My Macros: How to start tracking your food and what you need to know

PLATEAUS: If you’ve ever dieted (been in a calorie deficit), chances are you’ve probably experienced a plateau-where your body stops changing. Our body’s job is to adapt to it’s environment. It has several mechanisms in place to adapt & maintain energy balance (homeostasis) Especially in times of scarcity (too little food) This might be frustrating when trying to lose weight, but let’s learn one reason why we plateau: After an extended period of time being in a calorie/energy deficit, or being in a severe deficit, ONE of your body’s defense mechanisms is to adapt by adjusting the rate of its metabolic functions in order to prevent any further change-Known as metabolic adaptation. In other words, your metabolism “slows down” as a means to accommodate the reduced amount of food/calories and you plateau/stop losing weight. *to learn more about the various defense mechanisms that occur when we diet aggressively or for long periods of time, I highly suggest “Fat Loss Forever” written by Layne Norton & Peter Baker It is generally recommended that a fat loss phase/dieting phase/calorie deficit should NOT exceed 12 consecutive weeks. If you are chronically under eating (1500 range or below) you likely struggle to lose body fat, & experience digestion disruption/discomfort & lethargy. It’s likely your body has become resistant to fat loss by slowing down it’s metabolic rate to help prevent further/ rapid change from being in a catabolic state/malnourishment.

I strongly encourage your main priority be to break the cycle of chronic under eating & increase your food to a more optimal range for several months, before pursuing goals of fat loss. (REVERSE DIET! I’ll talk more about that very soon!)