Re: Caloric intake and metabolism

Confuzzled4ever

Ok.. So if you've messed up your metabolism, can you fix it? If just about every calculator out there says the BMR is 1600, should a person continue to eat at 1600 even if a body bugg is suggesting you eat less? Will the body eventually adjust itself to a healthy level of caloric intake or will the person forever have to eat less to maintain weight?

My BMR according to every calculator is 1600. My body bugg puts my burns anywhere from 2400-3500 depending on my daily activity. And will adjust my goals calories up or down accordingly. If it adjusts me to eat under my BMR I usually ignore it and just eat to my BMR, but is this correct?

If I eat 2400 I gain weight, telling me something is off somewhere. I've been increasing my intake in an attempt to fix my metabolism. but is this correct? I set my goal to 1600, my BMR, but if I don't exercise my Body bugg adjusts my calorie goal down to 1200 or 1300. I would have to stop exercising and continue to eat at 1600 in order to gauge if I gain or lose at that level or not. I generally eat anywhere from 1600-2000. Depending on how hungry I am and how much exercise I do. Even if I am not hungry I make sure I eat to 1600 minimum. I do not want to slide back to under eating. but I don't want to over eat either.

And yes, I weigh 98% of my food. if I don't weight it it's either something at a restaurant, beer or something I cannot weigh. I have been avoiding restaurants and beer this week and last week and weighing everything, even my chai seeds (which i wasn't before and I was over estimating how much I was eating of them) I don't nibble or lick spoons while cooking.

I used to eat less then 800 calories per day. So I know I did some damage back then. Hence my question. I am very careful to eat enough, but where is the line and how do you know when you are at it and if you don't like where it is, can you move it.. I do not want to spend the rest of my life having to eat 1300 calories or less or exercising my butt off to be able to eat more.

HappyStack

Well, first of all - yes you can fix it. Studies suggest 12-13 weeks is sufficient to reverse metabolic damage that hasn't been chronic for years.

Slowly increasing your intake over this period of time and then sitting at "maintenance" until your weight no longer fluctuates is indeed the best way. You don't have to stop exercising. In fact, I wouldn't recommend the cessation of exercise because it would likely increase the weight you risk putting on when fixing a broken metabolism.

I would honestly take a calorie equation (i.e. a calculator) over whatever a Body Bugg is. Unless it is directly measuring your heart rate via the chest it's likely to be very inaccurate.

ETA: Take a read of this if you have time. http://www.leighpeele.com/starvation-mode

CipherZero

Be aware that the calorie recommendations are an estimate across populations (n=BIG) and not especially tailored for you (n=1).

Use the calculators as a starting point and adjust to your reality.

Confuzzled4ever

Well, first of all - yes you can fix it. Studies suggest 12-13 weeks is sufficient to reverse metabolic damage that hasn't been chronic for years.

Slowly increasing your intake over this period of time and then sitting at "maintenance" until your weight no longer fluctuates is indeed the best way. You don't have to stop exercising. In fact, I wouldn't recommend the cessation of exercise because it would likely increase the weight you risk putting on when fixing a broken metabolism.

I would honestly take a calorie equation (i.e. a calculator) over whatever a Body Bugg is. Unless it is directly measuring your heart rate via the chest it's likely to be very inaccurate.

ETA: Take a read of this if you have time. http://www.leighpeele.com/starvation-mode

I'll read that again later.. but it's basically saying that I need to figure out my maintenance levels and eat at maintenance for few days every few week in order to keep myself healthy and to fix my metabolism.

I have been slowly increasing for a year.. i'm finally able to easily eat 1600 and go over if I snack unplanned. But I'm trying to figure out what is right and what is not.

HappyStack

"Slow" increases, for me, are 100-200 calories extra a week. Some people just jump right in, eat a gnarly amount of food to hit their maintenance goal, or some people do the Leigh Peele cyclical thing.

It doesn't really matter, I don't think, how you increase your calories aside from the hunger association/ability to eat x amount of calories... it just matters that you increase it.

Mr_Knight

Ok.. So if you've messed up your metabolism, can you fix it?

So, first of all, there is nothing in your post that suggests your metabolism needs fixing.

My body bugg puts my burns anywhere from 2400-3500 depending on my daily activity...If I eat 2400 I gain weight, telling me something is off somewhere.

What's "off" is your BodyBugg. it is common for the devices to overestimate burn. It could be that it isn't set up right, or it could be that it is confused by some aspect of your activity.

Nikiki

I yoyo'ed for years going from under 1,000 to huge binges and back. I'm sure I did damage. I started at 1,300 and bumped to 1450, then to 1500 and now I'm at 1700 plus eating back most exercise cals. I did it for the same reason you said, I didnt want to be stuck eating 1300 cals for the rest of my life.

I used the scooby calculator for a ball park and over the course of a few months increased to a point where I still lose steadily but I dont feel starving. I'm really really not very obsessive over it. I've been "well behaved" for the last few weeks but during the bulk of my weight loss I averaged eating 1600-2500 a day of mostly clean stuff but plenty of cheat meals. Although I do track pretty much 99.999% of the time even if its bad and shows I way overate.

Confuzzled4ever

Ok.. So if you've messed up your metabolism, can you fix it?

So, first of all, there is nothing in your post that suggests your metabolism needs fixing.

