Blog #5: The Biggest Mistake in Weight Loss (Case Study)
I often have clients who have been eating dangerously little for years to finally lose weight. In the beginning, this may still pay off on the scale, with the pounds dropping rapidly. But at some point, the progress stops, even though they are still far from their desired goal. So, they continue to reduce their calorie intake until they eventually reach a point where further reduction becomes impossible.
Unfortunately, such an approach is neither healthy nor effective. In my initial consultations, it often turns out that many people, in their desperation, eat so little that they don't even meet their basic caloric needs. In other words, they consume less than what their body requires to maintain its essential functions.
But what happens when you stay below your basal metabolic rate for months or even years? The human body is highly adaptable and slows down all metabolic processes. The gas-guzzling sports car turns into an energy-efficient electric vehicle, and to compensate for the lack of energy, the body doesn't primarily burn fat reserves but instead breaks down muscle mass. Unfortunately, muscle is the most metabolically active tissue by far. So, people who eat below their basal metabolic rate essentially reduce the power of their "engine" without effectively burning fat.
For my clients, the first step is often to gradually reintroduce them to a healthy calorie intake. And what can happen as a result is demonstrated by the following data from one of my clients:
As shown in the figure above, my client significantly increased her daily calorie intake within the first 60 days, from around 900 kcal to approximately 1700 kcal. Within two months, she progressed from consuming below her basal metabolic rate (1500 kcal) to exceeding it and is now within her target range (1700-2100 kcal). Most people would expect that this increase in calories would lead to weight gain. However, the opposite was the case.
«In fact, my client lost 2.5 kg during this period, and her waist circumference decreased by a full 5 cm. These effects are also confirmed by the driver analysis (see below). The increase in calorie intake led to a reduction in body weight as well as in waist and thigh circumference. All effects are statistically significant and therefore not merely coincidences.»
Therefore, if you want to lose weight successfully, don’t make the mistake of following an extreme diet with too few calories or too little energy intake. Your body needs a certain number of calories to keep your metabolism running and to maintain or even build muscle mass.
«The greater your muscle mass, the more calories your body burns at rest, and the more often you will naturally find yourself in a slight calorie deficit by the end of the day, leading to fat burning!»