Switching from Low Calorie to IIFYM

xvolution

RayahEllen wrote: »

@VintageFeline

"So, like many, I thought with my online tracking system thru MyFitnessPal.com, that I should listen to it's "recommendations" (and many docs say this too), to restrict not only portion size but amount of calorie intake to 1200 a day. The problem is that many of us require 1500 or more a day to simply live, to keep our heart beating, to make the brain work - at minimum we need 1500 or more given to us if we were lying in a coma in the hospital.

Given that fact, what we are told with 1200 cal / day is simply false and very detrimental to our body. Some call it "starvation mode" but a more accurate description would be "nutrient deficient." The body looks at that 1200 calories and says, ok, I need (in my case to get specific) 1529 a day to keep you living and breathing and you are giving me 1200, a 300 deficit.

So, in order to keep you living and breathing, again, body NOT caring about weight loss, the body will slow or stop some other systems (metabolism being the 1st it stops) and hang on to those 1200 calories b/c all it knows is that you are under-feeding it and so it must "hoard" that 1200, store it as fat and keep you alive. You essentially are stopping the metabolic process to a halt when you under eat.

So, now that has me eating 20% under 2116 to lose (1693) but ABOVE my BMR so that my body learns I am not starving it, that it should not "hoard" the calories and keep the fat and eventually the body will release the fat.

Many people looking to lose weight fall into this trap where they have eaten so little for so long that the body has to re-learn and reset the metabolism - in fact, some believe a true "reset" would be to eat at the TDEE # (2116) for 6 weeks or so and only THEN drop off a %.

Either way, knowing this exact # will surely get you to where you want to be - it's just that your body trying to survive may take a few weeks to understand you are not going to deprive it any more and it CAN let go of the fat as it understands it will always be fed and nourished to the point it is not panicked and storing it all.............make sense?

I may have 4 weeks yet for my body to truly learn and let go of the fat and to burn all the time. It is hard b/c you want it NOW but gaining weight took a while and so will losing it. In fact, some have a slight gain while the metabolism is resetting so be warned, do not panic, it means the body is changing the way you need it to change to burn fat."

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/931670/bmr-and-tdee-explained-for-those-needing-a-guide/p1

What do you think?

This is why I always recommend to never go below your target weight's BMR. For almost everyone, the ideal weight's BMR will never go below 1500 calories [unless you're a short female looking to reach an ideal weight of 140 or less]. It's hard to maintain a diet when, even at your ideal weight, you're eating at a deficit.

VintageFeline

RayahEllen wrote: »

@VintageFeline

This ( and basically the whole article it was in: linked below) is what I was referring to when I was speaking of starvation mode in my earlier posts:

"So, like many, I thought with my online tracking system thru MyFitnessPal.com, that I should listen to it's "recommendations" (and many docs say this too), to restrict not only portion size but amount of calorie intake to 1200 a day. The problem is that many of us require 1500 or more a day to simply live, to keep our heart beating, to make the brain work - at minimum we need 1500 or more given to us if we were lying in a coma in the hospital.

Given that fact, what we are told with 1200 cal / day is simply false and very detrimental to our body. Some call it "starvation mode" but a more accurate description would be "nutrient deficient." The body looks at that 1200 calories and says, ok, I need (in my case to get specific) 1529 a day to keep you living and breathing and you are giving me 1200, a 300 deficit.

So, in order to keep you living and breathing, again, body NOT caring about weight loss, the body will slow or stop some other systems (metabolism being the 1st it stops) and hang on to those 1200 calories b/c all it knows is that you are under-feeding it and so it must "hoard" that 1200, store it as fat and keep you alive. You essentially are stopping the metabolic process to a halt when you under eat.

So, now that has me eating 20% under 2116 to lose (1693) but ABOVE my BMR so that my body learns I am not starving it, that it should not "hoard" the calories and keep the fat and eventually the body will release the fat.

Many people looking to lose weight fall into this trap where they have eaten so little for so long that the body has to re-learn and reset the metabolism - in fact, some believe a true "reset" would be to eat at the TDEE # (2116) for 6 weeks or so and only THEN drop off a %.

Either way, knowing this exact # will surely get you to where you want to be - it's just that your body trying to survive may take a few weeks to understand you are not going to deprive it any more and it CAN let go of the fat as it understands it will always be fed and nourished to the point it is not panicked and storing it all.............make sense?

I may have 4 weeks yet for my body to truly learn and let go of the fat and to burn all the time. It is hard b/c you want it NOW but gaining weight took a while and so will losing it. In fact, some have a slight gain while the metabolism is resetting so be warned, do not panic, it means the body is changing the way you need it to change to burn fat."

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/931670/bmr-and-tdee-explained-for-those-needing-a-guide/p1

What do you think?

