Metabolic adapted? down? go?

Hi! I still have weight to lose 10-15lbs more), but was wondering if after years of "yoyo dieting" and then having a month of just not caring (going up to 160lbs) then being in a consistent deficit the past two months (losing 6lbs) then my weight stalling, should i take a break from dieting? eat even lower?! eat at maintenance for a while?(how long?) or continue in a deficit? Do any of you know how long it takes before your body gets used to eating in a deficit and then making that maintenance? (ex:eating at 1600 for a while and then that's considered your new maintenance instead of 2100).
18, female, 24%bf, 5'5", 154lb
Thanks!

Replies

  • ilex70
    ilex70 Posts: 727 Member
    2 or 3 weeks with weight unchanged...your new maintenance.
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    edited January 2016
    You can look up the stats for your goal weight's maintenance or your new weight's maintenance. That's the most accurate way to try to guess that, imho. If you are talking plateaus, they aren't a big deal if you have patience. But eating some days at maintenance won't hurt anything (except the time to lose weight by a bit), so fall back on that as often as you feel it necessary.
  • CoffeeNCardio
    CoffeeNCardio Posts: 1,847 Member
    You're never gonna get a new maintenance, at least not in the way I think you're imagining it. Your body needs what it needs to run your organs and just exist. That's Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR. That number changes, but minimally and usually as the result of a medical condition. What you're talking about is TDEE, or total daily energy expenditure, which is your just livin' calories plus exercise. That changes based on your activity level, and has little to nothing to do with whether you yo-yo dieted or not. There is ZERO conclusive evidence that (notwithstanding actual medical conditions) you can significantly alter your metabolism by dieting. It took starvation diets to get men to hurt their metabolisms in the big study they did on this in Minnesota, and EVEN THEN, it was temporary and went away after they started eating normally again.

    If you're eating below your TDEE, and not losing weight, follow this chart to see why. It's almost certainly not anything to do with your metabolism and 99% probably a logging inaccuracy or measurement inaccuracy.

    3xid67uc51gs.jpg



    Starvation Mode is a terrible horrible myth that needs to just die.
  • ANT98
    ANT98 Posts: 137 Member
    You're never gonna get a new maintenance, at least not in the way I think you're imagining it. Your body needs what it needs to run your organs and just exist. That's Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR. That number changes, but minimally and usually as the result of a medical condition. What you're talking about is TDEE, or total daily energy expenditure, which is your just livin' calories plus exercise. That changes based on your activity level, and has little to nothing to do with whether you yo-yo dieted or not. There is ZERO conclusive evidence that (notwithstanding actual medical conditions) you can significantly alter your metabolism by dieting. It took starvation diets to get men to hurt their metabolisms in the big study they did on this in Minnesota, and EVEN THEN, it was temporary and went away after they started eating normally again.

    If you're eating below your TDEE, and not losing weight, follow this chart to see why. It's almost certainly not anything to do with your metabolism and 99% probably a logging inaccuracy or measurement inaccuracy.

    Starvation Mode is a terrible horrible myth that needs to just die.

    So I could be in a caloric deficit for 20 weeks and not mess up my metabolism or ability to lose weight?
  • ModernRock
    ModernRock Posts: 372 Member
    alexxazt wrote: »
    So I could be in a caloric deficit for 20 weeks and not mess up my metabolism or ability to lose weight?

    Correct.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    It can take a lot longer than 20 weeks to lose weight if you have a lot to lose. People don't just stop losing because its been a certain amount of time. Be patient and log accurately.
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
    5 weeks of deficit can cause adaptive thermogenesus. On average such will result in 50kcal / day lower resting metabolic rate, but it isn't "damage". It returns to normal when the deficit stops.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,254 Member
    senecarr wrote: »
    5 weeks of deficit can cause adaptive thermogenesus. On average such will result in 50kcal / day lower resting metabolic rate, but it isn't "damage". It returns to normal when the deficit stops.

    In what timeframe and under what conditions? :smiley:
  • maxit
    maxit Posts: 880 Member
    @PAV8888 the timeframe and conditions are still being investigated - here's a fairly recent abstract - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26399868
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,254 Member
    Thanks @maxit .
    Will read cause I've seen papers ranging from a few weeks to never to till regain of lost weight+10% to....
  • CoffeeNCardio
    CoffeeNCardio Posts: 1,847 Member
    alexxazt wrote: »
    You're never gonna get a new maintenance, at least not in the way I think you're imagining it. Your body needs what it needs to run your organs and just exist. That's Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR. That number changes, but minimally and usually as the result of a medical condition. What you're talking about is TDEE, or total daily energy expenditure, which is your just livin' calories plus exercise. That changes based on your activity level, and has little to nothing to do with whether you yo-yo dieted or not. There is ZERO conclusive evidence that (notwithstanding actual medical conditions) you can significantly alter your metabolism by dieting. It took starvation diets to get men to hurt their metabolisms in the big study they did on this in Minnesota, and EVEN THEN, it was temporary and went away after they started eating normally again.

    If you're eating below your TDEE, and not losing weight, follow this chart to see why. It's almost certainly not anything to do with your metabolism and 99% probably a logging inaccuracy or measurement inaccuracy.

    Starvation Mode is a terrible horrible myth that needs to just die.

    So I could be in a caloric deficit for 20 weeks and not mess up my metabolism or ability to lose weight?

