Many folks are constantly looking for the one dieting strategy that will finally work for them. But most diets are pretty restrictive or regimented, which can make them hard to stick with over the long term.
Good news: there may be a smart nutrition technique that could finally work for you if others haven’t so far. It’s called metabolic confusion, and more and more people are advocating for its effects.
But, what is metabolic confusion and how does it work? Let’s take a closer look.
What is Metabolic Confusion?
In a nutshell, metabolic confusion is a nutrition technique that involves regularly alternating the time of day you eat and curbing your consumption. In other words, you’ll adjust how much you eat at each meal and when you eat to keep your body guessing. This method is appropriately called “rotational fasting.” It’s thought that the body’s metabolism eventually gets used to certain caloric intake levels or eating cycles. Your body becomes used to you eating a certain amount of food each day, which can increase your appetite and cause you to gain weight. It may also make it more difficult for your metabolism to burn away fat.
By “confusing” your metabolism through eating differently at different times of the day and curbing your consumption, you can theoretically accelerate your metabolism to a more rapid, natural state without increasing your appetite at the same time.
How Does Metabolic Confusion Work?
By keeping your metabolism active by curbing your consumption, you’ll also passively raise your baseline metabolic rate (i.e. how many calories your body will naturally burn when at rest). The more calories you burn, the more fat you burn, and the easier you’ll attain your weight loss goals.
What stops this process from going overboard? Your body will naturally resist losing weight once you reach your unique and ideal weight. Your metabolic rate will slow down, as will your thyroid gland’s hormone production.
Because metabolic confusion is more of a strategy instead of a set diet, there also aren’t any ironclad rules to follow. Instead, you can apply metabolic confusion to any existing diet effort or your regular eating routine. The key, as the name suggests, is maintaining metabolic confusion.
Examples of Metabolic Confusion
For instance, you might:
- Only eat food from 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. or any six-hour window.
- Eat a smoothie for breakfast, a smoothie for lunch, and then a sensible dinner.
- Skip breakfast on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for one week and then the following week you could skip breakfast on Tuesday and Thursday and do a half-size dinner on those same days.
Many people already adopt this nutrition strategy by accident simply because they may be too busy to eat a ton of food during the workweek, then eat a lot more during the weekend or holidays.
One other benefit of metabolic confusion is that there aren’t any specific foods or vitamins/macronutrients to target or avoid. You can eat the same as you have been. All you have to do is focus on the amount of food you consume each day.
Does Metabolic Confusion Actually Help You Lose Weight?
Metabolism plays a big role in weight loss, but it’s different for every individual. Some folks, therefore, might see a bigger jump in weight loss gains by making their metabolism burn a little more quickly than others. The success of metabolic confusion ultimately comes down to the individual and the food choices they make. For this reason, metabolic confusion does not guarantee weight loss. To acheive your weight loss goals, you must make healthy food choices along with curbing your consumption and moving your body!
Note that there have been studies that show rotational fasting and calorie shifting, as opposed to calorie restriction, may be more effective at reducing weight. Studies also show that it may be easier for most people to stick with metabolic confusion as a dieting strategy as opposed to more regimented or rigorous methods.
But once again: your mileage may vary. Metabolic confusion could be the key you’ve always needed to reach your dietary goals. But it also might not have much of an effect at all if you have poor lifestyle habits.
Are There Any Risks of Metabolic Confusion?
While metabolic confusion can be effective, if you have underlying health conditions, you’ll want to consult with your doctor.
Some people experience the following side effects when changing their eating habits.
- Fatigue
- Lightheadedness
- Loss of appetite
- Growth of appetite
However, these side effects are to be expected. Especially if you are transitioning from years of unhealthy lifestyle habits.
Summary
So, is metabolic confusion right for you?
It all depends on what your weight loss goals are and the lifestyle habits you are creating. Some people may have a very easy time sticking with it over the long term since it just requires introducing a little randomness into your daily eating habits. It’s also a bit easier to stomach than skipping meals entirely.
Remember, it isn’t a guarantee for weight loss. It works better as complementary to good eating habits and a solid nutrition plan.
Sources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4018593/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/metabolism/art-20046508
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-many-calories-per-day
