Metabolic slowdown over years, how to stop it?

[goriont]

Hello,

I think I might have a problem, because my body adapted to a huge calorie deficit over years (I'm 6,3")

2008 = 180lbs (skinny fat)

then I began to eat ALOT

2010 = 250lbs (fat, basically no muscles)

Then I tried to get back to my old skinny shape, I was too lazy to do any sort of sport and decided to eat less.

2012 = 170 lbs (skinny fat)

then the weight went slowly up through the years, despite not eating more

2016 = 210lbs


So finally I decided to stop eating junk food (high protein instead) and do lifting to get in shape.

After 3 months I'm down from 210lbs to 186lbs and gained some muscles (My abs feels hard and my biceps did clearly grow).


I still have lot of fat around my belly, I guess I'm at 18/19% BF.
Scale wise I'm not loosing anything since 4 weeks, so I started counting calories to check how much my deficit was and it shocked me!


My BMR is around ~2400, my daily intake seems to vary around 1200-1600.
Holy ..., I probably shouldn't decrease that anymore


Over the last 6 years I must have trained myself to ignore the hunger (often feeling hungry but just ignoring it). I drink ~6-8l water a day.


Another strange thing is that I don't feel weak when lifting, weights went up alot.

So how is it possible that I even gained a gramm of muscle over the last 3 months?


And more important, how do I get out of it without getting fat again? (aiming for a lean body by June).


Thanks and cheers

[plantfueledhulk]

Increase food + work out hard.

Prioritize more nutritious food, shun simple carbs and maybe add in more healthy fats? Easy to get extra cals from nuts, eggs and so on without gaining much fat.

Wheat and white rice is another matter entirely!

[juggernaut74ia]

Prioritize more nutritious food, shun simple carbs and maybe add in more healthy fats? Easy to get extra cals from nuts, eggs and so on without gaining much fat.

Wheat and white rice is another matter entirely!

This is all pretty much poor advice and broscience.

OP - you need to stop this endless cycle of spinning your wheels.

Read the stickies to the forum, and set a REASONABLE daily calorie goal. None of this extremely high or low calorie BS. Follow that up with breaking down that calorie goal into appropriate macro goals.

Secondly, get a food scale and good set of measuring cups and spoons. Weigh (solid) and measure (liquid) EVERY SINGLE MORSEL of food you are eating. Strive to eat a wide variety of food such that you're hitting your calorie and macro goals regularly. No cheating, no "I'm just not going to count" days. That's not to say you can't indulge once in a while, but moderate it so that it fits into your daily goals.

Pick a solid lifting program from that forum's stickies. Commit to working hard and follow that program.

Give yourself a month or two of following this...and then see what progress you've made. Adjust as necessary if you're not approaching your goals in a reasonable manner.

[ErikTheElectric]

My BMR is around ~2400, my daily intake seems to vary around 1200-1600.

Well, this for one is the problem..

[goriont]

It's really hard for me to eat 1000 cals more than I do currently. I'm also afraid of getting fat again.

Well, this for one is the problem..

I know... but my body kind of refuses "more" food, my stomach always hurts when I try to get to ~2000 cals a day. It was trained 6 years long to survive with a huge deficit.


My macros are currently ~: 40% fat, 30% carbs, 30% protein

Should I rather go for keto? Or what macro goals would you recommend

[Pungiish]

http://bayesianbodybuilding.com/meta...form=hootsuite
Metabolic damage= Myth

[skelooth]

There is a quote on the wall in my gym. I'm going to botch it, but it's similar to, "As we age, we must put more effort to maintain the same level of functionality".

There's no way to stop aging except to keep going at fitness.

[Mrpb]

I know... but my body kind of refuses "more" food, my stomach always hurts when I try to get to ~2000 cals a day.

Nonsense. Just eat more fat if that makes it easier for you.

Start with 2500 calories. Stop making excuses.

If you can't reach 2500 calories just take a couple of shots of olive oil. It's very healthy.

Don't use macro percentages. Read the stickies.

[Znik]

I still have lot of fat around my belly, I guess I'm at 18/19% BF.
Scale wise I'm not loosing anything since 4 weeks, so I started counting calories to check how much my deficit was and it shocked me!


My BMR is around ~2400, my daily intake seems to vary around 1200-1600.
Holy ..., I probably shouldn't decrease that anymore

Another strange thing is that I don't feel weak when lifting, weights went up alot.

So how is it possible that I even gained a gramm of muscle over the last 3 months?


