Why most diets actually slow the metabolism
Thinking of starting a diet? Read this first.
The typical diet of eating less, working out more and more and more, restricting eating times and quantities... all can slow the metabolism.
Why? When you drop your calorie intake too low or place your body under stress in other ways (through over-exercising and under-sleeping, for example) less active thyroid hormone is created. Your body produces more of a hormone called Reverse T3, which slows your metabolism. In Chinese Medicine we'd say that it depletes your "Spleen Qi".
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Your body basically goes into energy-conservation mode. ⠀
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Many of us need to go into reverse-diet mode and eat MORE rather than less in order to ramp up our metabolisms and the way our body and cells use energy and function. ⠀
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I walk you through how to do this effectively through 3 strategic phases in the Mend Your Metabolism program.
What happens when you don't enough?
Our body speaks to us in symptoms and how we feel. Yet so many people don't realize what your body may be telling you (something I love about East Asian Medicine, we're SO GOOD at interpreting symptoms and what they mean)... and people seem to be especially bad at realizing the signs that they are UNDER-EATING. ⠀
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Undereating is so common, and diet culture has convinced us it's normal and something to strive for (gahhhh!)... it's so harmful to our health, fertility, hormones, metabolism, and wellbeing. And it's a big common driver of weight gain.
In Chinese Medicine, we say that undereating damages our Spleen Qi. Make sure you're eating enough nutrient-dense foods to support your health, energy, mood, and metabolism.
You might be thinking: under-eating leads to weight GAIN? Yes, in the long run it can slow our metabolism, and/or it leads to uncontrollable binges, it can raise our cortisol levels, and affect our thyroid hormones (which then can affect our progesterone, and the downstream effects go on and on…). Most of my overweight patients are in fact UNDER-EATING.
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The metabolism controls so much, including the digestive system, immune system, and thyroid. This is why we experience a vast array of symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, bloating, low body temps, and even fertility struggles. ⠀
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My Mend Your Metabolism course and meal plan gives you a precise plan to ramp up and support your metabolism, the way your body uses energy, and your hormones.
Why everyone should care about their metabolism....
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Metabolism is about WAY MORE than weight. Why? Because our metabolism guides factors that affect the way our body creates, uses, and stores energy in every one of our cells. Meaning it literally affects how our cells, organs, hormones, everything... function. ⠀
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As with fertility, in working in support of the metabolism, I actually get to treat everything... gut health, liver function, hormones, inflammation, nutrition, sleep problems... it's all connected. ⠀
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Even though I'm not trying to lose weight, I plan to live in a way that supports my metabolism forever. And I’m so grateful I know this information now (and wish I knew it back in my 20s when I was restricting way too much) because most of what our diet-culture-laden society preaches (restriction and under-eating) actually SLOWS our metabolisms.
While Chinese Medicine doesn’t use the word “metabolism” exactly, its concept of the Spleen Qi is very related to it, and supporting the Spleen Qi is one of the crucial pieces to a healthy metabolism and we think it’s so central and HUGE to everyone’s health.
Join my Mend Your Metabolism course and get a clear plan, path, and recipes to fuel your health, feel your best, and reach your long-term healthy weight.
