Do you think our bodies/metabolism become bored?

Bored might not be the right word.  Maybe stagnant.. Maybe some word that would mean "I am used to doing it this way and am only going to do enough to get by the same way I have been"..  

Let me explain what I mean.  For so long we are eating pretty much the same things, same amount of calories, same amount of carbs, etc.  Our bodies know what it needs to do to burn the amount we are eating.  Does our body get into a rut and need to be "shaken up"?  Is it ever helpful to have a 1500 calorie day just to mix it up so our metabolism doesn't get bored?  

I have been the same weight since the beginning of January.  I pretty much eat the same things every day - I am ok with that mentally, but wondering if my body would benefit from a day or 2 of higher calorie eating.  Would that jump start something and kick my metabolism into high gear?  

I don't know.  I am frustrated.  I am staying around the 800-900 calorie per day range (I don't know how some of you can eat only 700 calories per day and still get in the nutrients you need - I would be starving).  I am getting 80-90g protein per day, drinking my water and staying below 40-50 carbs.  I walk everyday (well at least 5 times per week).  

I was thinking maybe if I kicked it up to 1200 calories for a day or 2 maybe it would get it going again.

Thoughts?

I would change up your exercise routine. Our bodies get used to the same exercise and do not burn as many calories. Walking isn't always enough. Add in some weight training to preserve your muscle mass and it will increase your caloric burn. To burn calories more efficiently, one's exercise routine needs to be changed every few weeks.  Interval training will really shock your system to burn more calories and fat.

gail

Thanks, I will try that!

Yes. Keep changing your exercise routine and the foods you eat about every 2 weeks.

Yes, I firmly believe our bodies adapt to what we are doing and "shaking things up" is useful. However, for ME - shaking things up would not mean increasing calories. Decreasing calories for a day or so would be a choice I would make, but I only eat 480-520 now, so don't go lower. I agree varying exercise is great and there are other ways to make tweaks in your food.

For the past few days a couple of us have been drinking green smoothies and protein drinks exclusively as a way to change things up. I am not suggesting you do that, just pointing out there are ways to make changes that might be more effective than increasing calories.

Annie

Can you guys post what a 700 calorie or less day would look like for you?  I honestly feel like I would be starving at that low amount..  Post menus, please!!  :)

I don't know how far out you are, but I wouldn't go below 700-800 cal/day, if you are further out than 6 months. The last amount of weight is the most difficult to get off, and high intensity interval training and weights will help you the most. It helped me to lose the last amount of weight and has helped me to back into range, when a few pounds have found me.

Yes, increase your calories a day or two a week, but only increase with lean protein, low carb veggies or a tablespoon of olive oil.

I'm with Gail on this one. Shake up your exercise. Add weight training - it will kick those pounds off much faster than light cardio! Honest!!!!!

I did not mess with my calories. I kept them right around 800 until goal. However, I did adjust the make up of those 800 calories to make sure I was getting 100 grams of protein the last two months of weight loss. I believe that is what did the trick - 800 calories, 100 grams of protein and keeping under 40 carbs per day AND lots of exercise.

Just my two cents. Anyhow, it's what worked for me.

Thisis an area people don't really understand and some of the things people say have me shaking my head. Our bodies don't get "bored." What they get is proficient.

Think of doing an exercise like learning to play the piano. At first you are playing something like Mary Had a Little Lamb. And it's REALLY HARD. It takes all your concentration and you still make a lot of mistakes. But soon you master it. You can play it with your eyes closed and hardly any concentration.

If you then switch to playing a song that is only has hard as Mary Had  Little Lamb, you will need to concentrate slightly harder because the notes are slightly different but you are going to master it pretty quickly and it's not really asking that much more of you and your piano skills. So your piano teacher is going to ask you to learn a new song that pushes you to the next level of piano playing. And it will be as hard to play as Mary Had a Little Lamb was in the beginning. And then you'll move up to the next level. And the next. And soon you'll be playing Beethoven piano concertos.

Or maybe you'll get to a certain level and decide that's as far as you want to go and you don't work on any harder pieces, just different pieces of the same level. That's okay but you aren't going to be challenging yourself like you were in the beginning.

So, yes, you have to mix it up but you can't mix it up with just any exercise. For example, if you do Zumba, changing to something just like Zumba only a different kind of music isn't really much of a change. And you don't necessarily have to go out and find something completely different either. You can continue to do the exercises you like only do them longer or harder. Like lifting with more weights or running faster or a longer distance.

All of these things will ask MORE of your body so your body continues to pu****self and to improve and therefore continues to burn a lot of calories doing these exercises instead of just coasting along doing the exercise equivalent of Mary Had a Little Lamb.