metabolism slowing?

[tengle56]

ive been lifting weights seriously for about a year and i have made some serious gains in muscle mass and strength. but i have always had some belly fat and such because i used to eat very badly. but about two and half months ago i started cutting and dieting very hardcore because now instead of just trying to get big im trying to get ripped. i went from 210 to about 180 and i seem to be stuck there right now. i think it might be because im not eating enough calories. i eat anywhere from 1500 to 2000 with low carb, hi protein. my bmr is about 2000 and i lift 5 days a week and do cardio 6/7 days a week. am i eating to little for my metabolism to stay up?

 

[Gutterpump]

Do you do refeeds or carb ups? If you are on a low carb diet, you should look into a CKD (cyclical ketogenic diet). Sounds like that's what you want to keep progressing.

 

[babywifey]

It could just be that your body has gotten used to a calorie deficit and needs a break from it. Try bumping your cals back up to maintenance for around a month. Giving your body a break from a deficit can be quite beneficial.

 

[tengle56]

Yeah, thats what I've been thinking. Thanks!

 

[Gutterpump]

Yeah, thats what I've been thinking. Thanks!

A 1 day refeed should be all it takes, if you're doing a cut and don't want to delay your weight loss. Binge for a day on all sorts of food, lots of carbs too, and your metabolism /leptin / hormones, etc will thank you.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Yeah you need a while off the diet for things to reset. I'm doing that very thing at the moment. I'm at about 11% bf and kinda stuck so I have eaten more this past week, cut back my cardio pretty good the last 2 weeks. I'm still dieting but I've been having a lot more cheats and refeeds. After today I am going for the finishing touches on my cut hardcore. I will lower cals again and slowly up cardio again over the next 4 weeks or so.

The body needs a break after a long dieting period. My guess is a week every 8-12 weeks depending on the person. That should normalize you and get you back on track.

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