    Yep. Your metabolism might be adversely affected (so minimally it's almost not worth mentioning) during the deficit, but it clears right up when you switch to maintenance. It's not something to worry about unless you are on a true starvation diet, and then you;ve got bigger issues anyway. If you maintain a caloric deficit, you will lose weight, period.
  • Whitezombiegirl
    Whitezombiegirl Posts: 1,042 Member
    alexxazt wrote: »
    You're never gonna get a new maintenance, at least not in the way I think you're imagining it. Your body needs what it needs to run your organs and just exist. That's Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR. That number changes, but minimally and usually as the result of a medical condition. What you're talking about is TDEE, or total daily energy expenditure, which is your just livin' calories plus exercise. That changes based on your activity level, and has little to nothing to do with whether you yo-yo dieted or not. There is ZERO conclusive evidence that (notwithstanding actual medical conditions) you can significantly alter your metabolism by dieting. It took starvation diets to get men to hurt their metabolisms in the big study they did on this in Minnesota, and EVEN THEN, it was temporary and went away after they started eating normally again.

    If you're eating below your TDEE, and not losing weight, follow this chart to see why. It's almost certainly not anything to do with your metabolism and 99% probably a logging inaccuracy or measurement inaccuracy.

    Starvation Mode is a terrible horrible myth that needs to just die.

    So I could be in a caloric deficit for 20 weeks and not mess up my metabolism or ability to lose weight?

    I've been in a deficit for over a year and my metabolism is absolutely fine. I can still lose weight at the expected rate should I chose to.

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    alexxazt wrote: »
    Hi! I still have weight to lose 10-15lbs more), but was wondering if after years of "yoyo dieting" and then having a month of just not caring (going up to 160lbs) then being in a consistent deficit the past two months (losing 6lbs) then my weight stalling, should i take a break from dieting? eat even lower?! eat at maintenance for a while?(how long?) or continue in a deficit? Do any of you know how long it takes before your body gets used to eating in a deficit and then making that maintenance? (ex:eating at 1600 for a while and then that's considered your new maintenance instead of 2100).
    18, female, 24%bf, 5'5", 154lb
    Thanks!

    Nope

    you just need to commit to your calories and stop worrying about stuff that has no / extremely marginal impact

    your metabolism is fine

  • allenpriest
    allenpriest Posts: 1,102 Member
    ilex70 wrote: »
    2 or 3 weeks with weight unchanged...your new maintenance.

    No not at all.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    edited January 2016
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    Thanks @maxit .
    Will read cause I've seen papers ranging from a few weeks to never to till regain of lost weight+10% to....

    yeah, and 50 kcal/day is well inside the error range of the thing being considered in the first place.

    1st world problem.
  • duddysdad
    duddysdad Posts: 403 Member
    I was in a massive deficit, losing on average 18 pounds per month, for 9 months. When I stopped, I switched to maintenance, the one MFP gave me. I actually lost a little over time. My maintenance didn't adapt or lower, I am fine.
  • ANT98
    ANT98 Posts: 137 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    alexxazt wrote: »
    Hi! I still have weight to lose 10-15lbs more), but was wondering if after years of "yoyo dieting" and then having a month of just not caring (going up to 160lbs) then being in a consistent deficit the past two months (losing 6lbs) then my weight stalling, should i take a break from dieting? eat even lower?! eat at maintenance for a while?(how long?) or continue in a deficit? Do any of you know how long it takes before your body gets used to eating in a deficit and then making that maintenance? (ex:eating at 1600 for a while and then that's considered your new maintenance instead of 2100).
    18, female, 24%bf, 5'5", 154lb
    Thanks!

    Nope

    you just need to commit to your calories and stop worrying about stuff that has no / extremely marginal impact

    your metabolism is fine

    So maintenance is a waste of time? I should just keep dieting straight until it comes off?
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Maintenance is what you do when you're at goal IMHO ...

    You might wish to take a diet break for the emotional release if you are finding defecit hard, also there is some evidence of hormones like leptin being depleted during defecit...but after 2 months ..nope that's just looking for a reason to eat more I think

    Perhaps you need to reevaluate how you're cutting? Is it too steep? Are you restricting macros or food groups? Are you eating a wide range of foods you enjoy? Are you moving more to eat more?

    make it a plan that you can see yourself merely adapting when you do hit maintenance ...

  • ANT98
    ANT98 Posts: 137 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Maintenance is what you do when you're at goal IMHO ...

    You might wish to take a diet break for the emotional release if you are finding defecit hard, also there is some evidence of hormones like leptin being depleted during defecit...but after 2 months ..nope that's just looking for a reason to eat more I think

    Perhaps you need to reevaluate how you're cutting? Is it too steep? Are you restricting macros or food groups? Are you eating a wide range of foods you enjoy? Are you moving more to eat more?

    make it a plan that you can see yourself merely adapting when you do hit maintenance ...

    Okay, the hardest thing for me is to get enough protein as 1g/lb bw and fit in other stuff I like
  • HutchA12
    HutchA12 Posts: 279 Member
    alexxazt wrote: »
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Maintenance is what you do when you're at goal IMHO ...

    You might wish to take a diet break for the emotional release if you are finding defecit hard, also there is some evidence of hormones like leptin being depleted during defecit...but after 2 months ..nope that's just looking for a reason to eat more I think

    Perhaps you need to reevaluate how you're cutting? Is it too steep? Are you restricting macros or food groups? Are you eating a wide range of foods you enjoy? Are you moving more to eat more?

    make it a plan that you can see yourself merely adapting when you do hit maintenance ...

    Okay, the hardest thing for me is to get enough protein as 1g/lb bw and fit in other stuff I like

    I thought all you needed was .8 per #lbm not total body weight