I damaged my metabolism. What do I do, and how can I get back to healthy weight loss?

[ajwilson1000]

Background info, I'm male, 5'11" and 200 lbs. I workout twice a week with 50 mins cardio and 30 mins lifting. In the past year, I've lost nearly 70 lbs of fat and put on a small amount of muscle. I take a multivitamin to retore nutrient deficits.

This is the first time I've ever seriously attempted losing weight or getting fit, and being a newb, I went about it all wrong.

I cut calories in massive deficits and unknowingly forced my body into starvation mode for months, severely damaging my metabolism. I lost hair, libido, energy. It was awful. Eventually I stopped losing weight.

I'm aware of the problem now and trying to fix it, but I don't really know how to go about doing it.

The first thing I did was up my net calories to my BMR of 2300 a day for about 2 weeks. I gained a pound, so I take that as a good sign.

My question is thus threefold. A) Is that a long enough maintenance period to heal my metabolism? B) At what calorie level should I net to safely lose 1 pound a week? C) How many weeks in a row eating at deficit is safe?

Thanks for any and all input.

 

[Dan L]

There isn't some magic calorie number to lose weight. We all burn different amounts of calories in a day based on our metabolism and activity level. Below I will tell you how to increase your calorie intake,..Don't just bump up your calories as your metabolism won't have time to catch up!

Your goal is going to be to increase your calories by 50-100 per day a week at a time. So, if you’re eating 1200 now, this week you are going to eat 1250. Next week you’ll eat 1300. You will feel better by increasing your calories and getting more nutrients. It will take you 12 weeks to increase your calorie intake by 600 calories.

If you gain a little weight during this, ignore it as this is more than likely not fat if you are still exercising. This is good weight that will improve you energy levels and make you more fit. Once you get to a place where you are maintaining your weight, you can cut your calories slightly (by maybe 50) and watch yourself get shredded as you continue your exercise!!