which sounds great. But go too low, and your metabolism can slow down as your body needs carbs to produce hormones that regulate metabolism. Some people thrive on low-carb eating, while others feel sluggish and drained. If you are the latter we suggest introducing some nutritious whole grain carbohydrates to your diet.
Better option: Swap simple carbohydrates like white bread, white pasta and rice, pastries, baked goods for wholegrain varieties full of fibre and nutrients like whole grain bread, brown pasta and rice, oats, lots of veggies, legumes, chickpeas, beans and fruit.
4. Intermittent Fasting: Helpful or Harmful?
Fasting (only eating during certain hours) works for some people. But take it too far, and it can slow metabolism – especially if you’re not eating enough when you do eat. Plus, fasting too much can cause muscle loss, which means you burn fewer calories overall.
Better option: If fasting works for you, make sure you’re still eating enough protein, wholegrain carbohydrates and healthy fats when you do eat.
5. Yo-Yo Dieting: The Ultimate Metabolism Killer
If you’ve ever lost weight only to regain it (over and over), you’re not alone. Constantly switching between strict diets and overeating confuses your body, making it hold onto fat and burn fewer calories long-term.
Better option: Find a way of eating that you can stick to for life — no more fad diets!
6. Plant-Based Diets: Great for Health, But Watch the Protein
Plant-based diets are packed with fibre and can help with digestion and blood sugar control. Some research even suggests they slightly boost metabolism. The downside? If you don’t get enough protein, you could lose muscle and slow your metabolism.
Better option: Eat plenty of plant-based proteins like beans, lentils, tofu, nuts, and seeds.
The Bottom Line: How to Keep Your Metabolism Happy
- Eat enough – starving yourself slows metabolism
- Get plenty of protein to keep muscle and burn more calories.
- Choose whole, unprocessed foods for better digestion and energy.
- Keep moving – exercise (even just walking) keeps your metabolism steady.
- Ditch extreme diets that leave you tired, cranky, and stuck in a weight-loss cycle.
The secret to a healthy metabolism isn’t about following the latest diet trend – it’s about fueling your body in a way that actually works for the long haul!
