How long does it take to rebuild your metabolism?

[kylefoley76]

I've lost 20 pounds in 6 weeks. I think my metabolism right now is about 800 calories per day. Yesterday for example, I only ate 700 calories and I ran the fastest 2 mile I've run in 20 years and yet I still gained .5 pounds. My strategy is to slowly eat more and more calories per day until I am able to eat 2000 calories per day. My question is: does anyone know how long it takes to rebuild your metabolism.

 

[Veganite]

There's likely nothing wrong with your metabolism. First off, you should never try to analyze your progress on a daily basis. It will drive you crazy. There's so many variables to consider. You can poop .5 pounds in less than 24 hours. You can retain more than .5 pounds in water as well. I could go on, but seriously, if you want to see gains or in your case, weight loss, weigh yourself once a week. You will never see accurate results, otherwise.

Also, even though running feels like you're burning excessive amounts of calories, the fact is running does not eat up as much as you think. If you run you'll burn more calories per mile than you will walking, obviously.

The formula for total calories burned per mile of running is 0.75 times your weight in pounds. At this rate a 200-pound person burns about 150 calories per mile.

I'm not a doctor or nutritionist, but 700 calories is not enough for one day, especially if you're active and running, etc. That is a starvation diet. I understand you want to lose weight, but you cannot expect to feel good if you continue with 700 calories per day. You could eat double that and still lose weight.

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[kylefoley76]

700 calories is not enough for one day, especially if you're active and running, etc. That is a starvation diet. I understand you want to lose weight, but you cannot expect to feel good if you continue with 700 calories per day. You could eat double that and still lose weight.

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Thanks but you did not answer my question. I did not say I wanted to lose weight. I said that I have already lost it and am now wondering how long it will take to get my metabolism back up to a normal rate.

 

[Veganite]

There's likely nothing wrong with your metabolism.

I don't usually quote myself, but I did answer your question. If you've lost all the weight you want, I can assure you there's nothing wrong with your metabolism.


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[kylefoley76]

I seriously doubt that. Number one, when you start eating less calories your body goes into starvation mode and when burn less calories per day. I've eaten on average 1000 calories per day and in the last 8 days I got it down to 800 per day. These are very high calorie deficits and they are not matching up with predicted weight loss.

 

[Veganite]

From what I understand a slow metabolism is an uncommon medical condition. It is seldom the cause of obesity. So I'm not sure why you're so worried your metabolism is not functioning properly. If your metabolism was not functioning properly, you would not have lost weight, or at least not as quickly as you have. You are obviously metabolizing your low calorie diet as well as the fat you've already lost just fine. That is a functioning metabolism.

Try drinking green tea in the morning if you wish to rev up your metabolism, but there's no magic pill, otherwise, aside from harmful drugs. Nothing replaces diet and exercise. You seem to be doing both, and getting results. So what's the problem? You are expecting results overnight or within a week, which is not realistic.

As I mentioned already, if you want to accurately analyze your results, stop looking for daily results. Also, if you've already met your weight goal, why stay with only 700 calories per day? You can't accurately count a .5 lb gain in one day, when that could be water retention, alone. As I said most people poop more than .5 lbs per day. It just isn't realistic to check every day.

That's my 2 cents.

Oh, I might add that building muscle definitely helps rev your metabolism. You'd probably be far better off with resistance training as well as cardio. Bodybuilding will speed up your metabolism. I highly suggest interval training.



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[kylefoley76]

Well, my reasoning is is that if your metabolism is low like around 800, 1000, or 1300, then you can't just immediately go back to a 2000 calorie diet otherwise you'll gain all the weight right back. So I'm guessing that you have to slowly increase your daily calorie intake. The question is is how slow. Cool, two sentences with the word 'is' twice in a row.

 

[Veganite]

If you are eating a healthy vegan diet, as in no processed vegan junk foods, and low in fats, oils, and sugars, you should be able to eat just about whatever you want, whenever you want.

You should also focus on this as a lifestyle, and not so much a goal with a prize at the end. If you eat the right foods, you won't have to count calories. I mean, who wants to count calories, anyways? If that's not your aim, then forgive me suggesting it.

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[Nekodaiden]

The way your question is framed leads me to think you haven't given it much thought or it's designed to be shot down with any answer that fits it.

People's metabolism's differ with what kinds of foods they eat, what kinds of foods they have habitually eaten and whether they are going through a change, how much exercise they get regularly, salt and water intake, and likely other factors not listed. A one size fits all answer isn't going to likely suit you or anyone else who reads this looking for a simple answer when the answer is not simple.

 

[Lou]

Wow! what a lively discussion.

I think I agree with Everything Veganite says.
and I understand your concerns, too.

One quibble I have to say about Veganite's remarks is about weighing yourself. I think you Can weigh yourself every day if you want. The maybe problem with weighing yourself once a week is that you might catch an outlier. Weight fluctuates with pooping and peeing on a daily basis. I weigh myself every day at the same time every day. I see regular fluctuations of .25 pounds.

Running a fast 2 miler is great. but in the great calorie chase it's barely significant. Two or three hundred calories is not that big of a deal. Skip the latte on the way to work is almost that much. Two ounces of olive oil in your salad dressing is about that much. Two ounces of chips. Three ounces of dried fruit.

