Metabolic adaption?

dave_in_ni

After some advice here folks. Most will know my story but a brief recap, I was 106kg eating roughly 2500-3000 cals daily. I decided I needed to diet and in one fell swoop decided to eating 1500 cals daily.

The good times came and weight fell of me for 6 months then it slowed and stopped. I got to 78kg and said enoughs enough, still had a bit a of a belly but I thought I could work this off.

I maintained this for 18 months eating 1800-2000 but after trying this and that I couldn’t shift the belly and it became clear I was gonna have to diet again.

So May 2018 I go again, 1700 cals. First week 2-3 lbs down since that damn all and I actually gained .8kg this morning.

It seems metabolic adaption has occurred, my body has got used to having so little calories and my bmr has dropped. Now I could eat 1500 cals again and I might drop a lb or 2 but I give it a week or two and that will stall and I can’t go any lower.

So how do I increase BMR? Refeed? Say an extra 150 cals per week and build up gradually or just bang 2500 cals take the weight gain for a few weeks then diet?

What’s the best plan?

Silentpadna

What were you doing to "shift the belly"?

Plus, 2-3 pounds down in the first week is totally normal and may not be all fat (likely not). Further, a 0.8kg gain in a day is totally normal. I would think after losing 28kg, you might be familiar with fluctuations.... (not trying to be snarky). If you never had days where gained a few pounds during your initial weight loss, then you were not the normal case.

So, how tall are you? Age? How active?

WholeFoods4Lyfe

I'm not sure if I necessarily believe in metabolic adaptation, but have you looked in to Calorie Cycling? It's where you focus more on the total number of calories per week and then vary the amount that you eat each day.

For example: My goal is 1400 calories per day, so in a week that would be 9800 calories for the week. So I might do the following:

Sunday 1400
Monday 1200
Tuesday 1000
Wednesday 1800
Thursday 1200
Friday 1200
Saturday 2000

It "keeps the body guessing" so to speak.

dave_in_ni

Silentpadna wrote: »

What were you doing to "shift the belly"?

Plus, 2-3 pounds down in the first week is totally normal and may not be all fat (likely not). Further, a 0.8kg gain in a day is totally normal. I would think after losing 28kg, you might be familiar with fluctuations.... (not trying to be snarky). If you never had days where gained a few pounds during your initial weight loss, then you were not the normal case.

So, how tall are you? Age? How active?

5’11, 37, 16000 steps average on Fitbit and lift weights 5 days per week, I don’t really want to drop much lower in case I lose the muscle I’ve built over the past 2.5 years.

dave_in_ni

michelle172415 wrote: »

I'm not sure if I necessarily believe in metabolic adaptation, but have you looked in to Calorie Cycling? It's where you focus more on the total number of calories per week and then vary the amount that you eat each day.

For example: My goal is 1400 calories per day, so in a week that would be 9800 calories for the week. So I might do the following:

Sunday 1400
Monday 1200
Tuesday 1000
Wednesday 1800
Thursday 1200
Friday 1200
Saturday 2000

It "keeps the body guessing" so to speak.

Good idea. Never thought about that

WholeFoods4Lyfe

Are you doing cardio at all? Weight loss mostly happens in the kitchen. 80% of weight loss is diet, another 15% thanks to strength training, and the last 5% (give or take) is from cardio. But that 5% can make a big difference, especially if you are close to goal. I know for myself, that extra 200 or calories burned through cardio can make a lot of difference.

jjpptt2

Are you using a weight trending app or any sort?

You don't see metabolic adaptation in 6 weeks. Sorry, but that's not what's happening here. My guess - faulty estimates.

dave_in_ni

jjpptt2 wrote: »

Are you using a weight trending app or any sort?

You don't see metabolic adaptation in 6 weeks. Sorry, but that's not what's happening here. My guess - faulty estimates.

I log on here and use Happy Scale app

jjpptt2

1. Logging here doesn't ensure accurate estimates.
2. What has your trend weight done since May... since you started dieting again? What has your trend weight done over the last 2-3 weeks?

cmriverside

Read this. https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1077746/starvation-mode-adaptive-thermogenesis-and-weight-loss/p1 - It's from the sticky posts in the General health and fitness subforum.

"Metabolic Adaptation/StarvationMode" isn't what you think it is. It's called Adaptive Thermogenensis - and it isn't an ongoing permanent thing and doesn't keep down-regulating and getting worse. It adjusts very quickly after you go to maintenance calories. Like in days or at most a couple weeks.

You eat less because you have less mass. That is just what happens, but you didn't ruin your BMR or metabolism.

dave_in_ni

So essentially then it’s ok to eat sub 1500 cals?

jjpptt2

I'd still want to know what your weight has done over the last 3ish weeks.

