How to Fix a Damaged Metabolism After Dieting

Dr Nick Fuller
Leading Obesity Expert at the University of Sydney and founder of Interval Weight Loss.

After dieting, it’s pretty common to feel like your body’s struggling to get back on track. If you’re dealing with unexpected weight gain, constant tiredness, or feeling cold all the time, your metabolism might be out of whack.

In this article, we’ll explore some proven strategies to get your metabolism back up and running, so your body can start processing energy efficiently again.

Damaged metabolism refers to a state where your body’s ability to efficiently convert food into energy is impaired. This can happen after periods of restrictive dieting, excessive exercise, or stress. 

When the metabolism is damaged, you might experience symptoms, including:

Feeling more tired: If you’re constantly exhausted, even after resting, it could mean your metabolism has slowed down, making it harder for your body to produce energy.

Weight gain: Gaining weight despite eating less? That’s a common sign something’s off with your metabolism.

Feeling cold: Noticing you’re colder than usual? A slower metabolism means your body isn’t producing as much heat.

Have you ever hit a weight loss plateau while dieting that you couldn’t seem to surpass? A slow metabolism was likely the culprit, which could be directly related to your dieting efforts. Keep reading to learn how to fix a damaged metabolism after dieting!

Years of calorie deprivation followed by overeating or binge eating, also known as the restrict-binge cycle, throw your metabolism into complete disarray as your body scrambles to determine whether or not it’s energy deprived. While you may feel like your metabolism will never recover, there are steps you can take to repair a damaged metabolism. 

In this post, you’ll learn the signs of a damaged metabolism, why diets harm metabolism, and how to hit the reset button. 

Metabolism is the process by which your body converts the food you eat into energy. When you eat food, your body breaks down carbohydrates, protein, and fat to fuel many bodily functions. You can think of metabolism as the engine that keeps your body running by turning food into the energy required to function.  

The term “metabolism” usually refers to your basal metabolic rate (BMR), or the amount of energy (calories) you burn at rest to support breathing, blood circulation, and body temperature regulation. 

You may have heard someone say they have a fast or slow metabolism before. The higher, or faster, your metabolic rate, the more calories you burn at rest. A person’s metabolic rate varies depending on age, sex, physical activity, genetics, and history of dieting.

Signs of a slow metabolism will vary for everyone. Here are a few common indicators of a slow metabolism. 

If you’ve been dieting, you’ve probably noticed that the weight isn’t coming off like before. The years of weight cycling (losing weight and then inevitably gaining it back) have taken a toll on your metabolic rate. When you restrict calories, your body conserves energy and slows metabolism.