Speeding up metabolism

TyFit1908 · May 2018

I have been gaining and losing the same 10-15 lbs for about 3 years. I've taken a few weeks off here and there, but I have done some form of exercise during that time period. This includes running 2-3 miles, workout DVDs like T25 and Jillian Michaels, Body Pump, spin, bike riding and long walks. I excercise 4-6 times a week. I do see some results, I have lost some inches. However, I feel like I have to restrict my calories so much for the scale to move. I'm concerned that years of doing this has slowed my metabolism greatly. In spite of the physical activity, I gain if I go over 1200 calories. I find it's difficult to stay consistent eating 1000-1200 cal, particularly with the amount of exercise.

So I know I need something that's sustainable for the long run. I want to eat more calories so that I have the energy to work out. I get that I might see some weight gain in the beginning, because of my slow metabolism. But I really would like to know any advice what I can do to turn things around. I also have PCOS, which may be a factor since women with PCOS often have to rely on larger calorie deficits. How do I break this cycle?

serindipte · May 2018

How are you measuring your intake?

Are you eating any of your exercise calories back?

What is your height, weight, age and activity level not counting intentional exercise?

Seffell · May 2018

By gaining if you eat above 1200 did you mean from one day to the next? These are just normal weight fluctuations. You are not gaining fat at 1300. Or 1400. Or 1500. Especially if you exercise as you seem to.
You need to be persistent over a long period of time and be accurate measuring your food with a scale every day in order to lose weight.

TyFit1908 · May 2018

serindipte wrote: »

How are you measuring your intake?

Are you eating any of your exercise calories back?

What is your height, weight, age and activity level not counting intentional exercise?

5'10
39
212
I'm currently out of work, so mostly sedentary exception of physical exercise. I've tracked my meals and exercise on MyFitnessPal, Fitbit and Weight Watchers. Out of frustration, I haven't tracked in the last 2 weeks. I we'll eat some, but I generally do not eat back all of my exercise calories

TyFit1908 · May 2018

gebeziseva wrote: »

By gaining if you eat above 1200 did you mean from one day to the next? These are just normal weight fluctuations. You are not gaining fat at 1300. Or 1400. Or 1500. Especially if you exercise as you seem to.
You need to be persistent over a long period of time and be accurate measuring your food with a scale every day in order to lose weight.

I have played around with weighing myself daily, weekly, bi-weekly and monthly. The scale moves when I eat really low calorie thousand calories or so. When I step it up to 12-1400 calories, the scale goes up. When you're busting your butt each week and you see no results or gains it is hard to stay on track.

I used to have a food scale, never really used it. I have use measuring cups. I also try to increase my protein intake, while decreasing my carb intake. This is a challenge because I'm not a big meat eater. I rarely ever drink soda or juice. I think three years of this off and on low calorie dieting has had a serious impact on my metabolism and I want to figure out how to fix it so I can reach my weight goals

ccsernica · May 2018

TyFit1908 wrote: »

I used to have a food scale, never really used it. I have use measuring cups.

Therein lies the problem. You are almost certainly taking in more calories than you believe.

MushroomLadyJR · May 2018

It can be frustrating to work hard and not see results. Don't lose heart though! Find something you can be consistent with, stick to it for a few weeks and reevaluate...I advise using a food scale for starters. There's lots of good advice here on mfp. Read the stickies. There's also a pcos group. Good luck!

TyFit1908 · May 2018

ccsernica wrote: »

TyFit1908 wrote: »

I used to have a food scale, never really used it. I have use measuring cups.

Therein lies the problem. You are almost certainly taking in more calories than you believe.

I doubt that I'm very off. I eat a lot of the same items. Steamed vegetables, boneless chicken breast or thighs, eggs, protein shakes, brown rice. I can't imagine there's that much variation on those things unless mfp, fitbit and ww are all way off. Sometimes I might have some cookies, but the calories are on the package. Are you saying if I track a half a cup of brown rice after measuring a half a cup of brown rice with a measuring cup, that I should still weigh it?

Also, any suggestions about metabolism?

TyFit1908 · May 2018

Just doing some readings about the benefits of food scales. While there seem to be many, they were some dietitians warning about people becoming obsessive over it. I have become really obsessive over the scale when it comes to weight. I've had to stop weighing myself because I would focus on the number so much. Tracking it's tough, and sometimes it can be consuming, I know they were many days that I ate less than a thousand calories just to get the scale to move. I don't know if I want to add something else that I potentially can obsess over. I do plan to up my calorie intake to something more realistic, not quite sure what yet. I also want to know if there's anything that I can do Beyond calorie counting to speed up my metabolism. I really do appreciate the comments and advice,

DmaMfz · May 2018

Here’s real talk.. I probably needed it too.
The food scale will teach you what portions REALLY are. You think you know, but believe me, the reality is shocking.

