Get your Metabolic Rate tested !! My Metabolic reset story

DopeItUp

I had mine tested a few weeks ago. My TDEE was tested at 3700 calories or so....I wish!

Those tests are about as reliable and consistent as BIA devices. Which is to say, they aren't.

vivian1616

bump

heybales

I had mine tested a few weeks ago. My TDEE was tested at 3700 calories or so....I wish!

Those tests are about as reliable and consistent as BIA devices. Which is to say, they aren't.

To test your TDEE would require you to spend an average day of activity in a metabolic chamber, while they monitored the change in temperature your body caused to controlled air temp, to know that.

You mean you had your RMR tested, and based on your comments regarding your daily activity, did nothing more than the TDEE levels based on that RMR.

Those test actually are very reliable, but just like BIA measurements, very easy for the person getting tested to throw them off totally.

How you know if that tested RMR is realistic or not is to get a good bodyfat test at the same time.

Then from the standard RMR Cunningham formula that are within 5% for over 95% of the population, you can see if your RMR is actually expected for your measured LBM.

From there to TDEE is still your selection of TDEE levels.

heybales

I thought I was adequatly fueling my body eating between 1700 - 1950 calories for those 3 and a half months but I was in for a huge shock when I got my resting metabolic rate tested. It was just 875. My body was in semi-starvation (survivol mode) according the the exercise physiologist. That is why my metaboic rate lowered drastically because i was not fueling myself properly so it slows way down in order to survive.

Yesterday I had a retest of my resting metabolic rate. (RMR) it was 1497. Originally when i had it tested it was just 875 and the man said it should be around the 1350 mark. So I am absolutely thrilled that I have increased my RMR by over 600 calories !!! Wow I couldn't believe it. My body fat % is 22.5%. I'm working towards high teens perhaps 18 - 20% body fat. Also I'm above average in the general population for my age and height I'm more like in the athletic range for body composition now.

Its now 8 months later being September 24 and I just got the results of my latest test. My resting metabolic rate was tested at 1025. I was quite surprised and dissapointed at this as I have been eating at or above maintenance since February. I put on 6 kg in weight since February.

So in those tests, you can effect them to read higher, but you can't effect them to read lower, than reality.

So I'd suggest the 1497 was inflated for whatever reason. Shoot, if you eat carbs and your body is busy processing them, your RMR really does go up post meal, but in addition to that expected raise, is a raise in your VO2 to VCO2 ratio from that processing, which would also inflate the value above reality.

Now I know you said you followed their rules of no eating or exercise 24 hrs in advance. But if you had done a good lifting session outside that time period, you could have still been repairing, which would be increased O2 use, that would inflate the calorie burn.
Breathing faster than normal, approaching or hitting hyperventilating would do it also.

And their routine for calibrating the metabolic cart. It can drift. If this is an outfit that will show up at gyms and test any comers, or at the mall, ect, then if their thinking allows them to provide bogus RMR tests (because it would be in those cases), then they probably have little reason to calibrate the machine.
On the other hand, if they carefully made sure you understood the rules as to what you were supposed to do for an accurate test, they probably do.

But there's no way for you to effect it reading lower than reality. So I'd trust the 2 low points.
And if that RMR is still lower by 5% for a tested bodyfat % (measurement and BIA done right are within 5% accuracy), then you still are suppressed likely, or other health issues slightly effecting you.

How was the BF% determined on the high reading time period?

Kim55555

How was the BF% determined on the high reading time period?

thanks for the reply!

I forgot to post my body fat %. Back in Feb it was 22%, now its 27% with the 6 kg weight gain. My muscle mass has stayed the same.

Also perhaps my monthly cycle had an effect on my rmr ? i dunno. i was at day 3 of my period when i had it tested yesterday. My next appointment is in 2 months time and hopefully the test will fall in the middle of my period. Last time I had my rmr tested i was in a different part of my cycle. I'm not sure the kind of impact it would have but it could possibly

Kim55555

So in those tests, you can effect them to read higher, but you can't effect them to read lower, than reality.

