Reverse diet for metabolic adaptation, anybody tried this, seems risky! But I cannot reduce my calories

[Menopot]

So, bit of history. I eat so healthily but also count calories. No flour, no sugar, so little alcohol. Lots of salads (they're actually hard to count) but apart from salads from the salad bar at the supermarket I have been weighing, reading labels, logging tracking et cetera. I am as certain as I can be that I have not lost a gram in the last month on 1200

I feel healthy though, my skin is clear, I have energy, but I am almost obese. So it's not just vanity, I want to lose weight and I feel like I need a better strategy than reducing calories again. Every time I've dieted before it has worked. This is the first time that I have been just stuck at the same weight for 4 weeks.

I'm going to try and edge my calories up by 20 cals per day each week. I'll check to see that there's no weight gain. I'll slow it down if there's weight gain.

My plan this year was to lose weight but there's been a curve ball, it's going to have to be to fix my metabolism instead. I'm already walking to work and home from work, drinking loads of water, peppermint tea, fibre, a yakult every second day.

I'd love to hear from anybody who's thinking of trying this or who has tried it! and succeeded.

End goal, when I've pushed my calories up to 1350 (if that's possible?) then I will fast one day in 4 and see if that works for weight loss.

It will be 2024 before I can buy new clothes.

Pray for me!

You need to count the salad bar at work. What do you have?

What site are you tracking your calories on

Do you weigh everything and calculate it by 100g

Do you double check your entries with the food wrapper

What is your BMR

Ps, there are lots of youtubers who talk about this but they seem to be coming at it from the approach of after a body building competition is over they work up from 1200 but they are thin!!
I couldn't find a menopausal fattie on youtube you was staring back at me, overweight, and also consuming diet rations.

I track everything on myfitness plan but I'm really thorough, I search carefully, I read labels, I weigh, I log.

I know from previous successful diets that went according to plan that my body has just got used to 1200 calories.

You need exercise- which helps in two ways:

1. increases the calories you’re using
2. builds muscle, which then burns yet more calories

Fat isn’t very metabolically active but muscle really is, so the more muscle you can build, the more fat you’ll burn, and it’ll get easier and easier.

Check your protein intake- you’ll need at least a gram per kg of body weight.

I strongly recommend something like couch to 5k, alongside some kind of weights- there are lots of fitness classes available which will teach you how to do it without needing your own equipment.

You're looking for a mix of cardio and strength training 😊

@DamnThatHitsHome I'm 70 kilos and most days manage about 50 grams of protein. I'd find it hard to reach 70 kilos of protein, I do eat meat! I do eat eggs, nuts, cheese (in moderation). I don't know how to eat that much protein.

Yeh, there are some pilates workouts on line and I'm going to have to get going this weekend. I've great willpower but I'm sluggish with exercise.

What does an average day of food look like ?

You can’t realistically count calories to within 20 calories in a day. That’s madness. Even with packaged food there’s a margin of error in the calorie count so you can’t ever be that precise.

Well there's probably going to be some tiny miscalculation somewhere but the idea is that you're very slowly increasing what your body considers to be it's normal amount. I don't eat that much packaged food so it tends to be olive oil 10mls, courgette 100 grams, leeks 100 grams, salmon 200 grams, walnuts 30 grams, alpro plain no sugars, 125 mls, eggs x 2, you get the picture. I'm good at logging

that's not the issue. I find it easy now at this point.

No processed foods. I'm happy with what I eat. It's just from where I am now, adapted to his amount of calories, I don't want to risk adapting downwards again

Your body has got used to 1200 calories a day (which is far too low!) and your metabolism has slowed down. You've reached a plateau.
I strongly recommend doing a 5:2 fast. Calculate your maintenance calories, stick to them for 5 days a week (they'll feel like a lot after 1200, but it's important you eat all of them) and for 2 days, eat 800 calories. (Not 500 calories as some people do, it's ridiculously low and there are no benefits, you don't lose weight any faster).
You may put on a couple of pounds to start with as your body gets used to the extra food weight, but keep persevering. (And don't forget to readjust those maintenance calories as you lose.)