My body bugg puts my burns anywhere from 2400-3500 depending on my daily activity...If I eat 2400 I gain weight, telling me something is off somewhere.

What's "off" is your BodyBugg. it is common for the devices to overestimate burn. It could be that it isn't set up right, or it could be that it is confused by some aspect of your activity.

I accept that my device could be off some or set up weird, which is why I aim eat to 1600 calories regardless.. My post was not all inclusive. I was gaining weight eating at what should have been a deficit and that's just not right.. I'm not super thin, i'm not short, i'm not eating junk and I exercise a lot. I have a very big tendency to under eat. Simply put, If I don't pre-plan my days, I don't eat enough, to the point where i can eat less then 1000 and not feel hungry even if it's a huge exercise day. My body bugg helps me be aware that I need to eat more. I exercise everyday. lifting, to running, to ultimate frisbee, zumba, combat, kickboxing, hiking, etc for that level i should be starving and I should be well under TDEE-20% at even 2000 calories intake.

Stripeness

If you were eating 800-900 cals/day, and feel you did metabolic damage, then your first starting point is:
HAVE YOUR RMR MEDICALLY MEASURED. Simple & non-invasive.

Looking at online calculators and BodyBugg/other gadgets is just crazy when you have reason to suspect your metabolism's off-kilter. Get it measured. THEN use that real number to work with what your BodyBugg and/or calculators are saying.

Can you repair your metabolism? Probably. To what extent? Dunno. Pretty individual. Many people have had good success in being able to eat reasonable amounts of food. Vague? Yes, because it's really individual - especially when you consider some people use TDEE method, & others don't (both are perfectly effective, but make for very different *sounding* daily intake #s).

My #s: 1100RMR (measured). Sedentary & with 60+ lbs to lose. I eat back exercise cals, instead of using TDEE.
On 1200 cals/day, I was cold & exhausted. Losing 2.5 lbs/wk
On 1310 cals/day, I feel GREAT. Losing 2.5 lbs/wk

I may try bumping to more calories, but will probably wait for a stall in the downsizing. I *hope* my metabolism is repairing itself, but there are no guarantees. You start with your individual RMR, and work from there.

ETA: my diary is open & you're willing to take a look @ how the calories/exercise sort out.

Confuzzled4ever

I yoyo'ed for years going from under 1,000 to huge binges and back. I'm sure I did damage. I started at 1,300 and bumped to 1450, then to 1500 and now I'm at 1700 plus eating back most exercise cals. I did it for the same reason you said, I didnt want to be stuck eating 1300 cals for the rest of my life.

I used the scooby calculator for a ball park and over the course of a few months increased to a point where I still lose steadily but I dont feel starving. I'm really really not very obsessive over it. I've been "well behaved" for the last few weeks but during the bulk of my weight loss I averaged eating 1600-2500 a day of mostly clean stuff but plenty of cheat meals. Although I do track pretty much 99.999% of the time even if its bad and shows I way overate.

Scooby's is where I got 1600 (actually 1640) from. I have days where I do over eat.. but not many. And they happen when I get thoroughly discouraged like I am right now. The problem is tomorrow i'm likely to not be hungry and have to force myself to eat enough. I've been at this for a year.. and just finally got to 1600 pretty easily recently. I track everything. so its really really frustrating to do as much as I do, and not see the results you want.. and i'm not talking about a smaller waist.. although that would be nice too.

Confuzzled4ever

How do you get your RMR checked? Is that with a regular doctor??
I am currently without insurance since our company got dropped form out plan that did not conform to Obamacare. So once that sorts itself out i will see what I can do. That sounds interesting at least.

Skarlet13

I have a similar question. I had undiagnosed celiac for years. As a result, I had the runs all day long for years. I was not absorbing nutrients because of this. As soon as I went gluten free the runs stopped and I started absorbing nutrients again. I felt a million times better but ended up putting on weight. Could this have affected my metabolism?

yarwell

How do you get your RMR checked? Is that with a regular doctor??

Specialist clinic, sports science facility etc.
http://www.fitnesswave.com/portal/portal/getdunked/services/restingmetabolic

Stripeness

How do you get your RMR checked? Is that with a regular doctor??
I am currently without insurance since our company got dropped form out plan that did not conform to Obamacare. So once that sorts itself out i will see what I can do. That sounds interesting at least.

Regular doc, clinic, nutritionists, lots of options. While the older machines (still in use in some places) are large, the new ones are little portable (handheld size) devices. So you can find them in all sorts of places, and not just big hospitals. Obviously no guarantee that every doc in your area has shelled out for an extra gadget, but it's not cutting-edge tech anymore.

If you have the time, might be worth phoning around & inquiring. You just might be able to get it done @ a very reasonable cost. Kinda like a school sports physical.

Honestly, I don't understand why they're not a standard follow-up item for ANYONE who's had issues affecting metabolism. It's not an expensive test for the doc/hosp. Although I have noticed endocrinologists seem the least aware of its existence, which is a whole 'nother level of disturbing.

Good luck!

Stripeness

How do you get your RMR checked? Is that with a regular doctor??

Specialist clinic, sports science facility etc.
http://www.fitnesswave.com/portal/portal/getdunked/services/restingmetabolic

Exactly! My nutritionist used a diff model, but same concept :-)