So I'd suggest the 1497 was inflated for whatever reason. Shoot, if you eat carbs and your body is busy processing them, your RMR really does go up post meal, but in addition to that expected raise, is a raise in your VO2 to VCO2 ratio from that processing, which would also inflate the value above reality.

oh i have more i want to say but my nieces just walked in the door, gotta go

yarwell

But there's no way for you to effect it reading lower than reality. So I'd trust the 2 low points.

A leaky mask will give a reduced flow rate, so under reading is entirely possible.

icemaiden17_uk

BUMP

heybales

How was the BF% determined on the high reading time period?

thanks for the reply!

I forgot to post my body fat %. Back in Feb it was 22%, now its 27% with the 6 kg weight gain. My muscle mass has stayed the same.

Also perhaps my monthly cycle had an effect on my rmr ? i dunno. i was at day 3 of my period when i had it tested yesterday. My next appointment is in 2 months time and hopefully the test will fall in the middle of my period. Last time I had my rmr tested i was in a different part of my cycle. I'm not sure the kind of impact it would have but it could possibly

Yes, your BMR literally will change through the month, and knowing where on the hill, the hill, or the valley, can make a difference.

heybales

But there's no way for you to effect it reading lower than reality. So I'd trust the 2 low points.

A leaky mask will give a reduced flow rate, so under reading is entirely possible.

Very true, as well as the warning to breath normal. Though for 15 minutes it should be hard to breath a whole lot slower, some of those mall tests for 5 minutes you could breath slower and effect it downwards.

But in those cases, invalid time to do it too.

Kim55555

Im copying and pasting what I wrote in the eat more to weigh less group as not everyone belongs to that group

November 2014 update


Its now November and I have had 5 or 6 failed attempts to cut again since May.

This time around I decided to write myself a binding contract and I stuck it on my fridge and signed it

In it I declare how much i will lose each month.

I have outlined how I will go about achieving this. I have a list of all the foods I will eat and the calories i will average per week. I will be weighing everything. I'll also pre pare food.

I have also decided to say it out loud twice a day in the morning and at night as a reminder, as an affirmatinon so I program it into my head. I will also become a regular myfitnesspal contributer and lurker again so weight loss/fat loss is constantly on my mind. I need to "eat breathe and sleep" weight loss. I need it to be on mind 24/7 so i stay on track.

When i go back to work tomorrow i will pin it on my wall too.

I've lost 2 kg so far in a couple of weeks. I'm around 64.6 kg today. Goal is to get back to 57 kg. I will be 60 kg by February 1st 2014 and 57 kg by July 1st 2014. The last 3 kg take forever for me to lose.

Ok i'm confident now everythng is in place for me to achieve the result. I have decided to never bulk again. Its just to damm hard for me to cut afterwards. I'm ok with that as i was really happy with my physique at 57 kg. I looked ripped, i could some nice arm definition. I have plenty of muscle for it to shine through and dont need to add muscle.

Kim55555

This worked for me back in 2010 when i first started to lose the 33 kg.

i'll come back later tonight and type up the contract here on this topic, to show you what i wrote

I am also going to re read Michael Domenko (spelling) and Tom Venuto's Burn the fat feed the muscle again for inspiration and guidance.

heybales

I have also decided to say it out loud twice a day in the morning and at night as a reminder, as an affirmatinon so I program it into my head. I will also become a regular myfitnesspal contributer and lurker again so weight loss/fat loss is constantly on my mind. I need to "eat breathe and sleep" weight loss. I need it to be on mind 24/7 so i stay on track.

When i go back to work tomorrow i will pin it on my wall too.

I've lost 2 kg so far in a couple of weeks. I'm around 64.6 kg today. Goal is to get back to 57 kg. I will be 60 kg by February 1st 2014 and 57 kg by July 1st 2014. The last 3 kg take forever for me to lose.

Ok i'm confident now everythng is in place for me to achieve the result. I have decided to never bulk again. Its just to damm hard for me to cut afterwards. I'm ok with that as i was really happy with my physique at 57 kg. I looked ripped, i could some nice arm definition. I have plenty of muscle for it to shine through and dont need to add muscle.

