Did you know I used to have a deep, intimate relationship with Nutella?

And peanut butter.

And bread.

And brownies.

And really ANYTHING I could get my hands on late at night. I was so physically and mentally starved after using all my energy to count calories and restrict, restrict, restrict myself all day, that I turned to food to soothe myself.

I would sit on the lifeguard chair and obsess over what I’d consumed so far that day, what I would have later, and what the scale would read the next morning.

Emotionally, I was robbing myself of pleasure in the form of food.

At the same time, I was tamping down my desires by avoiding acting and modeling.

I really wanted to do both, but I was told it would be too time consuming while I was in high school.

Physically, a little something called metabolic damage was going on. I was eating way too little and exercising way too much, and that slowed down my entire metabolism.

When I stopped dieting and started eating healthy-normal, I instantly gained weight, felt sluggish, and just wanted to sleep all day.

Oh, and my digestion was terrible too – my body couldn’t handle anything outside my very strict, “healthy” 1200-calorie daily plan.

My metabolism had essentially stopped working.

When your body gets used to running on bird food, that’s all it can metabolize. Maybe before you started dieting you could eat a grass-fed burger, no problem, but after a diet phase, you seem to get bloated and immediately gain 5 pounds.

This is metabolic damage. And I want to be clear that although that’s the technical term for it, it’s not permanent.

You can heal it, and I’m gonna show you how to start today.

If you start to eat more “regularly” after a period of intense restriction – like a low-calorie diet – your body literally doesn’t know what to do with the food, since it’s so used to your low-calorie plan.

A simple bowl of pasta could send your body into total shock, and a slice of pizza might feel like it’s just sitting in your stomach all day.

If you were on a 1400-calorie per day diet of only lean protein and vegetables for a few weeks, then you treated yourself to your favorite sandwich on sourdough bread, your body won’t know what to do with it. Your digestion slows down, you feel exhausted as your body struggles to process the food, your skin breaks out, and you end up gaining weight.

Maybe you even used to have a fast metabolism, but calorie restriction has slowed it down over time, and now your metabolism has regressed and gotten sluggish.

No fun.

After my strict dieting period, I couldn’t just go back to eating normal, because it made me feel terrible. My body couldn’t handle anything, so I had to strategically heal my metabolism.

After reading every book I could get my hands on, researching all over the Internet, and experimenting on myself, I discovered the five steps that are most effective in healing metabolic damage, in my experience.

Keep in mind that I’m not a doctor, and this is just what’s worked for me and my clients. Always check in with your MD before making dietary changes.

First, let’s go over the most common signs:

SYMPTOMS OF METABOLIC DAMAGE

• Lethargy
• Fatigue
• Sluggish digestion
• Quick weight gain
• Bloating
• Brain fog
• Skin blemishes and discoloration
• Low sex drive

Now, let’s dive into the top five most-effective strategies I’ve found to heal metabolic damage.

NEXT STEPS TO HEAL IT

1. Dial down exercise. Excessive cardio is a big contributor to metabolic damage. Do more restorative practices like yin yoga and gentle walking to heal your system.

2. Sleep extra. Whenever possible, go to bed before 11pm and wake up without an alarm. Your metabolism does the majority of it’s healing while you sleep.

3. Be conscious about caffeine, especially coffee. If you’re feeling exhausted no matter how much you sleep, shaky, and irritable, it’s a good sign you’re having too much caffeine for your constitution. Try cutting your cup in half – switching from a large to a small, for example – then try decaf, and last, black or green tea.

Everyone reacts differently to caffeine. Some people can have a cup or two a day and feel great, while others are sensitive to black tea, and even green tea in some cases. Tune in to your body and look out for the symptoms I mentioned.

4. Increase carbs. Metabolic damage is most often linked to low-carb, low-calorie diets, so simply bumping up your intake of carbs like sweet potatoes and quinoa can really help you heal.

5. Add more good fats. Nutritious fats like avocado, grass-fed butter, and olive oil are the most sustainable source of energy because they take the longest to digest. When you’re dealing with metabolic damage, fats will be crucial in balancing your blood sugar and lubricating your digestive system (aka metabolism).

Go slow with fats since your metabolism is already weaker as it is, and you don’t want to overload your temporarily-inefficient system.

Add in about one tablespoon of fats at each meal and slowly increase that amount as your metabolism comes back into balance.

These are just the first five foundational steps I recommend taking to get your metabolism back on track. There’s a lot more I do with clients, including supplementation. If you’re interested in learning more, leave a comment below and I’ll write more on this topic.

Do you have any of the symptoms of metabolic damage?

Which of the five steps will you take today to bring yourself back into balance?

Share with me in the comments.

Photo: Prospect Photography