The Unexpected Daily Habit That Is Slowly Destroying Your Metabolism, According To A Dietitian

How not eating enough slows your metabolism

You may think that in order to lose weight, the best course of action is to limit the amount of food you eat and calories you consume as much as possible. However, Clark-Hibbs warns that this isn't the case. In fact, depriving yourself of enough calories each day could slow your metabolism and hold you back from your weight loss goals significantly.

"One of the biggest habits slowing down my clients' metabolisms is not eating enough," she tells us, emphasizing the fat that "your body needs energy (aka calories) in order to do its daily functions and to keep you alive." When you don't provide your body with enough food and calories to get that energy, your overall health is at risk—and that could slow your weight loss progress.

"If you're not bringing in enough energy from food, your body's going to prioritize its essential functions like your heart, lungs, and brain," Clark-Hibbs explains. "This is effectively putting your body into starvation mode, which is going to slow your metabolism down and make it very difficult to lose weight." Yikes!

What does 'starvation mode' mean, exactly? She breaks it down for us: "Your body is intuitive, so when it's unsure of the next time it's going to get food, it holds onto and rations what it already has in order to keep you alive," she says. "This results in a very slow metabolism and either weight gain or a weight plateau." So be sure not to skip those meals!

READ MORE: The Scary Downside To Calorie Counting That No One Tells You About, According To A Doctor

The bottom line

While a calorie deficit is necessary for weight loss, it's important not to deprive your body of the energy it needs to take on your fat-blasting workouts and carry out all of its necessary functions. That means you should be sure to eat enough each day, especially if you want to maintain a metabolism fast enough to shed pounds and take inches off your waist. Just make sure you're choosing nutritious, whole foods like these. In the end, your body will thank you!