Extremely low metabolism
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So I had yogurt for dessert tonight. Instead of using a measuring cup and just putting the yogurt in a bowl, I put the empty bowl on the scale, measured 1/2 cup of yogurt, and put it in a bowl. The yogurt ended up weighing 4 ounces, which is -- guess what -- 1/2 a cup!
Ounces aren't the most accurate either, weigh in grams, if you can. For example, 2.00 ounces (56.7 grams) of raw cashews is 352 calories, 2.99 ounces (85 grams) is 527 calories. That is a big difference.
Based on my age and weight and activity, I think your logging maybe off. I am 48 menopausal and weigh around 112 lbs, similar activity level and my TDEE is around 1880. When I first reached maintenance last year, it was around 1730, so it has increased over the last 14 or so months with only a slight increase in activity.
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Now I'm starting to feel like people are seeing me as this pig who is in denial, especially after the video of the obese woman who is eating 3000 calories a day whose metabolism is measured as around only 2000, which I find a bit insulting.
As far a weighing liquids like yogurt and such, I assume you put the cup on the scale, 0 the scale, and then add the yogurt? And stuff you spoon? How do you do that with peanut butter/almond butter, not that it's something I eat too much of anyway. Or olive oil that you cook with -- you measure that by the spoon. Already, I'm seeing my meal prep and clean up lengthen by about 30 minutes.
We don't see you as a pig or anything of thr such. But you have to understand that statistically a trained person under reports caloric intake by as much as 400 calories. Since you aren't weighing everything, its the first thing that should be addressed.
If you are menopausal then it may be beneficial to eat a low carb diet. The women i worked with that have menopause have seen some great success with it. For what reason, i am unsure. Its potential that the additional fat is helping regulate hormones.
Also, have you considered trying a doing a structured lifting program instead of classes? Its possible that lifting heavy will help boost your metabolism a bit.. and worst case you could see some composition changes.
There does seem to be some connection to a lower carb diet. I have seen it in myself.
I don't eat "low" carb but I did reduce my carb intake to a moderate level. I find that I feel better...lose weight easier...and have more energy. On occasion I have a high carb day...I feel sluggish...have trouble adhering to my calorie goal...and just don't feel as well generally. I initially went with moderate carbs in order to be able to eat a larger quantity of food...
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Feeling cold and a cold base temperature...people with cooler baseline temperatures burn a little less in calories from what is used to keep your body warm. But metabolic conditions such as hypothyroid can indeed slow the metabolism and lower what your body will burn. And the TSH test alone does not always find thyroid problems and it does nothing for other metabolic issues either. Or you may just end up being one of those people with a cooler baseline temperature and prone to feeling cold. You felt like crap with a temp of 99.5 that is actually not very high for most people when sick but for you it is a whole 2.5 degrees higher (if 97.0 is normal) so it is equivalent to a temp of 101.1 in someone whose normal is 98.6. I would make sure you get this checked out.0
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Now I'm starting to feel like people are seeing me as this pig who is in denial, especially after the video of the obese woman who is eating 3000 calories a day whose metabolism is measured as around only 2000, which I find a bit insulting.
As far a weighing liquids like yogurt and such, I assume you put the cup on the scale, 0 the scale, and then add the yogurt? And stuff you spoon? How do you do that with peanut butter/almond butter, not that it's something I eat too much of anyway. Or olive oil that you cook with -- you measure that by the spoon. Already, I'm seeing my meal prep and clean up lengthen by about 30 minutes.
Nobody is calling you a pig in denial.
I'm very sorry you thought that.
The video was only used to show that at least 99 times out of 100 people who think they have a slow metabolism don't have a slow metabolism. Also, that a doubly-labeled water test would confirm if you did.
The point that is being made is that we ALL need to tighten up our logging, especially the closer we get to a perfect BMI.0 -
I really want to sign up for one of those tests. That sounds awesome.0
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psulemon wrote:We don't see you as a pig or anything of thr such. But you have to understand that statistically a trained person under reports caloric intake by as much as 400 calories. Since you aren't weighing everything, its the first thing that should be addressed.
If you are menopausal then it may be beneficial to eat a low carb diet. The women i worked with that have menopause have seen some great success with it. For what reason, i am unsure. Its potential that the additional fat is helping regulate hormones.
