Need help maintaining, after restricting calories for a LONG time, without gaining any weight back.

Hey Everyone!

Basically... I've been dieting for a year and five months. I started at 180 pounds at 5'5.5 and now I'm trying to maintain at 115. The thing is... my calorie limit for approximately 3 months have been pretty low at 1100-1200 per day with a cheat day of 1500 calories once every 2 weeks. Being a college student and all... there were numerous times where I didn't have an opportunity to grab anything healthy to eat as well as moments where I just lacked the appetite eat something. I also live a sedentary lifestyle at the moment, consisting of sitting down and studying at a desk.

My assumption is that I caused massive havoc on my metabolism and that if I were to switch to "maintenance mode" I would gain back months and months worth of hard work.. which is really the least desirable thing at this point.

Is maintaining weight at a higher calorie intake between 1500-1600 possible without gaining at this point? If so.. how?

Also.. I don't think I can incorporate much exercise.. based on my student lifestyle as I also want to keep up my grade-point average.

You haven't just caused massive havoc on your metabolism.

Here's a tour through what happening to your body now at restriction of 1200-1600 calories:

1. It lays down what little fat it can around the vital organs as protection (which actually increases risks for heart disease in later life); 
2. it pilfers calcium from bones leading to osteoporosis in later life;
3. it slows the metabolism to try to eek as much as it can from the little calories it can get (which leads to pre-metabolic syndrome/diabetes -- which surprises a lot of habitual under-eaters because they assume those are only diseases of the obese, not so);
4. it ignores the huge piggy glucose demands from the prefrontal cortex (which leads toslowed thought and poor judgment);
5. it ups the gluccocorticoids* in the body (stress response) which in turn shrinks the hippocampus in the brain and that causes more gluccocorticoids in the body (vicious circle) and wrecks your memory capability possibly leading to dementia in later life;
6. it starts scrimping on the red blood cell count (anemia and profound fatigue).

*gluccocorticoids are legendary in their ability to cause serious auto-immune diseases (such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammation of the circulatory system), hardening of the arteries, severe immuno-suppression (constant colds, flus, secondary infections)... and they also worsen all the conditions you develop with chronic under-eating.

So the answer is, yes you can maintain your weight and nothing else.

There are plenty of students capable of maintaining a grade point average and being active -- do you not even walk the campus to your classes?

Also, you're not doing your grade point average any favors if you are not physically active. Read John Medina's book "Brain Rules" to understand how much activity a brain really needs to learn and retain anything.

So you need to get active for your health and for your grade-point average. And you need to up your calories to 2000 if you lie in bed all day and more if you actually get out of bed -- that's a real maintenance diet.

Will you gain weight? -- oh, probably. But as you are right on the edge of an unhealthy BMI it wouldn't hurt your abused body to be at a BMI of 20 and ensure you can menstruate and have bones that don't break when you walk.

And yes, the weight eventually tapers back to where it needs to be. Will that be back up at 180? No, not unless you go back to whatever got you there in the first place. Will it be back at 115? Maybe, but most likely it will be at a healthier BMI than that.

Hedgren has given you a lot of excellent information. You don't need help maintaining....you need help restoring your body back to healthiness. Your main fear is gaining weight back, but that is the unfortunate reality when you restrict your intake too much. I did that before in the past (not on purpose, I tried to eat enough, but I was fasting, and lost ten lbs that month when I already liked my weight...I was not counting my calories, but was obiviously @ a deficit) and yes, I did gain it all back and thensome, but that contributes to my current mindset of not going too fast, or being too hard on my body. Learned from that, and I have been taking my time.

I started at 181 in June (I am 5'5'', so close to your stats) and have made it to 149.2 after less than 5 months. I never go below about 1500 and stay moderately active. I would not trade the strength I feel in my body to eat 1100 calories a day and lose more. I see my body as a constant work in progress, and look froward to next summer, in my bikini. That peace I have with my body and food is awesome. I can look at myself naked and not cringe, eat a donut and enjoy it...as well as vegetables. I pray that you find that place.

But 1600 sounds pretty low....I am hoping that when I reach the final goal, my metabolism will be fast enough to where I can do about 2200-2300 cals a day to maintain...exercise factored in.

I really hope you keep all of the above posters information in mind and get back on track. Best luck!