It's a gross misinterpretation of the science. Eatin below your BMR long term, note long term, can lead to some adaptive thermogenesis (lowering of the BMR) to compensate for being underfuelled. But you would still lose weight, just a slower rate. The bigger concern with rapid loss or undereating is loss of lean mass (muscle and tissue) because that's harder to fix, especially for females and is what leads to the so called skinny fat look.

The body isn't holding onto calories or magically storing fat when not in an energy excess, it's just slowing down other processes and metabolising lean mass to compensate. But in 6 months that effect is going to be minor and not something the vast majority of dieters ever need worry about.

Taking a diet break can be good because it allows the BMR to come back up to normal and hormones to return to ideal levels too. Psychologically is where it's most helpful. And the increase on the scale when you do this has nothing to do with the metabolism resetting but is just an increase in water weight as glycogen stores are replenished and waste in the intestines.

Anorexics or starving people don't suddenly stop being starving and losing weight, the body doesn't work like that.

SezxyStef

RayahEllen wrote: »

From what I have read, is it possible that my issue is I am not eating enough at 1400 so increasing to what the IIFYM system suggests would solve that, help me build muscle, and have a small calorie deficit?

When I have spoken to nutritionists in the past when I was eating 1200 calories a day and in the gym for 2+ hours, they said was that I was essentially starving myself and so my body was hoarding the food I was eating when I had my cheat meals or ate over 1200 every once in a while. I wasn't losing weight because I was starving myself.

you don't stop losing weight due to not enough food...otherwise anorexia wouldn't be a thing.

INcreasing calories is never the answer to "I am not losing weight what should I do"

you won't build muscle in a deficit unless you are new to lifting (and those gains are measured in oz) obese or a young man...and you need to be doing a progressive load lifting program and getting in enough protein so forget that...

nutritionists are quacks at best...

IIFYM (I follow it) has nothing to do with weight loss..it is about nutrition and body comp. I lift so I make sure I hit my protein macro, then fat rest carbs and if I have done that and I have calories left I eat what I want....

IIFYM does not guarantee weight loss..only a calorie deficit does.

you say it's been almost a month...not that big of a deal yet. Stress raises cortisol levels which causes water retention, Time of the month, exercise, excess sodium etc. all water retention causing issues.

Muscleflex79

you are 137lbs and will "be happy" at 135lbs...that is 2lbs...this seems to be a lot of thought and worry and confusion over 2lbs!!

DebSozo

RayahEllen wrote: »

...I am 5'2 and weigh 137 currently. I would like to be a little closer to 130 but would be happy with 135. Vanity pounds. I know. I do not eat back my work out calories. I eat 1400 flat, no matter what I do that day for exercise.

If you would be happy going from 137 down to 135, then you are very close to goal. Try to maintain at your current 137 for a bit and allow your body to adjust. I would add 100 calories a day and reverse diet so you can get above the current 1400 calories a day to a higher number. Once your metabolism readjusts, you could try to lose the couple pounds you have left, or you could recomp. Don't stress and try to think of these last few pounds as a 4 pound "range" that varies a bit up and down.

You might be going through a bit of diet fatigue and need a little breather. The thing is when you start upping calories you might get a whoosh up temporarily but most of that will be water weight and it will come off fairly quickly. Actually you could be holding onto water right now, which might come off soon. The last few pounds are tricky to come off, IMO.

These are just a couple brainstorming ideas which may or may not be suitable for you, personally. You do what is best for you. Obviously you know what you are doing because you are at a great point so close to goal. Hang in here and don't give up.

The_Weaze

I found that eating more calories improved my energy levels and helped me put more effort into my workouts/training which in turn helped me see better physical results.

You will likely encounter some bloating/water retention as you increase your calories so do it gradually over a few weeks.

Verdenal

RayahEllen wrote: »

I do weigh all my foods! I have a scale and I weigh/measure all fresh meat, produce, etc, that goes into my recipes, as well as my snacks and portions for everything.

I do not want to go below 1400 calories to lose weight, since my BMR is only about 1350 and that would give me the issue of not eating enough to even sustain my daily activities.

I am 5'2 and weigh 137 currently. I would like to be a little closer to 130 but would be happy with 135. Vanity pounds. I know. I do not eat back my work out calories. I eat 1400 flat, no matter what I do that day for exercise.

You may have a much larger build than I do, but I'm 5'2" and at 112 I'm at a high weight and need to lose a few pounds. I would look extremely overweight at 137 pounds.

1900 calories a day sounds like a lot for a 5'2" woman unless she is an athlete. As others have said, eating fewer calories slows down your metabolism a bit (I've read about 25%), but you don't stop losing weight. To risk starvation, you'd have to be eating in the very low 100s for months on end, and eating poorly, because there are people who do Calorie Restriction on 400 to 500 calories a day and are healthy.

How do I stay out of "starvation mode"?

I suspect that there's an error in how you are recording your food intake. Also don't forget that food labels can undercalculate food calories, sometimes by quite a bit. Calorie burn estimates of exercise are also inaccurate and often overcalculate calories burned.