Cutting too many calories can damage your metabolism and muscle mass. Learn how DEXA Scan reveals the real effects of over-dieting on body composition.
Cutting calories is the most common strategy for losing weight, but when you cut too much, your body doesn’t just burn fat — it starts to fight back. Rapid calorie restriction can slow your metabolism, break down muscle tissue, and even make it harder to keep weight off long term.
At Kalos, we see this pattern often through DEXA Scan results. Clients who diet too aggressively may lose scale weight quickly, but a closer look reveals something concerning — they’re losing valuable lean mass, not just fat.
When your calorie intake drops too low for too long, your body enters a conservation mode designed for survival, not aesthetics. Here’s what happens internally:
1. Muscle Loss Accelerates
Without enough energy or protein, your body starts breaking down muscle for fuel. This leads to a lower resting metabolism and less strength.
2. Metabolism Slows Down
A smaller, weaker body burns fewer calories, which makes further fat loss increasingly difficult. Over time, this can cause a frustrating “plateau” even when you’re eating less.
3. Hormones Disrupt
Low calorie intake reduces thyroid activity and increases cortisol, making it easier to gain fat and harder to maintain energy levels.
4. Recovery and Energy Drop
Without adequate fuel, workouts suffer, recovery slows, and fatigue builds — leaving you feeling drained and demotivated.
5. You Lose the Wrong Kind of Weight
A DEXA scan often reveals that much of the “weight lost” from crash diets comes from lean mass and water, not actual body fat.
While a scale might celebrate a quick drop in weight, a DEXA Scan tells the real story. It measures:
This precise data helps prevent over-restriction and ensures that weight loss is healthy, sustainable, and focused on fat, not muscle.
A Kalos client came in after losing 15 lbs in six weeks through an extreme calorie deficit. Their DEXA scan revealed that 8 of those pounds were lean mass, not fat.
After increasing calories moderately, reintroducing strength training, and improving recovery, their next scan showed 5 lbs of lean mass regained and 4 lbs of fat lost — a much healthier and more sustainable transformation.
1. Start Small
Aim for a 10–15% reduction below your maintenance calories. This supports steady fat loss while preserving muscle.
2. Eat Enough Protein
Protein protects lean mass during weight loss. Target around 0.8–1.0 grams of protein per pound of body weight daily.
3. Strength Train Consistently
Resistance training signals the body to maintain muscle tissue, even when calories are reduced.
4. Track Progress with DEXA Scans
Monthly scans ensure that fat is dropping while muscle and bone health remain stable.
5. Rest and Recover
Overtraining in a calorie deficit only accelerates burnout. Prioritize quality sleep and rest days to support recovery and hormone balance.
The healthiest transformations don’t come from extreme restriction. They come from balanced nutrition, smart training, and consistent tracking. When you use DEXA Scan data to guide your calorie deficit, you can lose fat efficiently while maintaining the muscle that keeps you strong, energetic, and lean.
If you’re ready to take control of your health with the most accurate body composition analysis available, it’s time to book your DEXA scan at Kalos. Whether you’re looking to get lean, build muscle, improve performance, or optimize longevity, our advanced technology and expert guidance will help you get there.
Schedule your scan today at Kalos, your journey to data-driven fitness starts now.
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