Since you’re in a calorie deficit most of the time while on the metabolic confusion diet, you’ll likely lose weight. Most research suggests that the most sustainable, healthy weight loss programs are those based on a nutritious diet and regular exercise to create a small calorie deficit of no more than roughly 500 calories per day ( 14, 15). However, more long-term research is needed ( 13). This may suggest that the diet’s effectiveness decreases with time, but scientists need to do more research to investigate further.Ĭonsidering that calorie shifting allows for greater flexibility and breaks from strict dieting, people who adopt this style of eating may report greater satisfaction, making it a more sustainable option for weight loss. On the other hand, a 1–year high quality study in 100 participants found no significant differences in weight loss between people who followed a calorie shifting diet and those who did traditional calorie restriction ( 12). The authors believe this style of eating allows for greater flexibility, which makes it easier to maintain in the long term ( 11). What’s more, those on the calorie shifting diet lost significantly more weight, reported less hunger, and had greater adherence to the diet. Participants in the calorie restriction group experienced a significant decrease in their RMR by the end of the study, while those on the calorie shifting diet maintained their prediet RMR ( 11). One group of people consumed 1,200 calories per day, while the other restricted their calorie intake for 11 days and then had 3 days of unrestricted intake ( 11). The study compared traditional calorie restriction with calorie shifting over 42 days. Proponents of the metabolic confusion diet believe it helps avoid this negative effect by allowing your body periodic breaks from calorie deprivation, thus preventing metabolic adaptations that hinder weight loss ( 7, 8, 9). This makes your body less effective at burning calories ( 7, 8, 9, 10). Long-term calorie restriction, which is common in many weight loss diets, has been shown to decrease your resting metabolic rate (RMR) through a process called adaptive thermogenesis.
While you can’t really “trick” your metabolism, you may help prevent your metabolism from slowing. Proponents of the diet claim that alternating between high and low calorie days will “confuse” your metabolism and make it work harder since it will have to adapt to changes in calorie intake. Therefore, you’ll likely be in a calorie deficit that will lead to weight loss over time. The metabolic confusion diet, also commonly called calorie shifting, encourages daily exercise and eating below your daily calorie needs. SummaryĪlso known as calorie shifting, the metabolic confusion diet is an eating pattern in which you alternate between high calorie and low calorie intakes day-to-day or week-to-week. That is, some days you may eat more and others you may eat less due to factors such as your schedule and hunger levels. While this is still a restrictive diet, proponents believe it allows for more flexibility and more naturally matches a typical eating style. Assuming most humans need 1,600–3,000 calories per day, 1,200 calories would equate to around 40–75% of your usual intake ( 6). However, a notable difference of the metabolic confusion diet is that it allows relatively more calories on low calorie days. Interestingly, diets like these have been linked to better weight management and long-term compliance, since they allow you to take breaks from low calorie eating ( 2, 3, 4, 5). Similarly, the metabolic confusion diet is designed to keep your metabolism “on its toes” due to varying food intake ( 1). The metabolic confusion diet is similar to modified alternate-day fasting, which involves eating 25% of your normal calorie intake one day, followed by a day of eating whatever you want ( 1). Though there’s no formal guideline, most programs suggest around 2,000 calories or more on higher intake days and no more than 1,200 calories on low intake days. High and low calorie days will look different for each person. Alternatively, you might eat high calorie meals for a week and then eat significantly fewer calories the following week. One way to use the diet would be to alternate between high and low calorie intakes every other day. It also recommends regular exercise, though it doesn’t have strict exercise requirements. It’s a dieting style that allows you to alternate between high calorie and low calorie days or periods of time. The metabolic confusion diet is also known as calorie cycling and calorie shifting.
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