Resetting metabolism

kellycarbone14

Okay so after months of unintentionally over exercising & undereating ive damaged my metabolism. So I've been researching how to do a metabolic reset for a while, found this group, I also went to my doctors to confirm it was my metabolism and not something serious that was causing my symptoms and I've figured out that my TDEE is around 2100-2300. I started gradually upping my calorie intake last Saturday so far I'm up to 1600-1700 a day but my question is Ive only worked out 2 times so far this week..is that a problem? Am I suppose to exercise during my metabolic reset ..I'm planning on going the gym tomorrow & Saturday. I'm just confused on how much I should exercise and what kind of exercise I need to do seeing as I used to exercise 6 days a week burning around 500-600 everytime doing cardio which has resulted in metabolic damage! will I gain all my weight back by not exercising like I used to? I'm so lost!

Jennbecca33

Hi Kelly! Welcome to EM2WL! Happy to have you here! It looks like you've done some research about metabolism resets and have a good start on it. Great job on increasing your calories so far.

So your TDEE takes all your activity into account, including workouts. Did you calculate your TDEE using a site like Scooby? This is the one we recommend. You can plug your numbers in here:

http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

It's going to ask you to choose an activity level, and this should include all your daily activity as well as your current workouts. So your TDEE calories will depend on how much you actually choose to work out during your reset. You can still work out, but large amounts of cardio/exercise are not recommended. Our bodies see exercise as a stress, so we do not encourage over exercising. Do you weight train at all? Weight training is the best thing we can do to help reshape our bodies and help retain lean muscle mass. It would be great to start incorporating if you haven't done so already. So for example, you could do 2-3 weight training sessions and 2 short cardio sessions per week on different days - and 2 full rest days every week. If you exercise less, that's ok too, but if you exercise less consistently, then you need to recalculate your TDEE using the site above and chose the correct activity level base on your exercise. That would bring your calorie needs down slightly. The key is to eat according to your activity level.

Have you read through some of the forums to get an idea on what to expect during the reset process and how long it lasts? Here is a great post by Kiki on some things to expect:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/521728-upping-cals-what-to-expect-why-you-need-patience

Your reset will actually start once you reach your TDEE, and then you will eat at TDEE for a full 8-12 weeks. This time is so important to allow your body time to heal. Increase your calories slowly - 100 daily per week or so and that will help eliminate gains on the scale. Give your body time to adjust...it is a process that requires patience.

Feel free to add me here on mfp for support - and also check out the EM2WL website at www.em2wl.com. You'll find great support and advice there and others who are going through the same journey as you! Be sure to post back if you have any questions! You will do great!

kellycarbone14

Thank you so much for the support/help. Yes i have been reading a lot of the forums on here and the em2wl website, they've helped a lot! I'm a little nervous about this process but it's reasuring knowing it will help me be healthy again without all the stress of trying to get all the numbers to be perfect and doing endless hours of cardio!
I actually do have a few questions..i don't really have that much experience with weight training so I dont know how to start. I occasionally would randomly use the weights & machines after my hour to an hour and a half cardio sessions just to burn extra calories, but I never really knew what I was or shouldve been doing.
Also when should i start my measurements & weigh Ins ? I weighed myself and did my measurements on Saturday but now should I wait until I've reached my TDEE to record that info?
My last question what types of food should I include to reach my TDEE? I've found it hard these past few days to even get to 1700 calories I don't know how I'm going to do around 2100-2300 cals..does it matter what I eat to get to my goal or can it be anything like junk food? What kinds of things do you recommend I eat while on my reset; more carbs,protein, fat ect?
Again thank you so much sorry for all the questions and bothering you with this but I am just kind of confused

Jennbecca33

Those are great questions!

Since you have access to a gym, check out this beginner workout plan. It will be really helpful to you on how to use the weight machines.

http://eatmore2weighless.com/beginner-workout/

Also, the book "New Rules of Lifting for Women" is a must read for women interested in weight training. It comes with a 6 month weight lifting program as well. You can find it on Amazon.

As far as weighing/measuring throughout your reset, it's kind of just a personal preference. I wouldn't suggest any more often than once a week. If you think seeing any fluctuations or gains on the scale will bother you, then just put it away completely throughout the process. If you are mentally ok with seeing the scale move around as your body adjusts, then you can monitor your weight once a week or so. You shouldn't expect to lose weight during a reset. The goal is to get your metabolism running at full capacity again.

EM2WL suggests setting your macros to 40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% fat. All are important, but the most important is your protein goal. Try your best to aim for these numbers and hit your protein without obsessing about it. You don't want the numbers to stress you out, but getting enough protein will help you keep your lean muscle mass and build more muscle. You can change these settings under Goals on mfp. Good protein rich foods are lean means and seafood, eggs, cheese, jerky, protein bars/powders, cottage cheese, whole grain breads, peanut butter, and nuts. Carbs are good too - rice, whole grain breads - and of course fats - butter, cheese, olive oil, etc.

Throw out all your low fat foods and get full fat milk, butter, etc. Things like nuts, peanut butter, and avocado are calorie dense foods that will help you fill up your calories. Focus on these healthy foods to fill of the bulk of your calories. I don't believe in eliminating any foods that you like, so if you like chocolate or ice cream, then eat it in moderation! I eat chocolate daily because it's one of my favorite things. You can have anything in moderation. That's the beauty of it...you don't have to restrict and there are no strict rules about what you can and can't have.

I hope this helps to answer your questions! You're off to a great start.

kellycarbone14

I'm definitely going to check those out ! Again thank you so much for all your help

mymodernbabylon

Kelly - go check out the Eat More to Weight Less website and read a bunch of the personal journals. You will see how tough it can be for people to go through this but ALSO how rewarding it is. You probably will gain a bit of weight but that's normal - and you'll read all about the whys and how it all gets steady/normalises. And you'll find that people are THRILLED when they trust the process.