Trying to lose weight? For many, the only thing dropping is their patience.
Surveys show that most Americans have tried to slim down over the past five years, but nearly half have ended up packing on 21 pounds or more instead.
To get the skinny behind their struggles, The Post spoke with Dr. Sue Decotiis, a NYC–based medical weight-loss specialist, who broke down why some dieting tricks backfire — and shared one hack that might finally tip the scales in your favor.
Across America, an estimated 45 million adults jump on the diet bandwagon every year. But according to Decotiis, good intentions don’t always mean good results.
“Short term tricks like fasting or skipping meals can scare the metabolism into lowering its metabolic rate,” she explained.
Your metabolism is like an engine that turns food into energy, powering everything from breathing and blood flow to cell growth and repair.
If you have a fast metabolism, you burn calories quickly — which is why some people can eat a lot without gaining weight. But a slow metabolism burns fewer calories, meaning more fat gets stored in the body.
When the body goes without food for too long, it slows the metabolism to conserve energy and maintain basic functions.
“Diets that eliminate certain foods may keep your weight stable for a while, often by eliminating a calorie source,” Decotiis said.
“However, if you are not optimizing your metabolism by burning fat, you will eventually gain more weight,” she continued.
Before diving into any diet, Decotiis said it’s crucial to know your body composition — not just your weight.
One way to get this breakdown is by using a body composition scale, which measures fat, water, muscle and bone mass, as well as resting metabolic rate.
“If you have more body fat relative to your BMI, the calculation needs to be followed carefully while dieting,” Decotiis said.
“This is because a patient could be insulin resistant and need the care of a board-certified weight loss physician,” she explained.
Insulin resistance is when your muscles, fat, and liver don’t respond properly to insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar.
Left untreated, it can lead to a wide range of chronic health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease and heart problems.
“If your diet isn’t working, take that seriously,” Decotiis urged.
But not all diet tricks backfire
“Skipping breakfast may actually be a good idea for many people,” Decotiis said.
“Having a fast from dinner to the following lunchtime can aid insulin function and usually reduces total caloric daily intake,” she continued.
In fact, a 2019 study found that skipping breakfast doesn’t usually make people hungrier later, it often just leads to fewer calories consumed overall during the day.
But if you skip your morning meal, be sure to refuel properly later — otherwise, you risk slowing your metabolism and gaining more weight than you were trying to lose.