Also, have you considered trying a doing a structured lifting program instead of classes? Its possible that lifting heavy will help boost your metabolism a bit.. and worst case you could see some composition changes.
I finished menopause early, around age 43. I had tried South Beach severa years ago with my husband, which is low carb, but I couldn't do Phase 1 which is the no carbs at all, even no fruit, stage because I felt sick and weak by about 11:00 AM So I did Phase II and did end up losing about 20 lbs. within about 6 months (I was 140 at the time due to a foot injury causing me to be sedentary). By low carb, how low do you mean? My macros are set to 35% protein, 30 carb, and 25 fat. I tend to go over a bit on carbs because I do eat fruit and yogurt or may have oatmeal or a small bowl of cereal in the morning, but otherwise I'm not a big starch eater. My husband's diabetic, so we don't have pasta very often, and bread is usually whole grain or low calorie like Fiber One 100. If I'm using full calorie bread, I eat half a sandwich rather than a whole one because it seems as if all that bread is a waste of calories. Rice I limit to 1/2 cup cooked. I could give up the rice because I'm not attached to it, but would hate to give up fruit and yogurt.
I was doing structure lifting before the injury and am planning to go back to it in the fall. I've only just been back at the lighter stuff for a couple of weeks, so I want to see how I do. I had to take an Aleve after one of the classes this week.
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Now I'm starting to feel like people are seeing me as this pig who is in denial, especially after the video of the obese woman who is eating 3000 calories a day whose metabolism is measured as around only 2000, which I find a bit insulting.
As far a weighing liquids like yogurt and such, I assume you put the cup on the scale, 0 the scale, and then add the yogurt? And stuff you spoon? How do you do that with peanut butter/almond butter, not that it's something I eat too much of anyway. Or olive oil that you cook with -- you measure that by the spoon. Already, I'm seeing my meal prep and clean up lengthen by about 30 minutes.
It's an illustration of how common it is to misjudge and to fool oneself with ones food intake. It's not an insult. It's a way to help people (lurkers / posters) come to the realisation that even when we believe we are doing everything right and have our reasons lined up for why it's not working, science can prove us wrong
I find it an excellent tool self-realisation and that's why I posted it ...no direct insult intended...I thought you were looking for help
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@rosebette , low carb varies for people. But most people i see aim for 50 to 100g. That would be net carbs. It may be beneficial to join the group that was posted on the first page. It has many woman who have fone through menopause.0
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It's an illustration of how common it is to misjudge and to fool oneself with ones food intake. It's not an insult. It's a way to help people (lurkers / posters) come to the realisation that even when we believe we are doing everything right and have our reasons lined up for why it's not working, science can prove us wrong
I find it an excellent tool self-realisation and that's why I posted it ...no direct insult intended...I thought you were looking for help
That's not to say that tweaking with measurements might not help. But I guess my point in the post was not that I'm eating so little and not losing, but that my actual measurable metabolism is so low. So it's not "I'm eating only 1200 calories and not losing so there must be something wrong with me," it's my metabolism even at moderately or lightly active is only around 1300-1400. I am actually eating only around 1200, so if my metabolism is so low, even if I were off by a few calories,of course, I wouldn't lose or could even gain. It just seems that the metabolism number itself is quite low. I'm not the woman who has a 2000 metabolism and can't lose because she's eating 3000. I'm the woman who has a 1300 or lower metabolism and can't lose because it's really hard to stay at that low a calorie level. Yesterday, I got to over 2000 because I kickboxed and hour and took and hour and half walk; I got to eat 1600 ad was quite satisfied -- I just can't do that level of activity every day of my life.
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The point of " low carb" or better known as " ketogenic diet" is to enter a state of ketosis which is 25g carbs or less. After keto adapting "some folks can eat up to 50g carbs and still be in ketosis but this is not common. Eating 50-100 is not low carb0
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That's not to say that tweaking with measurements might not help. But I guess my point in the post was not that I'm eating so little and not losing, but that my actual measurable metabolism is so low. So it's not "I'm eating only 1200 calories and not losing so there must be something wrong with me," it's my metabolism even at moderately or lightly active is only around 1300-1400. I am actually eating only around 1200, so if my metabolism is so low, even if I were off by a few calories,of course, I wouldn't lose or could even gain. It just seems that the metabolism number itself is quite low. I'm not the woman who has a 2000 metabolism and can't lose because she's eating 3000. I'm the woman who has a 1300 or lower metabolism and can't lose because it's really hard to stay at that low a calorie level. Yesterday, I got to over 2000 because I kickboxed and hour and took and hour and half walk; I got to eat 1600 ad was quite satisfied -- I just can't do that level of activity every day of my life.
