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Metabolic Damage/Metabolic Adaptation/Adaptive Thermogenesis…

Whatever you want to call it, it’s a HUGE problem. This topic is quickly becoming more & more relevant as more & more “trainers” & “nutritionists” out there deem themselves “contest prep coaches”. Women are dieted down using harsh, extreme measures, often in conjunction with excessive cardio. In the past, I have shared posts from Jason Lannigan of SiouxCountry.com, who is a champion of awareness of this phenomenon, as well as from the stunning Ana Tigre, who - over a great period of time - has experienced, battled, & beaten this condition firsthand. This is, however, the first time that I have posted the experience of someone I personally know who is going through this experience.

Erin Elliott is a go-getter...an Ironman athlete, crossfit enthusiast, & promising physique competitor who just did her first competition 9 weeks ago. She had no knowledge of competition prep, so she sought guidance from & put her trust in a trainer that she knew had prepped women for competition before. When she was given her competition diet at 8 weeks out, she was relatively lean to begin with & had a good deal of muscle. She did crossfit 3 x week in the morning, isolated weight training 4 x week in the afternoon/evening, taught one cardio class on Saturday morning, & practiced powerlifting form on Sundays. The diet she was given consisted mainly of fish with the occasional chicken & turkey (no red meat allowed), complex carbs at only 2 of her 6 daily meals, only one serving of fat (usually a nut butter) per day, spinach or asparagus, the occasional strawberry, and a couple of protein shakes per day. On this amount of calories, she of course began to lean out very quickly & was ecstatic with her fast progress.

L: 1st Show R: 2nd Show 9 Weeks Later after Being Overdieted

At 3 weeks out, she was instructed to start eating only fish & asparagus to get ready for a photo shoot at 2 weeks out, absolutely no complex carbs or fats or fats allowed. Again, she saw very rapid changes in a very short period of time. She was given a few cashews before the photoshoot to “harden up” & looked great for her photos, so she was thrilled. With only 2 weeks to go before her show, she thought her diet would change. However, she was kept on the same diet for the next 2 weeks into the show. Fish & asparagus every meal for 3 weeks straight until the Friday & Saturday of the show, when she was finally allowed small portions of dry oatmeal to “carb up”. She looked great at the show & placed 1st in both Masters & Open Physique. Full of enthusiasm & with a newfound passion for the stage, her next show was set for 9 weeks later. She was allowed to cheat Saturday, Sunday, & Monday after the show, and enthusiastically started her new competition diet on Tuesday with the goal of improving her physique for the next time she hit that stage.

L: 1st Show R: 2nd Show 9 Weeks Later after Being Overdieted

However, the “new” diet she was given wasn’t really new at all…nothing but fish & asparagus. At this point, she literally could not gag down another piece of fish or even stand the smell, so after “complaining” she was told to eat chicken instead. After the first week back on this severely restrictive diet, she began to experience extreme hunger pains all day long. She felt like her “stomach was eating itself” & that she was “literally starving”. When she expressed concern at this, she was told she “was just not disciplined enough”. She also expressed concerns that she was experiencing horrible yeast infections & intestinal bloat, along with unusually extended periods. With enough “complaining” she was eventually given a waxy maize supplement during her workout & told to drink 5 to 6 whey protein shakes a day. Over the next 2 weeks, her extreme hunger continued, her energy began to decline, and her strength waned dramatically over a very short period of time. She began to feel like her body was breaking down, noticed she seemed to actually be putting on bodyfat rather than losing it, & was retaining an unusual amount of water.

The actual nutrition program given at 6 Weeks Out from the 2nd Show...this is the INCREASED calories from the previous 6 weeks of dieting.

At 6 weeks out, she was finally given a little more food…turkey with the occasional 3 oz. of bison was now added in. Three days a week, she was given a whopping approx 50 gm of complex carbs and a couple of fats, 4 days a week that was cut down to approx 20 gm of complex carbs with NO fats, and one of those almost no carb days she was lucky enough to get ONE cheat meal. Everything else…asparagus. She noticed her muscularity was now visibly diminishing and her bodyfat appeared to still be on the rise. Again expressing concern on how she looked & felt, she was told that she was “just overtraining” (even though her training regimen had not changed since she originally began the process for the 1st show) & that she “needed to be more disciplined”. Two weeks out from the show, she was miserable, hated the way she looked, & considered pulling out of the 2nd show. She left the gym she was at & tried to make a go of the last 2 weeks on her own. However, the damage was already done. With some assistance, she made it into the show & still managed to pull off 2nd in Masters & 4th in Open Physique. But her physique was noticeably diminished & she was almost embarrassed to be onstage. 

