Episode 115: Why Your Diet Isn’t Working Anymore & How To Fix It

In today’s episode, Rachel takes a deep dive into how to “retrain” your metabolism by reverse dieting, understanding metabolic adaptation and what happens as you get further along in your dieting phase, how to choose foods with the highest thermic effect, and much more!

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“The longer you’re in a calorie deficit, the more pronounced all of these adaptations are going to get. This is why you can't, and you shouldn't, be chronically dieting or in a chronic deficit, because eventually your body is going to adapt to all of these things. And you're going to have to consume less and less calories to continue to see the results that you want. This is where reverse dieting comes in.” Rachel Gregory

Top Takeaways:

• Four main components of metabolism and why they matter for fat loss
• How to “hack” components of your metabolism to work in favor of your goals
• How hormonal adaptation affects a dieting phase
• Easy tips on how to manage stress
• How to know when it’s time to reverse diet

Show Notes:

• [0:00] Welcome back to MetFlex and Chill! Today’s episode is a deep dive into what happens from a physiological standpoint when you diet and why these factors may be affecting your progress without you even realizing it!  
• [1:00] Please help grow the show by taking a screenshot of the episode and tagging @rachelgregory.cns in your Instagram story or head over to iTunes to leave a rating and review :)
• [2:00] Question: You talk about a calorie deficit when trying to lose fat - which makes sense to me. My goal is to burn fat right now but I was told to retrain my metabolism and do a reverse diet. What is the best way to look at calories then - who is right?
• [3:30] Understanding metabolic adaptation
• [4:00] Episode 75: All Things METABOLISM with Sam Miller
• [6:00] “Many people think that this is what having a ‘broken metabolism’ is.. which in reality isn’t actually a real thing...it’s just your metabolism adapting because that’s what it’s evolved to do.”
• [7:00] Controlled starvation AKA ‘dieting’
• [7:30] Main components of metabolism or TDEE (total daily energy expenditure)
• [14:00] Hormonal components to metabolic adaptation 
• [16:30] Cortisol rises during a diet phase.. AKA the stress hormone
• [20:30] Could it be possible to combat the adaptations or “cheat the system?” 
• [27:00] Episode 56: Clearing Up The Cardio Confusion: Implementing Cardio for Fat Loss, Performance, and Overall Health
• [28:00] How to be smart about your choices when it comes to increasing TEF
• [31:30] TEF - The Thermic Effect of Food: #1 Reason All Calories Are NOT Equal
• [33:00] Episode 112: Energy Flux: The Missing Piece To Your Fitness Journey with Brandon DaCruz
• [35:30] Tips on managing stress levels: nutrition, exercise, sleep, and environment 
• [36:30] Episode 45: The Science of Body Recomposition with Dr. Bill Campbell
• [37:00] Understanding chronic undereating and when it's time to introduce reverse dieting
• [41:30] Episode 82: Reverse Dieting, The Restrict & Binge Cycle, and Finding ‘Good’ Research Papers
• [43:00] Benefits of hiring a coach! If you’re curious about 1-on-1 coaching with Rachel, feel free to apply to work with her at www.metflexlife.com/apply 
• [43:30] Please help grow the show if you’re enjoying this episode, or previous ones. Take a screenshot of the episode and tag @rachelgregory.cns in your Instagram stories or head over to iTunes to leave a rating and review. 

THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Episode 75: All Things METABOLISM with Sam Miller
• Episode 56: Clearing Up The Cardio Confusion: Implementing Cardio for Fat Loss, Performance, and Overall Health
• The Thermic Effect of Food: #1 Reason All Calories Are NOT Equal
• Episode 112: Energy Flux: The Missing Piece To Your Fitness Journey with Brandon DaCruz
• Episode 45: The Science of Body Recomposition with Dr. Bill Campbell
• Episode 82: Reverse Dieting, The Restrict & Binge Cycle, and Finding ‘Good’ Research Papers

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Rachel Gregory (@rachelgregory.cns) is a Board-Certified Nutrition Specialist, Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and Author of the best-selling book, 21-Day Ketogenic Diet Weight Loss Challenge. She received her Master’s Degree in Nutrition & Exercise Physiology from James Madison University and Bachelor’s Degree in Sports Medicine from the University of Miami.

Rachel helps her clients transform their lives by starting with the physical (body), realizing the power of the mental (mindset), and ultimately gaining massive confidence that bleeds into every aspect of their lives (family, relationships, work, etc.).