How to boost my metabolism?

HELP! I think I may have screwed over my metabolism.

Two years ago I lost 15 pounds (from 148 to 133), I did it the healthy way with diet and exercise. I have kept it off for two years with positive habits and good maintenance strategies. I'm an active, healthy, young person.

However - then I recently went abroad and lived in South America for 6 months, were I started putting weight back on. The culture is so different down there, it's impossible to find gyms or healthy food. I'm back in the states now and very depressed about having put 10 pounds back on, after all my hard work and keeping it off for so long. I feel ugly, not sexy, I don't like how my clothes fit anymore, I'm generally really down about this.

And the big problem is that I can't seem to lose it as easily as I did the first time. I'm cutting calories, seeing no results, so then cutting calories even more. I've even tried a few short term fasts. I don't know what more I can do. I'm eating the bare minimum, feeling like I'm starving all the time, I'm working out like a maniac and always feeling sore. BUT I'M NOT LOSING!!!! I'm stuck at 145.

So what is the minimum calories I should eat? What should I do? Have I messed up my metabolism forever? HELP!

I don't know your stats, but it sounds like you might not be eating enough. If you are eating the bare minimum but working out like a maniac, you may not be giving your body enough calories (energy) to effectively burn. I was having the same problem, started eating more, and have started losing again.

There are a ton of posts on this subject, search plateau, and starvation mode

Eat more, your body needs food as fuels as for cars to function. If you do not eat, your metabolism will slow down, and that is the fastest way. If you work out without enough food, you might as well be working out your muscles, not fat. Muscle burns more calories, so building muscles would help to speed up metabolism.

I agree, anaerobic exercise is essential.  Check out this thread for some good info:

http://www.calorie-count.com/forums/post/3209 8.html Also, don't get too caught up in your scale weight.  Accurately measuring your body fat percentage on a regular basis is much more important, especially when doing regular exercise and weight training.  It isn't uncommon to gain weight while simultaneously reducing body fat.

I have a questio for you, what is your height and all that?  A agree it seems to hard to eat more to lose more and I am in a similiar situation.  I lost weight and was feeling great and then i put it back on and now i can not seem to lose even a pound in fact I believe that i am gaining. I can not stand the way that i look or feel and I hate everything about myself.  I dont even want to be seen in public anymore.

thanks for the suggestions everyone.
I'm 5'9'' and 22 years old, currently sitting at 145 lb and not budging. I don't understand what happened - did I just mess up my body forever? the first time it was so easy to lose the weight, and now i feel like i'm making the same changes and nothing is happening. I feel like maybe my body just isn't normal anymore and the amount of normal exercise or calorie cutting that works for everyone else isn't phasing me. however i think these are good points - eating more and doing more weight training. i'm guilty of 2 dieting sins, i've been eating less than 1200 cal and i'm a cardio queen, skimping on weights. so hopefully if i make those changes i will start seeing some results again.

I'm 5'8" and my goal weight is 147.  So you obviously weigh less than me already and are taller.  You're obviously disillusioned with your body.  Your BMI is currently 21.7 which is perfect and your aim is to get down to 19.9 which is getting on the skinny side.  Obviously everyone is different and its how you feel that is important!  Get above 1200 cals and I'm not an expert on exercise (or a fan of) so I feel any activity is better than none. 

Good Luck!

i'm in the exact same boat, I use to weight 150lb and i was so grossed out by myself and really i was over weight for my height (5'3) and then i went hardcore and lost 25lb and I did it the right way and I worked so hard at it and i was down to 125lb and i looked great and felt great then slacked off A LOT due to love pounds i call them(haha when u fall in love and get comfortable you don't care so much) and now i have put on more weight then what I had to begin with, it's been gradually over the past year but now i'm up to 170lb I have been workin my ass off again and i can barely lost 5 lbs. I feel like i have messed myself up real good too...if you find out what the trick is let me know cuz i'm dying to weight 125lb again and fit into my "skinny clothes" haha and stop wearing my "fat pants".. :)