How do I trick my metabolism?

I am currently set to consume 1200 calories per day. I have been the same weight now for 1 week. I also workout 5-6 times per week......getting a little frustrated!!! I have heard people talking about going back and forth with their calorie intake. How would I do this?

Either a) its water weight
or b) you need to measure your foods more accurately

One week does not make a plateau. If you've lost 6 pounds in the past 2 months, that's great! Keep working your program, make sure you're recording accurately, and give it some time. Our bodies don't always follow the expectations we set. You'll get there...just stick with it!

In short, you can't. Your body is very good at regulating its metabolism, and very few things can change it. Eating at too low a calorie level over a fairly long period of time will result in it slowing down as will some other things. Things like caffeine, and some other things will speed is up a very small amount for a short period of time, but your body quickly adapts to them and returns to your regular metabolic rate. You need to work with what you have.

Possible reasons for weight loss stopping:
1) Eating too much--usually happens when a person either doesn't pay careful attention to serving size on pre-packaged stuff or instead of measuring with measuring spoons, cups, and kitchen scale they estimate. The vast majority of people estimate incorrectly taking more food than they think they are.

2) Eating too little for a prolonged period of time, but not so little that they are actually starving. Generally it is people who are on 1200 calories and not eating their exercise calories. Their deficit is too large. Or people who don't have too big a deficit for the amount of weight they need to lose. Yes, not all people can or should try to lose weight at 2 pounds per week. Generally people should not eat below their BMR. A helpful guide is the following while making sure you eat no less than your BMR

Here is a chart that suggests what your weekly weight loss goal should be depending on how much you have to lose.
If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.


1 lb a week is 500 calories less per day. So .5 would be 250 less, 2lbs would be 1000 less, etc.

3) Retaining water either because of a big change in exercise program or intensity, or due to sodium or TOM for the females.

Those are the big ones.

Also, if you have not done so yet, measure yourself. (chest, waist, hips). The scale is a less than helpful way to measure success. By itself it doesn't tell you much. Measurements are what everyone sees, not the number on the scale, so do them now if you have not. I know people who can go weeks with the scale not changing, but their measurements changing significantly for the better.

If you are eating only 1200 and then burning 500-600 working out, you are only netting 600 cal/day for basic bodily functions. This is not healthy, and probably why you are not losing. Your NET calories need to be over 1200 - preferably over your BMR.

You don't need to trick your metabolism; you need to feed it. 1200 calories a day minus 500 calories of exercise = 700 calories net. Way off. Eat back the exercise calories. Or just eat a flat 1600-1700 calories.

Here we go again.

Just do a search and you'll find tons on this topic.

I don't even need to see your diary to know you're not eating enough.

In regards to my workouts I rotate between 3 Jillian Michael DVD's, two of them where I use kettlebells, and then I sometimes go on the elliptical. I don't consume my calories burned from exercise..am I supposed to?

When you went thru the setup you were asked how much you wanted to lose per week. That created a caloric deficit and left you with an amount to EAT. Not an amount to go below, or try to beat. When you log your exercise calories it's say at the bottom you earn X amount more calories and you total to eat goes up. You are supposed to eat them.

The only way to really up your metabolism is

1-eat alot(not what we want to hear right)
2-add muscle: this is the best way as it increases your resting metabolism.
3-do drugs(another bad thing) lol I call it the jenny crank diet...