Revving up slowed metabolism, gaining weight :(

CeleryStalker
CeleryStalker Posts: 665 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey folks :)

I'd appreciate some help with my little dilemma. If you want to skip all the details and get straight to my question, skip ahead to the very last paragraph. I'm providing details in an effort to answer questions before they are asked :)

For the last few years, I've yo-yo'd my weight, gaining and losing the same 10/20/40 pounds, depending on where my pendulum is. I've always taken the weight off in ridiculous manners....MediFast (800-1000 calories, <100g carbs, meal replacement program), Atkins/South Beach, low calorie, what-have-you. I've never approached weight loss with an 'eat a balanced meal, don't be afraid of carbs, and for God's sake woman, you need to eat more calories than that!' approach. So now, I'm trying to do that, and it doesn't seem to be working.

I wear a BodyMedia armband to monitor my caloric expenditures for the day. I have a desk job, so I'm pretty sedentary most of the day, but I do walk 3-5 miles/day to help thwart that. On average, I burn between 2700-2900 calories per day. That's good to know, because it shows me how unnecessary my 800-1200-calorie approach was all this time. Unfortunately, I've been up and down the scale so many times in the last couple years, and going down the wrong ways, I realize I've slowed the ol' metabolism down some, which is likely why my latest attempt to cut calories has left me feeling sluggish, and losing nothing. So, at the advice of several folks here, I stopped starving myself out and started eating more balanced, and at less of a deficit, to get my metabolism back to an acceptable level. For the last month, I've been eating around 1600 calories a day, macros 40/35/25.

And I'm gaining weight. GAINING. No, my clothes aren't looser, I'm not losing inches. I've done the measurements, I've taken the before pics, and I know full well what items in my wardrobe are off limits- and sadly, more of those clothes are becoming off limits as I put on more weight. I've packed on 7# over the course of the month. Not exactly the direction I was shooting for.

I understand the basics of what's going on. Body essentially starved, metabolism slows to conserve, thinks I'm in Ethiopia in the middle of some famine. Eat more, body rejoices and reserves every morsel I ingest, in fear of another trip to Ethiopia and enduring another famine. Hormones out of whack, etc. I get that. What I don't get is....

How long until my body is like, hey, sweet, we don't have to worry about famine, now we can crank up the engine and whir along at an appropriate rate! I see a lot of 'if you're not losing, eat less' advice, but eating less is what got me here in the first place, ya know? I'm worried that I'm going to continue to gain, and I'm worried that if I cut back, I'm going to put my metabolism back at risk before I ever gave it a chance to restore itself.
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Replies

  • CeleryStalker
    CeleryStalker Posts: 665 Member
    Oh ya, and just wanted to mention, I've (very) recently started a weight lifting regimen at a local gym. I went once last week and loved it. Owner is out of town until Thursday, so I'll be back on Thursday to resume what I intend to be a 3x/week program. He does a circuit class, and focuses on a different part of the body + abs each class. This will be in addition to my daily walking. I walk 75-100 miles/month to help offset the desk job.
  • brraanndi
    brraanndi Posts: 325 Member
    Is Bodymedia like a fitbit? Where it just charts your activity for the day? I would make sure it's burn is correct and you still need to eat a deficit under that to lose weight.

    If you still eating a deficit there's that whole thing where your body seems to put on a few lbs when you start feeding yourself a normal amount and then levels out that I've been reading about. Not sure how legit that all is but hey I think it might be worth your looking into.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    More info would be helpful, age, weight, height and open your diary.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Hi,

    Simple- if you are gaining weight you are taking in more calories than you think you are. Are you logging all your food and exercise correctly and consistently? I think that's the key.

    I don't know anything about the heart monitors, but it seems to me if one says you are burning 2,700 calories a day that you would have to eat 500 below that each day to lose 2 pounds a week. I could be wrong on that, though, and if I am I'm sure someone will correct me. :smile:
  • CeleryStalker
    CeleryStalker Posts: 665 Member
    I don't have a FitBit, so I don't know.....I wear my BodyMedia all day, every day and it computes my burn based on several pieces of input. (It's what they wear on the biggest loser, and is said to be the most accurate piece of equipment in this line of merchandise).

    It also spits out numbers that are pretty aligned with the average of multiple online calculators for BMR, TDEE, what have you. And based on various calculators in conjunction with MFP and my BodyMedia, I'm eating at about 1000 calorie deficit per day.


