What are good ways to lose weight when you have slow metabolism?

I can tell you how I did it. First I wrote down everything I ate for two weeks.  EVERYTHING.  Every little bit and I counted or estimated the calories.  I added it up and on average I was eating 1300 to 1500 calories a day  I'm 5'8" and I weighed 180 lbs. I planned a diet that would be 900-1000 cal/day, divided up into 5-6 meals/snacks per day.  I eat mostly whole grains, legumes and vegetables, with a small amount of chicken or fish (I'm talking around an ounce)  added in a couple times a week. Very little yogurt or cheese. I kept the diet fairly unvaried in order to have control and make it simple.  No sugar, or sugar drinks and no refined foods. And of course, NO alcohol.  After the first couple of weeks lost craving for any sweet or rich foods and I never felt hungry. I usually work out around an hour a day It took me 10 months to lose 30 lbs and I've kept the weight off with no problems.  I've slacked off a little bit but mostly still eat the same way, I don't consider it a diet, just the way I eat. You might think it sounds boring and austere, but once you get in the habit, you will find that rich, calorie-laden foods are actually kind of repulsive and make you feel bad. It really is about the calories you take in, and to some extent the kind of calories you eat.  Exercise is good for many reasons and it does help as an adjunct to diet, but you cannot lose weight by exercising it off.

What you need to implement are lifestyle changes. Exercise as a daily habit, not fanatically for five weeks. Eat cabbage soup a few times every week for lunch, not exclusively for a few weeks. Weave weight-loss hacks into your everyday life so that you can't get frustrated and give them up. Weight loss will probably be slow. (How many years did it take you to put on this weight? Why do you expect to lose it so much quicker?) You've got to take some enjoyment in the process and the changes that you're making so that you can stick with them for months or even years. Don't look at the scale. Weight fluctuates throughout the day as you eat, drink, sweat, and excrete. Weight fluctuates throughout women's menstrual cycles. Weight fluctuates as you retain or lose water depending on electrolyte intake. Weight isn't the best measure of the change you're trying to make. Pay attention to how your body looks (and more importantly, how it feels) and how your clothes fit. Those are real, meaningful measurements. Yo-yo dieting isn't a winning strategy for weight loss. Fad diets like the cabbage soup diet are dangerous because they risk slowing down your metabolism even more. Peer support is a really good tool, as well. Start a Facebook group of friends who also want to lose weight, and keep each other accountable.

As has been said calorie deficit is the winner. Couple this with regular exercise. Just eating healthy wont work if your eating too much and could put weight on if done whilst excercising by building muscle. Not necessarily a bad thing as it will change the body shape and thats the real key. Its about how your body feels not what the scale says.

I'm hypothyroid, hypoadrenal and middle aged. It is NOT calories in < calories out. Calories are determined by lighting food on fire and figuring out how much heat is expended, but your body doesn't actually process things that way. It's more like food is a bunch of Legos stuck together, and the energy required is that of separating the Legos. The energy required to burn the Legos is irrelevant. What happens in your body is a complex process. It matters WHAT you eat, very very much. I need to point you to a different answer (hope that's not Quora-illegal; if so I'll come back and re-write....)

You are putting too much emphasis on your scale and lbs.  I did Insanity too and my weight did not move a pound however, I began to love how I looked. Try focusing on other ways of monitoring your progress such as waste measurement, body fat (you can buy a monitor on Amazon for $20), and pictures.

It's going to come down to diet and exercise, my friend.Lots of products out there will tell you they'll speed up your metabolism! Make you lose weight! Correct your failed metabolism!Unfortunately (or fortunately, however you look at it), your metabolism probably hasn't slowed as much as you think.In fact, on average, people only experience a 2-4% decline in resting metabolism per decade.Now, if you do have any overly slow metabolism, it can be helped with good quality food, exercise, sleep, and lots of patience.Most of the time, people feel their slowed metabolism can't be helped.  But it can.  You will need to monitor:- your calorie intake- what your calories are made up of- how much physical activity you're getting on a daily/weekly basis- how much sleep your logging each nightAre you taking in enough calories, to allow your body to start to burn off excess?  Are you taking in too many?Multiplying your bodyweight by 12-14 is a good starting range for determining the number of calories you need to maintain weight, or lose at a sustainable pace.  This is just general, everybody has a different ideal number.Are your calories from processed foods? Alcohol? Eating foods fresh and dense in nutrients will help your body function at it's best.   Stick to the outside aisles of the grocery store, for the most part, and you'll be ok.Are you getting 3-5 hours of exercise a week?  3 hours is a minimum I would recommend when trying to lose weight.  And the main focus should be on strength training (with weights) to help build muscle, and start to correct a slow metabolism.Sleep:  How much you gettin'?If it ain't at least 7 hours, start there.  Seriously.  Start with sleep.  Then try to work on everything else.Hope that helpsAlso, if you like this info, put yourself on my mailing list over at http://TrainWithBrad.com and you can get some cool info on the regular.B.http://TrainWithBrad.com