Does your body go into energy saving mode when you lose weight?
You probably recognize it. When you have just started exercising or dieting, it seems as if the pounds are dropping off at a rapid pace, but over time it becomes increasingly difficult and you may not even lose weight at all. It is then said that your body goes into a so-called 'saving mode'. But what exactly is savings mode and does it really exist? In this blog we explain to you what is meant by savings mode and how you can counteract this so that you can achieve the desired result!
What do people mean by savings mode?
People trying to lose weight often indicate that they are afraid of a body in energy saving mode. By this they mean that they are afraid that over time their body will adapt to the low calorie intake by slowing down the metabolism, so that you no longer lose weight and sometimes even gain weight.
If you consume fewer calories for an extended period of time, your body may see this as a threat. Since your body is wired for survival, it tries to counter this threat by decreasing your fat burning and storing calories. Even if you still consume fewer calories, you may not lose weight or even gain weight.
Economy mode: fact or fable
Research confirms that a body in economy mode does exist. Over a period of 24 weeks, 38 men were monitored during a severe calorie deficit to determine whether their bodies entered a 'starvation mode'. The results showed that there was no complete stop to weight loss, but weight loss did slow somewhat. This is because your body is adapting to a long-term calorie deficit. Your metabolism is lowered and there are fewer calories burned to save energy and prevent starvation. As a result, your weight loss may slow down, possibly resulting in a plateau. However, this contribution to the decrease in metabolism is often only minor and does not stop weight loss completely.
In other words, the idea of a body in starvation mode, where weight loss stops completely, is increasingly considered a myth. It does not mean that it is impossible to lose further weight. With regular changes to your diet, exercise and lifestyle, you can often resume weight loss.
Body needs less energy
If you want to lose weight, it is essential that your calorie intake is lower than your calorie consumption. However, when you lose weight, your energy needs also decrease. After all, your body needs less energy to supply a smaller amount of blood, muscles and fat cells with energy.
If you do not adjust your calorie intake to your current weight, there is a good chance that your calorie intake is now equal to or even higher than the number of calories you burn. The fact that you are no longer losing weight does not mean that your body is in complete energy saving mode, but that your calorie intake is too high. It is therefore important to recalculate your energy needs after weight loss.
Loss of muscle mass
When you lose weight, this can not only cause a decrease in fat, but also a decrease in weight loss spiermassa, especially with extreme diets such as crash diets. Spiermassa plays a crucial role in determining your basal metabolic rate (BMR), the amount of energy your body needs to function at rest.
Muscles use more energy than fat tissue (even at rest). So the more muscle you have, the higher your basal metabolic rate will be. If you lose weight through a crash diet or long-term calorie deficit, your body can break down your muscles and use them as energy. The decrease in muscle mass can then lower your BMR, causing you to... burns fewer calories, even at rest. This makes it more difficult to lose weight.
It is therefore very important when losing weight not only to focus on reducing calories, but also on maintaining muscle mass.
Can anything be done about it?
Of course you don't want a body in energy saving mode. You are probably also wondering how you can break through this plateau again. To resume weight loss, it is important to consider burning more calories or consuming fewer calories. This means you may need to exercise more or change your diet. It all comes down to restoring the balance between calorie intake and calorie burn. The most important thing here is to give your body time to get used to it.
You can also consider doing strength training. Strength training in itself leads to calorie consumption, but it also plays an important role in building and maintaining muscle mass. As described above, muscle mass plays a crucial role in determining your metabolism.
A high protein intake can also help you break the weight plateau. Proteins not only contribute to the maintenance of muscle mass, but digesting proteins also costs your body extra energy, so you burn more.
Finally, you can try calorie cycling. This means that you occasionally eat a little more, giving your body a signal that there is no famine.
Through a combination of these tips you can break the weight loss plateau and continue working towards your dream weight.
Support with weight management
Keto plus can support your body in weight loss. It contains raspberry ketones, which provide extra ketones to the body. These ketones help the body enter ketosis, using fats as the primary energy source. It is important that you use fitness supplements for support and do not see them as a replacement for a healthy and varied diet.