When people eat much less for a few weeks, their body burns fewer calories each day, and part of that is because the body slows down on purpose to save energy.
Scientific Claim
Caloric restriction for 3 weeks results in a 266-calorie per day reduction in resting metabolic rate, with approximately half of this reduction due to adaptive thermogenesis.
Original Statement
“In that short window, their resting metabolic rate tanked by 266 calories per day. In 3 weeks, their daily metabolic rate went down 266 calories per day. Almost half of that was adaptive thermogenesis, meaning that the body voluntarily slowed itself down to survive. They lost 5% of their muscle mass in 3 weeks, which further dropped their metabolism.”
Context Details
Domain
nutrition
Population
human
Subject
caloric restriction
Action
results in
Target
266-calorie per day reduction in resting metabolic rate with adaptive thermogenesis
Intervention Details
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (2)
The cardiovascular, metabolic and hormonal changes accompanying acute starvation in men and women
Long-Term Calorie Restriction Enhances Cellular Quality-Control Processes in Human Skeletal Muscle.