EATING MORE to LOSE WEIGHT!?! Anyone else had this experience!?!?

linalovekitty726

100% I agree. I lose more when I eat more calories and dont skip meals. Every meal is balanced and high fat , animal protein, complex carb and I also do full fat dairy. I limit sugars and breads but if I do dessert I go for richness over sugar. The less I eat the less I lose

The reason for this has to do w insulin levels being maintained and thus releasing fat. The second the body feels under nourished it starts releasing hormones that can cause fat storage. Some ppl r way more suseptible to this than others.

Quasita

I see a lot of people calling bunk but the reality is, people who are in disordered eating patterns for extended periods of time do not have average rates of metabolism, have to rehab their intakes, and often need to eat more and more often in order to lose weight, particularly when said person was extremely restrictive.

I ate on *average* 900-1100 calories a day, which for my height and weight was almost 1/3 of maintenance, for about 9 years. During that time, I would have random binge episodes that were mostly episodes of self-harm... and no, I didn't just burn those calories off in the subsequent days. I gained a lot of weight through destructive eating habits. When I finally started working with a trainer, I was given a 1600 calorie diet that was considered a cut, and an exercise regimen.
I ended up developing refeeding syndrome and becoming very ill, and over the course of 2 months gained at a rate of about 2lbs/week. If you were to ask MFP "gurus" they would say this is impossible.

Well, it's not impossible when you are in clinical starvation, which is a real thing. Fasting/fed testing showed that my thyroid function was near non-existent after a 12 hour fast. However, given a glucose infusion, it responded normally, and continued to do so for about an hour after the "meal." At that point, my thyroid again, shut down. I had literally trained my body to refuse burning calories for the majority of my day, because I would typically eat 1, maybe 2 meals a day.

This required almost a year of hormone therapy to regulate thyroid function, a concerted effort to prioritize eating, and therapy for me, as well as an acceptance that I could not rely on any hunger impulses (or lack thereof) to direct my need for food.

Now, before you all jump me, I know my situation is not common... But my point is, if you do it long enough, and the OP is talking about being in their late 50s/early 60s... You can affect things pretty significantly. Rehabbing your diet, and increasing your intake, can break that biological cycle...

For some people, it really does matter when and how often they eat. If I were to eat all my calories in one fell swoop within 4 hours like some people do, I would see zero progress... My quickest loss rate was 5-6lbs a week, and I ate 4-6k calories a day, but eating a serving of almonds or other proteins and fats every hour on the hour. When I last the job, and the cash to maintain that? My weight loss stalled. It is entirely possible OP, and you should listen to your professionals first and foremost.

rcktgirl05

I was initially eating around 1100-1200 calories a day when I started. I had gradually increased my exercise but then hit a plateau. When I increased my calories to 1450, I started losing again. This is with logging every single thing that went in my mouth, no slips and no forgetting little things. I believe this can happen. For me, I need to change it up every so often, I can't get too comfy at any one calorie level because my body adapts and then hangs on to fat for dear life!

But even though I was eating more, it was still a deficit. That is the key.

asianbarbielee

Can you pls help me they said to be free from night eating sybdrome i should refeed my self and up my calories a bit even not working is that true? I eat 145p cal a day inly do some yoga and pilates thrice a week 3o mins

Mysterious_Dreamer

I'm currently doing EM2WL and love it, I am currently doing a metabolism reset. Every week I add 100 calories until I reach my TDEE (I keep adding 100 calories until I see a steady gain) then I take a 10% cut. I've done this before, I had my calories at 2500 before I saw ANY gain. 500 calories above my online TDEE. I did have a mjor slip and started restricting (life events happened) I've currently gone from 1300 calories to 1700 calories and losing weight.

trigden1991

Eating more than what?

If you eat more than maintenance you will gain weight.
If you eat more than 0 calories (but less than maintenance), you will lose weight.

Your post is both misguiding and ill-informed.

LivingtheLeanDream

What has happened is WHAT and HOW MUCH you are eating now compared to before. Before when you felt you were eating little the foods/meals must have been calorie dense. Better food choices are lower in calories usually and when we eat less than we burn, we lose. Perhaps before you didn't count calories either?

As such I eat a lot more now than I did when I needed to lose weight. But when I was heavier I didn't count calories. I promptly forgot about all those chocolate bars that were little snacks for one thing.

sweetjay92

I am new to MFP and this method known as EM2WL and omg this message boards are so harsh and mean. I understand people have different views or are not all that educated, but there are different and better ways to say things when you don't agree with someone, in a very respectful manner. jesus...........

heybales

You've just proven out what study after study has shown.

When you diet too extreme (likely what you did prior) - your body adapted by slowing you down daily - less active.
Some people do long enough to experience metabolic changes - slower hair/nail/skin growth, or trouble producing as much heat to stay warm.

Body will find a way as best it can - but you can keep eating less and less and overcome that adaption - sadly it's a rather rough state for the body at that point.
Energy levels usually low, workouts suck, hangry, ect.

So you ate more, your body sped up and burned more, but you still ate less than you burned now.
Workout probably became better, that many times means burning more too, and possibly requiring more repair so burning more there too.

Congrats.

gamerbabe14

The more I ate, the more I gained weight...I should donate myself to science.

stanmann571

Kamikazeflutterby wrote: »

First, congratulations on your weight loss. I am glad you've found something that works for you.

That being said, I highly, highly doubt that you were eating "less" calorie wise before or your weight would have been lower before. You might not remember or "count" some snacks, or beverages with calories, etc. that you were eating before. A "reasonable" dinner could have easily been 1200 calories by itself. Or you might misremember the amounts. I know with different portions my husband can easily eat an extra 500-800 calories compared to me at the exact same meal.