And more important, how do I get out of it without getting fat again? (aiming for a lean body by June).


Thanks and cheers

You are not tracking your calorie intake properly or having massive binges/cheat meals that blow up your average calorie intake.

If you were eating 1200-1600kcal at your stats the weight would be falling off, not stall for 4 weeks and you sure as hell wouldn't be getting stronger or have a lot of energy in the gym.

To fix it to get lean, simply fix your calorie tracking and ensure a calorie deficit is present over an extended time (weeks/months).

And before you say that your calorie tracking is correct ... It's not. (just saying that because everyone who fails to lose weight or stalls always say that they are tracking correctly when they are not).

[goriont]

You are not tracking your calorie intake properly or having massive binges/cheat meals that blow up your average calorie intake.

If you were eating 1200-1600kcal at your stats the weight would be falling off, not stall for 4 weeks and you sure as hell wouldn't be getting stronger or have a lot of energy in the gym.

To fix it to get lean, simply fix your calorie tracking and ensure a calorie deficit is present over an extended time (weeks/months).

And before you say that your calorie tracking is correct ... It's not. (just saying that because everyone who fails to lose weight or stalls always say that they are tracking correctly when they are not).

Yeah, that's what I was thinking, too.
Couldn't it be possible that my body adapted to the low intake?

I'm constantly hungry, but I'm really good at ignoring the feeling (by drinking huge amounts of water) and not having cheat meals (exception large alcohol intake once a week).


Basically my meal plan is every day pretty the same:

1l milk
80g whey protein
250-300g meat/fish
400g vegetables
200g fruits
(sometimes 1-3 eggs)

[juggernaut74ia]

Couldn't it be possible that my body adapted to the low intake?

No...that's not how the body works.

(exception large alcohol intake once a week)

...and there you go.

[Znik]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking, too.
Couldn't it be possible that my body adapted to the low intake?

I'm constantly hungry, but I'm really good at ignoring the feeling (by drinking huge amounts of water) and not having cheat meals (exception large alcohol intake once a week).

Our bodies ability to adapt to low calories is fairly limited, as I mentioned the primary reduction comes from decreased NEAT and skeletal muscle efficiency improvements, typically you see 5-15% reduction to TDEE if those factors aren't compensated for. Beyond that the only way to drastically reduce TDEE is to lose organ mass which ain't going to happen unless you are in true starvation for an extended time with virtually zero body fat.

Large alcohol intake and the typical snacks and food that tends to come when drunk as you are more liable to binge can easily waste a whole weeks worth of low calorie intake.

So instead of worrying about metabolic adaption, worry about calorie tracking accuracy and stop or at least limit the alcohol intake.

[goriont]

Large alcohol intake and the typical snacks and food that tends to come when drunk as you are more liable to binge can easily waste a whole weeks worth of low calorie intake.

So instead of worrying about metabolic adaption, worry about calorie tracking accuracy and stop or at least limit the alcohol intake.

Okay I see, thanks for your answers.

I don't eat anything while/after being wasted, so once a week shouldn't **** up my diet? I just continue the next day eating my "standard" meal.

[Heisman2]

Okay I see, thanks for your answers.

I don't eat anything while/after being wasted, so once a week shouldn't **** up my diet? I just continue the next day eating my "standard" meal.

Do the math as Znik suggested. Track calories perfectly and see what you are actually putting in your body.

[vicentequintero]

There is a quote on the wall in my gym. I'm going to botch it, but it's similar to, "As we age, we must put more effort to maintain the same level of functionality".

There's no way to stop aging except to keep going at fitness.

this

[EjnarKolinkar]

Well OP if you are 6'3" and 183 and really eating 1200-1600 cals a day consistently you would be dropping weight like crazy. Everyone has metabolic adaptations every day of their lives up and down, the metabolism is always in flux. But not that much. 1200 long term would be poor in terms of general nutritional value, it's generally hard on a leaner person to eat that little.

Couldn't it be possible that my body adapted to the low intake?

Not to 1200, that could possibly be a tracking problem, or binging in response to all the restriction.

I don't eat anything while/after being wasted, so once a week shouldn't **** up my diet? I just continue the next day eating my "standard" meal.

One day a week of doing whatever absolutely can offset 6 days of dieting. It sounds to me you are developing/perpetuating some bad habits especially in the light of your significant weight shifts over the last few years?. I'd consider seeking out some help IRL. And in the mean time I'd look into dumping high calorie days, and eating more every day.