When it comes to weight loss, we’ve all heard the same recycled advice: fewer calories, less carbs, more cardio. Yet as the science now shows, many of the tactics designed to help us shed pounds actually set us up for long-term metabolism struggles.
Here’s a deeper look at the ways traditional dieting can wreak havoc on your metabolism (ultimately making long-term weight management that much more difficult), plus how you can achieve a healthy weight while protecting your metabolic health now and for years to come.
- ABOUT OUR EXPERTS: Jenna Volpe, R.D.N., L.D., C.L.T., is a functional dietitian. Carla Hernandez, R.D., is a Los Angeles-based registered dietitian. Brittany Michels, M.S., R.D.N., L.D.N., C.P.T., is a registered dietitian, certified personal trainer, and nutritionist for The Vitamin Shoppe.
Why Metabolic Health Matters
Metabolic health is a topic gaining traction amongst everyone from bodybuilders and biohackers to wellness influencers and functional doctors—and for good reason. You see, your metabolism isn’t just calories burned; it’s the foundation of your overall wellness, affecting everything from energy levels to hormone balance and even disease prevention, explains functional dietitian Jenna Volpe, R.D.N., L.D., C.L.T.
“Metabolic health is all about how well your body’s systems—like blood sugar levels, cholesterol, and body composition—work together to keep you feeling your best and lower your risk of chronic illnesses,” Volpe says. “When things get out of balance—think high-calorie diets, too much sitting, and sky-high stress—it can negatively impact your heart, blood sugar, and inflammation levels, leaving you feeling drained, sleep deprived, and battling cravings that make healthy habits feel impossible.”
Read More: 12 Things To Do If Your Blood Sugar Tests Come Back Abnormal
Unfortunately, many popular dieting trends, including excessive calorie restriction and the elimination of entire food groups, can throw your metabolism completely off track, leaving you to battle a cascade of other health issues.
The following weight-loss tactics often trigger a cycle of short-term results followed by long-term damage, making it harder to maintain a healthy weight over time and potentially leading to problems like hormonal imbalances, chronic fatigue, and even mental health struggles.
Excessive Cardio
There’s a long-held perception that cardio is king for weight loss. However, over-relying on cardio can be counterproductive for metabolism. For starters, too much cardio, especially when combined with restrictive dieting, can lead to muscle loss, according to Volpe. This is problematic because muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than fat, meaning less muscle can lower your resting metabolic rate and make it harder to sustain weight loss. On top of that, your body adapts to cardio over time, becoming more efficient at the activity. “As a result, you burn fewer calories doing the same workout, which means you need to keep increasing the intensity or duration to see results, which isn’t always sustainable or healthy,” Volpe explains.
Overdoing it on cardio can also mess with your hunger levels and cravings. Burning significant calories can trigger your body to seek more energy, leading to spikes in appetite or cravings for quick-energy, processed foods, according to Volpe. This can make it harder to stick to a nutrient-dense, balanced diet.
Another issue: the impact of intense cardio on stress hormones. “Long cardio sessions can elevate cortisol, the stress hormone, which, when chronically high, can encourage fat storage (especially around the belly), hinder muscle recovery, and disrupt metabolic processes like blood sugar regulation,” says Carla Hernandez, R.D., a Los Angeles-based registered dietitian. “Over time, this combination of muscle loss, increased hunger, and hormonal imbalance leads to plateaus in your weight-loss journey.”
Extreme Dieting
Extreme diets that cut out entire macronutrients (typically carbs or fats) or restrict entire food groups can disrupt your metabolism and lead to nutrient deficiencies, warns Hernandez. To function properly, your body needs a balance of the three macronutrients—carbs, fats, and protein. When you eliminate one group, you deprive your body of the essential tools and nutrients it needs for energy, muscle repair, and hormone regulation.
“Carbs, for example, are your body’s main source of energy (especially for your brain and muscles), so cutting them out can lead to fatigue, brain fog, and a slower metabolism as your body tries to function on less fuel,” Hernandez says. “Similarly, fats are vital for hormone production, including those that regulate hunger and metabolism, so cutting them can lead to hormonal imbalances and a slowed metabolic rate.”