Am I the only one confused by this use of calorie limits as a measure of metabolism?
"Your basal metabolic rate accounts for about 60 to 75% of the calories you burn every day."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basal_metabolic_rate
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I looked at your diary. It is sloppy, and some of your exercise burns are way over-estimated.
Plainly and simply, you're eating more than you're willing to admit.
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So in other words, the fitbit Charge HR is not even measuring my daily calorie usage accurately. Therefore, if it says my TDEE is 1300-1400 on a moderate active day, I'm burning way less than that, and on the rare days it says I'm burning 2000+ it's not even doing that? So should I set my goal at 1000 a day and just eat that?0
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The fitbit devices are configured to estimate calorie expenditure and many find them reasonably accurate. As an older lighter less tall person they might be a bit less accurate for you. Your RMR is likely to be around 1200 - 1300 and if you want a measurable rate of loss you will bump into MFP's 1200 minimum.
Eating 1000 a day of nutrient dense varied foods for a month would be a place to start, the weight loss rate will indicate your true metabolic rate.0 -
So I had yogurt for dessert tonight. Instead of using a measuring cup and just putting the yogurt in a bowl, I put the empty bowl on the scale, measured 1/2 cup of yogurt, and put it in a bowl. The yogurt ended up weighing 4 ounces, which is -- guess what -- 1/2 a cup!
Well, 4 ounces is not the same as 4 fl ounces anyway... I guess I can see why you're not logging accurately if you assume that 1/2 cup of food is always 4 ounces.
Weight /= volume.0 -
So in other words, the fitbit Charge HR is not even measuring my daily calorie usage accurately. Therefore, if it says my TDEE is 1300-1400 on a moderate active day, I'm burning way less than that, and on the rare days it says I'm burning 2000+ it's not even doing that? So should I set my goal at 1000 a day and just eat that?
That's pretty much the exact opposite of the advice you're getting.
Fix your logging first. Until then, you have no idea what's really going on.
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Making sure you are logging correctly is usually the best place to start, as others have said.
Aside from that....are you just taking the fitbit at face value, or have you actually tried to eat more and gained weight? I certainly wouldn't try this this until you feel more comfortable in your logging accuracy. Once you have that under control, you'll have better info to base your decisions on.0 -
Just as a little aside, a lot of people find weighing in metric rather than imperial more accurate.
I know you are not too keen on weighing absolutely everything, but give it a go for 2 weeks at least and see if it makes a difference.
As I, and others, have said earlier, your bmr is not outside the norm for your stats.
You could settle down and do some math and work out your actual exercise burns instead of depending on monitors, fit bits and other devices.
To do that you would have to get your logging for food and exercise as tight as possible.
I did it over a period of 4 weeks ( started losing when I changed my routine) and arrived at a TDEE of 1450 ( 60x5 plus weights x 3 per week) on a 971 bmr.
Cheers, h.
Ps 61yo, 5'1, 100-105 lb maintain at 1200 ( 6yr) without exercise.
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Here's a different perspective (or maybe not, I've been following this post for a couple of days but don't remember all the advice): Maybe you're at a good weight already? You are just over 5'1" and post-menopause... That's pretty darned good. You can do a lot for your future by building a bit of lean muscle mass. Maybe the calorie focus is throwing you off from what you should be focusing on?0
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I haven't been using the fitbit to eat more. I've actually been eating less since getting the fitbit because MFP overestimates the burns for a lot of activities, or perhaps they are the burns for the "average" person, whereas the fitibit is measuring what a person of my height, weight, and age actually burns. I haven't gained or lost since getting it, just stayed the same. I just ran into a colleague of mine at work -- a huge guy, over 6', and young in his 30s -- who was also wearing one. We did the same level of activity, i.e, basically being in an office all day (in fact, he put in fewer steps) and his burn was more than double mine. I would say, then, that that's pretty accurate since the guy is younger and more than twice my weight.
