I've posted here recently,sort of introduction..been at maintenance for about 7 years.
I have found I seem to maintain around 1600-1700 (BTW: I have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism)
Well, recently have been dealing with a nutritionist and she says this is way to low for me.
She feels I should be eating more along the lines of 2200-2500 (especially at 28 years old). She believes I might have what is called a Compromised Metabolism.
Has anyone ever heard of this??
Kind of concerns me...
Maybe I screwed up my metabolism when I went from 176lbs to 128??
What are your thoughts??

Well, losing nearly 50 lbs is great, but how did you do it? That has more to do with whether you "screwed up" your metabolism than the fact that you lost the weight. Not that I'm any kind of expert, but I'd look more to the thyroid issue first since you've been maintaining for quite awhile. But as Meg says, we're all experiments of one.

"Compromised metabolism" SOUNDS like a "diagnosis," but it's really just a description of a fact you already know - you need fewer calories than "normal" to maintain your weight. 2200 - 2500 calories is the "average" calorie range needed for a woman of average height to maintain a healthy weight.

There are a lot of factors that can bring down that average - including hypothyroidism.

My first question would be whether you are seeing a nutritionist or a dietitian. Dietitians must have a bachelor's degree as well as post-graduate training in an accredited program. They must pass a licensing exam and keep their license current by continuing education.

Nutritionists are not licensed by state boards, meaning anyone can call themselves a nutritionist, even if they didn't graduate from high school. A nutritionists might have a degree in nutrition, but there is no guarantee of it.

It is difficult to get in all the nutrition you need, when you need to eat so few calories to maintain, but maybe that just means you have to be more aware of getting the best nutrition for your calorie buck. Or maybe there are ways to increase your metabolism. Some people find that eating more increases their metabolism. So you could try increasing your calories (and try to increase exercise maybe also). I don't know.

The first thing I would do in your situtation would be to ask for your nutritionist's credentials. If she doesn't have a four year degree in dietetics or nutrition, I'd seek a second opinion.

Are you on Thyroid meds? An underactive thyroid definitely can slow down your metabolism. The theory of damaging your metabolic weight through chronic dieting is controversial and not all evidence supports it. Ways to rev up your metabolism...aerobic exercise, eating breakfast, eating three meals a day with snacks in between, weight resistance exercise.

I maintain my weight at about the same caloric level as you, though I am a lot older than you. I would work out more if I wanted to eat more, otherwise if you're maintaining at this level, why mess with it?

I reckon I maintain on 1600-1800 calories. So does my mum - I'm 22, she's - wait I don't have her permission to post her age - let's just say she's old enough to be my mum . So does my friend (21). Granted all of us are short, slim, small-framed women. But I really don't believe the average women maintains on over 2,000 calories. Unless they work out five hours a day or something. To lose weight I have to eat 1450 max. I don't believe there's anything wrong with my either - I eat a very balanced diet, go to the gym three times a week, and keep dogs.

What? You should have stayed at 176 lbs? Of course not. Your metabolism - the rate at which you burn calories is of course going to decrease as you decrease in size. There is no way around that. Though of course added muscle will help.

I'm mean no disrespect, but nutritionists just don't have all the answers. I think that was irresponsible of her to say what you "SHOULD" be maintaining at, when you have figured out for yourself what you actually can and do maintain at. We are all different. What "should" be is irrelevant. There is no ONE should.

Nothing, absolutely nothing can take the place of trial and error. No medical doctor, dietician, nutritionist, someone who's been there - done that, no genie or wizard. No one or nothing. It's all what we discover for ourselves.

And after doing this for 7 years, I think you've got it nice and figured out.

Here is a link to an article about the condition called Compromised Metabolism:

http://www.fleetfeethuntsville.com/f...out-metabolism

Whether it is an actual condition or just a collection of symptoms someone came up with isn't clear, but I do think that some folks may be trying to maintain their weight at a lower calorie level than they have to. I think that metabolism can change as one continues to exercise and keep up their fitness, and thus their basal metabolic rate increases. If that is true, then eating too low could put someone below their BMR, which some reports have said can stall weight loss or even lead to slow increase.

I don't think the nutritionist was suggesting you should have stayed at 176. You didn't screw your metabolism up by losing weight--if anything, it was already low before you started losing because of gaining weight and being hypothyroid. Be sure your nutritionist realizes that you are hypothyroid. (I also assume you are being treated for this.)

