Can Losing Weight Really Slow Down

It’s true that losing weight can reduce the number of calories you burn, but I wouldn’t dwell on it. It’s tough to predict just how much your metabolism will drag and how long the slowdown will persist; the scientific research on the metabolic effects of weight loss is a little all over the place. Some studies have found that overweight or obese people who lose weight do suffer lasting metabolic damage that makes it hard to keep the pounds off later. But other research has found that those same groups can drop pounds with no long-term penalty at all. Don’t forget: Metabolism is partly genetic. That means that even if you and your best friend shed the same amount of weight, your bodies could respond differently.

Interestingly, some experts now believe that the speed at which you lose weight may be an important factor in what happens to your basal metabolic rate (that is, the calorie burn at rest). There’s evidence that people who lose weight quickly through intense calorie restriction see a significant metabolic slowdown. That’s because when you create a dramatic calorie deficit—by slashing calorie intake big time or going crazy with exercise—your body fights back and tries to hold on to energy by reducing the number of calories you burn; this is often referred to as “starvation mode."

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