Basal Metabolic Rate & all that junk

Yesterday, I went to my doctor for my re-exam. (This is a test done every twelve weeks or so to see how my body is holding adjustments and maintaining overall health.) We discussed the whole veggie cleanse thing. He was disappointed that it didn't work as he'd hoped (to kickstart/shock my metabolism into gear). I asked him if it even had enough time to work since I only did a day and a half of it. He said, "Yes, it should've shocked it. But it didn't. And we need to figure out why."

So he did some searching in my chart to see if we'd done a basal metabolic test. This is a test that determines what calorie intake I would need to have to maintain weight by doing nothing more than laying in bed. We did do a BMT in early spring 2008. My rate was 1550-1570. This means, if I'm not doing anything else, I should maintain my weight by taking in 1550-1570 calories a day. I'm *not* taking in that few amount, although I should be. I'm usually roughly between 1700-2000 calories a day. Even so, with the amount of physical activity I'm doing, I should *still* be losing weight, even if slowly and I'm not - I lose 5lbs, I gain 5lbs. This particular BMT was done in 2008, so we're doing another test on the 25th to get a more accurate reading. We'll also do a Ragland's test, to see if my adrenal system is functioning correctly. (You can Google these to find out what they are.)

I asked him how we can get my metabolic rate to go up because I just can't (i.e. "won't") survive on 1500 calories or less. He said to just continue doing what I'm doing by working out. The higher the lean tissue mass I have, the higher that metabolic rate will be. Seems easy enough and makes sense, but he and I are still concerned as to why my metabolism seemed to work fine last summer and now is back to working like this. (Hence the reason we're testing on the 25th.)

Until then, I'm not freaking out. I'm not changing anything. Gonna keep busting ass at the gym and eating healthy. Still drinking hoards of water. Not much else I can do until we know what I'm dealing with. If it turns out that there is a problem with my thyroid or adrenal system, there are supplements I can take and things I can do dietary- and exercise-wise that will help correct it.

Just wanted to give an update for those who were wondering what all the talk was about my basal metabolic rate.