The Law of Diminishing Returns

Are You Doing More… But Getting Less? Here’s Why:

Ever started something—like a new diet, workout routine, or fasting plan—and seen amazing results at first, only to hit a wall later? You’re not alone. It’s not that your efforts aren’t working—it’s that you’ve bumped into a powerful (and often ignored) principle from economics that applies to your fitness and nutrition journey too: the Law of Diminishing Returns.

If you’ve hit a plateau or feel like your results are stuck despite increasing effort, this might be exactly what you need to hear.

What is the the law of diminishing returns?

It is an economic principle that states that as you keep adding more and more of a particular input or resource to a process or activity, there comes a point where the additional output or benefit you gain starts to decrease. In simpler terms, it means that there is a limit to how much you can get out of something by adding more of it. This principle is important in various areas, such as agriculture, manufacturing, and business. I'll be drawing parallels with nutrition, fitness, diet and fasting (as that is what is our concern). It helps us understand that blindly increasing inputs may not always lead to proportional increases in output or results. Instead, it encourages finding the optimal balance or combination of resources to maximize efficiency.

The Law of Diminishing Returns With Respect to Diet

At the beginning, when someone improves their diet and makes healthier food choices, they often experience significant improvements in their health and well-being. This can include weight loss, increased energy levels, and improved overall health markers. However, as they continue to make additional dietary changes, the rate of improvement may start to slow down.

Let's consider the example of calorie deficit:

1. Weight Loss: When aiming for weight loss, creating a calorie deficit by consuming fewer calories than your body needs can be effective. Initially, reducing calorie intake below your daily energy expenditure can lead to noticeable weight loss. This is because your body starts utilizing stored fat for energy, resulting in a calorie deficit. However, beyond a certain point, further decreasing calorie intake may not lead to proportional weight loss. This can happen because the body adjusts its metabolism and adapts to the reduced calorie intake, slowing down weight loss progress. This exemplifies the law of diminishing returns in terms of calorie deficit and weight loss.

2. Energy Levels: Operating at a moderate calorie deficit can generally maintain adequate energy levels for daily activities. This is because the body can rely on stored energy (such as body fat) to make up for the calorie deficit. However, excessively reducing calorie intake to achieve a more significant deficit may lead to decreased energy levels, fatigue, and a decline in overall performance. Going too low in calories can reach a point where the diminishing returns occur, and further reductions may not provide the desired energy benefits.

3. Muscle Preservation: When in a calorie deficit, there is a risk of muscle loss along with fat loss. However, moderate calorie deficits combined with regular resistance training can help preserve muscle mass. Initially, being in a moderate calorie deficit can promote fat loss while minimizing muscle loss. However, as the calorie deficit becomes more significant, the body may increasingly rely on breaking down muscle tissue for energy. This demonstrates the law of diminishing returns, as an excessively large calorie deficit may lead to muscle loss without corresponding benefits in terms of fat loss.

The Law of Diminishing Returns With Respect to Fitness

When it comes to fitness, the law of diminishing returns suggests that as someone starts exercising and incorporating physical activity into their routine, they will likely experience rapid improvements in strength, endurance, and overall fitness. However, as they continue to train and push their limits, the rate of improvement may begin to decrease. The body adapts to the stress imposed by exercise, and additional gains may require more effort, specialized training techniques, or changes in the workout routine.

Here are two examples of the law of diminishing returns applied to fitness:

1. Muscle Hypertrophy: As individuals engage in resistance training to build muscle, they typically experience rapid gains in muscle size and strength. However, as they continue to train and reach higher levels of muscular development, the rate of muscle growth may slow down. This is because the body adapts to the training stimulus, and attempting to further enhance muscle hypertrophy by continuously increasing the stress can become detrimental. Pushing the body excessively may lead to overtraining, increased risk of injuries, and diminishing returns in terms of muscle size and strength.

2. Cardiovascular Fitness: Similarly, individuals who engage in cardiovascular exercises such as running, cycling, or swimming often experience significant improvements in cardiovascular fitness initially. They may see rapid gains in terms of increased endurance, improved heart health, and better oxygen utilization. However, as their cardiovascular fitness improves, the rate of improvement may gradually decrease. At this point, simply increasing the stress placed on the cardiovascular system through more intense workouts or excessive training volume can be counterproductive. It can lead to overtraining, elevated risk of injuries, and diminishing returns in terms of cardiovascular fitness. Finding the right balance between challenging the cardiovascular system and allowing for proper recovery is crucial for optimizing long-term cardiovascular health and performance.

The Law of Diminishing Returns With Respect to Fasting

For those who observe a plateau in their weight loss, read on. I'm diving into more detail about the application of the law to fasting:

1. For the uninitiated, fasting is a practice that involves voluntarily refraining from consuming food for a specific period. When individuals start implementing intermittent fasting or extended fasting, they may initially experience various benefits due to the changes occurring in their body.

2. During the initial stages of fasting, the body undergoes metabolic adaptations in response to the reduced availability of incoming nutrients. These adaptations can include improved insulin sensitivity, increased lipolysis (the breakdown of fats for energy), and weight loss. As a result, individuals may notice positive changes such as improved blood sugar control, reduced body fat, and alterations in their metabolic profile.

3. However, as fasting is prolonged or practiced more frequently, the body adapts to the fasting routine, which can lead to diminishing returns in terms of the observed benefits. The body has a remarkable ability to maintain homeostasis and adjust its metabolic processes to adapt to the prevailing conditions.

4. For instance, when fasting becomes a regular practice, the body becomes more efficient in conserving energy and adapting to lower caloric intake. It may start prioritizing the preservation of energy stores, leading to a slower metabolic rate. This can result in a plateau or slowdown in weight loss over time.

5. Additionally, the body may adapt by altering hormone levels and metabolic pathways to conserve energy. For example, levels of the hormone leptin, which plays a role in regulating appetite and metabolism, may decrease, potentially leading to increased hunger and reduced energy expenditure. These adaptations can make further weight loss or metabolic improvements more challenging to achieve as the body becomes more resistant to the fasting stimulus.

6. While the initial benefits of fasting may plateau, it doesn't necessarily mean that the practice becomes ineffective or lacks other potential health benefits. Fasting can still provide advantages beyond weight loss, such as autophagy (a cellular cleaning process), improved cardiovascular health, and potential longevity benefits. However, achieving further improvements may require modifications in the fasting protocol, such as adjusting the fasting duration or incorporating other dietary strategies.

In conclusion, There’s a sweet spot where progress is optimized, and pushing beyond it without strategy can backfire. The key is not to do more, but to do smart. Tune into your body, reassess your approach, and remember: sustainability and balance will always outperform extremes in the long run.