Target Metabolism Weight Loss...anyone?

merimeaux

Have any of my fellow Hoosiers heard of the business Target Metabolism Weight Loss? All I know about them are their annoying radio ads ("test your metabolism...lose weight...earn massages"), but I'm considering checking into them more if anyone here has had positive results with them. MFP alone is not working for me anymore. In June I stopped losing weight--I've lost a total of 52 pounds, and I did it pretty consistently over a year's time--and have hit a brick wall. My weight is creeping up, having gained 4 or 5 pounds since June, despite exercising more now than I was then. I don't know what to do, but maybe if I can save up for the Target Metabolism thing, that will hold the key...?

rileysowner

I am not a Hoosier and have no idea on that place, but I did have a look through your food diary very quickly. I went back through pretty much all of October. The thing that stood out to me is how often you were way below your calorie goals. There were very few days where you were within 50 calories plus or minus of your calorie goal. I don't know if that is a new thing, or if you are not logging everything, but the key to weight loss is a moderate deficit. A very large deficit is actually counter productive in the long run. Also, I am wondering how close to your goal weight you are. Have you reached what is considered a healthy BMI? If you have, but want to lose more, I am in that situation, it is slow and will often require a much lower weight loss goal per week. It can also require things like zig zagging calories, changing the type of exercise you do, and/or other things. Basically it can get much more difficult, although the basic formula of less calories in that are used in a day still holds true. You just need to work it differently. In fact is might be better to consider it based on a week of calories rather than a day, but that is a different discussion.

merimeaux

rileysowner, thank you so much for your response. I haven't logged everything for yesterday which is why it looks really low, but you're right--I don't meet my calorie goals very often. I was diagnosed with a gluten allergy in June (the time when I stopped losing weight) and it seems as though I eat less because of that than before the diagnosis, if that makes sense. I have a hard time convincing myself to eat all of my calories for the day, especially exercise calories, which could go back to my anorexic days in college, or even before that, when my dad would deny me food.

I ran MFP's BMI calculator and I definitely haven't reached a healthy BMI yet. I have about 20 pounds to go to reach the higher end of what's considered healthy. I would love to get down to that weight but I have no idea how I'm going to do that.

rileysowner

I would suggest eating at least the calories MFP suggests even if you don't eat your exercise calories. As I said a moderate deficit is much more effective than a large one. The gluten thing seems to have been what got you off track on eating all your calories, so perhaps before saying MFP has stopped working, you may want to try using it as it is designed. I would suggest you make sure your goal and activity level are set properly as well. I would not suggest anything more than a 1 pound per week goal even with 20 pounds to go. Higher protein and fiber are also quite helpful in fat loss as well.

merimeaux

Yeah, before having to go gluten-free (though now I'm at the point where I can have it once or twice a week per my doctor's orders), I was awesome at getting protein and fiber...like 75-85g of protein (not bad for a vegetarian!) and 25-35g of fiber per day. But you're right...the gluten thing has thrown me for a loop.

MFP is an amazing tool and I didn't mean to bash it, so don't take it that way...I'm just getting depressed. My back pain has also returned as of a couple days ago--I had surgery on two herniated discs in July 2008--so I'm freaking out about that, too. I retooled my calories recently to about a half pound a week or so, which I think is reasonable for where I am.

Thanks again for your advice...I truly appreciate it.

rileysowner

You are welcome. If you can find a way to increase that protein to over 100 that would be good. I realize that would be difficult on a vegetarian/gluten free diet, but a soy protein powder might be able to help.

Espressocycle

I heard on NPR this morning that a 200 lbs person who used to weigh 250 needs to eat fewer calories to maintain than a 200 lbs person who was never heavier. In other words, you probably just need to cut calories more than MFP says once you hit that wall, because it is calculating for an average person and as a former fatso, your matabolism in now below average for your height and weight. It can be as much as 25% lower in fact.

There, send me your savings.

merimeaux

Erm...I was eating fewer calories than MFP recommended, and it STILL wasn't working out. That's the problem. And I don't appreciate being called a "former fatso"...I never weighed 250. What is this, middle school? Sweet Jesus...

Jeff92se

what is your bodyfat %?

rileysowner

From what I have seen usually to get through a plateau one needs to eat more not less. Not to say you need to go into a surplus, although a cheat day can help, but that eating more can kickstart weight loss again. I'm guessing the report mentioned above is of a fairly flawed study that put people on a very low calorie diet (I believe about 500-600 calories a day) only to find that it caused long term metabolism problems including messing up various hormones even after a year had passed. The approach of cutting calories even further to get through a plateau seldom works unless you drop to the point where it is unhealthy and going to cause those sort of problems.

merimeaux

Jeff92se, I don't know...my doc might have that on file or something...I'll try to find out.

rileysowner, I definitely know what eating 500-600 calories did to me (did that in 2003-2004), and it wasn't good. I don't plan on going back to that. I'll read more into plateau issues, though I also know I'm not going to go crazy and have a surplus every day (and I think I'd have to work on even accepting a cheat day).

cottonpunk

Hi,

I am in Indiana and use Target Metabolism. It has worked for me--I have lost 15 lbs in 3 months which is slow, but doable. Also, I only really had 12-15 to lose in the first place. The concept at Target Metabolism is pretty much the same as what you see here---don't go below a certain amount so you don't start saving fat, but stay within your calorie range and you will lose weight and it likely will be fat weight. They do a metabolism testing at the start, at 3 month and at the end (as you have to commit to a 6 month program). That part was interesting as my resting metabolic was lower than I had imagined. My 2nd test was messed up because I had Bell's Palsy and couldn't breathe into the tube with my mouth close--it came out VERY low so they don't think it was accurate. I joined mostly for accountability--it's something I need. I do like the Bod Pod--tests lean and fat body weight. It uses air displacemnt to do this. Although I am not completely convinced it is 100% accurate, I figure if I am using the same equipment every time, the change in body fat should be consistent.

NOW, all that being said, I found MFP AFTER I joined Target as I was looking for an app to log calories. I think I could have saved money by using MFP, but I'm not sure it would have worked as well without the accountability portion (for me).

Also, Target has a maintenance plan that is a whole year plan where you can have your BodPod tests and Metabolism testing only, but not meet with the dietician. I will do this when I go to maintenance just to have a check-in to make sure I am on track.

Good luck to you whatever way you decide to go!