Slow metabolism, trying to lose weight

clementine1023 · February 2014

I am 47 years old, and am trying to lose 10 pounds. Boy, are they stubborn. My metabolism seems to be so sluggish and I don't know what to do,

My RMR is 1200 calories per day and for several years, that's the calorie intake I've needed to maintain my weight. It's hard to do, so over the past 12 months, I've gained 10 pounds by eating more than 1200 calories a day on a regular basis and not exercising at all.

In an effort to drop the extra 10 over the last 3 weeks, I've tried restricting calories (but can't go too much lower than 1200 or I get tired) cutting out dairy, carbs and sugar, juice fasting, and eating a raw vegan diet. Nothing is moving the needle. Currently I'm focusing on vegetables and lean protein. In addition, I've been on a 5-7 day a week, 45 minutes per day, moderate to vigorous exercise routine. I've even burned up to 1000 calories on some days by exercising multiple times a day and the scale is not budging! It never used to be this hard to drop a few pounds and I'm feeling discouraged.

Any suggestions? Thanks!

serindipte · February 2014

If you haven't already, I would urge you to buy a scale and weigh the food you are logging to make sure your calorie counts are accurate.

gemma1675 · February 2014

That's a lot of things to have tried in just three weeks, not sure you have stuck with anything long enough to see the results?

frangrann · February 2014

I'm 49 and it has taken me 6 months to lose 28 lbs. I joined a gym, 1200 calories and limit carbs. Prior to that I was having a tough time loosing. I was blaming it on metabolism and menopause. Granted it's not as easy now as it was years ago but stick with it. Your diet sounds good. Maybe change your workouts? What are you doing. And its only been 3 weeks. Good luck.
Friend me if you want.

KatissimusDorsi · February 2014

I'm going to give you some controversial advice here that is in the short term contradictory to your goals.

1) Make sure that you are VERY ACCURATE with your calorie measurements and that you are certain you're only eating 1200 calories per day (with no 3000 cal cheat meals on the weekend or anything like that) and that you're not seeing any results off of that.

2) If it is true that your Total Daily Energy Expenditure is ONLY 1,200 calories (which is VERY unlikely, even with a 'slow' metabolism), your goal SHOULD NOT be weight loss. If your TDEE is only 1,200, you need to work on getting that up. That is an unnaturally slow metabolism and that needs to be brought up for your health's sake.

3) To do that, you would need to be increasing the amount of calories you're eating for quite a while. You will probably gain weight doing this. But I reiterate, a 1200 TDEE IS NOT NORMAL. To the point where I would suggest hiring a dietitian or seeing a doctor about this.

As well, I would cut down on your cardio to help with restoring your metabolism. But again, I highly highly suggest that you see a dietitian.

First step, be ABSOLUTELY SURE that you are only eating 1,200 calories a day. If that is the case, please seek help for restoring your metabolism.

clementine1023 · February 2014

Yes! I'm certainly impatient since it used to be so simple to drop 5 pounds in a few days - a few extra salads, a little extra exercise and I'd be back on track so quickly. I'm curious how long I should expect it to take now if I'm willing to be as aggressive as it takes to get fit without sacrificing my health.

AmyMgetsfit · February 2014

I was 58 years old when I came back to MFP. I was the most out of shape I had ever been in my life. I had a shoulder injury that kept me pretty sedentary for 6 months. My metabolism was so slow. I lost weight on 1200 calories. Now that I am more fit and have a higher metabolism I require more calories. They say weight loss starts in the kitchen. I would measure and track every morsel of food and drink. Drink your water.

gigglesinthesun · February 2014

I'm going to give you some controversial advice here that is in the short term contradictory to your goals.

1) Make sure that you are VERY ACCURATE with your calorie measurements and that you are certain you're only eating 1200 calories per day (with no 3000 cal cheat meals on the weekend or anything like that) and that you're not seeing any results off of that.

2) If it is true that your Total Daily Energy Expenditure is ONLY 1,200 calories (which is VERY unlikely, even with a 'slow' metabolism), your goal SHOULD NOT be weight loss. If your TDEE is only 1,200, you need to work on getting that up. That is an unnaturally slow metabolism and that needs to be brought up for your health's sake.

3) To do that, you would need to be increasing the amount of calories you're eating for quite a while. You will probably gain weight doing this. But I reiterate, a 1200 TDEE IS NOT NORMAL. To the point where I would suggest hiring a dietitian or seeing a doctor about this.

As well, I would cut down on your cardio to help with restoring your metabolism. But again, I highly highly suggest that you see a dietitian.

First step, be ABSOLUTELY SURE that you are only eating 1,200 calories a day. If that is the case, please seek help for restoring your metabolism.

this

redheaddee · February 2014

Menopause is a real b!tch for weight loss. First, buy a good scale and measure everything to be sure you are calculating accurately.

Second, are you sure 1200 is right? Use this calculator to be sure: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ because if you are eating too little you will see no progress. You may not be eating enough, but without knowing your height and weight it is impossible to know.

Third, measure EVERYTHING: use a tape measure, get a body fat caliper, everything. My scale has not moved more than a few pounds in MONTHS, but my body fat is down 8% in a year. The more measurements you take, the more areas you will see changes and keep encouraged. If you stick with the single number on the scale, you are setting yourself up for failure.

Lastly, don't trust the exercise calculator on MFP, it overestimates BADLY. Get yourself a heart rate monitor. Personally, I only eat back half of my exercise calories. AND LIFT WEIGHTS. Among the many benefits, it is especially important for us women as we age because of the significant loss in bone density. Guess what? Heavy lifting builds strong bones. I suggest reading things like any book in the New Rules of Lifting series or anything by Wendler.

