huge metabolism or a problem?

hey mfp community,
basically im a 5"6 girl i weigh ~128lbs/57kg and i eat 3000 calories a day to maintain. I go to the gym about twice/three times (nothing excessive) a week..trying to gain a booty and that lol and i would describe myself as active but im normal active not excessively active if u know what i mean.. is it normal for a person to have such a high metabolism like this or do i have an underlying problem because i feel as if im eating more than everyone around me and they are all asking how i manage to eat so much and remain slim when they eat under 2000 cals (and i think id be 10kg lighter if i did that for a year lolz) anyway idk im just wondering if anyone else has a metabolism like me and can relate and put my mind at ease? am i normal?

Replies

  • amtyrell
    amtyrell Posts: 1,449 Member
    Do you weigh everything you eat? Because I bet you are overestimating by about 500 a day.
  • healthyleen
    healthyleen Posts: 6 Member
    i weigh everything using cups and scales i really don't overestimate what i eat im serious when i say i eat 3000 cals a day tracked to a tee..
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,262 Member
    How old are you?

    Over what time period have you consistently weighed/measured/logged and averaged 3000 calories?
  • healthyleen
    healthyleen Posts: 6 Member
    23 y/o and about 3 years averaging this amount also before that i never had mfp..
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    Cups isn't a good way to measure - how much you fit in can be highly variable
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Cups isn't a good way to measure - how much you fit in can be highly variable

    Yeah people usually eat more than they think when they use cups.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,717 Member
    At 5'5", weight in the 120s, age 61, I seem to maintain at around 500 calories above what most calculators estimate, which is around 33% more calories. (Yes, I weigh food, yes my actual activity level matches the characteristics for the settings in the calculators, yadda yadda.)

    There's a distribution around the mean maintenance calorie requirement. The standard deviation is fairly small. Overwhelmingly, most people will be close to the mean. Very few (very very few) will be outliers, hundreds of calories distant from the mean (in one direction or the other). But there can be some. Are you one? Not likely, but possible.

    My advice: Just eat the calories and feel grateful. ;)

    Oh, and read this: https://examine.com/nutrition/does-metabolism-vary-between-two-people/



  • crackpotbaby
    crackpotbaby Posts: 1,297 Member
    Have you been checked for hyperthyroidism or other health disorders that can require a higher caloric intake?
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,717 Member
    lizery wrote: »
    Have you been checked for hyperthyroidism or other health disorders that can require a higher caloric intake?

    That's a good point. Likely to be other symptoms if that severe, but not guaranteed.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,160 Member
    hey mfp community,
    basically im a 5"6 girl i weigh ~128lbs/57kg and i eat 3000 calories a day to maintain. I go to the gym about twice/three times (nothing excessive) a week..trying to gain a booty and that lol and i would describe myself as active but im normal active not excessively active if u know what i mean.. is it normal for a person to have such a high metabolism like this or do i have an underlying problem because i feel as if im eating more than everyone around me and they are all asking how i manage to eat so much and remain slim when they eat under 2000 cals (and i think id be 10kg lighter if i did that for a year lolz) anyway idk im just wondering if anyone else has a metabolism like me and can relate and put my mind at ease? am i normal?

    That sounds normal for a healthy young person who's brain is still developing and mitochondria have not started slowing down like that starts at age 27 ish but does not become very noticeable until near 40 because the reversing of cellular health decline starts slowly.
  • subcounter
    subcounter Posts: 2,382 Member
    hey mfp community,
    basically im a 5"6 girl i weigh ~128lbs/57kg and i eat 3000 calories a day to maintain. I go to the gym about twice/three times (nothing excessive) a week..trying to gain a booty and that lol and i would describe myself as active but im normal active not excessively active if u know what i mean.. is it normal for a person to have such a high metabolism like this or do i have an underlying problem because i feel as if im eating more than everyone around me and they are all asking how i manage to eat so much and remain slim when they eat under 2000 cals (and i think id be 10kg lighter if i did that for a year lolz) anyway idk im just wondering if anyone else has a metabolism like me and can relate and put my mind at ease? am i normal?

    That sounds normal for a healthy young person who's brain is still developing and mitochondria have not started slowing down like that starts at age 27 ish but does not become very noticeable until near 40 because the reversing of cellular health decline starts slowly.

    giphy.gif

    I mean I know brain uses a lot of calories but I wouldn't really shoot high as that. 3000 maintain sounds insanely high. Either she is an outlier in the metabolism speed, which is, congrats, you can have an extra PB&J sandwich compared to other individuals, or it could be thyroid related, which I would check just in case.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    Doesn't sound all that unreasonable to me. You're young, you're active. If it works, it works.
  • Theo166
    Theo166 Posts: 2,564 Member
    How do you track your calories? I noticed you just joined up so maybe give the tracking app here a try for several weeks.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    23 y/o and about 3 years averaging this amount also before that i never had mfp..

    You've been regularly counting calories for 3 years?
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    I would not complain. 3000 calories is easy to consume as long as you don't stick to "clean"/"healthy" foods.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,373 MFP Moderator
    edited April 2017
    You are active and go to the gym.. it's not too unreasonable to have such high calories. And while some may be metabolism, it's probably largely related to your activity level.

    And if you want that booty, what workout program are you doing?