I agree with the above,, I think it needs way more time. I've heard our bodies can be messed up for years after dieting/wrecking metabolism from eating too low.

I'm in the same boat so I'm curious to see how your journey turns out. I've been running for 11 years, been starving myself at 1300-1700 cals for the last 6 and dropped weight initially (didn't need to, just did because I wanted to see if I could. Screwed up, I know.) Now I'm left with a messed up metabolic rate and I'm trying to repair it. Oh, and I can't lose weight either. Just trying to eat food again at this point.

I have the samee problem! I wonder how long it takes to start seeing a drop! I increased from gross 1700 gradually over 3 mos up to 2200 and gained 5 pounds and now I am still up the 5 pounds! I have the BMF as well and I get similar burns, 2200 or so on rest days and 2700 or so on active days. Right now I am eating about 2000 per day and not losing, actually slowly gaining....

Dawn I just posted a topic over in the 2k boards you might be interested in following. I might try just spending a few months in maintenance and not trying to lose. I think that might be the key. It might be awhile before I can do a cut and even see it work.

I hope Kiki (31prvrbs) jumps in because she posted a blog on a study on how low cal affected the metabolism to point that they actually had to overeat for a while before there body kicked back into gear...

Ok, I think I found some good info on this topic from 31prvrbs (Kiki's) blog that Lucia mentioned above.
She talks a lot about raising cals/not losing/metabolism that we are discussing here.
Here's the link:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/31prvrbs

Here goes:

The Benefits of Bulking....
Q: Seems like more and more people are "bulking," I guess I'm wondering if I'm missing out on some hidden benefit of it. I get that it helps to put on muscle, but I don't think I would ever see the need for it in my life. What is the point of bulking? It almost seems like another yo-yo dieting trap. I mean, I guess I understand for a person that's skinny, or at goal weight, but I'm a lot farther away from my goal than I'd like to be, and can't imagine purposely putting on extra weight. What type of person (other than a bodybuilder, lol) should consider bulking?

A: Bulking (eating above maintenance, while lifting heavy weights) can be beneficial to a variety of people, not just the skinny ones, lol. When I first began my "bulk/cut" cycles, I wasn't at goal weight either (although I'd be the first to admit, that it may have been a lot easier if I was). But, learning the benefits of it, and reaching a certain point in my weight loss, I decided to go ahead and go for it, for several reasons.

Benefits of bulking include:
*The most obvious benefit is to add muscle mass, since muscle building cannot take place in a caloric deficit.
*Eating in a caloric deficit for a long period of time, or doing excessive cardio can begin to eat away at precious muscle mass - doing an occasional bulk, can help to rebuild any lost muscle.
*Long term deficit eating can also lower BMR, eating more will help to raise it, as will adding more muscle. Most people come out of a bulk being able to lose weight at a higher cal level than they previously did, as their maintenance level has increased. (The longer the bulk, the more our body adjusts to higher cal levels = higher BMR...The longer the deficit, the more our bodies adjust to lower cal levels = lower BMR)
*Bulking, or even just eating at maintenance, allows the mind & body to recover from the stresses of deficit eating, and gives a mental break to the person who has been dieting for a while.

Bulking can help whether you're planning on competing in a fitness competion, want to look muscular/"ripped" when you get to your goal weight, have reached a plateau, or just want to increase your metabolism. Many people get burned out or reach plateaus after eating in a deficit for a long time. They reach a point where nothing is working, they can no longer safely reduce cals, or maybe they are just tired of surviving on so little cals. This is when a metabolism reset is usually done: where a person has to up their cals, and stay there for a while, until the body readjusts to the higher cal level (thus, creating a new maintenance). Then they can start to lose @ a higher cal level. Using this time to also "bulk" (add muscle while eating in the surplus) can make it a bit more purposeful for the person, vs just eating more w/no other goals (which can be a tough mental battle for a person who is trying to lose weight). It gives a new "goal", to take the person's mind off of "I'm trying to gain weight on purpose, am I insane?!" and gives those extra calories a job to do: build muscle. The building of muscle will also increase the bodies metabolism, as the muscle continues to burn cals long after the reset has ended. Thus making the metabolism reset process dual purpose, and a little easier to stick to.