Most importantly...slow and steady will win the race. Three weeks is not long enough. And for heaven's sake stop restricting so many foods! Unless you have a medical reason, you are setting yourself up to fail.

clementine1023 · February 2014

I have never had my RMR measured, but have been tracking my eating on My Fitness Pal pretty carefully for several years. When I eat more than 1200-1400 calories on a regular basis (without exercise) I gain weight. Hence the extra 10 pounds. My weight is not dangerously thin (141) and I am 5' 6". I feel best at 130 pounds.

I have had prolonged periods of inactivity over the last several years and my fitness level is poor. I don't feel good about gaining weight since my clothes already don't fit, but I don't want to endanger my health.

Should I have the RMR measured for sure? it sounds like it.

clementine1023 · February 2014

Thanks so much!

Ninkyou · February 2014

I'm going to give you some controversial advice here that is in the short term contradictory to your goals.

1) Make sure that you are VERY ACCURATE with your calorie measurements and that you are certain you're only eating 1200 calories per day (with no 3000 cal cheat meals on the weekend or anything like that) and that you're not seeing any results off of that.

2) If it is true that your Total Daily Energy Expenditure is ONLY 1,200 calories (which is VERY unlikely, even with a 'slow' metabolism), your goal SHOULD NOT be weight loss. If your TDEE is only 1,200, you need to work on getting that up. That is an unnaturally slow metabolism and that needs to be brought up for your health's sake.

3) To do that, you would need to be increasing the amount of calories you're eating for quite a while. You will probably gain weight doing this. But I reiterate, a 1200 TDEE IS NOT NORMAL. To the point where I would suggest hiring a dietitian or seeing a doctor about this.

As well, I would cut down on your cardio to help with restoring your metabolism. But again, I highly highly suggest that you see a dietitian.

First step, be ABSOLUTELY SURE that you are only eating 1,200 calories a day. If that is the case, please seek help for restoring your metabolism.

^This.

I find it highly suspect that your RMR/TDEE numbers are 1200 calories. Did you have this tested?? Or are you using some calculator?

Also, I agree that you need to be making sure that your calories are accurate. Invest in a food scale and weigh your food. Log it on MFP consistently everyday.

And lastly, you need to be patient. trying a different approach every week or every few days within 3 weeks is not going to give you good results. You need to do some research, pick your approach and stick with it for at least 4 weeks before changing things again.

Ninkyou · February 2014

I have never had my RMR measured, but have been tracking my eating on My Fitness Pal pretty carefully for several years. When I eat more than 1200-1400 calories on a regular basis (without exercise) I gain weight. Hence the extra 10 pounds. My weight is not dangerously thin (141) and I am 5' 6". I feel best at 130 pounds.

I have had prolonged periods of inactivity over the last several years and my fitness level is poor. I don't feel good about gaining weight since my clothes already don't fit, but I don't want to endanger my health.

Should I have the RMR measured for sure? it sounds like it.

Ok, MFP's calorie goal does not equal your TDEE/RMR being 1200 calories.

If you're not losing weight or gaining on 1200 calories, there's an error on your calorie counting.

Again, weigh your food and enter it consistently, everyday. Give it 4 weeks at least for change.

LanaeCarol · February 2014

I am 48 and it has taken me more than 2 years to lose seventy odd pounds. It comes off SLOWLY!

As others have said, weigh and measure all your food. Log accurately every time you eat (or write it down and do all your logging at one time) but get all your food logged.

Be patient - it may take a while for what you are doing to show on the scale.

Make sure you are set for only .5 pounds to at most 1 pound per week loss - you do not have much to lose and trying to lose more quickly may be counter productive.

Get some friends to help keep you focused and motivated. It is much more enjoyable to travel on this journey with others trying to do the same thing. I am sending you a friend request.

FitCowgirl8 · February 2014

I would say to get a food scale and make sure you are measuring everything accurately. There was a long time that I thought that I could not lose weight on 1200 a day but then I bought a food scale and realized how off all of my portions were and i was eating way more than I thought ( and not logging little snacks but they all added up!) Now that I am measuring accurately I am losing weight steadily at around 1500 calories a day.

Mr_Knight · February 2014

My RMR is 1200 calories per day and for several years, that's the calorie intake I've needed to maintain my weight.

The two parts of that sentence are inconsistent with each other. Either you're eating more than 1200 calories, or your RMR is a lot lower than 1200.

And the latter is unlikely.

Shropshire1959 · February 2014

Slow metabolism is more often than not a Myth. We often eat a lot more than we think that we do.

Stripeness · February 2014

Definitely get your RMR tested so you're dealing with facts, not guesses. Mine was measured at 1100, btw, so I know what it's like to deal with it. And I'm 44 and have lost 21 lbs in ~70 days.

WITHOUT restricting foods - meaning I try to make reasonably healthy choices, but there is bacon, ice cream, and movie popcorn here and there. Just shooting for reasonable macros 40/30/30 right now, I think. My diary's open - feel free to take a look.

Workouts - mostly walking, and I have two rest days per week. You don't need to do anything extreme.

Food scale, as rec'd by others - get one & use it!

Read: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

AND (even if you aren't obese):
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/training-the-obese-beginner.html

Start with the facts - your MEASURED RMR, and proceed logically. I'm presently eating 1310 cals/day, and gradually working upward (started @ 1200/day)...and am still losing multiple pounds per week.

You can do this.:flowerforyou:

Slow metabolism, trying to lose weight

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