Ever thought of, known someone, or gone on a diet?  You probably 
have.  The word diet seems like a common word for someone who is 
unsatisfied with their current physical condition.  The problem 
is that most diets usually end up failing in the long run.  Going 
on a “diet” usually refers to eating alot less food, in the hope 
that it will make us lose those unwanted pounds of fat.  Although 
there are different types of diets, 90% of them stress a strong 
reduction in calories one way or another.

Everyone has a certain amount of calories that they require per 
day to keep themselves alive, to perform their activities of 
daily living, and to exercise.  This requirement of calories is 
known as Total Daily Energy Expenditure or TDEE for short.  For 
the purpose of this article, we will use my body as an example. 
My TDEE is about 3500 calories/day.  I will eat about 3500 
calories keep myself alive, to do stuff during the day (work, 
school, etc.), and to exercise.  Note: You can calculate your 
TDEE at: 
http://www.weight-loss-resources.com/calculators/dailycalories.html

On another note, our bodies adapt to the stimuli that they are 
exposed to.  For instance, when one lifts weights their body 
adapts by growing muscle, when one runs long distances their 
bodies adapt by building more capillaries to enhance blood flow, 
when one is exposed to cold temperatures their body begins to 
shiver in an attempt to create heat through muscle contractions, 
etc.  The point is our bodies adapt to essentially everything 
that they are exposed to, including how many calories we eat per 
day. 

So, when our bodies are exposed to a calorie deficit (a lower 
number of calories than our RMR) they must adapt.  Let’s say that 
I want to go on a diet and I begin to eat 2000 calories a day 
instead of the normal 3500.  One of the first ways my body is 
going to adapt is by using up my fat stores to make up for the 
lack of calories.  This is why most diets seem to work in the 
beginning (this and also because you are losing water weight 
because of the calorie deficit).  The thing is, the body does not 
want to keep using its precious fat stores for energy.  The human 
body does not see fat as a bad thing; it is a backup mechanism 
for when a calorie deficit is introduced.

Now here’s the kicker.  Since my body is not going to want to 
keep using up its fat stores, it is going to adapt by lowering 
how many calories my body needs per day to keep itself running 
(TDEE).  One of the main ways it accomplishes this is by eating 
away at it’s own muscle, also it may lower your energy levels, 
and there are other adaptions.  Instead of requiring 3500 
calories a day to keep my body running, my body will eventually 
adapt over a period of time and only require 2000 calories to 
keep running.  Back when our ancestors lived they needed this 
calorie adaptation to survive when food was short for long 
periods of time and they were starving.  The trouble is, the body 
cannot tell the difference between starvation and dieting. 


<> 
Now that my body’s TDEE has adjusted to the new number of calories 
that I’m are eating, it no longer needs to use its emergency fat 
stores to keep itself alive.  This is when your fat loss stops 
from a diet.  In addition to this, if I decide that I want to go 
off of my 2000 calories a day diet and begin to eat 3500 calories 
a day again then there is a calorie surplus.  The body does not 
need these extra calories so it will store them as fat.  The 
exception to storing them as fat is when the body needs to build 
muscle because it has been exposed to some type of exercise or 
weight lifting, and even then all of the calories are not used 
for muscle growth.

Now that I have changed my TDEE to 2000 calories per day, I have 
really wrecked my metabolism and it’s going to be harder to get 
to my goal of actually losing fat.  That is, unless of course If 
I want to stay on my diet forever, but then I would have to 
continually keep introducing a calorie deficit.

So what is the best way to lose fat without messing up my 
metabolism?

A calorie deficit is required to lose weight, but eating less is 
not the only way to create a calorie deficit.  A safer and more 
efficient way is to exercise.  More detail can be found on this 
in Tom Venuto’s book “Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle”, which is 
located at: 
http://www.weight-loss-resources.com/burnthefat.html

You can also calculate your TDEE at: 
http://www.weight-loss-resources.com/calculators/rmr.html


Disclaimer:  This information is for educational purposes only 
and is not intended to replace medical advice from a physician 
or health care provider. 
 

Nathan Latvaitis: An avid fitness researcher - helping 
other people realize their goals through knowledge.  
Nathan runs a fitness website Weight Loss Resources 
where you can find more weight loss tips, articles, 
calculators, reviews, a message board, and more.
http://www.weight-loss-resources.com