What Is Adaptive Thermogenesis? (And How To Combat It For Fat Loss)
Sometime during your weight loss journey, you may notice that you’re shedding fewer pounds than you did during the first weeks of dieting and exercising. And you may think that you’re not doing enough due to these results.
While this scenario may be caused by the inconsistent following of your fitness program, reduced weight loss can also result from your body’s natural responses. One of these natural responses for survival is adaptive thermogenesis.
To know more about what it is and how to minimize or reverse its effects, read on until the end.
What Is Adaptive Thermogenesis?
Adaptive thermogenesis is our body’s response to changes in the environment and our diet. It causes the regulation of our body’s ability to produce heat that results in an inefficient metabolic function.
In a nutshell, adaptive thermogenesis lessens the effect of your weight loss efforts by slowing your metabolism down and lowering energy expenditure when you experience lifestyle changes. If you still don’t get what that meant, it’s like your body goes into “power-saving” mode.
A study made by the National Library of Medicine showed that people who are actively losing weight will have their pound-reduction efforts slowed down, stopped, and reversed. This is due to our body’s nature of adapting for survival by defending the stored energy and fat.
How To Combat Adaptive Thermogenesis
1. Have a cheat meal
Following a healthy diet plan is good. But if you were living a lifestyle of eating anything before, your body will perceive your new habit as a threat to survival. That’s why it’s recommended to eat ad libitum for one meal once a week to jumpstart your metabolism.
2. Have diet breaks
Unlike cheat meals, diet breaks are more of increasing your total calorie intake than what your diet program allows per meal. You’re still eating the same foods from your healthy menu, but the difference is that you’re eating closer to how much you need to maintain your current weight.
3. Reverse your diet
When we start dieting we slowly transition from eating a lot of unhealthy foods to portioned servings of nutritious meals. But as time goes, our body gets used to our refueling patterns and starts to be more energy efficient.
By reversing your diet such as slowly transitioning to eating more, you’re tricking your body into thinking it has more energy supply. And this causes your body to produce more energy, hence a faster metabolic rate and more sweating.
4. Don’t pick a highly restrictive diet
From the beginning, start with a diet that doesn’t punish you. There are plenty of diet plans that won’t starve you. A few examples are flexitarian, Mediterranean, pescatarian, carnivore diets, and intermittent fasting.
5. Avoid “fast” weight loss strategies
Fast weight loss strategies may be effective, but only for a while. They have a lot of negative and severe side effects. Short-term effects would cause your body to undergo adaptive thermogenesis as soon as possible while long-term effects include constant fatigue and hormonal imbalances.
If you want a safe and effective weight loss program, the best advice we can give is to be diligent in your workouts and know when to reduce or increase your food intake.
Understanding adaptive thermogenesis as a member of the pro cheer community is essential. By knowing the causes and reversal strategies for reduced weight loss results, you’ll be able to shed extra pounds just in time before the auditions. You’ll also find it easy to effectively maintain your physique once you’re part of your dream pro cheer team.
Need more weight loss tips? Read these!
- Cardio vs Strength Training for Women: Which is Better for Fat Loss?
- Strength Training: How to do it Right for Maximum Benefits
- Jumping Rope Exercise: Benefits and Getting Started At Home
- 9 Simple Morning Habits for Weight Loss
- How to Avoid Unwanted Weight Gain When You're Stuck Indoors
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