Sometimes you gotta make weight loss a hobby, with time attention. Sad the other direction requires neither.

Bummer when you get that used to performance gains, isn't it. Every winter is re-bulk from the summer cardio, every spring is the training for the endurance cardio coming up. Got accept what is important and do it. Right there with ya.

Kim55555

Sometimes you gotta make weight loss a hobby, with time attention. Sad the other direction requires neither.

Bummer when you get that used to performance gains, isn't it. Every winter is re-bulk from the summer cardio, every spring is the training for the endurance cardio coming up. Got accept what is important and do it. Right there with ya.

Hi Yeah I find that unless I'm thinking about it 24/7 then I lose focus after a couple of weeks & them complain its all too hard. So I think as long as I'm reading my goals out loud each day I'll be successful.

I'll stick a copy of my contract on my desk wall. I'll stick it on the inside of my phone as a constant reminder. I'll pretty much stick it in a number of different places that I know I'll be looking at regularly. My brain needs constant reinforcement.

Ill continue to again become all consumed/obsessed with reading online.

When I do get to 57kg I know now what not to do. I'll increase calories gradually to maintenance. Anyway thats 6-12 months away & I'll focus on what is at hand. I've done it once I'll do it again

I'll report back Dec13 and let everyone know how I'm going.

Kim55555

December 26 2013 update:

Since November 1st I have lost nearly 4 kg. Down from 66.2 kg to 62.4 kg


1. I have been eating between 1550 - 1800 calories.

This amount seems to be my weight loss sweet spot.


2. The first few weeks I was rehabbing my hammy, so had limited/moderate amounts of exercise. The last month I have slowly and conservatively increased my intensity and workload and hammy has responded well. Still losing slowly but steadily

Lesson learnt from this is you dont have to always kill yourself by doing large amounts and intense amounts of exercise to lose the weight. Often I would burn out. I realise now its a marathon not a sprint and the exercise I do now is focussed on training for performance, not training for just calorie burn! I also have let myself have a couple of rest days per week to let my hammy recover.

3. I am surprised I didnt lose much fitness in my 2 weeks of only swimming and doing weights. I have a reasonable amount of fitness and I'll have to take things slowly when pre season footy training starts up again just doing 1 session a week and having rest breaks during it. I'm in my 40's and need to manage my body.


In my 9 months of unintentional bulking I put on 9 kg. I was upset about putting on the weight but I am looking at the positives:

1. I have had tremendous performance gains

2. I now know what amount I shouldn't be eating to maintain lol.

3. After I finish my cut I'll make sure that this time around I will slowly increase calories until I find my maintenance stabalization & sweet spot. I'm thinking its around 2000 - 2200 calories a day but I dont know. I may do a slow recomp for a while and see how I go.

4. I will include 2 days of eating at 1700 calories to even things out if I happen to eat too much on the other days.

4. I am strong in mind and spirit and am getting the fat off again. I believe in myself.

5. I wont ever bulk again. I'm not after more muscle growth. I liked the way I looked before when I hit 57 kg back in January 2013.

6. I think I have put on some muscle during my bulk so I think I might in fact look leaner at 59 kg than I did at 57 kg. If not leaner then look the same that I did at 57 but have that look of more definition because of the muscle I put on.

7. I am so glad I created this topic as it has been good to keep a journal and visitors to this page and myself will see an experiment unfolding. Bulking/cutting transformation. I will be sure to post comparitive photos when I finish cutting. I'm not sure when that will be. Perhaps it will take me another 6 months I dont know. In 6 months time I think i'll do a slow maintenance recomp. I'm very excited !

Rachelmilloy

Bump :0)

fangmouse

Oh my goodness I'm 5'2 as well! This will come in handy hehe

Kim55555

This has turned into my bulking/cutting thread lol. It's too bad I can't change the title.

When I finish my cut I'll create a new bulking/cutting topic with before and after photos.

I'll come back here at the beginning of each month with an update on my progress

amandacepstein

following

Kim55555

Progress update coming very soon .