You can’t increase your calories and expect to lose weight doing the same level of activity, because science. Either you up your activity by quite a bit to earn some calories back, or you’ll have to keep your calories at mfp’s recommendation. And a food scale is a tool that will tell you the truth, nothing more. If anything, you should feel liberated and empowered with having more control over your results. Unless, of course, you don’t really want to know.

NovusDies · May 2018

AnvilHead · May 2018

TyFit1908 wrote: »

...I also want to know if there's anything that I can do Beyond calorie counting to speed up my metabolism...

Not legally, no.

heybales · May 2018

To increase metabolism gain weight.

Or height, but that's harder.
Being younger or male is even harder.

Even those with missing thyroids are vast majority within 5% of normal metabolism. That would be rare to be the issue even if you really did have slow metabolism.
It's the feeling tired and moving a whole lot less that's the kicker.

Oh, your comment about those with PCOS require larger deficits - no, actually not. Opposite.
Body is stressed out already. Deficit eating is a stress on the body.
Too much stress, water retained from increased cortisol.
The fact those with PCOS may move less means they have to eat less.

Now - what is likely the case is you don't move as much as normal calculations are assuming avg person would.
Because you aren't average - you have disease.

Now, eating so little for so long will suppress several body functions making you not burn as much as say MFP calcs or Fitbit is starting foundation with.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/heybales/view/reduced-metabolism-tdee-beyond-expected-from-weight-loss-616251

If you've never calibrated your Fitbit for stride length - it could easily be inflating your daily burn.

And yes, measuring out your food can be a big difference, especially with the things you list.
And you don't do both things - you weigh it - super easy. Either weigh out a serving to make it easy to log, or weigh out what you want and divide that weight by a serving weight - there's your servings to log - still easy.
Calories is per gram - not spoon or cup - no way around that fact.

And you are gaining water weight if eating 1400 compared to 1200 adds on pounds.

It would take you 17-18 days to slowly add on 1 whole pound of fat if you really thought your daily burn is 1200 but you ate 1400.
Reread that - you are obsessed with scale weight if a non-noticeable 1-2 lb gain in 2 days eating so little more has you thinking it matters in any way.

So ask yourself - are you really concerned with scale weight that no one sees unless you invite them into bathroom when you weigh naked, or wear a sign stating current and goal weight?

Or are you concerned with the way you look and the fat you carry, in other words inches and measurements?

You've been given some solid advice - but if it's no good, and you think metabolism is the excuse - gain weight.
And then move that increased weight around to increase daily burn.
Then you can eat more.

If you are going to slowly eat more right now to help your body get out of stress - then eat 100 extra daily for a week or two at a time.
You should gain water weight.
Eat enough and you'll probably drop some stress water weight too eventually.

serindipte · May 2018

You are younger and taller than I am. But we have about the same start weight. I started at 216 lbs. I'm 43, 5'4" and sedentary. I am losing consistently by eating 1600-1700c per day, but I know without a doubt that I am being as accurate as is possible in that calorie count.. Because I use my food scale. I weigh everything. I weigh my salad ingredients. I weigh my dressing. I weigh my meat raw. All the oils I use, butter, literally, everything. Then, I double check my entries when I put it into MFP so I'm not accidentally using incorrect selections from the database.

You have your calorie goal set too low for your height/weight. I can't say you're eating too little, because we can't really know what you're eating. Cups and measuring spoons are not accurate and can be off by hundreds of calories, depending on what you're weighing.

This process does work if you use it faithfully. This is my second round with it and I lost 50lbs the first time doing the same thing I outlined above. Unfortunately, I thought I had it and stopped weighing my food, stopped tracking and eventually fell back into old patterns. Maybe this means I'll need to weigh and log my food forever, maybe not. But I know that I'll continue with it until I'm down to my goal weight this time and likely longer. By the way.. that 50lbs? I lost it without any exercise at all. Just calorie counting.

serindipte · May 2018

By the way.. watch this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfcB7GbLmIM

ccsernica · May 2018

TyFit1908 wrote: »

Just doing some readings about the benefits of food scales. While there seem to be many, they were some dietitians warning about people becoming obsessive over it. I have become really obsessive over the scale when it comes to weight. I've had to stop weighing myself because I would focus on the number so much. Tracking it's tough, and sometimes it can be consuming, I know they were many days that I ate less than a thousand calories just to get the scale to move. I don't know if I want to add something else that I potentially can obsess over. I do plan to up my calorie intake to something more realistic, not quite sure what yet. I also want to know if there's anything that I can do Beyond calorie counting to speed up my metabolism. I really do appreciate the comments and advice,

It's absolutely correct that you should not obsess over the bathroom scale when losing weight. Weighing yourself more frequently than once a day or once a week is a path to despair. But the kitchen scale is another matter. It's the only way to ensure you're eating the amounts you think you are.

