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A crucial public health issue
I’ve already posted several articles on the long-term negative effects of low-calorie diets. Yet these diets remain the norm when it comes to weight loss, probably because they are a multi-billion dollars market and the short-term results are generally positive and easy to promote.
In the end, however, these diets send millions of people into a downward spiral known as the yo-yo effect. Over time, these individuals regain the weight they have lost and, after years of deprivation and sometimes costly investment in a variety of diets, find themselves even more overweight than when they began their quest.
This is a subject that should be taken very seriously by every health manager in the world. But today, I had to look everywhere for my car keys, even though I was running late, and an obvious analogy emerged: “You gain weight when you want to lose it, simply because in this issue as in others, Murphy’s Law applies!”
What is Murphy’s Law?
Murphy’s law also called the buttered side of Murphy’s Law is a popular adage that states, “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” The law is often invoked to highlight the idea that things don’t always go as planned and that unexpected or unfortunate events can occur.
Over time, this law has gradually become established in the popular imagination as irrefutable proof that the universe is out to get us. It explains why a piece of toast always falls on the butter side, why the telephone always rings when you sit in the bath, why an object that falls out of your hand will always hide in an inaccessible place and why you always lose your car keys just when you need them most.
Murphy’s Law? I imagine that many readers of this blog are thinking that I’ve just had a burn-out. Yet many laws of the universe follow this principle of maximum annoyance.
The Le Chatelier’s principle
Let’s start with Henry Louis Le Chatelier, a French chemist who was born on October 8, 1850, and passed away on September 17, 1936. Le Chatelier made significant contributions to the field of chemical equilibrium and is best known for formulating Le Chatelier’s principle, which describes how a system at equilibrium responds to external changes.
According to Le Chatelier’s principle, if a change is applied to a system at equilibrium, the system will adjust in a way that partially counteracts the imposed change.
For example, if the temperature of a system at equilibrium is increased, the system will shift in a direction that absorbs heat, effectively lowering the temperature. This is because the system attempts to oppose the change and restore equilibrium. Similarly, if you increase the pressure in a system, the system will shift to reduce the pressure.
That’s where we are. What Le Chatelier’s principle says is that a system in equilibrium will always naturally oppose attempts to make it evolve in the direction that suits us. From our point of view as human beings, this is an established scientific principle that confirms what we already knew, namely that Murphy was right and that “the universe is against us” 😉 .
Metabolic adaptation to low calorie intake
In this context, can we seriously imagine that reducing our calorie consumption will have no impact on our biological balance? Our metabolism should not be subject to mechanisms reminiscent of Le Chatelier’s principle and Murphy’s law like anything else?
Metabolic adaptation refers to the phenomenon where the body’s metabolism adjusts in response to a reduced calorie intake. When you consistently consume fewer calories than your body needs, it can trigger various adaptive responses aimed at conserving energy and maintaining homeostasis.
In the context of Le Chatelier’s principle, we can consider the body’s metabolic system as a dynamic equilibrium. Just as a chemical equilibrium responds to external changes to maintain stability, the body’s metabolic equilibrium also adjusts to changes in calorie intake to maintain energy balance.
Your body has an amazing ability to adapt to changes, including changes in your diet. When you make significant changes to what and how much you eat, your body’s metabolism, which is like your body’s engine, can respond in interesting ways.
Imagine your metabolism as a smart system that tries to keep things balanced. When you suddenly reduce the amount of food you eat or change your eating patterns, your body notices the change and wants to protect you. It’s a natural response that goes back to our ancestors who had to survive in times of limited food availability.
So, what does your body do? Well, it’s like your metabolism hits the brakes a little bit. It slows down the rate at which it burns calories to conserve energy. This is because your body wants to make sure it has enough energy to function properly, even with the reduced food intake.
Another way your body responds is by becoming more efficient in using the available energy. It adjusts so that you can get the most out of the food you do eat. It’s a bit like squeezing every drop of fuel out of a gas tank to make it last longer.
Unfortunately, this adaptive response can sometimes make weight loss feel more challenging. You may find that your weight loss slows down or even stalls, even if you’re doing everything right. It can be frustrating, but it’s your body’s way of trying to maintain stability and protect you.
Worse, recent studies have shown that this metabolic adaptation can last years after stopping low calorie intake, which means, following Murphy’s law, that you gain more weight by eating the same amount of food than before starting a diet.
How to beat Murphy’s law
If you don’t want to lose your car keys, don’t be late, and for the rest, don’t butter your slice of bread 😉 and, above all, don’t start a draconian low-calorie diet if you can avoid it.
The key to working with your body’s metabolic response is to approach changes in your diet gradually and in a balanced way. Sudden and drastic changes can trigger a strong response from your metabolism. Instead, focus on making small, sustainable changes over time. This allows your body to adapt more comfortably and makes it easier to maintain your weight loss in the long run.
Remember, your body is an amazing machine, and it’s doing its best to take care of you. By being patient, making gradual changes, and focusing on overall health and well-being, you can work together with your body to achieve your goals in a sustainable and healthy way.
The history of humanity is a living example of how we manage to thwart Murphy’s Law. The first thing is often to distrust the obvious.
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