If 1500 cals worked for you before, then it should work again/now (assuming nothing else has changed). But if you've been dieting for 6ish weeks and aren't seeing any results, then I'd double check your logging/estimating to make sure that's where it should be - both your intake and your exercise. I'd bet that will fix things for you.

dave_in_ni

jjpptt2 wrote: »

I'd still want to know what your weight has done over the last 3ish weeks.

If 1500 cals worked for you before, then it should work again/now (assuming nothing else has changed). But if you've only been dieting for 6ish weeks and aren't seeing any results, then I'd double check your logging/estimating to make sure that's where it should be, and if so, then yes... further restrict calories.

Does it not show on my profile

jjpptt2

dave_in_ni wrote: »

jjpptt2 wrote: »

I'd still want to know what your weight has done over the last 3ish weeks.

If 1500 cals worked for you before, then it should work again/now (assuming nothing else has changed). But if you've only been dieting for 6ish weeks and aren't seeing any results, then I'd double check your logging/estimating to make sure that's where it should be, and if so, then yes... further restrict calories.

Does it not show on my profile

No, it's just says total weight lost. I'm more interested in what happy scale says from May-now and from June 1-now.

I suspect that what you think is happening isn't what's actually happening.

WholeFoods4Lyfe

dave_in_ni wrote: »

So essentially then it’s ok to eat sub 1500 cals?

It is not something that you, as a man, should do on a regular basis, but if it is in the vein of calorie cycling and you only do it once, maybe twice per week, you should be okay, I just wouldn't make a habit out of it. Eating too few calories can be detrimental to your weight loss efforts as well.

teranga79

The woo is strong with this one.

tinkerbellang83

dave_in_ni wrote: »

So essentially then it’s ok to eat sub 1500 cals?

Not on a regular basis, the reason for the minimum calorie recommendation is to ensure you are sufficiently fueling your body in order for it to function properly and getting adequate nutrition.

CSARdiver

There is no such thing. Your metabolism works in the same way a fire does - add more fuel hotter flame, but shorter sustainability. Your BMR is just a snapshot in time - the algorithms show the mean for your height/weight which is extremely accurate.

You don't increase or decrease BMR. BMR is an output of your body mass. You can increase or decrease caloric output and intake.

Silentpadna

dave_in_ni wrote: »

So essentially then it’s ok to eat sub 1500 cals?

Umm, probably not. Especially since you reference above that you are averaging 16K steps. At 5'11", 78kg, at your age, 1500 calories would likely be too low even if you are sedentary - which you obviously are not.

1500 calories would probably help you lose plenty of muscle....leaving you with not a lot of change in body fat percentage.

I would really look at tightening up logging. You should be losing at a moderate (by moderate I mean good - not fast) rate at even 2000 calories - given your activity level.

dave_in_ni

Silentpadna wrote: »

dave_in_ni wrote: »

So essentially then it’s ok to eat sub 1500 cals?

Umm, probably not. Especially since you reference above that you are averaging 16K steps. At 5'11", 78kg, at your age, 1500 calories would likely be too low even if you are sedentary - which you obviously are not.

1500 calories would probably help you lose plenty of muscle....leaving you with not a lot of change in body fat percentage.

I would really look at tightening up logging. You should be losing at a moderate (by moderate I mean good - not fast) rate at even 2000 calories - given your activity level.

No where near 2000, if I eat over 2000 I will gain, I know as I’ve done it. My logging is pretty accurate, I even allow 100 cal grace just to be sure.

collectingblues

dave_in_ni wrote: »

Silentpadna wrote: »

dave_in_ni wrote: »

So essentially then it’s ok to eat sub 1500 cals?

Umm, probably not. Especially since you reference above that you are averaging 16K steps. At 5'11", 78kg, at your age, 1500 calories would likely be too low even if you are sedentary - which you obviously are not.

1500 calories would probably help you lose plenty of muscle....leaving you with not a lot of change in body fat percentage.

I would really look at tightening up logging. You should be losing at a moderate (by moderate I mean good - not fast) rate at even 2000 calories - given your activity level.

No where near 2000, if I eat over 2000 I will gain, I know as I’ve done it. My logging is pretty accurate, I even allow 100 cal grace just to be sure.

Have you eaten *consistently* over 2000 calories? What's happened during that time, and what has your weight done? Have you tracked it for more than a month at that calorie level, or did you do it for a few days, panic, and stop?

It's common to gain 3-4 pounds when exiting a deficit state, because your glycogen stores are getting refueled. This doesn't mean that eating more than 2000 calories causes you to gain.

Case in point: I'm female, seven inches shorter than you, 20 kg lighter, and a history of eating restriction that far surpasses yours. I maintain at 2100-2300.