    I'm 5'11, 38yo female, currently 216#, 44% body fat. Sexay..... :(

    Diary is not open because I don't log on this site. I've listed my caloric intake and my macros for the purpose of discussion.


    The question I'm trying to have answered here is how long, after having slowed one's metabolism, should someone expect to put on weight while eating properly, before the metabolism kicks back into gear and weight loss is achieved?
  • CeleryStalker
    CeleryStalker Posts: 665 Member
    Susan, with all due respect, it's not that simple. I'm speaking from a 'slowed metabolism' stance, not 'this is my first diet and I don't know how many calories to eat' stance. :)

    Folks who know about metabolism 'reconstruction', please feel free to chime in. As already stated, I got to this point BY EATING TOO LITTLE. I'm trying to take my metabolism out of hibernation by eating at a more appropriate deficit, which is known to come at the price of weight gain for a while during the 'repair' process. What I'm asking is, how long should it take for things to balance out?
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    This statement : "I burn between 2700-2900 calories per day" stuck out for me.

    Either your Bodymedia is way off, or you metabolism is not damaged. That is a pretty decent TDEE for a woman with a desk job.
  • CeleryStalker
    CeleryStalker Posts: 665 Member
    I'm an overweight, 5'11 woman with a desk job that walks 3-5 miles a day. When I don't walk, I only burn around 2300 calories :)
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I'm an overweight, 5'11 woman with a desk job that walks 3-5 miles a day. When I don't walk, I only burn around 2300 calories :)

    What do you think you should burn? Of would burn if your metabolism weren't damaged?

    ETA: The reason I ask is that your numbers don't add up. You say "For the last month, I've been eating around 1600 calories a day, ". You can't burn 2300-2900 and eat 1600 and gain weight. At least you would not be gaining fat. That's a pretty big deficit.
  • CeleryStalker
    CeleryStalker Posts: 665 Member
    That's a good question. From everything I've read, VLCD and excessive cardio wreak havoc on one's metabolism. I'm an endurance cyclist, so I'm guessing the 50/75/100 mile bike rides (which I do eat extra calories for, of course, lest I be found in the ditch, twitching from hunger, lol) have done just as much good for my metabolism as my VLCD stints. :-| I honestly don't think my body knows what a finely-tuned metabolism is supposed to look like.



    If you read enough around this forum about metabolism, you will see that it IS possible to gain weight while eating at a caloric deficit......temporarily....while your body adjusts to the mode of thinking that it's got to conserve conserve conserve (thanks to long stints of VLCD), and switch into 'hey, no famine here! proceed with burning this fuel!'

    My question is.....how long can one expect to be in this metabolic limbo?
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
    If 1600 calories a day isn't working, try 1500. If that doesn't work, try 1400. That's what I've been doing. Math always wins, you can't fight it.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    If you read enough around this forum about metabolism, you will see that it IS possible to gain weight while eating at a caloric deficit......temporarily....while your body adjusts to the mode of thinking that it's got to conserve conserve conserve (thanks to long stints of VLCD), and switch into 'hey, no famine here! proceed with burning this fuel!'

    My question is.....how long can one expect to be in this metabolic limbo?

    I don't have an answer, because I don't care what it says on these forums, your body can not store more fat when you are eating at a calorie deficit. You may gain/lose weight whether you eat a surplus or defict, but not fat.

    If you are gaining fat, either your burn is not as high as you think, or you are eating more calories than you think.
  • CeleryStalker
    CeleryStalker Posts: 665 Member
    OK, and that is your opinion, and that's cool. :flowerforyou: What I'm looking for is responses from like-minded folks who understand the intricacies of metabolism issues.
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
    http://www.healthscience.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=512:are-you-in-the-starvation-mode-or-starving-for-truth&catid=102:jeff-novicks-blog&Itemid=267

    This article sums up "starvation mode" pretty well, I think. Basically, unless you're at less than 5% body fat, you're not in starvation mode, you're just eating (AND DRINKING) too many calories. Keep cutting the calories and upping the exercise until you start losing again, and don't think that you can ever lose weight or "rev up your metabolism" by eating more calories. That's junk science, and is only going to make your situation worse.
  • CeleryStalker
    CeleryStalker Posts: 665 Member
    LOL Now come on, nobody here said anything about 'starvation mode'. I'm not in starvation mode.

