Midway Help!!!! Messed up Metabolism(starvation mode)!

[Guest]

Hey Hey all,
I am a 19 year old female that is 5'4 and weighs anywhere from 142-146lbs and wants to lose about 30 more pounds.

From October of 2007 to June of 2008 I lost about 40lbs going from 180 to about 138-140.

The first 20lbs I lost through eating about 1200 calories a day with 15 minutes of sprint/jog/walk/ repetitions and 15 minutes of yoga( I lost it very rapidly and it took about 2 months).

The last 20 I lost through weight lifting and some cardio while being somewhat conscious of what I ate (for about 4 months with a loss of 10lbs) and then I began a strict 1200 calorie and 1 hour run (6-8 miles) a day routine, without much weight resistance training ( I was not eating my workout calories, so I was eating about 600-800 calories a day in actuality). I lost the last 10lbs with this last cycle.

After losing the last 20lbs I hit a wall. I simply couldn't lose anymore and I couldn't get any lower than 138. I became extremely discouraged (and overwhelmed) due to my inability to lose weight and the then current changes in my life. So after losing about 40lbs (from 180lbs to 138lbs) I gave up.

Since then (its been about 7 months) I have gained back about 5lbs (within the 1st month or so) and maintain a weight from 142-146 (have done so for the past 6 months) . This is without applying my most healthiest lifestyle techniques and learnings and without paying a great deal of attention to what I eat and how I eat.

NOW I am looking to lose the rest of my weight, but am clueless as to where to go. I feel as though the last cycle of my weight loss may have messed up my metabolism and forced my body into starvation mode (which would part of the explanation for the 5lbs gained back). I am also thinking that my muscle mass was somewhat depleted from all the running and no weight training (I was running 5- 7 days a week)


For the past few months (since Thanksgiving) I have made many attempts to get back on track and begin losing my last 30lbs (I would like to be a healthy 115lbs with mainly muscle). But my old programs don't work for my new body or my new schedules (I am going through a lot of changes)

I do not know how many calories I should be eating because my days/weeks/months vary with activity and I do not know what type of exercises I should be doing in order to keep my body away from starving. I have searched diet books and everything but there is not much information on my situation (not sure if it is a plateau or starvation or both).

I have always been a muscular and fit person even when I was over weight but now i feel weaker and less firm although my muscles are still kinda there.

Here Are some pics of my body type! I am a supposed mesomorph or something like that. I am very curvy and thought I had larger bones but after losing the weight I have small wrists, ankles, a thin neck, and a small back. I am not as solid as I thought I was. My frame is very small compared to the weight I carry and I get worried that it could be really bad for my health with this extra weight.

I just need some pointers on where to start, where to go, and what to do. I feel like I got lost all of a sudden. I use Myfitnesspal.com as a calorie counter and I have worked out all my emotional ties to food. I just need some guidance from anyone who might have a clue as to where I should go. I would really appreciate it!

Teria


Excuse the horridness of the pics but I was NOT picture prepared.

Here are some pictures of me @ 1 around 170

And Here is one @ around 146 before i lost the final 8 lbs

 

[Darth Pooh]

Ok, first off, you should be eating close to 1500-1600 (body weight x 11-12) calories a day for weight loss for your size. There is a much more complicated formula, but I am not trying to show off my math skills and I bet that you could careless about it (the number comes out to be fairly the same).

You're right, you probably did jack up your metabolism the first time around, dieting too low just screws up a lot of body processes (hell dieting in general will do that, let alone TOO low). Most of them are too complicated and unnecessary to speak about but, the point is, more sensible caloric reductions allow for you to be able to reduce your calories later as you lose more weight (in which you will, because moving around less weight requires less energy). 1200 calorie days will shut down vital processes because the body thinks you are simply not eating enough (those vital processes usually help in mobilizing fatty tissue, catch 22 situation here).

As far as body types go... there aren't cut and dry boundries. You could be an endo with some meso qualities. It's fairly unimportant, you should really refocus your efforts on your program you used before but with less extreme calorie reductions.

 

[Guest]

Thank You, I really appreciate the information. I was never really on a diet, but more of a half assed lifestyle change. I just kinda misunderstood the calorie thing and opted for the less is more (bad idea).

 

[Darth Pooh]

It isn't the end of the world, and hey, you made some good progress on the "half-assed" attempt... imagine what you can do with real knowledge

Good luck!