how long does it take to change your metabolism, because for about a year i destroyed my metabolism by eating under maintenance, and very little carbs, while working out like a madman, pretty much on a cut cycle for over a year, but ever since i found websites like this and i realized more about nutitrion and diet and its importance i have started to eat more like a bodybuilder, more frequent meals and much more carbs and protein. i was just wondering how quick my metabolism can adjust to my changing calorie and nutrient intake.
Posted by: aggies1ut
I'm curious as well because I think that these past few months, I've shot my metabolism to hell. I did just get lab work Friday though. Hopefully, my doc gets the results soon.
Posted by: Monolith
Depends on how out of whack your metabolism is. For me, it took a couple weeks. Just increase your cal's around 200 a day, and eat as frequently as possible.
Posted by: aggies1ut
How much weight did you gain by increasing your calories?
Posted by: aggies1ut
Blah, I know that I need to gradually increase my cals in order to reset my metabolism, but I don't want the accompanied weight gain in the interim.
Posted by: Akateros
It depends; there's no way to really say.
Depending how f*cked up you are, you might actually run into the re-feeding zoom (common among recovering anorexics) where as soon as you start providing your body with sufficient food, it goes into Maximum Overdrive, and you find you're still losing on thousands of cals a day (plus having night sweats and fevers). (This is fun, but do not get used to it if it happens, cos it doesn't last.)
I managed to slow mine to a crawl very early in 2003, and nothing I tried all through that year seemed to cut it... calorie cycles, increasing cardio, more lifting, nothing. Then I headed into this current cut cycle, and for some reason that has boosted me up well into "normal to fast" range -- very encouraging! The only thing I can think of is that I am now eating NO refined sugar at all, and almost all very "clean" unprocessed foods. (Also swigging my green tea.)
No way to know until you try something. But the longer you go at sub-optimal calories, the worse things will get.
Posted by: Vieope
How can you say that you destroyed your metabolism ? What are your goals?
Posted by: Akateros
If a metabolism is really buggered, then it doesn't matter what your goals are, you'll know it. Unless your goals happen to be "eat less than your typical concentration camp inmate while still gaining fat, and being beyond freezing cold all the time. Even in summer." It's a joy.
Posted by: aztecwolf
well for about a year and a half i would lift 6 times a week, run 4-5 times a week, surf sometimes, go biking, just tons of exercis.e, and the only thing i would eat would be tuna salads, turkey sandwiches, and an occasional bowl of oatmeal. i would probably only eat about4 times a day, and my weight dropped all the way to 143 lbs. and i was like "woah" i gotta do somethin, so i started to gradually increase my cals and my carb intake. that was back around thanksgiving and now i am up to about 155-160
Posted by: Sissy
Nice talk on Metabolism. Even tho I'm a little out of your league, Metabolism seems to be a big issue whether losing, building or maintaining? I personally am trying to (lose) before I start to build, I am kicking my Metabolism in overdrive...(been reading on tricks of the trade) like "Green tea, Cinnamon, Hot peppers, and of course the Excercise and what burns more Cals an so on.... I am confident my Metab will shift into gear and the weight will come off. I would imagine the Tricks will be a new when it's time to Maintain & Build? I heard a person say somewhere on this site... that it's ALL a Big Balancing act? good point.
