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A 3–6 week calorie deficit can slow your metabolism by 10–15%. You can fight this slowdown by eating enough protein, hitting your daily steps, and lifting weights to keep muscle mass.
A 3–6 week calorie deficit can slow your metabolism by 10–15%. You can fight this slowdown by eating enough protein, hitting your daily steps, and lifting weights to keep muscle mass.
If you eat in a calorie deficit for too long, you will end up slowing down your metabolism. But how long is too long? This study showed after about 3 to 6 weeks, participants noticed a 10 to 15% decrease in their metabolism. So does this mean you shouldn't stay in a calorie deficit longer than 3 weeks? Not so fast. First off, some of the decrease in metabolism came because the participants lost weight. When your body loses weight, it doesn't have to work as hard, so your body ends up burning less calories, just like if you were walking around with a heavy backpack all day and then you finally took it off. And second, there are 3 things you can do to keep your metabolism high on a calorie deficit. Number 1, make sure you're eating a diet that has enough protein. Second is make sure you're getting outside and getting your daily steps. And third is continuing to lift weights and build muscle. So don't be afraid of slowing down your metabolism. If you need to know how much protein and calories you should be eating, just click this link in my bio for my free calculator.
