Nat
you are not me, and you have no idea what kind of shape I was in when I was running and limiting calories-you are going by what you are reading not something you have tried to do, so when you get actual experience yourself you can comment. You have no right to judge what I did and to in effect judge me.
I was trim and lean, was doing weight training and running 50 min. on a treadmill, 5 days a week and when I got off the treadmill I was not out of breath, and my pulse was normal.
I am not telling anyone to limit themselves to 900 a day, I am saying I did do that, and lost weight and kept it off and did not lose muscle, but gained muscle and lost fat. Thats a fact, if you knew me and saw me you would know that to be true. That was the best shape I have been in in my life.
This plan should teach you to self limit-without counting calories-to eat until satisfied-to let your body tell you when you are satisfied. Not to go too long without eating not more than 4 hours-all of those things together are what I am advocating.You should eat when you are hungry until satisfied, and then if you find you are not hungry go by the 4 hour check. Few people have been reported to be starved on atkins. I am still looking for one.
How do you make sure your metabolism is in good 'shape'? Exercise, the more you do the better your metabolism will be.
How do you increase your metabolism by 10%? Eat smaller meals more frequently, no large ones and make sure to eat breakfast.
Losing weight quickly or slowly is something that is up to an individual to decide that they want to do. I am going a slower more healthy route than I did last time. But last time I felt much better about myself more quickly which helped me to stay motivated to work out long after I'd stopped counting calories and probably went up to 2000 a day but kept if off with the running.
Again, do not make assumptions about what I did when I was losing at 900 a day because of things you have read about metabolism. In my case it worked, and I did not lose muscle but did lose fat and looked and felt my best. I am not doing that now and am much more conscious of whats good for me health wise, but that doesnt negate my success when I did do that. How did I keep the weight off? I exercised, ate all the carbs I wanted and stayed at goal until an accident put me in bed for almost a year. No exercise-eating while depressed from my injury and the weight came back on.
Best way to make weight loss stick? Exercise 5 days a week at something that will challenge your body and get your heart rate up.