Metabolic Damage? Low RMR

I too am having this problem it seems. After losing weight due to a medical issue last year I slowly put back on some of the weight. I got down to 116 lbs from 160 before I got sick. Which was perfect on my 5'1 frame. I'm only trying to lose that additional weight (20 lbs). But even with cutting my calories and working out 4 or 5 days a week ( I burn an average of 500 cal per session) I still can't lose weight. I'm not gaining anymore it just doesn't move. MFP has me on a 1200 calorie goal and I know most times I come in way under. Although as of yesterday I got closer...I'm wondering if I'm further sabotaging my metabolism by not making up the calories I burn from my workouts. Made an appointment with my Dr.to see what's going on. Until then I'm still looking for an answer. In the same boat. Feel free to add me.

Hello. I have never posted a question on MFP although I have used it for about 5 years now. I am a runner and exercise 5-6 times a week (I am a bit of a cardio addict but have tried to add strength training). I am 5'6" and 110 (which I know sounds really low but I am very small boned and this has been a normal weight for me). In the past I have had a very high metabolism yet watched what I ate etc. Last year I went through a very high stress time in my life and increased exercise to 7 times a week. I dropped down in weight and my period stopped. So long story short I have been working with bio identical hormones to fix my periods, gained some weight and have tried to increase weight training - yet have known my metabolism was very slow. I just got my RMR tested at the hospital and it is low - 1000. It should be more around 1250 based on my height and weight - and previously I know it would have been much higher than that. I have had a very hard time maintaining my weight and just want to increase my metabolism back!!

Has anyone had luck with reversing metabolic damage and been able to get their metabolism back?

OP read the links provided.

metabolic damage/epair/starvation mode/triathlete gains 15 pounds---> 1st link http://www.exrx.net/Questions/StarvationEffect.html

2nd link--->http://www.metaboliceffect.com/metabolic-damage-symptoms/

High protein and Lift weights. Shorter but serious workouts. Ditch stuff like running and cardio. Just lift weights with less rest if you need to get that feel.

Why ditch cardio if the OP says they enjoy it? The best workout is the one you'll do. I do agree that lifting weight with short rest feels awesome, but running gives me a totally different kind of high from intense weightlifting. Weightlifting is definitely a really good way to boost your RMR, though. I remember when I was weightlifting regularly and intensely 3 days a week, I was eating 600 calories a day more than I do now and still maintaining my weight.

ETA: Also, why do we refer to it as metabolic "damage"? It's an evolutionary adaptation and part of how your body is supposed to work. It's an efficient machine. A reduction in metabolic rate is what happens as you lose weight because 1) you have less mass that requires calories to maintain itself, and 2) your body gets more efficient at using calories during exercise(running is a good example) when it's don frequently. "Damage" is not the right word. The human body is designed to work in this manner.

High protein and Lift weights. Shorter but serious workouts. Ditch stuff like running and cardio. Just lift weights with less rest if you need to get that feel.

^^this is a tough thing for women to get our minds around. But this is what my personal trainer is recommending to me also.
Us women have been told "lower calories" and "cardio cardio cardio" all along, but muscle is the key to metabolism, I think.

I think so, too. In my experience, when I stopped the all out cardio and began resistance training instead, my TDEE went from around 1600 to over 2400. I also weigh more, but fit into smaller clothes. Win/win.

And doing strength training with less rest between sets raises your heart rate, gets you sweaty and makes you feel bada$$. Another big win.

You can check out this person's experience
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/919536-get-your-metabolic-rate-tested-my-metabolic-reset-story?hl=get+rmr+tested+my+metabolic+reset

You can educate yourself by googling Layne Norton+Metabolic Damage. He has several youtube videos on the subject. He has a doctorate in Nutritional Sciences, he trains bodybuilders, and was a professional bodybuilder himself.

The amount of cardio you are doing combined with the low caloric diet can really wreck havoc on your body. Watch the videos but you basically need to do is up your caloric intake slowly over a period of time. In one video he mentions that the repair can take nearly as long as the amount of time you've been on a lot of cardio with limited calories.

