Low Metabolic Rate - Anyone?

Aaron_K123

mistyloveslife wrote: »

First let me say this. I weigh everything with a digital scale. This isn't my first rodeo with dieting/lifestyle change. By clean eating I mean I am eating less processed foods. I did this because I have rheumatoid arthritis and I am trying to combat the disease without medication. The medications were affecting my liver and have terrible side effects. Clean eating helped with this.

This test she did took into account that I get in 7K steps per day and have a sedentary job. She said my RMR is 1350 calories per day. That based on my lifestyle, this is all my body needs to maintain my current weight.

I am still new to this side of things so bear with me. This is why I'm here. To learn and understand this better.

According to what she told me, I would need to eat less than 1086 calories per day to lose less than a pound per week. She said if I wanted to lose a pound per week I would need to eat less than 1000 calories. Her suggestion of meal replacement shakes was simply to manage calorie intake and help me get in more protein to build muscle. It's easy with my work schedule and I honestly like them.

I should note that I broke my foot a few years ago in a Spartan OCR/mud run that required 2 major surgeries. I was non weight bearing for a combined 7 months and had 6 months of physical therapy. I've spent the majority of the last few years sitting. Literally losing muscle and gaining weight. I gained 45 pounds!

RMR is not maintenance calories, you are either misinterpreting what you were told or the person advising you doesn't know what they are talking about. RMR is the amount of calories your body would need if you were asleep 24/7. Just standing up and moving your arms your maintenance calories are going to be more like 1650 if your RMR is 1350 and substantially higher than that if you exercise or do any sort of activity.

lisaepell

I had a similar test at my gym and . I'm 5'5, 39 and weigh around 151, aiming for 138. The generated report gave me an RMR or 1140, a "lifestyle burn" of 342 (just normal daily stuff, not exercise), for a total daily burn of 1,482. The trainer then told me, incorrectly, that if I ate 1482, I'd lose weight. As far as I understand it, I wanted to lose half a pound a week without exercise, I'd have to eat 1230. Gym trainers know how to run the test and read the report, but are not necessarily great at interpreting the results. Also, I don't know how they generate the "lifestyle burn" either, so that could be off too. I think these reports need to be taken with a grain (or a teaspoon of salt). For me it meant that there's a good chance my rates are pretty low, so if I want to eat more, I need to move more and be very tight in my logging. It shouldn't be the be all and end all of your process, just a point of data.

MJsStory

mistyloveslife wrote: »

Thanks everyone for the tips. I should point out that I'm 5'4" and 38 years old. I am not defeated. I am just trying to understand all of this so I can be successful. I was in the best shape of my life prior to my injury (stated above). I felt defeated after that and spent a lot of time couch sitting. I declared that 2018 would be the year I reclaim my life. Whether it takes a month or all year, I am committed to it. I appreciate everyone taking the time to reply.

SilentPanda, your words were extremely helpful. It's encouraging to know I'm probably not far off since your assumptions were close to my stats. I'm gonna keep at it. It can only get better from here.

Misty -

I am 5’4”, 39 yrs old, and 222 lbs. I need to lose 96 more. I have a low metabolism due to genetics and hormone imbalances. My doctor has me eating 1000-1100 calories each day. I have to have 400 minutes of exercise at a minimum each week with 250 minutes of that being weight bearing. This is working for me. I do not feel hungry and in fact struggle to eat all my calories. I have lots of energy. My doctor runs a blood panel every 6 weeks to readjust to what my body is doing now. This was the last adjustment he made. Goal is to lose 3-4 lbs per month and that is right where I have been at.

MJ