    I have a *very* hard time believing that I'm over estimating caloric burn using multiple methods of calculations in addition to an all-day body monitor, on top of miscalculating my calories to the extent that I'm eating enough to be gaining weight. I weigh and measure everything I put in my mouth, and I don't drink caloric beverages.

    Cutting the calories to a ridiculous level is what got me here. I'm not going to go back to an unhealthy way of eating. You know what would happen if I did? I'd have people telling me, 'ZOMG! YOU ONLY EAT 1200 CALORIES A DAY??????'

    The conflicting advice thrown around between threads here is infuriating.
  • CeleryStalker
    CeleryStalker Posts: 665 Member
    It sounds to me like what you want it is permission to eat more calories, because you really, really, really don't want to cut your calories.

    Actually, no, because it's hard to get in 1600 calories a day of veggies and lean protein. But thanks for the condescending assumption! Did you not read the part about my eating 800-1200 calories for months at a clip? I have zero problems eating too little. And when I do eat at ridiculously low caloric levels, I lose weight. There is no reason for a 5'11 woman of my weight to be eating under 1200 calories a day. Do you intentionally promote eating disorders?

    One last time, I'm going to ask people who actually understand the science around slowed metabolism due to excessive dieting, coming out of that, the weight gain that happens initially before things balance out, to please come offer guidance. It's insulting to read these comments insinuating I'm either lying or stupid. I'm neither.
  • kw85296
    kw85296 Posts: 265 Member
    With all due respect, I can't help thinking your body media is quite inaccurate based on what info you have given. If you go to Fitness Frog and figure your TDEE even using light exercise just to maintain you would only need 2397 calories for your age, height, and weight.
    That being said one of the things that does seem to help get the body going the right direction sometimes is to calorie cycle. Such as: one day maybe do 1600 another 1400 and then maybe 1200 and then back to 1600, etc. this confuses the body and often helps to get the metabolism where you want it. You can play with the numbers that work best for you. Another thing that may help is instead of taking a 2 or 3 mile walk, try doing 1 mile 2 or 3 times a day. This keeps your body burning more calories because the effects of exercise are felt for a few hours afterwards, so instead of only getting the effects for say 2 or 3 hours, you could get the benefits for maybe 9 hours if you did it 3 times a day.
    If nothing seems to be working, you might also want to check with your doctor to make sure there is not a medical reason, such as thyroid that is hindering you.
    Hang in there, things will get better.
  • tx_megan
    tx_megan Posts: 7 Member
    http://www.healthscience.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=512:are-you-in-the-starvation-mode-or-starving-for-truth&catid=102:jeff-novicks-blog&Itemid=267

    This article sums up "starvation mode" pretty well, I think. Basically, unless you're at less than 5% body fat, you're not in starvation mode, you're just eating (AND DRINKING) too many calories. Keep cutting the calories and upping the exercise until you start losing again, and don't think that you can ever lose weight or "rev up your metabolism" by eating more calories. That's junk science, and is only going to make your situation worse.


    Thanks for sharing this article. The whole 'eat more calories to lose weight' thing always seemed a little kooky to me. :noway:
  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
    There is really no number we can give you for this unless you get your RMR tested.. and even then it doesn't mean your body isn't going to try to fill stores when you eat over whatever deficit you been at for a long time. That is probably what is happening now, your body is trying to repair itself and holding water.. I know some people that are in long deficits can take 2 months of eating to see that weight level off so they can cut again.. Being 5'11 1200 calories is not the answer.. either is 1300-1400-1500.. with exercise its probably 2000.. but if you jump to those numbers its going to really kick your weight gain up.. I would slowly increase calories every week until your gain levels off.
    Most people just freak out when the scale moves and cut again.. so its up to you.
  • tx_megan
    tx_megan Posts: 7 Member
    With all due respect, I can't help thinking your body media is quite inaccurate based on what info you have given. If you go to Fitness Frog and figure your TDEE even using light exercise just to maintain you would only need 2397 calories for your age, height, and weight.
    That being said one of the things that does seem to help get the body going the right direction sometimes is to calorie cycle. Such as: one day maybe do 1600 another 1400 and then maybe 1200 and then back to 1600, etc. this confuses the body and often helps to get the metabolism where you want it. You can play with the numbers that work best for you. Another thing that may help is instead of taking a 2 or 3 mile walk, try doing 1 mile 2 or 3 times a day. This keeps your body burning more calories because the effects of exercise are felt for a few hours afterwards, so instead of only getting the effects for say 2 or 3 hours, you could get the benefits for maybe 9 hours if you did it 3 times a day.
    If nothing seems to be working, you might also want to check with your doctor to make sure there is not a medical reason, such as thyroid that is hindering you.
    Hang in there, things will get better.

