Calories and Weight Loss

hannah1011z

Hey all, I was wondering if someone could make sense of this for me: I dont understand why if you only eat 1200 calories, and excersize a hole bunch why you lose weight less than if you ate alot more and excersized. It seems like you would lose more because you would be burning the fat the same but not have the extra fat from the food left? Im confused. I already know I dont eat that good to all that look at my diary, im just wondering because it really seems like the less you eat the more you should lose.

jamiek917

our bodies need a certain amount to function properly- and it needs energy to fuel the workouts.

think about operating a car with little gas and low fluid levels as opposed to an efficient level of those things. that doesnt mean to stuff your face-- but it means your body needs nourishment.

heybales

Because your body looks at too big a deficit as a stress, a problem.

If it's constant, then it will slow down it's metabolism and your movements outside the exercise you do, to conserve the few calories left over after exercise to do needed body processes with it.

It will also burn off muscle mass and that slows metabolism down even more.

You'd probably agree that the ultimate deficit for fast weight loss would be to eat nothing and exercise all day long - why do you think that would fail?

Guess what, it happens a whole lot easier than that extreme.

Follow the MFP method if starting out.
Be honest with your daily activity level, sedentary is 40 hr desk job long commute, not much of anything else outside exercise. Most are Lightly Active even with sedentary desk job.
Take the 2lb goal loss right now.

Log your exercise you do that was NOT part of the math for your eating goal, eat those calories back to maintain that reasonable 2 lb loss weekly.

If you think you are smarter than your body and try to make the deficit bigger, you'll probably like majority reach a point where you lose nothing for a long time, showing it would have been smarter to keep the reasonable deficit and lose constantly.

AnvilHead

Because your body looks at too big a deficit as a stress, a problem.

If it's constant, then it will slow down it's metabolism and your movements outside the exercise you do, to conserve the few calories left over after exercise to do needed body processes with it.

It will also burn off muscle mass and that slows metabolism down even more.

You'd probably agree that the ultimate deficit for fast weight loss would be to eat nothing and exercise all day long - why do you think that would fail?

Guess what, it happens a whole lot easier than that extreme.

Follow the MFP method if starting out.
Be honest with your daily activity level, sedentary is 40 hr desk job long commute, not much of anything else outside exercise. Most are Lightly Active even with sedentary desk job.
Take the 2lb goal loss right now.

Log your exercise you do that was NOT part of the math for your eating goal, eat those calories back to maintain that reasonable 2 lb loss weekly.

If you think you are smarter than your body and try to make the deficit bigger, you'll probably like majority reach a point where you lose nothing for a long time, showing it would have been smarter to keep the reasonable deficit and lose constantly.

^ Beat me to it. This, exactly.

KarenJanine

Generally the less you eat the more weight you'll lose. However, consider what you are losing. Lose too fast and your body will not only use fat stores for energy but will also eat into muscle. Decreased muscles = lowered metabolism = regaining the weight once food intake is increased again becomes easier.

Remember that the heart is mostly muscle. Sooner or later the body will start to use it for energy. Decreased heart volume is never something to strive for.

Also, with such a low food intake, it is likely that the body is not getting the required full nutrient profile to sustain bodily functions. Not eating enough fat for example can affect hormonal responses. Continuing to do this for long periods can result in hair loss, brittle nails and dry skin, and in women periods can stop.

Sure if weight loss is your only goal then go ahead, eat less. If you want to be healthy then there are more things to consider.

jetlag

The theory is that you're not burning fat the same. Your body is not a machine.

Your body is always using a combination of fuels in your body, it never uses just one.

Glycogen is the fastest burning. It's like a quick release. It will provide about an hour's worth of intense activity. You need glycogen for all forms of fuel combustion. When you run out, you hit the wall/bonk. Basically, your legs give out and you start speaking in tongues lol

Your body can also use fat, but it is much harder to convert this into a useable form of fuel. Think of it in terms of a high interest yield account where you have to give notice to withdraw your cash).

You can also get energy from muscle mass, which is easier to convert to fuel.

There are also ketones. These are produced following lipolysis, when lipids (fats, in essence) are converted into fatty acids. This is controlled by various hormones. It can be induced by cutting carbs and/or fasting.

Blah, blah. in short, the theory is that if you are working out a lot, then you need to provide fuel for your body so that it doesn't resort to burning muscle instead of fat.

Some people seem to have success with eating puny calories. I don't, but I do fast, so....

I just believe like you should eat what a fit, healthy person eats, not what a dieter eats. My husband is fit and healthy, so I eat what he eats, just in a smaller proportion. He is male, after all.

Act healthy, and you will become healthy.