can you "reset" the body (primarily after a cut)

[cpush]

Ok, I'm wondering how you can sort of reset the body.

I know that our bodies become adapted, or used to the exercise we do and calories we consume. So, after doing the same amount of cardio, and eating the same amount of restricted calories.. won't results slow down and eventually flatten out?

I mean, what do you do if you've reached your desired physique. Do you have to continue your restricted caloric intake and same amount of cardio just so you can maintain it? because then to cut again wouldn't you have to lower your cals even MORE and the cycle would continue until you got to 0 (well not really, but you know).

What I'm wondering is how can you, or is it possibleto, "start your body over" and eat MORE calories and do LESS cardio but maintain or achieve the same physique?

 

[Emma-Leigh]

What I'm wondering is how can you, or is it possibleto, "start your body over" and eat MORE calories and do LESS cardio but maintain or achieve the same physique?

This is a really, really complicated question - it depends on lots of things and is a really huge topic to discuss...

Of course, when you stop 'dieting' you will have to increase your intake and decrease your cardio so you reach a new equilibrium of energy expenditure - but (generally speaking) no - you can never really 'go back' to a pre-dieting state... Dieting (which will effect your body composition and weight) will **nearly** always leave your metabolism 'scarred'.

How you dieted will play a part - crash dieting is more detrimental to your metabolism that the 'slow and steady thing'... Cyclic diets are said to have less of an impact.

The weight/'leanness' to which you fell (that is, what weight and BF% you started and and what you dropped too) is important in determining what effect it will have. This is related to your 'set point' (the natural point at which your body likes to be) and the effect the fatt will have on your leptin levels and other hormonal markers...

Bascially, the more you lost and the lower it fell = the more it will lower leptin (really simplified but in a nut shell). Unfortunately, the more you lose, the slower your body will become as a result (and this can't really be reversed either) this is also to do with a downregulation of leptin... Seems that if you lose as little as 10% of your bodyweight your leptin levels can drop so as to decrease the metabolic rate of your muscles (not your whole body) by about 20-30%... Which means decreased energy expenditure for you (and this means it is going to be harder for you to maintain)...

If you lost the weight fast then chances are your metabolism will be suffering more for the experience too... And things like thyroid hormone will be much detrimentally altered too - which will also decrease your metabolic rate.

What change you made to your muscle mass will effect things slightly - if you added more muscle your metabolic rate will increase slightly (not as much as what people think) although you increase this effect if you move around more (moving muscle = much more metabolically demanding).

Stress levels (cortisol), effects on androgen levels, and lots of other things are all involved too....

 

[cpush]

thanks for the reply emma.

jeez that answer is a lot more scary and serious than I thought it would be :|

So what is the safest/best way to maintain? Surely if you've found a "happy" spot in both your appearance and your diet, and you change nothing.. any increase in cals, and decrease in physical activity will result in fat gain, correct?

also, every time you diet.. to get to a specific "state" it will be harder each time to get back to that state? it will require more energy expenditure, and less calories? so dieting is risky and the less you diet the better?

 

[NeilPearson]

So I guess I am screwed up beyond repair from having an unhealthy diet for 30 years?

 

[cpush]

another question-tryin to get this straight.

a 150lb person was able to maintain 150 @ 2500 calories but went on diets here and there over a couple of months. After the diet with fat loss/muscle gain, this person is still 150lbs but eating only 2000 calores. This person cannot ever get back to the point of 150lb @ 2500 calories?

that really sucks if you like to eat food.

 

[Gordo]

Interesting....but BB'rs manipulate their weight all the time....bulking (sometimes in ridiculous fashion) and then cutting to almost unhealthy %bf levels (at contest time). Is the difference that they are not trying maintain but continue to train and effectively add new lean skeletal muscle?

I suppose I'm talking about the ones that don't use chemical assistance.

also, every time you diet.. to get to a specific "state" it will be harder each time to get back to that state? it will require more energy expenditure, and less calories? so dieting is risky and the less you diet the better?

I guess that's partly why you don't cut for too long and you don't bulk for too long. Mind you....if you are training and lean bulking....minimally over maintenance then you could probably just continue that way for alot longer? Or no?

Interesting stuff this homeostasis