metabolism

just wondered if anyone had any imformation on weight gain and metabolism . id heard that if you go for longer spells of time without eating your metabolism will run slower and you will gain more . i guess i just wanted to learn about how it works

It's something of a dicey area because I don't think it's been researched all that much.  However, there is all kinds of anecdotal evidence that shows that people who crash-diet, for example, can find they ultimately end up initially gaining back a lot of weight on a relatively low-cal diet.  'Adaptive thermogenesis' it's known as and the 'Ask Mary' section has some information.

This is not a permanent effect, however.   If someone has been on sub 1000 cals  a day they may well start gaining weight on 1500... but the body will quickly catch up.  And if they're on 1500 they may gain weight on 2000... but the same will happen again as the metabolism speeds up.    That's why anyone wanting/needing to gain permanent weight over a lengthy period is advised to eat 2500+ ... it should be sufficiently above what a normal body with a normal metabolism can get through in a day.

Hy tessa! Im interested too, and find some useful links. hope it will help you!:) Here you go:

Dieting & Metabolism (explains starvation mode and why undereating is counter-productive)
The Body Neglected (explains what happens when you undereat a long time)

thanksgi jane you always make things so easy to understand

thanks to orsibabba i will check them out

why do you need to know helen? seriously. other than scaring yourself, what is the point of researching this. if you read something that yes your metab could be slower would it mean you'll restrict back down to starvation levels.

i dunno what benefit you could gain from gettn info here

Maybe this sounds weird, but this info has given me a little boost of motivation to keep eating even more, not thinking about restriction, etc...

I understand your point fidget , i just want to make sure i know the facts and that my metabolism returns to the best level it can

Hi there,

I'm glad you asked this question because I had the same one. I found the answer in this book that I just finished reading today called The Truth About Abs. It states:

If you eat 5-6 meals per day, as opposed to the typical 2-3, you're increasing your calorie expenditure simply by increasing your meal frequency. You should eat first thing in the morning to get your metabolism revved up. If you go the entire morning without eating, like many people do, your metabolism is running much slower than it should and you're also putting yourself in a catabolic situation where your body will be breaking down muscle tissue for energy and to supply amino acids for other essential bodily functions. When you break down muscle tissue by not eating for long periods of time (such as skipping breakfast), you're essentially lowering your metabolism even further. Another reason that increasing your meal frequency is important towards losing body fat and promoting a lean body is that it helps to maintain and more steady and stable blood sugar levels throughout the day. This keeps your insulin more stable and allows you to be in fat burning mode for a larger percentage of the day. It will also provide you with more consistant energy levels without mood swings.

Hope all of this helps!

Kate Steiff

United States Air Force

thanks kate

i eat at 9am 11.30  3pm 4,30  7.30 11pm does that sound ok ?

Christ helen - stop. you are asking the same stuff over and over. please stop. if you need reassurance read the original post.

please