Did I slow my metabolism? If so how do I raise calories care

karissastephens

When I first started MFP I restricted my calories to 1500 a day WITHOUT exercise...then I gradually made it lower...now Im at 1200 calories a day without exercise...

Im afraid I have slowed my metabolism considering I work out hard everyday for about an hour or more. I eat my exercise calories most days but its still a low restriction. My body quit losing easy pounds aAWHILE ago and I have only lost a few pounds from doing Jillian Michaels making the cut program.

Now Im at my goal weight, I dont want to lose anymore body fat (except maybe a TINY tummy fat) and I want to build a couple pounds of lean tone muscle. How do I raise my calories without gaining the weight back?? Muscle weight is ok but not fat.

Im scared to raise anything because I feel like i slowed my metabolism by restricting my calories to the lowest amount...

Any advice??

jrich1

Set your MFP goals to maintain and log your exercise and make sure you arent starving yourself

maletac

i heard its goos to randomize your diet also.. one day 1200 next day 1800 and so on and so forth.. mix up the days you work out .. and one day a week have one bad meal just kind to shock your system into being able to still push itself...

referenced in "the abs diet"

karissastephens

I heard fluctuating calories is a good way to trick your metabolism as well. maybe ill do that...Im just scared I slowed my metabolism so I dont know how many calories my body can handle and how much is TOO much

MzBug

Have you tried to re-do your goals on MFP? This time be truthful (not saying you weren't) about the activity level and such and see what it says. I am sure google would produce multiple sites that have "calculators" for figuring out what your proper caloric intake for maintainance would be.

Congrats on hitting your goal!

kdiamond

See the thread in here "Relatively light people trying to get leaner" - it should answer some of your questions now you are at the weight you want to be at, and your goal is to increase muscle.

I'll give you some cliffs -

- you are going to have to raise calories if you want to build muscle
- you are going to have to stop doing [as much] cardio if you want to build muscle
- you are going to have to stop worrying about the scale/numbers

You will probably gain a few pounds at first, but that will be water weight and will eventually even out. You should slowly raise your calories, like start at 50 or 100 a day for a couple of weeks, see how it goes, then raise again.

Trust me when I say this, you do not want to stay at 1200 a day...it will eventually slow your metabolism and create a whole host of issues to deal with.

That said, congrats on reaching your goal and good luck with the next set of goals! (Which are much more fun!)

singfree

Karissa, don't get too fixed on scale weight. You said that you want to gain some muscle, while losing a bit more fat. If you worry about a pound here or there you are never going to enjoy the fitness experience. If you look great in the mirror, who cares what you weigh? Experiment with different combinations of foods and maybe up your cals a bit so you don't lose any of your hard-earned muscle. Take measurements and log them. See what the trend is after a month or two, then tweak your diet and exercise based on your physique. Good luck with your fitness journey!