The point that you made that I want to quibble with is Starvation Mode. And Yes, it's a real thing. but you lost weight at a healthy rate. Not much more than 2 pounds a week. And over a period of 6 weeks (not months). It is really unlikely you have entered Starvation Mode. Getting into starvation mode takes a lot more effort. Anorexics can get into starvation mode by (literally) starving themselves. I'm not positive about this next factoid but I'm pretty sure that you must also have a low body fat percentage AND being starving to enter starvation mode.

starvation mode aside, severe dieting can cause a slowing of metabolism. But it's not that big of a deal or that big of an issue. (i think the main concern is with Yo-Yo dieting, where a person keeps losing and gaining weight. The body actually adapts to a feast and famine lifestyle and makes it harder to lose fat and easier to add fat.

the main takeaway is that 700 calories a day IS a starvation diet. Thanks to the studies the Nazis did on concentration camp prisoners we know that bad stuff happens to the body when it is forced below 1000 calories a day. Six weeks is sort of a threshold. If you continue eating so little you will become malnourished. And you may end up in Starvation Mode (add reverb).

You can use a calorie calculator like the one I have linked to at the bottom to ESTIMATE how many calories you need per day. everyone is a little different. Plus its like impossible to eat 1,823 calories every day. see how that does and at the end of the week, re-evaluate and adjust up or down.

https://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html

 

[Veganite]

One quibble I have to say about Veganite's remarks is about weighing yourself.

I get why you might want to weigh-in daily, and I'm not saying you can't, but just don't expect astounding results in 24 hours. My gym trainer told me you can fluctuate up to 5 lbs just overnight in water and body waste, which is about spot on for me.

You will never see accurate results, otherwise.

I have quoted my own logic behind what I was trying to say. There's just no point in weighing yourself, daily. It won't give accurate results.

There's so many variables to consider.

This is my whole point. I'm also speaking from my own experience with this. As nice as it is, when you're trying to lose weight, weighing in daily is sometimes discouraging. Just as the OP was discouraged to notice a .5 lb fluctuation.

In my own experience even trainers don't recommend weighing in more than twice a week. I took my own trainer's advice and started weighing in once a week. Nowadays, since getting my health and weight under control, I don't check nearly as often. I seem to be maintaining nicely now.

When I did weigh myself, weekly, I would weigh myself in the morning and the evening, so I could compare what my walking around weight was, compared to when I first woke up, since we tend to be a bit lighter in the morning. It was usually about 5 lbs difference between morning and evening. So when I stepped on the scales the next day, I never knew what to expect. I just know I didn't like seeing it go up, when I was trying so hard to reduce.

Having said all this, you could document your weight every day, twice a day, and still get all the results you desire. It's more a psychological thing to see that from one day or two, to the next, you don't progress as expected. For some overweight people this is huge. Overall, eventually, you will see results, given you stick to your plan.


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[Kellyr]

The way your question is framed leads me to think you haven't given it much thought or it's designed to be shot down with any answer that fits it.

That's been my impression, too.

If you really, REALLY want spot-on answers, get yourself in to see your doctor and have this conversation with him or her. The have the right equipment at their disposal to measure your BMR, etc, and they can give you professional advice on what to do with all the information they are allowed to gather on you.

Good luck. And eat some popcorn.

 

[kylefoley76]

its like impossible to eat 1,823 calories every day.

I don't know what you mean. Is this a typo where you meant 823 or did you mean that you cannot eat exactly the same amount down to that high precision? Otherwise I think eating roughly 1800 calories a day is quite easy.

 

[Lou]

I meant the precision. The calorie calculator comes up with an exact number. it is difficult to meet such an exact requirement, it would be even harder to do it every day.

 

[gab]

I've lost 20 pounds in 6 weeks. I think my metabolism right now is about 800 calories per day. Yesterday for example, I only ate 700 calories and I ran the fastest 2 mile I've run in 20 years and yet I still gained .5 pounds. My strategy is to slowly eat more and more calories per day until I am able to eat 2000 calories per day. My question is: does anyone know how long it takes to rebuild your metabolism.

You know ... I did the same years back. Lost weight by starving myself, metabolism slowed down. The body is like 'I do not know when the next meal is, so I will hold on to what I have'.

Unfortunately for you, in order to repair that, you will need to eat normally, and you will have to accept the increased weight. There is no other way to fix slow metabolism. Your body eventually will be like 'Oh, I can relax now, food is coming in regularly and in the right quantities'.

How long it takes ... it varies. Give yourself between 2 and 4 years. In severe cases it can be longer, read on the experiments on starvation by Ancel Keys if you want more details.

 

[Lou]

There are some persistent myths and misconceptions. Part of it is because it is complicated. And there is also a problem with vocabulary.

Reduced calorie dieting does result in metabolism slowing down. Its way more complicated than Gab explained - but her explanation is OK. But most people credit it with way more significance than it deserves. Usually less than a 10% change. So a TDEE may go from 2000 calories a day to 1800 calories a day.

the concept of metabolic damage is a myth. Even if it wasn't, losing "20 pounds in 6 weeks" wouldn't result in a problem lasting 2 - 4 years. You can do your own research via google. just stay away from blogs and look for articles that are either published and/or authored by doctors.

Oh, here. this is the most succinct article I could find in 5 minutes of googling.
https://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=35501

 

[gab]

I would expect weight watcher to deny metabolism damage (or slow down, call it however), since their whole business is based on calorie restriction via the point system.

The only proper study done on the effects of starvation (mind you starvation in that experiment was around 1600 cals / day), is the Ancel Keys one.

 

[Lou]

I would expect weight watcher to deny metabolism damage (or slow down, call it however), since their whole business is based on calorie restriction via the point system.

Good point.