The Effects of Severe Caloric Restriction on Fat Loss

The human body is a biological machine with a brain ingeniously designed for survival. When dieting, your body perceives losing weight as a threat. This reaction activates the genetically programmed protections against starvation. When we choose to withhold calories, our bodies panic. Neither our anatomy nor physiology know that there’s a Hardee’s down the street. As far as your body knows, you’re huddled in a cave starving

Severe calorie restriction, over time, causes a phenomenon called "starvation simulation," where your body will save fat for survival at the expense of protein. Muscle is protein and is literally consumed and sacrificed to be a fuel source, causing your metabolism to plummet. This situation is counterproductive and sets you up for long-term failure. Caloric restriction by definition, automatically results in less-essential nutrients, and the body eventually perceives itself as starving. This causes muscle loss and loss of resting metabolic rate. Metabolic rate is the rate at which your body uses calories at complete rest. Dynamic muscle tissue is the key to a high metabolism, and a robust metabolic rate is essential to healthy and effective fat loss. Crash dieters lose weight fast, but part of the loss is muscle; the lowered metabolic rate causes fat gain as soon as they resume their old eating habits. When the previous “weight maintenance” diet is resumed, the person typically gains weight in excess of where they started. If a new starvation diet ensues, weight will be lost, the metabolism will be insulted more severely, and the maintenance caloric level will be lowered again. This sequence is referred to as “yo-yo dieting.” Dehydration, a weakened immune system, and weakened muscles making it harder to engage in exercise and physical activity are additional damaging side effects of severe caloric restriction.

Have you ever sat in your chair in your office in uptown Charlotte, North Carolina or on a couch in Waxhaw, North Carolina and felt overwhelmed with weight loss?

This phenomenon is depicted (above) via my illustration previously published in “Healthy Dynamic Living: Utilizing Lifestyle Lessons from Your Ancestors to Promote Healthy Aging and Ultimate Wellness” by Wayne Coolidge M.Ed. CHES. pg. 110.

Wayne Coolidge Jr., M.Ed., CHES is a scholar-practitioner, author, and speaker. He owns Healthy Dynamic Living, an innovative health promotion consulting firm.