Is there a certain percent by which metabolism slows if you go under a certain caloric intake?

Question: I have recently (within the past 6 months) put on about 15 lbs from stress eating and lack of exercise. I have a history of yo yo dieting and am wondering how much this affects my attempt to lose the weight now. My bmr is about 1350 but i have been very careful to watch my calorie intake and even at 1200, i do not lose and find myself even gaining! Is there a certain % by which metabolism slows if you go under a certain caloric intake? Thanks for the help.

Answer: Everyone's metabolism varies so there is no certain per cent by which metabolism slows if you go under a certain calorie intake. It is usually recommended not to go under 1200 calories. If your body goes into starvation mode (you eat half the amount of food that your body needs), the body tries to spend as little energy as possible and this prevents you from losing weight rapidly. Also, the body tries to use its own reserves to get energy and you begin to lose muscle.

Your metabolic rate depends on many factors including the amount of muscle you have. For more info on this, please see How to increase metabolism? [1].

The good news is that yo-yo dieting does not lower your metabolism permanently. If you restricted your calories intake too much and did not do exercises, you have less muscle now than at the time you started dieting. However, you can increase your activity level and the amount of exercises you do and this will help you gain more muscle.

You should think about the things that make you gain weight. If it is stress, the first thing you should do is learn how to recognize and handle stress. Chronic stress disrupts the hormones that regulate everything from appetite to fat storage. You should spend more time on relaxation and exercises (for example, you can try yoga). When stressed, people tend to lose sleep. However, if you do not get enough sleep, you may gain weight. Most people need to sleep 7-9 hours.