We all have that one friend. You’ve seen him eat entire pizzas, you’ve watched him wolf an entire birthday cake, but he somehow remains thin. Our metabolic rate governs our waistline like a dictator ruling over their country. While some metabolisms may be more proactive, burning food like logs in a furnace, others are slower, taking their precious time with what’s given. But not all is out of your hands.
Sadly, crash dieting has become normal for the general public. The ups and downs of a shifting diet can wreak absolute havoc on your metabolism. Imagine your body as a finely tuned car, and multiple diets as different types of fuel, doing little more than damaging the inner workings of your system with its ever-changing qual
ities. Crash dieting can slow your metabolic rate to a crawl, and snapping back to old habits will not only bring the weight back but pile it on with a vengeance.
Dr. Rudolph Leibel, the leading researcher at Rockefeller University and world-renowned obesity expert, found that there is a quantifiable difference between those who crash diet and those who took the time to establish healthy eating habits. Not only were the metabolic rates of the “crashers” 25% lower than their counterparts, the damage done to their metabolism set their body to the rhythm of someone nearly half their size.
The human body is a complex system of chemicals and hormones, each working together to ensure we keep moving forward. Crash dieting can not only damage your metabolic rate, but it can alter your vital hormone makeup. By drastically reducing a daily diet, the human body will begin to lessen its production of fat-burning hormones. The thyroid, responsible for combating weight gain, can drop as much as 38% after two weeks of sustained low-calorie consumption. A week spent indulging in your old habits after your metabolism has dropped to these lows will spell doom for the progress you fought to earn.
No one is perfect. We do our best with what we’re given and make improvements when we are willing and able to do so. Though many remain the victims of their metabolism, there is an answer to the problem plaguing millions, and it’s simple. Eat well, eat regularly, and don’t subject yourself to constant crash-dieting. Not only is it better for your mind, it’s good for the body.