Metabolic Repair - How long do I stay at maintainence?

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Happymelz
Happymelz Posts: 536 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been working on repairing my metabolism for about 3 weeks.
Been eating at maintainence calories level., not exercising...like a LOT of articles say to do.

(Posted my question about why I'm not losing weight 3 weeks ago and got some GREAT advise.)
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1028246-my-body-refuses-to-lose-weight-help

How will I know it is a good time to start reducing calories? (I WANT to fix this correctly..but I'm tired of being overweight. (Currently 167).

Replies

  • Machafin
    Machafin Posts: 2,988 Member
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    Keep weighing yourself. Once you see it stabilize you should be fine. If you don't see if stabilize but you see a steady increase, then you know your maintenance number is wrong. The same with a loss, but with that you are heading in the direction you wanted.
  • Happymelz
    Happymelz Posts: 536 Member
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    Thank you! :)
    I've actually only gained about 1.5 lbs....and I haven't gained in a week. BUT I'm sooo scared of reducing too soon and screwing things up. (See link in OP for my original post.)
  • Happymelz
    Happymelz Posts: 536 Member
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    Bump
    To see if any women have opinions.
  • NovemberJune
    NovemberJune Posts: 2,525 Member
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    I'm mostly just bumping hoping someone more knowledgeable will reply but here are my thoughts anyway :wink:

    -3 weeks isn't very long. It isn't even really long enough to know if the 1.5 lbs gained is water weight, or if it means that you were eating a 250 calorie surplus (1/2 lb gained in 3 weeks).
    -My understanding is that repairing true metabolic damage would be a looooooooong process. Like months long. You would increase calories slightly, wait until you were maintaining instead of gaining on those calories, increase slightly more, wait until you were maintaining on those, and so forth until your maintenance calories were high enough to cut from. And my understanding is that you would gain some fat in this process.


    Curious to see replies :flowerforyou:
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,702 Member
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    Not very knowledgeable I'm afraid but can give my anecdotal experience. I ate at TDEE for 3 weeks after stalling for several months. After the 3 week diet break, I returned to my deficit and the scale starting moving again. Albeit slower than before the plateau.
  • xMuscles
    xMuscles Posts: 24
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    i'd keep increasing calories slowly, not maintenance. also do weight training... they rev up metabolism
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
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    Watch the Layne Norton videos on Metabolic Damage and how to fix it if you already have it, they are extremely informative and should be able to answer all your questions on the subject. A little background on him, he is a natural bodybuilder and power lifter and an expert nutritionist with a PhD in Nutritional Science with an emphasis on Muscle Protein Synthesis. He knows his stuff.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=QHHzie6XRGk

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=EY1DsZMNfNw

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hw3kfRkqVWU

    Good luck repairing your metabolism.
  • Happymelz
    Happymelz Posts: 536 Member
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    I am eating 1830, which is my TDE to maintain because that is what I read to do SEVERAL places.

    I'm not doing this because I'm a weight lifter (most sights I've found had information for those who lift ALL THE TIME.)

    I'm someone recovering from food issues and yo-yo dieting...so I'm taking THAT repair approach.

    Just needed to know how long people have eaten at maintainence calories before reducing. People who've actually done it...or have good info from non-lifters.

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