What most people find in a conventional diet is quick weight
loss followed by an eventual plateau. What may unfortunately follow is an
eventual weight gain. The reason for this is something called starvation mode
efficiency. The body reacts to a sudden calorie deficit by slowing its
metabolism down. This has been done over the centuries as a survival mechanism.
The body begins to conserve energy and stores fat. It sees that calories have
become scarce. If you were used to 2500 calories and then go down to 1500 you
will initially lose weight. The body in time will learn to make those 1500 calories a set
point. In other words it maintains body weight on 1500 calories. For additional
weight loss you will need to cut the 1500 down to 1200 or even 1000 calories a
day.
For most people, after a few weeks of starving yourself, the willpower will wane. After you went to 1500 calories you may start to inch up to 1700 or 2000 calories a day. The upshot: the calories that used to maintain weight will now make you gain weight. The simple answer is never cut your calories by more than 500 at a time. Slow weight loss can be permanent weight loss. Quick weight loss is usually followed by quick weight gain.
