
What Is A Metabolic Confusion Diet Plan? It's more likely that metabolic confusion works for weight loss because of the calorie restriction, and we don't know how well it works for long-term weight loss maintenance. Unfortunately, there isn't much research beyond this study and little to suggest that someone's metabolism is "confused" by metabolic confusion. One study from 2014 found calorie shifting supported weight and fat loss, and also helped people adhere to their diet.⁴ Metabolic confusion diet proponents claim that calorie cycling helps to prevent these changes from happening because you'll never be in a long-term state of deprivation. We might be in a famine." Even resting metabolic rate can slow down (how many calories you burn at rest to power organs and other essential functions) to conserve energy.³ The more weight is lost, or the lower the calories, the hungrier you feel as these hormones tap your brain and say, "Hey, you need to eat something so you don't starve. To protect itself from starvation (even if you aren't exactly starving), the body will turn certain hormones on or off that control hunger and satiety. The premise behind metabolic confusion is that it "confuses" your metabolism to avoid the physiological adaptations that often accompany calorie restriction that can lead to weight regain.² So it's likely to lead to weight loss-but will it last? Does Metabolic Confusion Work For Weight Loss?Ĭalorie restriction will (usually) support weight loss for most people, but keeping it off is the hard part.¹ With the metabolic confusion diet, overall total caloric usually decreases. Let's examine the pros and cons and what a typical plan looks like for the metabolic confusion diet. And there aren't many studies specifically examining whether metabolic confusion affects metabolism at all. It also may help someone feel less deprived on low-calorie days knowing there are days without restriction ahead.īut for many people, it's still a low-calorie diet packaged as a metabolic-boosting solution that can be difficult to maintain over a long period.

Those in favor say that it helps reduce metabolic adaptations that can happen with weight loss (more on this later).

It may sound like an interesting approach and possibly work for some. Total calories for each day varies based on a person's nutritional needs but usually end up around 1200 to 1400 calories on low-calorie days and 2000-2400 on high-calorie days. Instead of following a low-calorie diet day after day, metabolic confusion alternates between higher and lower calories, either daily or weekly. Proponents claim cycling between lower and higher calorie intake can reduce metabolic adaptations that occur with typical weight loss from calorie restrictionĪlso known as calorie cycling or calorie shifting, the metabolic confusion diet is slightly different from a typical calorie-restricted diet. The metabolic confusion diet is a diet plan that aims to keep your metabolism on its toes by changing up your daily calorie consumption.
