Skipping meals
While a calorie deficit is important if you want to lose weight, experts warn that not consuming enough calories and skipping meals can actually become detrimental to your weight loss goals.
"Skipping meals and having large gaps between meals can slow metabolism because it disrupts the natural metabolic rhythm and causes the body to go into 'starvation mode,' causing the metabolism to slow down to conserve energy," Kovalenko says. Over time, this type of restriction will slow your metabolism and cause weight gain.
"When you consistently eat too little your body can compensate and slow other body functions in order to compensate for the lack of nutrients. The result is women gaining fat, feeling tired and run down, and not being able to get the exercise that they need. Sometimes the body compensates so well that these women report that they don't even feel hungry, other times this very low intake can then lead to bingeing," MacDonald explains. "When this happens, your body stores this extra energy as fat, thinking it will need it later on since it's so significantly deprived. And a cycle forms of gaining fat while in a significant calorie deficit."
But how can you bounce back from this? MacDonald says that a great way to get over this cycle is to "slowly increase their calories (about 50 - 100 calories per week) until they get up to their calculated TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditures)." She continues, "Once they are at their TDEE and stay for a bit of time (couple weeks) they can then drop to the deficit (about 10 - 15% below their TDEE) and will not only have more energy because their body is nourished, but they will also see weight loss because their body is no longer worried about starving so it's not holding onto stored fat and hormones will also balance back." Noted!
Similarly, Kovalenko says that if your diet is full of processed and refined foods, it "can slow metabolism because these foods are often high in calories, but low in nutrients, causing the body to store excess calories as fat."
Chronic stress
One surprising mistake that may be stalling your weight loss journey is chronic stress. Kovalenko says that if you're constantly feeling pressured and overwhelmed over a long period of time, this can slow your metabolism, "because cortisol, the stress hormone, increases fat storage and slows down the metabolic rate." While we know it's impractical to just say "don't stress out," there are some stress management techniques that she recommends, "such as meditation and yoga." By practicing these stress management techniques, you can reduce cortisol levels thus boosting your metabolism.
Equally as detrimental to weight loss is a lack of sleep. MacDonald notes that not getting enough sleep "can throw off your hormones and cause you to actually crave carbohydrates." As a result, she says that "This can lead to overeating and an increased lack of energy. Sleep is also when most muscle repair and regeneration happens, your brain also needs sleep in order to function correctly and make good decisions the next day." It's important to aim for seven to nine hours of sleep every night. A great way to do this is to create and stick to nighttime routines.
So, there you have it: even if you're trying to lose weight, experts seem to agree that eating enough food rather than restricting calories and skipping meals is essential. Likewise, chronic stress and a lack of sleep are detrimental to your metabolism and will only lead to weight gain. At the end of the day, your weight loss plan should be all about sustainability, which means maintaining a healthy, balanced diet and getting enough sleep to provide your body with everything it needs to function properly and eventually lose weight!