I believe I have a very sluggish metabolism. I can lose if I stay around 1500 calories per day, but I think that is a little low. Is it too low? I am 5'3 184 lbs. If I raise my calories closer to 2000 I gain, so increasing calories is not working either. I exercise an average of 5 hrs per week, treadmill and elliptical with some weight lifting so I don't lose too much muscle. I have heard that it helps to eat 5 small meals throughout the day, instead of 3, while keeping the same calorie count. Would this help? Are there certain foods that hamper your metabolism, that I should be avoiding? I know that if I lose weight, my calorie requirements will go down. I really don't want to be limited to less than 1500 calories per day.

Carol

It depends on how old you are. Unfortunately, the older we get, the slower our metabolism gets. I'm about your height and weight and am 43 years old. I've been staying at about 1200 - 1400 a day (more 1200 days) with one day a week at about 2000. I checked several calorie calculators online, and according to the average of those, when I get to my goal weight (140), I'll still only be able to eat 1500 - 1600 calories per day to maintain. That's because I usually input "sedentary" or "lightly active" as my activity level. You stated that you work out 5 days a week formally, but what is the rest of your day like? Do you have a desk job? I've been trying to move more in my everyday activities as I think that makes a bigger difference in total calorie burn than working out formally for an hour a day and then not doing much activity otherwise.

Well, I don't think it's too low, but if you are constantly hungry on that amount of cals then maybe it is for you. Are you making the most of your calories, getting lots of protein and filling foods? I switched my carb loaded empty snacks and meals (doritos, cheez its, crackers etc) for beef jerky (tons of protein!), low fat cheese, shrimp, and fruit for something sweet. It really made a difference keeping me full. Too many carbs with little protein leaves me hungry again in about 30 minutes! And as for how often you eat, I'd do whatever you feel comfortable with b/c it doesn't make a huge difference. I usually don't eat anything until 1 or 2 pm, that's when I get hungry- and I'm not eating when I'm not hungry, that seems pretty silly to do. I also like meals more than snacks, so I usually do 2-3 meals a day and snacks at night if I'm still hungry.

I also calorie cycle, if I am feeling extra hungry one day or know I have an event to attend with food, I'll let myself go up to 1800 cals and make up for it the next day by only eating 1200 or 1300 cals. As long as I average 1500 for the week, that's all I'm concerned with. This way you aren't "trapped" into a certain calorie limit everyday.

I don't think you have a slow metabolism if you are losing at 1500 cals, probably average for your height and weight. You won't necessarily have to cut back on cals when your weight goes lower, either. I've lost weight over and over and never gone below 1500 cals on average, usually more. I even got to 107 lbs with that many cals. And I rarely exercise.

How much are you losing a week on 1500 cals?

How many calories you need or should have depends on your age, your sex, your current weight and your activity level.

I know that this 66 year old man who currently weighs 226 and has a light activity level is doing quite well on 1200-1300 calories per day. My goal is actually 1500 calories a day but my actual average is 1250 since January of this year.

Larry,

How long did you try eating the higher level of calories for? It could take you upwards of a month or so of gaining or plateauing to get your metabolism fired up again on a higher intake.

Figure out what the maintenance calories at your goal weight will be. That might be a good starting point for setting an intake goal that will help you lose weight but will keep you satisfied.

Wow!!! Larry your before/after pic's and weigh loss are AMAZING!!

This is great advice. I'm currently eating about what my maintenance calories will be for me to maintain my goal weight. It just makes sense: Why not start training ourselves for the number of calories we'll ultimately need to eat?

Exactly! The only problem is that this method does produce slower weight loss, which angers many people when they can't lose as fast as people on crash diets.

I'm 50, 5'11" and weigh 299 lbs. According to several websites, to maintain my weight at a sedentary state, my BMR is around 2100. I'm not sedentary, but if I eat at that level, I gain weight. It took me a long time to figure out that I will maintain at about 1800 calories, and don't really start losing until I cut down to 1600 calories. And it took me even longer to emotionally accept that fact. I was very angry that I just don't lose that quickly. Still am, but once I started putting more effort into cutting those calories, I started losing more. I'm not consistent. I wish I didn't like food so much. But I'm finally moving in the right direction.

Incidently, the BMR for my goal weight (165 lbs) is 1470 calories. When I get under 200 lbs, I'm going to have to cut well below that to get to goal. I'm kinda intimidated by that number!

I eat 1700 a day. Since I excersize daily for an average of 45 minutes it makes me lose around 2 pounds a month. That is like crazy slow, but I have lost 18 pounds this way without gaining anything back even once.

Slow is good I think. I don't even want to eat like before again. My body has adjusted and hungers less.

You've already worked out which calorie level works for you. Calorie calculators are useful tools but they're theoretical, and the only way to know for sure is to try it. If 1500 is what you need for losing, then that's what you're stuck with, I'm afraid. If you're finding it frustratingly low, maybe rejig what you eat so that you're more satisfied on the same number of calories.

lin43 that's what I've been doing and as you can see from my stats it's working. I never could or would stick to a program that required me to eat 1200 calories or so. I would get depressed and say "this is what level I have to eat at the rest of my life?" get depressed and quit, but since I started eating at the level it would take for me to maintain I've been able to stick. Of course whatever works, different stokes and all that.

Kym, that same thought oftentimes went through my mind as well! Your success is inspiring.

I'm a lot shorter than you, so I have to eat less (yet another reason I hate being short! ). Also, although I make an effort to get regular activity into my day, I am not a consistent "formal" exerciser. (I do have my treadmill set up so that I walk at 2.5, elevation 5, while I work on my computer. When I've got a lot of computer work to do, I can easily walk for a couple of hours, but that's not every day). As such, when I put my numbers into several calories calculators, I get anywhere from 1500 - 1700 to maintain at 140 (which is my goal weight). However, I always put in "sedentary" or just one above that to be on the safe side. I would really love to know what my true RMR is, but I don't know anywhere nearby where I can get that tested.

I've been eating about 1400 per day (just a tad below my "maintenance"), and cycling that (1200 some days, 1400 some days, one 2000-calorie day). That's working out pretty good if the looseness of my clothing is any indication. I don't beat myself up if I go over my calorie allotment by a couple hundred calories, two or three times a month. I just keep reminding myself that "this is for life!"

Lin Most days I come just under too but not on purpose, and I just do the whole goal weight X 12 thing and walk about an hours a day six days. I also toss around some really light weights 3 times a week for about 10-15 minutes. I'm a chef so you want to talk about someone's life revolving around food! I have to be really careful about tasting, but I have to taste. lol All of us will make it but we all have find what works for us as individuals. I wish it was a good blog out there about folks losing at maintenance calories for a little extra support, but I just can't seem find any.

I only glanced through the responses so I don't think anyone addressed the meal sizes yet. The idea that you need to eat smaller meals throughout the day is a myth. Your metabolism will not speed up by doing so. I thought so for years and always forced myself when on plan to eat 6 small meals throughout the day and I was always hungry. I eat on an IF schedule now. My first meal is at 2pm, then I eat at 5:30pm and my last meal is 7:30pm. I'm much happier and I'm losing weight just fine. (When I'm on plan. =)

As far as foods that slow down your metabolism, refined carbohydrates like break, pasta and rice. Sugar, Fatty foods and I've also heard foods high in pesticides.

Foods that help boost metabolism are green tea, apples, grapefruit, broccoli, lean proteins, low fat yogurt and oatmeal.

I've also heard that cinnamon can help speed up your metabolism.