Gaining

How long does it take to destroy a metabolism?

I’ve read that when someone goes on a heavily restrictive diet, their body goes into starvation mode and this results in changes to their metabolism that can last for years and make them pack on weight much more quickly than before, and furthermore that more new fat cells are created every time lost weight is regained, creating a double whammy effect. This idea seems well supported by science and by the personal experiences of many dieters who genuinely do want to lose weight, but none of the articles I’ve read mention one vital factor: how long it takes to happen.

I’ve thought about the idea of going on an extreme crash diet (like, not quite dangerous levels of calorie restriction, but close) and then stuffing myself with as much food as I can shove down, causing me to balloon up much faster than I currently am able to. It would be nice to be able to take a break from consistent overeating (which is a bit of a chore for me, I just like the gain) and have it actually contribute to my gain overall. If it is a viable strategy and wouldn’t take too long, I think I’d wait to gain ten or twenty more pounds (or to hit a plateau) and then cut my calories drastically for a little while before switching to trying to eat more fattening foods than ever. But without numbers, I’m worried it would do more harm to my gaining than good or else just take so long it wouldn’t be worth it.

My questions are:

-How long must you maintain a crash diet for it to affect your metabolism, and make you fatter in the long run?

-How much must you restrict your calories to have the long-term fattening effect?

-Is crash dieting and then binging more efficient than just overeating and never doing a diet?

-Would doing this increase or decrease your appetite (I have seen differing reports on this)?

-At what amount of gain do fat cells divide and increase in number (when never having dieted)? If I do this, I want to get to a point where my fat cells have just multiplied and then do the diet, so losing the weight would be even harder and gaining it back would be even easier.

-Does the rebound weight really come on faster? If you’ve experienced it, what’s it like?
4 years

How long does it take to destroy a metabolism?

van:
People who were thin their entire life generally have an easy time losing weight even after gaining a lot. For those types it's actually harder to gain than to lose, and once they're back to their original weight they maintain easily. Really depends on the person and their genetics, and their food choices and appetite lol.

I would never suggest dieting or doing intermittent fasting to anyone wanting to gain, especially for people who were naturally thin their whole life. The key to success is consistent overeating.


becomingoverweight:
People tend to think metabolism is extremely heavily effected by weight loss and various other things. Ones basal metabolic rate is mainly controlled by height, body composition, and weight. Any impacts to your metabolism from crash dieting will probably be insignificant compared to the amount of calories needed to gain significant bodyfat. It'd be a waste of time and effort at best and damaging to your body at worst.


Thanks for the input! I guess I won’t be trying this then, sadly, and will have to stick to consistent stuffings.
4 years

How long does it take to destroy a metabolism?

Few advices if you want to trick your body and metabolism to go in fat saving mode.:
-Always skip breakfast and when is lunch time gorge on at least 2 meals it won't be hard believe me. When you skipping breakfast you trick your body to thing there is no enough food and later when you eat more calories will be saved as fat
-Have a day you don't eat anything, but drink a lot of water to keep your stomach full. That day is very important because your metabolism is entering in fat storage mode. It's hard but the next day its stuffing day where you eat all you eant non stop to stretch your stomach giving it in time bigger capacity.
4 years

How long does it take to destroy a metabolism?

The moment you start eating a surplus of calories again your body instantly starts speeding up its metabolism. I wouldn't worry about your metabolism.

Fat people get fat because they eat so much that the body couldn't possibly increase its metabolism to offset it. And the lack physical activity that comes with weight gain furthers the weight gain.

Calories are always king. Don't worry about the metabolism.
3 years

How long does it take to destroy a metabolism?

In my experience once someone has gotten into the habit of yo-yo dieting the periods they thin will get smaller and the amount they put back on will get bigger.
3 years

How long does it take to destroy a metabolism?

Jack-Elray:
In my experience once someone has gotten into the habit of yo-yo dieting the periods they thin will get smaller and the amount they put back on will get bigger.


That's how my wife is. She'll gain 30 lose 10. And when she loses she brags to her friends and family about how skinny she's looking lately even though she hasn't even lost the giant gut she gained. And that cycle repeats over.

What's destroyed is not her metabolism. Her perception of her figure changes with each yo yo. She'll walk around with confidence, look at herself in the mirror thinking she's slimming down even though she's over a hundred pounds heavier than 6 years ago.
3 years

How long does it take to destroy a metabolism?

Jack-Elray:
In my experience once someone has gotten into the habit of yo-yo dieting the periods they thin will get smaller and the amount they put back on will get bigger.

Bicepsual:
That's how my wife is. She'll gain 30 lose 10. And when she loses she brags to her friends and family about how skinny she's looking lately even though she hasn't even lost the giant gut she gained. And that cycle repeats over.

What's destroyed is not her metabolism. Her perception of her figure changes with each yo yo. She'll walk around with confidence, look at herself in the mirror thinking she's slimming down even though she's over a hundred pounds heavier than 6 years ago.


Oh yes that’s a good way of putting it, my ex was like that. By the end her ‘goal weight’ would have seemed insanely big to her only a few years before.
The weight range between her ‘big’ and her goal is always the same, but that number continues to increase as she yo-yos
3 years

How long does it take to destroy a metabolism?

It's wild how your perception of your body can change like that.

Two summers ago my wife would only wear a one-piece swimsuit because of how much she had gained that year.

She then gained another 30'ish lbs that upcoming winter. She frantically worked off 10lbs for our vacation the next summer and confidently flaunted a skimpy 2-piece the entire vacation even though she was 50lbs heavier in that 2 year span.
3 years

How long does it take to destroy a metabolism?

Bicepsual:
It's wild how your perception of your body can change like that.

Two summers ago my wife would only wear a one-piece swimsuit because of how much she had gained that year.

She then gained another 30'ish lbs that upcoming winter. She frantically worked off 10lbs for our vacation the next summer and confidently flaunted a skimpy 2-piece the entire vacation even though she was 50lbs heavier in that 2 year span.


Oh yeah it’s very interesting and very true.

Not every woman I’ve dated has been a feedee or even into gaining. But all of them settled into being chubby once they had gone from skinny to fat. It’s all about comparison really.
3 years