The only way to know whether the recommended maintenance level is true for you is to try it and see what happens. Of course your weight may go up at first, but that may not be anything more than a sudden blip.

You can always see a second nutritionist, or better yet, dietitian, to get another opinion. Or a fitness professional, or a doctor, or even some of the online calculators.

I am currently experimenting with eating more than I had done the first time I lost, in order to lose more weight. The results aren't in yet. But all kinds of different sources kept saying I could eat more than what I was eating. I figured it was worth a try, as long as I keep up my fitness program. And if it doesn't work, I can always go back to the lower calorie level.

Jay

Wow, thank you all for your responses. I sort of felt vulnerable after I posted this..but I felt this board is very helpful and supportive
To answer some questions. I lost the weight through Weight Watchers. I learned what a portion was etc. Now granted, looking back..I probably wasn't eating as nutritious as I am now (eating a lot of points in carbs vs protein etc)..but now I'm eating protein at every meal and keeping refined carbs out of the picture for the most part since I don't have all that many calories to play with. Learning to make eating plan as nutrient dense as possible since I do have less "play" calories. For example if I want some lite ice cream etc, I cut out a carb source and keep the protein and veggies to make some room for treats.
To answer another question, she is a certified nutritionist.
I am currently taking Amour for my thyroid.
I'm not sure if this changes things, but I have been diagnosed recently with Pre-Ovarian failure. It basically means I'm sort of going into menopause early. Wondering if that effects metabolism as well???
Not to mention I have a desk job,so I don't get a lot of movement in my day compared to my last job where I was on my feet.

[QUOTE=rockinrobin;2784311]Your metabolism - the rate at which you burn calories is of course going to decrease as you decrease in size. There is no way around that. Though of course added muscle will help.

---
are you sure of this? i thought this was only true if you drop weight quickly.
Once a weight has been stabilized does your metabolism bounce back up to normal?

[QUOTE=Imse Vimse;2784793]The heavier you are, there is more energy required to perform and it takes more calories to run your body. You burn more with each and every movement then a lighter person.

When you weigh less, when there's less OF YOU - you burn less calories doing your every day tasks, including breathing and sleeping.

It gets even better, if you're a former obese person -

Take a look at this very informative post from Meg:

http://3fatchicks.com/forum/showpost...34&postcount=1

And really, there is no one "normal". Even within yourself. A metabolism is not a stable thing. It changes through out your life for various reasons.

Yes, what Meg learned at that talk was very interesting... But I think it doesn't tell the story for everyone--just as we have all agreed!

Smaller people need fewer calories for their activities because they are not trying to move so much mass around. On the other hand, they may burn more calories if they have fit, strong muscles and stay physically active.

Right now I believe that regular physical activity--exercise of some kind--is absolutely a must for keeping metabolism high. In fact, I think it's about the only hope for a "reduced obese" person to prevent regaining. That and realizing that you can't go back to the old way of eating!

So, those of us who have lost and kept it off eat differently and exercise differently than we used to. I believe that after some years, metabolism DOES change in a more normal direction. But I also believe that if one stops exercising and starts overeating, it takes very little time for that fat storage to start up again. Finally, I believe that what it takes to maintain weight changes over time! Just because a certain calorie level worked for X years doesn't mean that it's still correct. It's a dynamic system.

A friend of mind recently trained for a 5-day, 500-mile bicycle ride for a charity. She trained for months and hoped that she would lose more weight before the ride. As it turned out, she gained 10 pounds instead. She is a reduced obese person who most likely has compromised metabolism--and she hadn't been at a lower weight long enough for any metabolic adjustment. So, under conditions where all the "normal" folks were losing, she gained. (I need to add, though, that I don't think she was exactly watching what she ate...)

Jay

Hey Jay,

Yes, the article Meg has up there on maintenance and lower calories is a good read. It's just hard to except when everyone else is saying 1400-1600 calories to maintain is not realistic/to low. I wouldn't want to jeopardize my metabolism or health. At least I have support on this board,and am not alone

Hey tita,

Well, the calculators all say that my maintenance level is around 1900, and I find that hard to accept too.

But I seem to be losing at my current level (1500), and I am way older!

Good luck!
Jay

Thanks for the support Jay!

My maintenance level is around 1900, I let myself get up to the 2100-2200 range for a brief period of time and bang, gained weight almost immediately. Even with reasonably consistent exercise.

Tita - Do you feel like you need to make a change, or are you just worried because of what the nutritionist said?