hi there,
i (extremely stupidly) went on the hcg diet (that i know this site doesn't support). I have now gained almost 20 pounds in the six weeks since the end of the diet. I have tried maintaining a 1,200 calorie a day diet (my RMR is ~1400 and this is in my weight loss zone), but I continue to gain weight every day. This is a personal nightmare. I used to be a gym rat and in great shape but a year of deaths in the family, new job, lots of stress left me over-weight and desperate, I guess. I don't fit in any of my clothes and am scared to death of gaining more weight. I know I need to be healthy, not rash, so I am trying to reset my metabolism with this 1,200 calories per day but I don't think it's working. What can I do? How long does a metabolic reset take? Please help. Thank you.
If necessary, I'm 5'8, 30 years old....and so disgusted with myself. Thanks for the help.

See a real nutritionist, not MRC. Build muscle through weight training and good protein, low starch but not zero carb. Don't fall for product pitches. Take the time to learn about how the body burns/stores fat: maybe read something by Tom Venutto. I don't know anything about that hcg diet, but am really sorry this happened to you.

I second building some muscle.

Turn your body into an oven!

How are you tracking your intake?

Thanks, guys. I am tracking intake with a food log every day -- eating whole foods, protein at every meal. Every day I am gaining. I can feel my body just clinging to every bite I take and turning it into fat.

I used to not get hungry at all during the day - even on 500 calories. Now I am starting to feel hunger again. Does that mean there's improvement?

Thank you for your help.

thanks for the kind words. Actually, I'm having the opposite problem from binging. I am having trouble eating 1,200 calories. I am so full by the time I've had around 900 that I feel sick. Today I have had roughly 1000 and I feel so gross I can't imagine putting anything else in my mouth. For now, I am continuing to force it because I know I have to "eat to lose" but I'm just gaining and gaining and gaining.

What exactly are you eating? There might be some clues there, too. It's impossible to gain weight on 1,000 cals... something else has to be going on.

Even if I've ruined my metabolism by eating 500 calories/day? Truthfully, I was only eating about 900-1000 for a few months before that.
(really appreciate your thoughts. thanks)

if you need to reset your metabolism, you are going about it the wrong way.. google Leigh peele.. she has written a LOT of articles on metabolic adaptation and repair.


Youre going to have to eat a LOT more than 100 to 1200 cals a day... youre going ot hav e to flood your body with hi-glycemic carbohydrates and eat what your "real" maintenance should be, INCLUDING activity--- so prob at least 2000 cals a day, maybe 2500. You have to take a diet break, and a training break. If you exercise. This needs to be at least for a week or 2. Ya, you will gain weight, but 90% of it wil lbe purely water weight, and the weight of the food in your body and glycogen stores.

Im sure eating that much sounds too scary.

i will be ignored, but believe me, there is science behind this....... google diet breaks and refeeds and metabolic adaptation and leigh peele. Your hormones have fallen beyond low and they mustbe reset. 1200 cals aint gonna do it sweetie.