And you can space those 2 days put in the week wherever you want them. It's easier to have a day or two of normal eating in between. I do Mondays and Thursdays as my fast days.

Metabolism slowing down is a myth.

Sometimes the scales just take longer to show the loss, my body is like this, nothing for weeks and then a massive drop

OP sounds as if she is not particularly tall if she is nearly obese at that weight, therefore her BMR is going to be low

Hi @ItsyourSam so what would I eat on the normal days? 1200 or 1500?
I could try that to see if it gets my body to accept 1500 as ''normal''.
I would try it and see if I gain or lose. I'm in an experimental phase at the moment so prepared to give it a go with an open mind of it going either way.
I would eat 800 not 500 as I don't want to increase cortisol

I used to think metabolic adaptation was a myth too! But here I am!

It might have something to do with menopause. This never happened to me before. This is the first time a diet hasnt worked for me. I have a lot of experience of diets working and my body responding as I expected it too. I changed job and took my eye off the ball and then put on a good bit of weight. The diet worked for then days then shut down, nothing. The plateau has been nearly a month at this point.

I'm a bit baffled tbh

I do understand the set point thing and I did an experiment once to see what happened if I had a doughnut every day - not kidding - in addition to my normal food. It was partly because I was convinced my medication was the main factor in my weight gain and that would appear to be correct.

I didn't gain any weight and enjoyed many doughnuts. But it didn't change my set point in any way.

And actually, if you are bigger, like me, you have a faster metabolism I think.

Menopause does change your gut microbiome. You need to up your game in supporting it. 30 plants a week is the easiest way, your body needs fibre, resistant starches and polyphenols.
Making sure your plant intake is very varied has to be an easy one to try.

Make your own lunch as opposed to the salad bar, there is no way to count those calories accurately unless you are very repetitive and boring.

Yes, a scoop of mixed beans, a scoop of sweetcorn, a scoop of olives, a scoop of avocado. Could easily be at least a few hundred calories in that dependent on how big the scoop is and what dressing is on them already. Any fruit will add to that as well

All good stuff but needs careful calcuation, its not 'free'

I really don’t mean to come across as rude but unsure how to phrase this better- I’m not sure how you’re not hitting more protein if you eat fish, eggs etc? I’m vegan so no animal products and typically hit 70-80g without trying, on around 1500-2000 including lots of snacks.

What I’d suggest is when shopping focus on the protein density of foods, rather than just calories. It doesn’t have to be meat- for example, my choco crunch cereal is 189 calories and 11g protein per bowl, porridge is similar, seeded bread is about 5g per slice (my usual is 8g). There are loads of really great meat substitutes- check packaging as some aren’t high protein but others are. My favourite plant burgers are 25g protein (and around 240 calories). Plenty of high protein soups etc too- whack some beans or lentils in to boost this.

I do have protein powder as a backup for days when I’m not eating as balanced as I’d like, but generally it should be manageable to hit your protein requirements without this if it’s not something you want to do.

You eat your maintenance calories on normal days which will be more than 1500. You'll need to work them out. I'm now 8 stone, my height is 5ft2, and my maintenance calories are 1750. I'm not losing weight anymore, just maintaining, but the 5:2 diet worked really well for me.

@AdventFridgeOfShame has it spot on
Believe it or not, we shouldn't be counting calories at all. As long as we are eating whole foods that feed our gut biome. We all need to re-educate ourselves.

I'll give it a go @ItsyourSam
I'd be scared to eat 1750 but I'll eat 1600 on a normal day, 800 on a fast day and I'll keep it up for a month then review....

That isn't helpful for weight loss though! I'm eating very healthily but im cornered now. Stay fat or eat less.
..... I know how to eat healthily but I'd also like to weigh less.

Anyway @ItsyourSam thanks going to try this. Will hope for results. I'm too big to just accept this is it now....