    Thanks for sharing this article. The whole 'eat more calories to lose weight' thing always seemed a little kooky to me. :noway:
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
    It sounds to me like what you want it is permission to eat more calories, because you really, really, really don't want to cut your calories.

    Actually, no, because it's hard to get in 1600 calories a day of veggies and lean protein. But thanks for the condescending assumption! Did you not read the part about my eating 800-1200 calories for months at a clip? I have zero problems eating too little. And when I do eat at ridiculously low caloric levels, I lose weight. There is no reason for a 5'11 woman of my weight to be eating under 1200 calories a day. Do you intentionally promote eating disorders?

    One last time, I'm going to ask people who actually understand the science around slowed metabolism due to excessive dieting, coming out of that, the weight gain that happens initially before things balance out, to please come offer guidance. It's insulting to read these comments insinuating I'm either lying or stupid. I'm neither.

    Well, good luck with your weight loss. Something tells me it's going to get worse before it gets better.

    Also, when did I tell you to cut down to 1200 or less? I don't remember doing that.
  • CeleryStalker
    CeleryStalker Posts: 665 Member
    There is really no number we can give you for this unless you get your RMR tested.. and even then it doesn't mean your body isn't going to try to fill stores when you eat over whatever deficit you been at for a long time. That is probably what is happening now, your body is trying to repair itself and holding water.. I know some people that are in long deficits can take 2 months of eating to see that weight level off so they can cut again.. Being 5'11 1200 calories is not the answer.. either is 1300-1400-1500.. with exercise its probably 2000.. but if you jump to those numbers its going to really kick your weight gain up.. I would slowly increase calories every week until your gain levels off.
    Most people just freak out when the scale moves and cut again.. so its up to you.

    He gets it. Thank you. And yes, I am part of 'most people' in that I am fah-reaking out, but I don't want to repeat the cycle. I refuse to cut back down to a ridiculous caloric level, further the damage. I'm sticking steady, weighing/measuring like a mad scientist, and the weight gain makes me a sad panda, but I know it's an evil necessity to undo all the damage I've done up until now. And with the lifting program that I've started, there's just no way I'm going to dump back to 1200 calories. I'm trying to reverse the damage I've done, not add to it :)
    Well, good luck with your weight loss. Something tells me it's going to get worse before it gets better.

    You are correct. Which is why I was looking for guidance, because I know my body is all sorts of mixed up right now, and I know it's inevitable that the scale is not going to move where I want it to for a period of time. Just sucks in the meantime, and very difficult to not go running back to my old hat trick.
  • CeleryStalker
    CeleryStalker Posts: 665 Member
    With all due respect, I can't help thinking your body media is quite inaccurate based on what info you have given. If you go to Fitness Frog and figure your TDEE even using light exercise just to maintain you would only need 2397 calories for your age, height, and weight.
    That being said one of the things that does seem to help get the body going the right direction sometimes is to calorie cycle. Such as: one day maybe do 1600 another 1400 and then maybe 1200 and then back to 1600, etc. this confuses the body and often helps to get the metabolism where you want it. You can play with the numbers that work best for you. Another thing that may help is instead of taking a 2 or 3 mile walk, try doing 1 mile 2 or 3 times a day. This keeps your body burning more calories because the effects of exercise are felt for a few hours afterwards, so instead of only getting the effects for say 2 or 3 hours, you could get the benefits for maybe 9 hours if you did it 3 times a day.
    If nothing seems to be working, you might also want to check with your doctor to make sure there is not a medical reason, such as thyroid that is hindering you.
    Hang in there, things will get better.

    So I went to that website and selected moderate exercise, because I am out there 7 days a week, 3-5 miles a day. It gave me 2703 calories for TDEE, which is spot on in alignment with my BodyMedia for days I walk 3 miles. Closer to 2900 on days I walk 5 miles.

    Just had my blood panels done last month. Thyroid is ok, and I'm not diabetic or insulin resistant. Would like to know if there is something else that can be measured/tested to see what might be going on in there.
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
    Maybe you should actually go to a doctor, instead of just indulging your confirmation bias. You can keep going to different doctors until you find one who tells you what you want to hear. You probably won't lose weight, though, but that's not really the goal, is it?