So a person that is not at goal weight can do smaller "mini" bulks along the way to help keep metabolism raised, and to add a little more muscle "insurance" to what will be seen as the fat is melted away (most women notoriously under-estimate the amount of muscle they carry). Bulking can also be used for the person that is reaching/at goal weight, but not getting the "cut" that they thought they'd have at "goal." Since we can't "cut" what isn't there, this usually means that there is not enough muscle there to "tone," bulk/cut cycles allows the opportunity to build the muscle, then go back to "cutting," repeating until the desired result is reached. For all parties involved, bulking can give that added benefit of a higher metabolism & maintenance level cals.

Q: So.....it is like yo-yoing? I just can't imagine purposely putting weight back on, when Ive worked this hard to get it off! I just can't wrap my head around this. It sounds crazy..

A: I would not recommend bulking to anyone that is not ready for it mentally, the same way I would not recommend it to an obese person (unless, they've been undereating for a while & have gone into starvation mode, in which case a serious metabolism reset is needed). I always tell people that when it's time to bulk, you'll just "know." It's hard to describe it any other way. Just know what the benefits are, and give yourself enough time to grasp it mentally before diving in. The results are definitely well worth it, but you have to know why you're doing it and what you're in for. Bulk/cut is not like yo-yoing, because the "gain" part of yo-yoing is usually unplanned and out of control. The bulking process is planned, you give yourself boundaries, and because you're adding muscle to your frame, the weight comes on in completely different proportions. Your body comes out looking better after every cut cycle, and you're not killing yourself to get results that will just go by the wayside as soon as you eat "normal" again, due to the increased metabolism. A bulk is not about packing on the lbs, it is about packing on the muscle. Every move is planned, as precise as you allow it to be, and, when done with incredible precision, fat gain is minimal. Yo-yoing, usually leaves you in worse shape after each "round." Bulk/cut is quite the opposite.

My problem has been, how long do you gain before you start to see results?? I increased cals in November and have gained 5 pounds or so and its not going down. I just bounce up and down 3-4 pounds gradually moving up.....How much do I have to gain before I realize this is either working or its not????

Dawn-are you steadily gaining or did you gain five and now your weight has been steady for a couple months? If you gained and now its steady you may have found your maintenance level.

You may also want to consider having your BMR tested professionally, best way to know for sure if you are eating the right amount! I'm trying to find a place to go get it done myself, but no luck so far except for weight loss clinics and I don't want to go to a place like that. I'm not sure what type of doctor to look for....so if anyone knows please share!

Dawn-are you steadily gaining or did you gain five and now your weight has been steady for a couple months? If you gained and now its steady you may have found your maintenance level.

You may also want to consider having your BMR tested professionally, best way to know for sure if you are eating the right amount! I'm trying to find a place to go get it done myself, but no luck so far except for weight loss clinics and I don't want to go to a place like that. I'm not sure what type of doctor to look for....so if anyone knows please share!

I initally gained. And then some weeks I gain and some I lose, but consistently since past October I have gained. It seems I gain like 3-4 pounds then lose a couple, then gain a couple, then lose 1 then gain 2 then lose 1 etc. I had a bioimpedence done to determine BMR and it came out at about 1600 or so.....

If you can find a Bod Pod place to get it tested those are supposed to be pretty accurate. Colleges and universities usually have them.

Listen I agree with Kiki, find out your meaintence and go with that. I personally experienced the bouncing up and down the same pounds when I needed more food.

I knew I had to go up because eating less before didn't cause a loss.

Listen I agree with Kiki, find out your meaintence and go with that. I personally experienced the bouncing up and down the same pounds when I needed more food.

I knew I had to go up because eating less before didn't cause a loss.

This is where I'm sort of at right now, I'm worried that I'm not actually eating enough even though I'm eating around 1900-2000 a day. I've always suspected my calorie need might be greater than "average" as far as using formulas which is why I want to get my BMR tested professionally.

Thanks for the tip on the bod pod, I will look for that here.