Got my Resting Metabolic Rate medically tested...some questions

Yesterday I got my Resting Metabolic Rate tested at the hospital. I had this done because I have hit a six month weight loss plateau, and in order to plan my caloric intake better I wanted to know exactly how many calories I was burning, and not rely on the generalized online calculators.

Given the fact that I've not been able to loose any weight for so long, despite exercising six days a week, the results were surprising. I was expecting my metabolism to be low, but in fact it was 6% higher than predicted from my stats, at 2376 kcal/day. Given that number, combined with the huge number of calories I've been expending in exercise, it appears I have been running several hundred calories under maintenance levels daily. I've been taking in about 2400 kcals daily, but burning about 1000 or more; the computer said my minimum daily caloric balance should be no less than 1900. Today on my long bike ride I burned 2077 kcals!

Here is what I don't understand: my belief was that eating too few calories would lead to a lower metabolism, and thus no weight loss, because the body wants to conserve what it has....at least, this is how it is explained on several internet health sites. Yet, I've been under-eating, and my metabolism is still running high. So, is the bit about the body trying to hold on to what it has true, but perhaps some other mechanism stopping me from loosing weight?

Hi guy!

You didn't give your height and weight... how close to your goal are you?

generally, if you eat too little, your body goes into starvation mode and stores fat like crazy because it thinks you aren't eating enough and might not get enough in the future...  instead of burning off the fuel (what you eat) that is converts the fuel and stores as fat...  and yes, that's generally described as a slower metabolism, from what i've read/heard... i think.

are you taking any medications that might slow weight loss, like steroids (prednisone) for asthma?

or... have you been exercising and converting body fat to muscle? muscle tissue weighs more than fat tissue... so if as you tone and strengthen, you will lose your body fat, slim down and tone up and become stronger (leaner, more compact ~ lean, mean, fighting machine ;)...  but as the body adjusts.... you will see weight loss slow....   because you are replacing the lighter weight skin and tissue with muscle... 

if you are close to your goal... this may explain the slower movement of the scale... and this is where measurements begin to tell more of the story...

ayeguy, I've never been impressed with the idea that eating fewer calories puts you into starvation mode and thus reduces your metabolism.  I think that only happens in the extreme cases for prolonged periods of time, and applies to gross consumption, not net consumption after rigorous exercise.

But, to your plateau.  If you have been running a long time, you probably are not burning as many calories as you did initially.  that is the remaining unknown -- just how much are you burning during your exercise.

The second possibility is that your diet is lacking in some nutrient, so your body isn't metablozing the fat as well as it could.  Check your protein level (actual grams, not %), your calcium level (and along with that, your Vitamin D and magnesium levels).  If they consistently are not at the DRI, then you should make some changes in your diet and/or take supplements. 

I'm 5'8" and currently 233 lbs.; I started at 350 lbs. and my goal weight 175, so I have quite a long way to go.

Basically, what I'm asking if "starvation mode" is seperate from "metabolism". I just found out my metabolism is higher than average, and also that I'm taking in calories at a level below Maintenance. So, something doesn't make sense. Two weeks ago I got blood tests, and everything looked real good.

I just got an Omron body fat monitor to see if in fact I'm displacing fat with muscle, but I don't have enough data yet to say. But, I sure don't feel trim and muscular, since I still have quite a lot of bodyfat (30.6%, according to the Omron).

I also got a Polar heart rate monitor last week, which also calculates calories burned; it tells me I'm actually burning MORE cals per day than I thought...about 1000, which when subtracted from the RMR of 2376 gives me a typical daily balance of +1376, well below the 1900 minimum the RMR test counselor told me.

yes, but... with all you've lost... and all the exercise you do, have you noticed a build up of muscles?  that's not to say that you don't have more fat to lose, but have you been increasing your strength and stamina... 

the news looks gr8 on your resting metabolism rate. 

i agree with manewell, that starvation mode occurs after sustained periods of eating too little.... not just after a day or 2 of reduced calories...

also, patience is required to lose weight... if you are cutting back 500 cals a day... that is 7 days at the same weight... and most reputable source say that 1 - 2 lbs a week is a safe rate to lose... 

the question i would also ask is... what are you losing over the period of a month... which generally shows the average weekly loss and smooths out water weight fluctuations from salt retention and other body processes that make weight fluctuate from day to day...

That's just the thing...I havent lost ANY weight in the past six months. I weigh only once a month, same day, same time of day to minimize any fluctuations.

I see most people here measure their Plateaus in terms of a week or two...Patience? Ive been at this three years now.

wow! 

ok, then i'm not sure...

you've had your thyroid and hormones checked and things?

my mumsie went through a similar thing but when she had her rmr checked she was only burning 10 cals per lb...  which is usually enough to lose weight....  so her loss is painfully slow and she has to eat very little anyway or gains it right back.  don't know if it's from all the yo-yo crash dieting she did that slowed it down or some other metabolic process related to her medical conditions.

now... the thing is to look at how you are measuring foods...  are you cooking your own so you know truly what is in the food.  or do you have an accurate guide from packaging?  are you eating out or combining foods so you don't really know what the accurate calorie count is?

for example... sometimes a flake cereal might say 3/4 c = 1 serving = xxx # of grams... but if you weigh the cereal for grams then pour it into a cup it turns out to be more or less... than the 3/4 c.

when i started i mis-read my reference and thought it said that 1/2 c noodles = 1/2 c rice...  but it was 1/2 c nooles = 1/3 cup rice... and if you have 3 servings x 1/3 c = 1 cup but 3 servings times 1/2 c = 1 1/2 cups.  big difference... more than 1 whole extra serving...

the other thing... is estimating cals burned during exercise which can vary based on intensity and duration...

quirks lips... stumped for more thoughts...

hey... check out this other discussion here on calorie-count. 

http://www.calorie-count.com/forums/post/1453 6.html

also, check out these links from mayoclinic...

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/slow-metabol ism/AN00618

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/metabolism/W T00006

ayeguy, let's see if I got this straight.

2376 BMR

+2077 burned on bike ride

=4473 total calories burned

-2400 calories consumed

= 2073 net deficit in calories

You should be losing 4 lbs a week.

The only logical explanation is that you are losing fat but gaining an equivalent amount of muscle, so they cancel each other out weight wise.

And that is good.  You are currently at 30% fat, so continue to monitor it and see if that % goes down, even if your weight doesn't. 

If your fat % does not go down in the next few weeks, I'd do what others say has worked for them -- up your calories to just a 500 deficit for about a week or two, and then cut back down to about a 1000 calorie deficit.  I, too, would be loathe to do that, but for some people it has shocked their body out of a plateau.

But you definitely have not harmed your metabolism -- it is very healthy.

I wasn't losing anything for about 2 weeks - very discouraging as I had just basically started (was a month into my diet)...

No matter how much I exercised or what have you, I wasn't losing.

I upped my calories and then the weight started dropping. (just this week, i lost 3lbs)

Have you visited a nutritionist? You probably aren't eating enough for the amount of exercise you do, and if that is the case, then whatever you are eating, your body is storing ("starvation mode").

you should be aiming for a deficit of 500-1000 cals daily (which will give you a 1-2lb weight loss each week.

wow that is a HUGE calorie deficit, I really think you need to be eating alot more. I work out 6 days a week and I know from experience that if I don't eat enough I don't lose the weight, either that or I eat to little and end up binging :S

As a note, if you aren't already, make sure your calorie intake is spread out over the day (but don't eat after 8pm-ish). This will keep your metabolism going all day at about the same high rate. For example, same calorie count total, just 5-6 smaller meals (1 every 3 hours or so).