I guess I have to figure on if I want to "settle" or aggressively pursue my goal again by further micromanaging numbers and calories. This was a question I visited on another thread a while back. The whole discussion has actually gotten me a bit depressed, especially after I listened to a classroom presentation by a student in one of our degree programs on eating disorders. She talked about how someone with an ED looks at a cookie and doesn't think about how much she'd enjoy the cookie, but how many calories are in it and how much exercise she must do to work it off. I began to think as I listened that this is now how I am living my life.0 -
I keep seeing Fitbit used as a basis for your metabolism. Have you undergone real testing or are you depending on an inaccurate device?0
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You can also look up at the internet were there is a testing option for you
It only costs between 50 to 75 to get it tested. Then you know for sure
And you have the most accurate numbers0 -
rosebette, how long since you've lost weight?
How long have you had the fitbit?0 -
I haven't been using the fitbit to eat more. I've actually been eating less since getting the fitbit because MFP overestimates the burns for a lot of activities, or perhaps they are the burns for the "average" person, whereas the fitibit is measuring what a person of my height, weight, and age actually burns. I haven't gained or lost since getting it, just stayed the same. I just ran into a colleague of mine at work -- a huge guy, over 6', and young in his 30s -- who was also wearing one. We did the same level of activity, i.e, basically being in an office all day (in fact, he put in fewer steps) and his burn was more than double mine. I would say, then, that that's pretty accurate since the guy is younger and more than twice my weight.
I guess I have to figure on if I want to "settle" or aggressively pursue my goal again by further micromanaging numbers and calories. This was a question I visited on another thread a while back. The whole discussion has actually gotten me a bit depressed, especially after I listened to a classroom presentation by a student in one of our degree programs on eating disorders. She talked about how someone with an ED looks at a cookie and doesn't think about how much she'd enjoy the cookie, but how many calories are in it and how much exercise she must do to work it off. I began to think as I listened that this is now how I am living my life.
Whatever path you choose to follow is up to you, but if you actively want to pursue weight loss, we have given you the reasons why you may not be losing. But also keep in mind, that a Fitbit is a basic device that is also based on statistical averages. If you really want to know your metabolic rate, than you need an actual test for it.
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rosebette, how long since you've lost weight?
How long have you had the fitbit?
I've had the fitbit since May, but haven't had any real losses since the fall. The lowest I've gotten is 118 and couldn't maintain at that weight. I've been fairly stable between 120-122 for 8-10 months.0 -
I'm similar to you -- 50+ and short (shorter than you). I'm planning on getting a Fitbit soon, and I'll be very surprised if my TDEE is any higher than yours.0
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FITBITS ARE NOT METABOLISM TESTERS!!!!!0
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They have ways of testing your metabolism. I did such a test when I was 13 at John's Hopkins Hospital (I was being sent for weight management). The Dr. let me know my metabolism was working below average. They had me on a nutrition shake plan and all that, but I was 13- that stuff was gross and I'd worry about it later (lol mindset of the invincible teenager). Now I'm 29 and lost over 100 lbs in the last couple years and I'm trying to combat the metabolism issue with building/retaining muscle. I haven't seen much else out there that helps.0
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Thanks for the advice on weighing semi-solids and such in grams. I had peanut butter today and had always assumed I was eating only 1 TB because I'm not one of those folks to slather it on, but my serving was 32 g, which is more like 2 TB. While I only eat peanut butter about once a week, it is 100 calorie difference. A 100 calorie difference every day is significant for someone my size. On the other hand, I am already eating what I find to be disappointingly small amounts of food (I'm starving in the mornings because I'm already not eating much), so to cut even further is rather saddening.0
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If you shadowed the coworker and did the same exercises etc you WILL NOT burn the same calories! That is your first mistake. Height weight and age all play a role.
You said the guy was much bigger and heavier, well bigger people have to expend more energy to do tasks then smaller people, so you doing the same number of steps does not equate to the same burn.
Personally i just use several websites to estimate BMR and TDEE and eat at a deficit. I use MFP to track my calories and nutrients nothing more. I do not " eat back" exercise calories. Just eat at a deficit ( below tdee) and you will lose weight.
Keep in mind the metabolism will slow down after a while this is called " adaptive thermogenesis " so you will need to adjust calories at some point0
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