Have you ever been told to “eat less and move more” to lose weight, but always seem to gain the weight back? That’s because, fundamentally, prolonged calorie restriction leads to metabolic adaptation, which actually prioritizes the loss of muscle mass, not body fat. It’s not in your head! And you’re not doomed!

Today on Salad With a Side of Fries, Jenn Trepeck explores how metabolic adaptation can affect energy expenditure and muscle mass, leading to hormonal imbalances and other unwanted symptoms. Learn why "eat less, move more" is not a long-term weight loss solution and why, instead, we want to be focusing on building muscle. Jenn shares how prioritizing protein intake and fiber consumption, stress management, and getting quality sleep can help to prevent metabolic adaptation and support metabolic restoration. Discover how reverse dieting can help to restore your basal metabolic rate and other strategies to support sustainable health through gradual fat removal. 

What You Will Learn in This Episode:

✅ Learn why "eat less, move more" leads to muscle loss and fat regain

✅ Explore nutrition strategies to prevent the effects of metabolic adaptation

✅ Understand the roles stress management and sleep quality have in restoring basal metabolic rate

✅ Get practical tips for restoring metabolic health, like reverse dieting, and sustaining hormonal balance for long-term health

The Salad With a Side of Fries podcast, hosted by Jenn Trepeck, explores real-life wellness and weight loss, debunking myths, misinformation, and flawed science surrounding our understanding of nutrition and the food industry. Let’s dive into wellness and weight loss for real life, including drinking, eating out, and skipping the grocery store.

TIMESTAMPS: 

00:00 Metabolic Adaptation Explained: How Calorie Restriction Slows Basal Metabolic Rate to Survive

03:40 Our bodies adapt to weight loss by reducing energy expenditure, negatively impacting our muscle mass

06:41 Metabolic adaptation conserves energy, lowering basal metabolic rate during calorie restriction

09:57 Increased efficiency in metabolic adaptation sheds muscle mass, harming sustainable health

13:29 Metabolic adaptation can cause weight loss plateaus, drawing nutrients from the bones

15:04 Hormonal imbalances from metabolic adaptation affect thyroid function

19:55 Prevent metabolic adaptation with quality nutrition: protein and fiber in every meal makes removing fat no big deal

28:00 How reverse dieting can help restore our body’s basal metabolic rate and counter the effects of metabolic adaptation

34:41 Build muscle mass with resistance training to boost metabolism and avoid metabolic adaptation

38:39 Thyroid function is key to restoring basal metabolic rate

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 

💎 Prevent metabolic adaptation by prioritizing quality nutrition and protein intake to maintain basal metabolic rate.

💎 Build muscle mass through resistance training to boost energy expenditure and avoid calorie restriction pitfalls.

💎 Focus on stress management and sleep quality for hormonal balance and sustainable health.

💎 Use reverse dieting to counter the effects of metabolic adaptation, aiding in restoring your basal metabolic rate.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Become a Happy Healthy Hub Member

Jenn’s Free Menu Plan

A Salad With a Side of Fries

A Salad With A Side Of Fries Merch

A Salad With a Side of Fries Instagram

Personalizing Fitness by ADAPTing (feat. Philip Pape)

Nutrition Nugget: Minnesota Starvation Experiment 

Celebrating Three Years with The Five Fat Factors

Nutrition Nugget: Eggs

Your Fat Cells Have Memory

Take Your Foot Off the Gas

QUOTES: 

00:00 "In prolonged periods of calorie restriction, which is the old adage of ‘eat less, move more’, the body adapts in order to survive." Jenn Trepeck

03:40 "Metabolic adaptation is essentially when the body adapts to prolonged calorie restriction or weight loss efforts by changing its physiology." Jenn Trepeck

17:17 "We want to focus on nutrition that supports every piece of our body's function and maintaining and building muscle." Jenn Trepeck

28:13 "Metabolic restoration is reversing the metabolic adaptation... improving energy levels, improving our metabolism." Jenn Trepeck

SEO KEYWORDS: 

Jenn Trepeck, Salad With a Side of Fries, Nutrition Nugget, Health Coach, Weight Loss for Real Life, Metabolic adaptation, Metabolic restoration, Muscle mass, Hormonal balance, Nutrition quality, Stress management, Sleep quality, Protein intake, Fiber consumption, Reverse dieting, Sustainable health, Metabolic adaptation effects, Restoring basal metabolic rate, GLP, GLP-1, fat loss, body composition