1. Your Body Reduces Energy Output
Your hypothalamus — the part of your brain that governs hunger, energy, and hormone regulation — senses internal stress or low energy availability.

It responds by:
→ Lowering spontaneous movement (you fidget less, sit more, walk less)
→ Reducing thyroid hormone output (T3 conversion drops)
→ Shifting your nervous system into a parasympathetic “freeze” state — think fatigue, brain fog, no drive to train

This isn’t laziness — it’s biochemical protection.

In fact, research shows energy expenditure can drop by 15–20% with consistent under-eating — even if you’re still moving your body.

This is your metabolism saying: “She’s not safe — slow it all down.”

2. Your Hunger and Cravings Skyrocket (and It’s Not Emotional Eating)
When you’re in a low energy state for too long, your appetite-regulating hormones rebel:

• Leptin drops → you don’t feel full
• Ghrelin rises → you feel ravenous
• Dopamine signaling changes → you start seeking reward-based foods (like sugar and starch)
• Insulin sensitivity declines → blood sugar crashes trigger more cravings

As Briden explains, this is not sabotage — it’s your body’s attempt to increase fuel intake for survival.

Even women who “eat clean” often under-eat protein and calories, leading to this metabolic mismatch: their body is starving at a cellular level, even if they’re full.

3. You Store Fat — Especially Belly Fat
Under chronic stress or inflammation, your cortisol rises — and with it comes:

→ Insulin resistance (hello blood sugar swings and belly fat)
→ Increased visceral fat (which drives more inflammation)
→ Suppressed mitochondrial energy production

What’s worse?
That stored fat feeds back into the dysfunction — inflamed fat tissue secretes cytokines that further disrupt hormonal and metabolic signaling.