Does resetting metabaolism really work?

SocraticS

I NEED TO HEAR SUCCESS STORIES FROM THOSE WHO HAVE RESET THEIR METABOLISM.

After reading a persuasive blog on the problem with not eating enough calories and some posts in discussion boards on eating back your exercise calories, I've decided to go beyond the 1100 to 1200 calories I usually consume (even when I go for walks). I read that at first you might gain about 7 pounds that will stay on for about three weeks. When your body realizes it no longer has to "fear" it will no longer get enough calories, it stops hording them and you start to lose weight again.

I have already, steadily gained 15 pounds in the last five years as a result of not following calorie consumption rules, esp. when exercising (thought I certainly never starved myself!). So I already feel chubby and even broke down and bought bigger pants because the others cause pain:(

I'm really sad I will probably weigh 22 pounds more than 5 years ago on my 40th b-day (that SUCKS!).
*Note: I am currently only doing light exercise as my feet heal from stress:( caused in December due to overuse. Should be healed in two more weeks and ease into exercise again: still doing some strength training and stretching.)


I am BEGGING for stories of people who increased their calories to reset their metabolism! I am particular interested in the following details:

1. Did you gain weight when adding back calories for any period of time?
2. If so, how much?
3. Is so, for how long?
4. When did you first start to lose weight?
5. How much have you lost since the day you started to lose weight again?

japruzze

bump

SocraticS

What does "bump" mean? Are you interested in this question too?

jenluvsushi

Every time you post on a subject it comes up in the feed in your profile. So if people say "bump" it means they want to be able to come back to this subject to read about it later and are interested in what you are asking. It's a short/easy way of getting back to this thread. Do you have pinterest? If so, "Bump" is like pinning the subject to your board for future use.....does that make sense?

I am also in the midst of metabolism repair. I haven't gained a whole lot back (2-3 pounds) but I have definitely not lost any weight in the last 4 weeks or so which SUCKS....I started out at 1250 calories a day and now I am up to 1850 which is my supposed BMR. I have a lot to lose so plateauing this soon really freaks me out. I am trying to eat close to my BMR but it's so disheartening to see the scale stalling or teetering back and forth. I don't know how long it takes to repair years of starving myself and am very curious to see what other people say as well....so BUMP! lol!

SocraticS

Thanks, jenluvsushi! Feel free to let me know how its going with you in this DB. I will post my updates here. I hope others answer. I did find some posts in other DB's, but very few, on those who had reset their metabolisms but the posts were scattered and I am trying to get one DB focused on just this topic.

sheilarosella

bump

n8vchick77

I have never heard of this term "resetting metabolism" ....guess I've got some research to do!

BigDaddyBRC

First...I am not a doctor, but given my own knowledge of the human body, my training as a medic in the army and my own visits to the doctor...

Your metabolism is always in flux pending what your activity level is from moment to moment. There is no magic reset button when you are speaking of the body. As you add or subtract your chemicals to the body, it attempts to adjust. You can find an at rest Metabolic Rate. This is essentially how a doctor finds out the "health" of your thyroid through a blood panel.

anhancock10

I am in the midst of doing this myself so far i have went from about 800 calories a day and i bumped it up to 1200 calories, i gained 10lbs. Then I ate 1200 calories for about 3 months then bumped it up to 1500 calories i only gained 5lbs. I am currently between 1700-2200 calories a day and am finally maintaining my weight! It has taken me almost a year to maintain:( Hopefully i can start losing weight soon, But i havent so far. I would like to hear everyone else's storys tho!

_GlaDOS_

I don’t know that I think of it as “resetting my metabolism”, but here are some links:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/439140-refeed-diet-break-or-cut-calories-lower-a-plateau-discussi

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/395881-people-who-lost-weight-eating-more

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/403565-research-behind-eating-more-to-lose-more

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/395948-caloric-intake-results

And, the most awesome group on MFP: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/17-women-eating-2-000-calories-per-day

I type up my story around here a lot, and you’ll find it in some of those links, but I will say that in short, yes, increasing calories has worked for me.

1. Did you gain weight when adding back calories for any period of time? If so, how much? If so, for how long?

Yes, I gained about 3 lbs, and then it was gone within a week or two. For some people, and maybe even depending on how long you’ve been undereating, it could be more and it could last longer. I was at a plateau that lasted about 5 months before I increased calories, and I’m almost certain if I was eating more throughout the exercise program I was doing previously, I would have lost more.

2. When did you first start to lose weight?

About 2-3 weeks after I increased calories. Actually, I didn’t really lose much weight until I took a break and didn’t exercise, and ate at maintenance or above for 2 weeks.

3. How much have you lost since the day you started to lose weight again?

5 lbs. I started increasing calories mid-November. I’m still searching for the deficit that works for me, but that’s still better than my 5 months of no weight loss.

SocraticS

Good news! Eating back my exercise calories has NOT caused me to gain weight. In fact, I HAVE lost weight. So, it DOES seem like eating back exercise calories works for ME just as it has form some others! If you are wondering whether resetting your metabolism really works, I recommend you take the risk. Be empirical: try it out. I told myself I might gain 7 pounds in three weeks, after reading anothers' response, and that then I might see weight loss. That gave me a point to hang on to with hope.

One thing that inspired me to hang on was a show by Dr. Oz. He had a freaking awesome visual on not eating, or not given your body enough fuel, affects your ability to reduce. Maybe the demo is on the internet somewhere. I watched it this year.

So far I've lost 5 pounds since 1/1/12:)

cmriverside

That is such a great story! Thanks for coming back and posting your success.

I hope people read this, understand the concept, and make it work in their lives, too.

It works. Eat!