Is My Metabolism Damaged From Dieting? (What Your Hunger Is Really Telling You) | Ep 487

Has years of dieting on and off damaged your metabolism? It that why fat loss feels so hard now?

This is one of the most common fears I hear, and the short answer is almost certainly... no. So what is going on?

Most of what feels like a broken metabolism is one of two things: either the normal discomfort of a deficit or the way your appetite pushes back as you lose fat, preventing a consistent deficit (where you feel like you're dieting but can never lose weight).

If you look at weight loss studies, those reporting the most hunger and the strongest cravings tend to lose the least, implying that too much hunger isn't by definition "necessary" for a successful deficit.

Learn about metabolic adaptation in a moderate diet, the "four-week wall" when most people quit a fat loss phase, and the difference between the discomfort you should "ride out" and red flags where you should take a break or change something about the diet (like the speed/aggressiveness).

The people who finish are the ones who lose the fat!

Enroll in Eat More Lift Heavy, the 26-week coached program where adults over 40 build the nutrition and training skills to preserve muscle, lose fat, and manage their physique for life.

Wits & Weights is the evidence-based podcast for strength training over 40, fat loss over 40, metabolism recovery, body recomposition, and healthy aging. Hosted by Philip Pape, creator of Eat More Lift Heavy and Fitness Lab.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Is your metabolism damaged from years of dieting?
1:46 - The satiety diet question
4:10 - Why relaxing your deficit turns into serial quitting
8:31 - Why more hunger predicts less fat loss
12:24 - What metabolic adaptation means in a moderate deficit
19:29 - Hunger and discomfort you ride out vs. true red flags
23:27 - Why a slower cut is what gets you to the finish
25:33 - A straight answer on fat loss for women over 40
28:12 - Bonus: 30-second self-check for the toughest days in a deficit

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