Metabolic damage? Anyone in the same boat?

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ayson9
ayson9 Posts: 18 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hi guys,

Don’t want to seem wordy but here’s to sum it all up.

For my first competition prep where I had competed for the men’s physique category, I had a calorie deficit at extreme levels 1000-1100 max in the last 2-3 weeks up to the show.

Post show, I had beef’d up a little in two months and I diet’d back down for my next show roughly 6-8 months later. I had drop down my calorie deficit to the extreme lows again.

During my contest preps my weight had stalled and I don’t seem to have been getting defined to the goals that I was reaching for, even with a calorie deficit that big.

Am I experiencing metabolic damage or am I just not training or dieting hard enough?

Height 5’4
Weight 163
Train 6/7 days
Cardio 30 mins 4x in a week
Current calorie intake at an accurate 1600.

Any advice would greatly be appreciated.

Replies

  • 100_PROOF_
    100_PROOF_ Posts: 1,168 Member
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    What did your coach say? Surely you're using an experienced contest prep coach that can guide you through this. If you aren't, I'd suggest hiring one right away.
    You might not really understand what metabolic damage means.
  • ayson9
    ayson9 Posts: 18 Member
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    Thank you, much appreciated.

    @100_PROOF_ I didn’t have a coach at those times, but from what I’ve been experiencing, I definitely should invest in one because my my knowledge around this subject may not be enough and maybe a coach can enlighten me with what could possibly be reasons for weight stalls.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    sanseverina5624 wrote: »
    It sounds like your body went into starvation mode in the face of an extreme caloric deficit. Your metabolism will slow to a crawl and simply stop burning fat under this condition. To rev up your metabolism, gradually increase your calories, a reverse diet. I have not competed like you, but recently read that competitive bodybuilders with this issue have success with this method. Good luck!

    No
  • 100_PROOF_
    100_PROOF_ Posts: 1,168 Member
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    sanseverina5624 wrote: »
    It sounds like your body went into starvation mode in the face of an extreme caloric deficit. Your metabolism will slow to a crawl and simply stop burning fat under this condition. To rev up your metabolism, gradually increase your calories, a reverse diet. I have not competed like you, but recently read that competitive bodybuilders with this issue have success with this method. Good luck!

    This is not factual
  • 100_PROOF_
    100_PROOF_ Posts: 1,168 Member
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    ayson9 wrote: »
    Thank you, much appreciated.

    @100_PROOF_ I didn’t have a coach at those times, but from what I’ve been experiencing, I definitely should invest in one because my my knowledge around this subject may not be enough and maybe a coach can enlighten me with what could possibly be reasons for weight stalls.

    Definitely hire a coach. Do your research and find someone who has a good track record. Get references and check to make sure they are legit. There's a lot of people claiming to do contest prep on social media but are not qualified. Do your homework and find out who everyone else is using and why.

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