Most “transformation photos” are posted to motivate or show the success of an individual, to show the improvements that can be made to the body over time. These transformation photos are much different. They are posted to bring AWARENESS to what DAMAGE can be done to the body in even a VERY short period of time. Luckily, Erin is a smart lady & KNEW something wasn’t right. What was happening to her was caught at a relatively early stage, and I don’t think any permanent metabolic damage has been done. She has lost a considerable amount of muscle & it could take months to recover from the metabolic & hormonal damage that has been done to her. However, given more time down the same path, she could have suffered from much worse…massive weight gain, adrenal issues, thyroid issues, liver and/or kidney issues, resulting depression…the list goes on. Anyone who had less muscle than her to begin with could easily succumb to any of these. And the longer kept on a program like this, the worse the repercussions can be.

L: 1st Show R: 2nd Show 9 Weeks Later after Being Overdieted

Was her “coach” ignorant and/or uneducated of the fact that more harm was being caused than good & was just judging progress/success by whether or not she was leaning out? Or was her “coach” aware that the long-term effects could be damaging but blatantly disregarded her health in the process of just trying to make her look stage ready? I honestly don’t know the answer to that, and neither does Erin. The fact of the matter is either way, somebody’s life & health was put at risk for the sake of getting lean FAST & trying to MAINTAIN that ultra low bodyfat for an extended period of time to get to the next show. This trend in coaching has become rampant throughout the industry & is causing once beautiful, active, fit, healthy individuals to destroy their bodies, minds, & self-esteem. THAT is the saddest part. But the most infuriating part is when these clients leave the “coaches” that did this to them, more often than not the “coaches” shift the blame. They say “look what happened to her after she stopped training with me, she looks horrible”, refusing to take any responsibility for their actions. NO! It is NOT the fault of the client that placed their trust in that “coach”. These women look & feel horrible BECAUSE of what these “trainers” have done to them. Their condition is the AFTERMATH...the REPERCUSSION of the extreme dieting and/or cardio they were subjected to. And the “coaches” wash their hands of it & go on to the next victim. It should be a crime, and it needs to STOP. And the only way to stop iit is by spreading awareness.

I know this post is long, but I hope at least some competitors have taken the time to read it. At the expense of one competitor, may the eyes of many be opened to the possibility that they may be headed down a dangerous & unhealthy path. If any of this sounds familiar to you, then maybe you should question your current plan. And if your coach cannot give you reasonable, informed answers to questions about things you are experiencing, then perhaps it is time to choose another path. Remember…you should be able to compete with minimal, short-term adjustments to your normal routine BECAUSE you lead a fit, healthy, & consistent lifestyle over an extended period of time. NOT killing yourself over a very short period of time just so you can get lean enough to compete. Why destroy everything you have spent so much time building up? Your long-term physical & mental health are not worth sacrificing for a piece of plastic, a photoshoot, or some transformation pics that make your trainer look like a miracle worker. You may be happy with what you see at first, but I can guarantee you will pay for it in the long run.

Train smarter. Stop & THINK. If your gut tells you something is off, then it probably is. You may not know what is right, but I guarantee you know when there is something wrong. If you have legitimate concerns in the process & your coach tells you that you “aren’t serious enough”, “aren’t dedicated enough”, “don’t have what it takes”, or to “just suck it up”…then you need a new coach. Being “hard core” requires discipline & sacrifice, yes. You work hard & you will be tired, yes. But it does not mean you should be miserable, starving yourself, and doing cardio until your muscles & joints ache to the very core. If you feel like you are breaking down – mentally & physically - YOU PROBABLY ARE. And that does NOT mean that you are not “hard core”. Don’t let a “coach” make you feel lesser or like a failure because you “can’t handle” the diet. It very well may be that your diet is killing you. So don’t beat yourself up for falling into this trap. It’s not your fault, it is the fault of the people who failed to keep your good health at the forefront of your goals. And you are not alone, it is happening everywhere. You have resources & you have support out there, don’t be afraid to explore them. Keep asking questions until you find the right answers. Erin did, and she is now back on the right track to a healthier mind, body, & soul with a renewed attitude & plans to compete again in the 2014 season.

For more information on metabolic damage/adaptation:

Dr. Layne Norton (biolayne) posts some extremely helpful informational videos on YouTube...http://www.youtube.com/user/biolayne?feature=watch.

SiouxCountry.com makes frequent posts raising awareness for this cause & is an awesome resource to know that you are not alone & YOU are NOT the one that is doing anything wrong OR losing your mind for not understanding what is going on with your body.

And Ana Tigre, if you or any others out there have any input or advice for these ladies who may be afraid to speak up, question their trainer, or are in the process of recovering from metabolic and/or hormonal damage caused by excessive exercise and/or extreme dieting, please feel free to comment. It may make the journey of these ladies a little less of a struggle to know that they are not alone, and that – given time & proper guidance – it is possible to return to a happier, healthier self.

Thank you, Erin Elliott, for allowing me to share your story.