The Facts Behind the Fiction of Restriction

Most diets and weight loss attempts focus on restricting caloric intake in order to lose weight. Over time, our body actually perceives the caloric restriction as a threat to survival and adapts to stay alive. Here are a few biological effects of restriction:

• Increased hunger hormones

• Slowed metabolism

• Decreased body temperature (always cold)

• Drop in heart rate

• Slowed digestion and metabolism

• Reproductive systems shut down (amenorrhea)

This inevitably leads to:

• Fatigue, difficulty concentrating

• Deficits in cognitive, emotional, and social functioning (hard to control emotions and go into social situations)

• Nutritional deficiencies

• Loss of muscle mass (feeling weak)

• Digestive discomfort due to muscle atrophy (constipation, stomach pain)

• Stunted growth and development

• Reduced fertility 

• Weakened bones (osteopenia, osteoporosis)

• Lower immunity (getting sick 24/7)

• Irritability (always thinking about food and cannot focus)

• Chest pain & increased risk of cardiac failure 

If this is you or someone you know and you need help building confidence with food again we can help you feel like yourself again. The good news is that your body does want to heal and can return to it’s old self with consistent recovery focused behaviors.

Sources:

• Measuring Health from the Inside: Nutrition, Metabolism, & Body Composition (Chaffee & Kham)

• Nutrition Counseling in the Treatment of Eating Disorders (Marcia Herrin, Maria Larkin)

• Sick Enough: A Guide to the Medical Complications of Eating Disorders (Jennifer L. Gaudiani)

By Trinny Duncan, UTK Nutrition Student