Eating more to lose more???

Misschrissy2

So I am on day 11 of eating right and hitting the gym every day. So far I'm down a total of 5 pounds. Although I only "count" my weight once a week I can't help but to step on the scale nearly every day just for fun. According to myfitnesspal and my fitbit apps, my goal is to consume around 1260 calories a day, however on day when I have an extra protein shake or eat more meat or just more calories in general, that I'm actually losing more weight. So for example, my biggest weight loss days have been after a 1700 calorie day instead of staying near my 1260. Should I consider raising my calorie consumption goal on a daily basis???? (I burn on average between 2,000-2400 calories a day.)

SezxyStef

your goal should be to eat as much food as you can and still lose the weight.

I eat on average 1800 calories a day and lose....maintenance for me is anywhere from 2k-2400 depending on cardio.

scolaris

I'm the same. Happy with 1 lb a week weight loss. Eat between 1700-2200 calories most days. Very active but not crazy. Since I set a weekly calorie budget based on my goal weight & current activity TDEE I'm actually losing closer to 2 lbs a week. All the women around here who want to say they can't possibly lose above 1000-1200 calories, or even, gulp, manage to choke that much food down? I call bullsh&t. They didn't become 150+ lbs eating air! And they can probably eat more than they think, move around some, and still lose weight. Sort of reminds me of that scene in Gone With the Wind where Scarlett OHara is being encouraged to eat before the big party so potential suitors won't see an 'unladylike' appetite. Hahaha

rjmudlax13

No. Weight loss is not linear. There are many factors in play. A big one is water weight fluctuation. You need to track the long term trend of your weight.

dhimaan

The thought is that if you increase your calories during dieting (a lot of bodybuilders use this strategy) you will have to increase your intensity in the gym otherwise you will gain weight.

kimny72

Your weight doesn't immediately respond to what you are doing on a schedule. If you wake up in the morning and weigh 1 lb less, it could be based on what you ate or how much exercise you did yesterday, or two days ago, or three days ago.

Chart your progress over at LEAST a month. If you are losing faster than you expected, you can eat more. 1260 is pretty low, if you are trying to lose 15 lbs total you should be set to one-half pound or at most 1 pound per week. Good luck!

Misschrissy2

Thank you all for the feedback. I'll wait it out another month and see how it goes before increasing calories.

PAV8888

You can always decrease calories to induce weight loss.
It is harder to increase them once adaptive thermogenesis sets in.

You should be doing things in the opposite order... i.e. try to lose while eating more and decrease your calories if you are not losing at an acceptable pace.

Acceptable pace is losing with adeficit that is about 10% to 20% of your total energy expenditure.

You look pretty normal weight in your picture. It is quite likely that a goal of 0.5lbs a week is what would be appropriate for you assuming that losing weight as opposed to body recomposition is the correct goal for you in the first place.

Given that you go to the gym "every day", I would seriously reconsider your deficit. An excess deficit in the presence of too much exercise will result in the excess loss of lean mass. You probably want to lose fat, not lean mass.

Rest days for muscle repair are a useful thing... because otherwise muscles don't get a chance to repair. And they repair slower at a deficit than when eating at a maintenance or a surplus.

Catabolizing your muscle protein for energy to perform your aerobics class is probably NOT the goal you have in mind.

If you eat 1200 calories and exercise 600, that is exactly what you will do.

if you are willing to weigh yourself every day, congratulations. You're my kind of person. Now go get Libra for Android, or Happy Scale for iPhone, or www.weightgrapher.com on your computer/tablet, or use www.trendweight.com like I do (requires a supported scale, or a free fitbit.com account that you can open without a fitbit device)

The weight trend apps will help you differentiate your underlying weight trend from transient water weight variations.

daniwilford

When I exercise, my appetite is easier to control. When I eat more I have more stamina to exercise harder, longer, and lift heavier. This whole weight loss and fitness thing is a real balancing act. I have adjusted my deficit and my pound per week rate has lowered as I have lost weight. My days of creating a 1000 or more calorie deficits have gone from almost every day to one day a week. Some say, "She who eats the most and still loses weight is the winner." The more research I do, the more I conclude, "She who eats at a sustainable deficit until goal, and then eats at maintenance wins."

Kalikel

I have found that I have big drops after big meals, especially meals with potatoes. I don't get it and cannot explain it. If I thought that eating big meals every day would make me lose more weight, I would do that...but I don't think that. Still, I very often have big drops after big meals.

There is an "Eat More To Lose More" group here, somewhere. Whatever they're doing is working for them. I don't know what they do, exactly, but they're around.

rankinsect

Kalikel wrote: »

I have found that I have big drops after big meals, especially meals with potatoes. I don't get it and cannot explain it. If I thought that eating big meals every day would make me lose more weight, I would do that...but I don't think that. Still, I very often have big drops after big meals.

One theory I've seen circulating is that one way people can "stall" is by retaining water in the emptying fat cells, and eating more carbohydrates can draw water from fat cells into muscle cells for glycogen storage, which is then released when the glycogen is burned.

I wouldn't say it's proven science, but even in Ansel Key's starvation experiments, people often showed very linear fat loss but "stalled" in their weight loss due to persistent water retention, and the days where they were fed more often triggered a drop in retained water.

elisa123gal

I like that idea…. Iv'e been weighing myself everyday..but watching what I eat real close (not logging..trying it without counting) However.. I'm interested to eat more ….and weigh for a week and see if I lose more. It is interesting to experiment to see what works.

Kalikel

rankinsect wrote: »

Kalikel wrote: »

I have found that I have big drops after big meals, especially meals with potatoes. I don't get it and cannot explain it. If I thought that eating big meals every day would make me lose more weight, I would do that...but I don't think that. Still, I very often have big drops after big meals.

One theory I've seen circulating is that one way people can "stall" is by retaining water in the emptying fat cells, and eating more carbohydrates can draw water from fat cells into muscle cells for glycogen storage, which is then released when the glycogen is burned.

I wouldn't say it's proven science, but even in Ansel Key's starvation experiments, people often showed very linear fat loss but "stalled" in their weight loss due to persistent water retention, and the days where they were fed more often triggered a drop in retained water.

Maybe that. Maybe I'm hungrier right before I drop. Maybe it's a ridiculously huge coincidence defying all odds. Maybe lots of stuff.

I don't suggest it as cause and effect, but if I pretended I didn't drop a lot after big meals (almost always with potatoes), I'd be lying.

I did eat a big meal with potatoes just to see if the big meal itself was the trigger, lol. I did NOT drop a bunch after that.

Still, the big drops tend to come after meals with potatoes.

riffraff2112

If you lose consistently, then go for it. A few days isn't enough though. A few months is a better indication than a few days. I also step on the scale dozens of times a week, and I have a hard time predicting what my weight will be based on eating alone.