Another contributing factor is this: the foods people consider "clean" and "unprocessed" tend to be less calorie dense. You can have a gigantic salad with a vinaigrette for 250 calories or a buttered roll. It is really, really hard to overdo calories with some food choices even if you eat a high volume of food.

All of this said, congrats on your 22lbs and good luck with the new exercises. Sounds like you've found a way to do this that you enjoy.

My dinner is routinely 1600 calories, and it's not all that large looking.

ndj1979

first - congrats on your weight loss..

However, I highly doubt that you went from eating in a sustained deficit to a calorie surplus and lost weight....more than likely there is some error in your logging and your calorie intake was off.

How long were you eating 1100 to 1200 calories for? Could be a case of adaptive thermogenesis...

singingflutelady

sweetjay92 wrote: »

I am new to MFP and this method known as EM2WL and omg this message boards are so harsh and mean. I understand people have different views or are not all that educated, but there are different and better ways to say things when you don't agree with someone, in a very respectful manner. jesus...........

You bumped a necro thread to judge us?

ndj1979

natajane wrote: »

I'm starting to see this too!

I've always been a firm believer in calories in and calories out and used to think this eating more thing was rubbish.. I have about 80lbs to lose in total. I had been eating 1400 cals and losing 1.5lbish a week. I struggled to stick with it, i end up giving in at some point.

I started doing meditation to help with some background issues i have, to help me feel more positive and confident in being healthier and to see if i could make this more natural to me and so stay with it. As part of that, i realised that i've spent most of my life eating what other people expect me to eat - not eating how or what or when i myself actually wanted to eat.

So I decided i'd stop calorie counting for a few weeks and eat how my body WANTED to for a while. I would still log everything though. I accepted i'd probably eat tonnes, and gain weight but i felt it was important to feel this eating freedom for me for at least a few weeks as part of the longer term process. I started eating when i feel physically hungry, and i eat what i like! Whether its weird, healthy or not healthy! If i want a prawn cocktail at my desk at 3pm, thats what i eat. I eat til i'm nearly full. If i don't feel hungry at dinner time, i don't eat. If i do, i eat. There's no rules! If i wake and i'm starving for protein, i have a hot breakfast. I have to say, my body hasn't really wanted junk food which has shocked me. I've been wanting nuts and fruit and fish.

Anyway, to cut to it, I tend to end my day between 1800-1900 calories now. I've lost 3lbs, 4cm off my waist, 1cm off my thigh in a week.

I don't understand how this is happening. How can there be a table of cake near me at work and I'm not interested? Is it the meditation? Is it that i know i can eat it if i want it? I do seem to be moving more, i don't feel so tired and i sleep better from not eating big meals on a night now. Perhaps its that?

Whatever case - if this works for you, go for it. No more following the rules when it comes to our bodies, we are all so different - we make our own rules.

how do you know you are eating 1800 to 1900 if your are not accurately tracking what your intake is??????

ndj1979

Aria_Luna wrote: »

I'm weirded out by why everyone is struggling understanding this. If you eat a small amount of calories, it lowers your metabolism because your brain compensates. So if you eat a reasonable amount of calories but still at a deficit, you will generally lose weight faster than someone at a severe deficit. Congrats!

that takes year to happen ...

heybales

ndj1979 wrote: »

Aria_Luna wrote: »

I'm weirded out by why everyone is struggling understanding this. If you eat a small amount of calories, it lowers your metabolism because your brain compensates. So if you eat a reasonable amount of calories but still at a deficit, you will generally lose weight faster than someone at a severe deficit. Congrats!

that takes year to happen ...

A year, for the lowers metabolism aspect of comment?

How about 3 months at not a huge deficit. Even more at a huge deficit.
How quick though? Well, they didn't measure before 3 months that was reported in the study.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/heybales/view/reduced-metabolism-tdee-beyond-expected-from-weight-loss-616251

JustRobby1

It's not a complicated matter. Weight loss is a very simple matter at it's core: CICO/thermodynamics. Increasing calories won't help you lose weight. It would be biologically and physiologically impossible for an increase in caloric intake it to aid in this process. Quite the opposite in fact.

Anybody who claims this as a reality (and does not have some kind of exceptionally rare genetic condition) is either mistaken or delusional.

GaleHawkins

@JustRobby1 remember weight loss is more about the interrelationship of our hormones than it is about calories and is why we must look at the science behind weight gain/loss and not just rely on just simple math that paints a medically false concept.

saragottfriedmd.com/are-these-four-hormones-blocking-your-weight-loss-efforts/

heybales

JustRobby1 wrote: »

It's not a complicated matter. Weight loss is a very simple matter at it's core: CICO/thermodynamics. Increasing calories won't help you lose weight. It would be biologically and physiologically impossible for an increase in caloric intake it to aid in this process. Quite the opposite in fact.

Anybody who claims this as a reality (and does not have some kind of exceptionally rare genetic condition) is either mistaken or delusional.

No it's not complicated - unless you forget one side of the equation can be changed by the other side.

And if more CI causes more CO - which it can - then actually it's not impossible. And in reality many times isn't.

Same way it's been proven for many many years that too low on the CI will lower the CO for a multitude of reasons.

Perhaps a review of recent studies is in order so it's realized blanket statement is rather small and doesn't cover much.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1077746/starvation-mode-adaptive-thermogenesis-and-weight-loss/p1

MaddMaestro

There's been times where I'll binge for a day or two and not see any noticeable weight gain. Not sure if that's the same though.