It's a tough cycle to break when society is so programed to eat less to lose weight. And honestly, you may gain weight initially and you need to trust in what you are doing. Best of luck to you.

This ^^ I love and respect Dr. Layne Norton!

And here is study showing it can start to recover too, not just the RMR like that good case study someone already posted, but the overall metabolic efficiency that lowers your TDEE below what it could be.

Basically eating at maintenance, and pushing that level up slowly but surely.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/heybales/view/reduced-metabolism-tdee-beyond-expected-from-weight-loss-616251

And always be aware of water weight and fat weight, and how to tell the difference.

You would have to eat 250 calories over real potential TDEE or maintenance (you are currently at suppressed TDEE though) for 2 weeks, with no increase to metabolism during that whole time - to gain 1 pound of fat. Or if lifting, some muscle too.

Reread that to remove some fear.

If you gain faster or more weight, it's water weight, and it just proves you were at suppressed maintenance or TDEE.

Why?

Because at that level, your body never tops of glycogen stores, always depleted by some amount depending on how big the potential deficit is. But you eating even just slightly more it finally can add more, and that stores with water - hence fast water weight.

But it's cellular water weight, which increases RMR too as it is LBM. This isn't sodium retain water that does next to nothing but add weight.

So take whatever your average net or gross eating level is, and add 100 calories daily for a week. That would take 35 days to gain 1 lb of above true maintenance, which it isn't at this point.

Because while you may be maintaining weight currently, and could even be at goal weight, you get a whole lot less out of exercise with your body in that state.
Because if it's already suppressed your system to deal with not getting enough food, it's not about to make improvements that require even more energy it's not getting.

Usually nobody wants to waste their time doing workouts.

Thanks for all of the replies!! Does anyone know where to find a comprehensive plan for metabolic recovery? Also I am going to get a physical trainer for a while as I am clueless about weight training aside from doing some reps with weights or using the machines. What kind of questions would I ask to make sure I find a trainer who is experienced in metabolism issues?

Comprehensive plan (as that study showed).

Eat at maintenance for months.

There's really not much to it. Don't try to lose. And this is not potential maintenance that calculators give you, because those aren't valid right now with suppressed maintenance.
This is based on your actual results. With current eating level apparently being maintenance.

As metabolism heals, you then eat more.

Then again, since you don't get lab measured TDEE all the time, and even that RMR test frequently might be overkill, just eat slightly more on constant basis.

I already laid it out in my post above, might reread. You merely need to know how much in total you've been eating for past month.
And then start using MFP correctly.

Someone else posted a link that discussed one person's test case and specifics too, must have missed it. It was on exrx.net site.


Don't even try to get a trainer in to nutrition stuff, that would be like asking your car mechanic about noise your dishwasher is making.
Use them for what they are there for, exercise. The amount of myth's and disproven bro-science I've overheard from trainers at the gym is incredible. Even those that did get in to metabolism and nutrition studies years ago - have not kept recent and don't have to. Unless a personal hobby. But how would you know.
So just avoid the topic with them and huge grain of salt if they get in to it.

But good plan getting help on lifting.
But instead of just adding more exercise for a body already under stress - you need to back off other exercise - trade, don't add.
Actually, decrease.

You can educate yourself by googling Layne Norton+Metabolic Damage. He has several youtube videos on the subject. He has a doctorate in Nutritional Sciences, he trains bodybuilders, and was a professional bodybuilder himself.

The amount of cardio you are doing combined with the low caloric diet can really wreck havoc on your body. Watch the videos but you basically need to do is up your caloric intake slowly over a period of time. In one video he mentions that the repair can take nearly as long as the amount of time you've been on a lot of cardio with limited calories.

It's a tough cycle to break when society is so programed to eat less to lose weight. And honestly, you may gain weight initially and you need to trust in what you are doing. Best of luck to you.

Watched a video where he said some people were doing 2 hour cardio but they were essentially no burning any calories doing so. Does not compute for me.