"Speed up my metabolism" is the wrong way to think about weight loss. Unless you have some kind of known hormonal problem, your metabolism is likely no slower than anyone else's, and absent some kind of treatable medical condition you can't speed it up. You can go get your RMR measured if you really want an exact number, but it almost certainly falls within the normal metabolic rate for anyone else of your age, height, weight, and sex.

MushroomLadyJR · May 2018

TyFit1908 wrote: »

Just doing some readings about the benefits of food scales. While there seem to be many, they were some dietitians warning about people becoming obsessive over it. I have become really obsessive over the scale when it comes to weight. I've had to stop weighing myself because I would focus on the number so much. Tracking it's tough, and sometimes it can be consuming, I know they were many days that I ate less than a thousand calories just to get the scale to move. I don't know if I want to add something else that I potentially can obsess over. I do plan to up my calorie intake to something more realistic, not quite sure what yet. I also want to know if there's anything that I can do Beyond calorie counting to speed up my metabolism. I really do appreciate the comments and advice,

A food scale can be liberating as well. For me, it helps me find out how much food I get to eat! Sometimes when weighing you'll find you may have overestimated your portions and so you'll have more wiggle room. It does swing the other way as well though...I don't find that restrictive, if anything it makes me feel more in control, more free. Of course, we're all different. There are plenty of people who are successful without food scales. I just wanted to share my thoughts on it.

Also, in your case it may be especially beneficial because you say you're eating very low calories and not seeing results. It may be that you are eating a few hundred calories more than you realize. This is where a simple addition to your daily routine of weighing portions may be all that is needed to correct the issue.

heybales · May 2018

Great video, and the suggested ones afterwards expand on it with other items.

I just weighed my frozen steam meal tonight - usually I don't worry about it because accuracy on weight of package is usually pretty good on product they spit out of machines pretty much by weight already. But realized I had never weighed these before to know for sure.

Package claimed 680g, actual weight 692 - so 2.04 servings for 360 cal/serving = 734 instead of 720.
Within 5% - not going to worry about it in the future.
Well, it took 15 sec to weigh, probably will.

Bread though, or other frozen vege meals that are higher calorie, I know have issues with some of them - weigh every time.

NovusDies · May 2018

I agree about the food scale being liberating. It takes most of the mystery out of the equation and it is one less thing to worry about during the day. Once you get a handle on the tare function it only takes a few moments normally. Snack portions can be measured in advance and put into small containers or bags.

The other thing is you can't use common sense on portion sizes. They can be reasonable to stupidly small. I was looking at 3 oz serving of a chicken dish the other night laughing at how it was 3 or 4 bites. Weighing catches all of that nonsense.

Leannep2201 · May 2018

Totally agree with using the food scale. It’s very quick and easy, makes me feel secure about what I’m logging, and is accurate. I’ve tried to lose weight on and off for years, never had any real success until I started counting my calories (accurately) and using a food scale. I’ve now lost nearly 20kg, and am really happy with my progress.

By the way- I also have PCOS. I’ve lost just fine by setting my weight loss to a 0.5kg per week (1lb) deficit. Some people have said that PCOS might make it harder for me to lose weight, but that hasn’t been the case at all.

xxzenabxx · May 2018

Women with PCOS do tend to have slower metabolisms as was pointed out in this study https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/18678372/
PCOS women have to eat a couple 100 calories less to lose weight. Also insulin resistance could be there too. PCOS and impaired glucose tolerance do go hand in hand so that’s something to look into. I also have PCOS. I was eating 1700 calories and wasn’t losing weight now I’ve dropped to 1500. I also eat between 100g-150g of carbs per day. Fingers crossed I can lose these 24lbs. Also I would say go up to 1300 calories then 1400 calories. The initial weight gain is water weight. Yes after that you’re weight will level out. I’ve been through the same thing. Have you tried taking inositol for PCOS? Apparently it helps with a lot of the PCOS symptoms and many women have found it to help. I know losing weight with PCOS can be frustrating but you need to be consistent. That’s what I’m doing now.

Have you tried lifting heavy weights? That’s really good for insulin sensitivity. You seem to do a lot of dvd type workouts. Try adding in two sessions of pure strength training and see how that goes.

Speeding up metabolism

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