Does MFP really work+Yoyo + weight gain+ reset metabolism

believeandtry

Hi everyone!

I am new to this site. I have a history of yo-yo dieting and always gaining and losing and i am sick and tired of this. my weight right now is around 160 and my goal is to get down to 130 in about a year. I want to take it slow and steady. I want to make sure i get it right this time no matter how long it takes. On a side note, it seems as if people drop 30 lbs in a matter of 6 months or less. I only wish of such thing. Right now, i am concerned with losing weight and also worried that i might gain weight according to the calories MFP set for me. i am 5' 6". i am aiming for .5 weight loss a week. My caloric intake is the part i have questions about. my meatbolism has been slowed significantly from previous attempts of weight loss and i feel like eating 1370 may be a lot, although i have been eating that much for the past few days. I have been eating my exercise calories back too. my fear is that I will gain weight despite doing this.

last june, i went to the hospital and they had this breath test and measured my rmr to be 1262. Does anyone think I can get my metabolism to reset like this post says? http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/106078-have-a-slow-metabolism

I am very active and also exercise about 6-7 days a week (1-3 x a week of crossfit ) and cardio for an hour (walking and/or elliptical). during the day, i am an accountant so i sit for the entire day at my desk. i feel like despite all this, i am still gaining weight. can this be due to my body adjusting to the calories? PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADVICE!!! should i completely trust this site/process and my body to do the right thing and drop the weight? if anyone has a similar experience, i would love to hear it. Thank you all!

jkestens63

It has really helped me, just have to be commpletely honest about what youb do. I lost 230 jbs, had another 31 yto get to goal. Was really struggling but when I joined here showed me that I had been getting sloppy with my diet. Since joining lost 24. There is a lot of support and tips if you use it. I check in regularly thru the day.
Good luck. And as for the metabolism, I have been obese all my life yo yo constantly from trying every fad/diet but after I really committed to a healthy lifelong change insread of a diet it eventually resolved itself.

jbug100

I think all you can do is try! I am 46, and I'm sure my metabolism is on the slower side, but I have managed to lose about 20 lbs in 4 months. I have a 1200 cal limit. I eat all of my cals, all exercise cals. I would say that most days I am 100-200 cals over. I have a hard time understanding when people say they have a hard time eating all the cals...how did we get overweight to start with? I try not to micromanage my recorded cals. I don't even count salad veggies (lettuce, onion tomato etc). same for cals burned with exercise. Don't use a hrm or body bug, just make a reasonable estimate as to what I burned. I think just paying attention and being aware is the key, and slow and steady is the way to go. The less drastic you have to change things, the more likely the good habits will stick.

Oh my gosh. Just noticed that you are 21. I bet your metabolism is fine! Don't believe that breath thingy! Just do the work and see what happens!

Oh yeah, use this site to
#1 get healthy
#2 lose weight
You have your whole life ahead of you. Learn how to treat your body well. Moderation is the key. Sorry, the Mommy in me couldn't help herself:)

believeandtry

jbug100: i am 21 but have been on a vicious dieting cycle for over 6 years! so to some extent i do believe in my slow metabolism, but hopefully, i can recover because i am still young. you gave me a glimpse of hope! i would love to follow the path you have taken and lose about 20 lbs in 4 months but I guess only time will tell. thank you for you motherly opinion! i really do appreciate it and mother knows best right?

jkestens63;: your story is amazing as well. i will continue to use this site for health reasons and see where it takes me

MzBug

It can work, and do it well. I started with a slow metabolism eatting about 900 cals per day. With the assistance of a doctor and dietician I slowly brought the cals up every couple weeks so my body could get used to the higher intake. In the beginning I did gain weight, but as my body adjusted it came off. It also will depend on WHAT you are eatting. The "cleaner" the better for getting your metabolism back inline.

Good Luck!

jbug100

jbug100: i am 21 but have been on a vicious dieting cycle for over 6 years! so to some extent i do believe in my slow metabolism, but hopefully, i can recover because i am still young. you gave me a glimpse of hope! i would love to follow the path you have taken and lose about 20 lbs in 4 months but I guess only time will tell. thank you for you motherly opinion! i really do appreciate it and mother knows best right?

jkestens63;: your story is amazing as well. i will continue to use this site for health reasons and see where it takes me

Sorry believe. I didn't mean to minimize your diet history. I guess the middle age woman in me wants to believe anything is possible at 21:). Good luck on your journey. I think this site is a great way to kick start healthy habits.

yanicka

I say eat you all you calories.... you will probaby gain at first...but it's the only way to reset you metabolism.

good luck

larsbeachgirl

Yep!! we all LOVE this site and warning it is VERY addictive! I'm the same height as you and started 73kg (160lb) and now 68.8kg (151lb). I have learned HEAPS and had sooooooo much support from wonderful people - some have already reached their goals and others have just started their 'journey'.

I still have a way to go before I'm happy with my body but it is fantastic when you start seeing results - so hang in there because it is a bit of a yo-yo as you learn how your body works with food and exercise and you tweak it to make it work for you - I just need more time to exercise (excuses, excuses!) but now I think I've got the food part right now I need to work on time for exercise.

OH, as a general rule: the bigger you are, the quicker you lose weight and as you get closer to your goal weight the harder it is to lose weight. It is all very complicated how the body works, and every body is different! There are many different calculations BMI (Body Mass Index), BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate), LBM (Lean Body Mass), BF% (Body Fat %) ... just to name a few (I went into a research frenzy in Nov last year after putting weight on in first few months and becoming dis-heartened)...

Can I offer you a tip that worked for me (might not for you, but anything is worth a try) I have replaced pasta with 1 slice of toasted wholemeal bread (the rest of the family can still have their pasta though ). Boost your protein intake.... and some foods help to boost the metabolism (Capsicum/Red Peppers, Vegies, nuts esp almonds, berries).

If you don't eat your calories, your body goes into starvation mode and I *think* your body starts to take energy from your muscles..?? - I'm not an expert.... feel free to jump in if you are - anyone??

Hope this gives you a kick-start for your 'journey' :laugh: :flowerforyou:

Lars