Extra low RMR

[Anonymous]

Just found out my RMR is about 1100 calories. That is so low. I have hypothyroidism and I take medicine to control it but clearly the medicine isn’t a fix for my metabolism.

Now I know why it’s nearly impossible for me to lose weight without extreme food restriction.

Does anyone have any experience with this or advice on if/how to increase RMR? I already exercise 6 days/wk including running, weight training, and swimming.

[Anonymous]

How did you find out?

[Anonymous]

Dexa scan

[Anonymous]

If you've been trying to diet your whole life, you probably have low rmr as your body as adapted to prevent any future weight loss.

The only way to improve it is to stop dieting. If you want to minimize fat gain, you can also try to raise calories slowly every week. I also believe you're supposed to stop doing cardio and focus on weight training. Try googling "reverse diet."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you've been trying to diet your whole life, you probably have low rmr as your body as adapted to prevent any future weight loss.

The only way to improve it is to stop dieting. If you want to minimize fat gain, you can also try to raise calories slowly every week. I also believe you're supposed to stop doing cardio and focus on weight training. Try googling "reverse diet."

OP here -

not a "dieter" my whole life. I run and work out alot because I love it but I've noticed that I don't lose weight even when I try specific periods of like reducing carbs, increasing protein, reducing calories, etc. Which now makes sense given that my RMR is so low.

[Anonymous]

Building muscle raises RMR. The more muscle the better. Although are you really short?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you've been trying to diet your whole life, you probably have low rmr as your body as adapted to prevent any future weight loss.

The only way to improve it is to stop dieting. If you want to minimize fat gain, you can also try to raise calories slowly every week. I also believe you're supposed to stop doing cardio and focus on weight training. Try googling "reverse diet."

OP here -

not a "dieter" my whole life. I run and work out alot because I love it but I've noticed that I don't lose weight even when I try specific periods of like reducing carbs, increasing protein, reducing calories, etc. Which now makes sense given that my RMR is so low.

NP. You may not have been dieting but did you under-eat? I had my calories super low for my level of exercise. I was freezing all the time. I met with a dietician and she upped my calories. I basically started eating about 300-400 more calories a day. I put on a ton of muscle (confirmed by dexa scans). Now I’m losing weight without changing my calorie intake. Not everyone should aim for 1200 calories to lose weight because it really can mess up your body.