    I can't believe you think your metabolism is somehow out of whack, and rather than go to a doctor, you'll take the advice of some guy on the internet, and eat MORE to "fix" your broken metabolism, without any means of evaluating the efficacy of such a regimen. Basic math says you're going to gain weight, and you might gain quite a bit of weight, and who knows if your metabolism will be "fixed" by this? And when it will be fixed? And when you should start cutting calories again? What's the protocol with this "eat more to fix your metabolism" method? Will you just keep going by advice from random people on the Internet?

    Edit: So you did go to a doctor, and there's no medical evidence of a "metabolic slowdown", and still you insist that's your problem?
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    You need to give your weight lifting some time. It's going to take some months to build your lean muscle mass back up. It's good that you are using BodyMedia. I would think that will help you 'mentally' during this rough period.
  • CeleryStalker
    CeleryStalker Posts: 665 Member
    Maybe you should actually go to a doctor, instead of just indulging your confirmation bias. You can keep going to different doctors until you find one who tells you what you want to hear. You probably won't lose weight, though, but that's not really the goal, is it?

    I can't believe you think your metabolism is somehow out of whack, and rather than go to a doctor, you'll take the advice of some guy on the internet, and eat MORE to "fix" your broken metabolism, without any means of evaluating the efficacy of such a regimen. Basic math says you're going to gain weight, and you might gain quite a bit of weight, and who knows if your metabolism will be "fixed" by this? And when it will be fixed? And when you should start cutting calories again? What's the protocol with this "eat more to fix your metabolism" method? Will you just keep going by advice from random people on the Internet?

    So now you are assuming I don't go to the dr? Just went for my physical last month, thyroid checks out fine. Fasting blood sugar, fine. Anything else you'd like to assume? I didn't come here for a debate. I came here for guidance on a topic I've discussed with other like-minded individuals without issue on this forum before. If you don't buy into it, you don't need to continue in the discussion. Why do you feel the need to be so snarky? Yes, because my goal isn't to lose weight. You got me all figured out. Thanks for the 'reality check'. :indifferent:
  • CeleryStalker
    CeleryStalker Posts: 665 Member
    You need to give your weight lifting some time. It's going to take some months to build your lean muscle mass back up. It's good that you are using BodyMedia. I would think that will help you 'mentally' during this rough period.

    Yes, the weight lifting is something very new and I'm excited to see the progress as it occurs. My goal isn't to become twiggy or skinny-fat, I'd like to hit around 25% body fat. My trainer figures I could stick around 185#/25% body fat, and be slammin' :) That's hard to envision tho, because I've been down to 182 at one point, and still had more to go....but that was with little muscle mass. I can understand that with more muscle, I can be heavier and still look good, it's just hard to envision seeing that number on the scale, and being happy with what's in the mirror. All in due time! :)
  • chokeslam512
    chokeslam512 Posts: 78 Member
    Eat at your current rate with correct macros. Keep your activity level where it is and add in strength training, not sure what the regimen looks like but don't be afraid of the barbell. Don't change anything for a month, assess then adjust from there.

    A lot of us get frustrated at the slow rate in which things change in our bodies. Give it time and build some muscle!
  • CeleryStalker
    CeleryStalker Posts: 665 Member

    Edit: So you did go to a doctor, and there's no medical evidence of a "metabolic slowdown", and still you insist that's your problem?

    So you think thyroid is the only test to indicate metabolic adjustments? 12 forum posts, and most of them flaming me. Troll much? *eyeroll* I'm done dealing with you. You've added nothing to this discussion. Enjoy your keyboard warrior status. It looks great on you.
  • CeleryStalker
    CeleryStalker Posts: 665 Member
    Eat at your current rate with correct macros. Keep your activity level where it is and add in strength training, not sure what the regimen looks like but don't be afraid of the barbell. Don't change anything for a month, assess then adjust from there.

    A lot of us get frustrated at the slow rate in which things change in our bodies. Give it time and build some muscle!

    :) We do circuit training, each day focuses on one area of the body + abs. For instance, the class I attended last week was shoulders/abs. Left there feeling awesome, couldn't hardly lift my arm to brush my teeth the next day, and the following day my abs told me how good a job I did in class, LOL!

    My trainer is out of town until Thursday, but I remember enough about the Wednesday shoulder circuit to duplicate it at home. Also doing MMA classes with my husband. Spent Saturday learning clenchwork, and how to deliver powerful kicks. Fun stuff!

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