General calorie restriction can also negatively impact metabolic health over time. “When we don’t get enough usable energy from food, our body will take protein from our muscles and even organ tissue and convert it into glucose in a process known as gluconeogenesis as a last resort,” explains Volpe. As such, too much of a calorie deficit often leads to muscle loss, which then equals a less vigorous metabolism, since maintaining muscle mass requires extra calories.
How To Lose Weight Without Wrecking Your Metabolism
Here’s the good news: Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight doesn’t have to mean waging war on your metabolism. By focusing on sustainable strategies that support, rather than sabotage, your metabolic health, you can find a balanced approach that really works. Experts recommend prioritizing the following tactics for results that last.
Build muscle through strength training
If you’re looking towards exercise to boost your metabolism, strength training is the way to go, notes Volpe. “Muscle tissue is metabolically active, meaning it burns more calories at rest compared to fat, so by increasing your muscle mass, you naturally raise your resting metabolic rate, allowing your body to burn more energy even when you’re not exercising,” she explains. “Strength training also creates an ‘afterburn effect’, known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), in which your body continues to burn additional calories for hours after a workout as it repairs and rebuilds muscle fibers.”
Read More: After Muscle Gains? Make Sure Your Workouts Check These Boxes
The muscle built through strength training also helps improve insulin sensitivity, making it easier for your body to regulate blood sugar levels and store less fat, Volpe adds. This, in turn, makes it easier to maintain a healthy weight over time and lowers your risk of developing metabolic diseases (like type II diabetes) down the line.
Meet your protein goals
Instead of slashing calories or macronutrients, simply focusing on eating whole, nutrient-dense foods—and minimizing anything highly processed as much as possible—goes a long way in supporting a healthy weight and well-functioning metabolism, Volpe says.
Once you’ve got that down, up your emphasis on protein, which is crucial for metabolic health because of its role in how your body burns calories, builds muscle, and more. In addition to being the essential building block for muscle mass, “protein is essential for repairing tissues, supporting your immune system, and balancing hormones,” shares Brittany Michels, M.S., R.D.N., L.D.N., C.P.T., a registered dietitian, certified personal trainer, and nutritionist for The Vitamin Shoppe. “If you don’t hit your protein goals, your body might break down muscle for energy.” And you know now that’s bad news for weight management and metabolic health!
Michels recommends getting 25 to 30 percent of your total calories from protein or consuming at least half your body weight in grams of protein per day. “Aim for a protein source (like meat, chicken, fish, eggs, or nuts) at every meal and post-workout,” she adds. “If you’re unable to meet protein goals via food alone, consider adding a protein powder to your daily routine.” She’s a fan of BodyTech Whey Protein Isolate.
Make sleep a top priority
You’ve probably heard over and over again the importance of a good night’s rest. And while spending more time in bed might not sound glamorous, its importance goes well beyond feeling less tired and foggy throughout the day. In fact, sleep is crucial for a healthy metabolism because it directly influences how your body processes and utilizes energy.
For starters, sleep plays a role in maintaining the right balance of hormones, including those that control hunger and energy use, such as ghrelin and leptin, according to Volpe. Sleep deprivation can also impair how your body responds to insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels. Research, including one study published in the journal Diabetes Care, shows that chronic sleep deprivation can contribute to insulin resistance, increasing the risk of metabolic disorders like type 2 diabetes.
The going recommendation is that adults get between seven and nine hours of sleep each night for optimal health. To help facilitate a good night’s sleep, try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, dim lights in the evening, stop using electronics at least 30 minutes before bedtime, and establish a calming nighttime routine such as taking a bath or reading, suggests Michels.
Upgrade Your Approach To Managing Stress
Chronic stress can wreak havoc on your metabolic health, warns Volpe. “High stress has been shown to raise cortisol (stress hormone) levels, increasing appetite and contributing to insulin resistance and fat storage,” she says. “This is evident in research studies, such as in a 2017 study that associated higher levels of cortisol and chronic stress with increased risk of future weight gain.” (This was based on changes to appetite regulation and metabolic function.)
The best stress-management techniques vary from one person to the next, depending on what is most enjoyable, effective, and sustainable for you. Some of Volpe’s go-to stress reduction techniques include but aren’t limited to: meditation, Reiki, massage, yoga, somatic body integration work, and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) tapping. But whatever works for you works! Here are eight small ways to support your mental health today, if you could use some inspiration.