Think Your Metabolism's Broken? Think again.

Think Your Metabolism's Broken? Think again.

From The Thriving Metabolism: Weight Loss Beyond Diets by Louise Digby

March 11, 2026 · 21 min · Season 4 · Episode 137

About this episode

Louise discusses how metabolism is an adaptive system rather than a fixed entity, addressing common misconceptions about dieting and metabolic rates.

Louise explains that metabolism isn’t fixed or “broken” but a responsive, adaptive system that slows down and stores fat when the body perceives scarcity or threat from chronic dieting, under-eating, high exercise load, poor sleep and stress. She describes the calorie trap and adaptive thermogenesis, where cutting calories leads to unconscious reductions in movement and energy output, and challenges the myth that big differences in metabolic rate are purely genetic, highlighting metabolic fle...

People in this episode

Host: Louise Digby

Topics covered

  • metabolism
  • weight loss
  • calorie trap
  • adaptive thermogenesis
  • chronic dieting
  • nutrition

Keywords

  • metabolism
  • calorie trap
  • adaptive thermogenesis
  • chronic dieting
  • weight loss
  • nutrition
  • energy output
  • stress
  • sleep

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