Girlfriend not losing weight on deficit
Replies
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singingflutelady wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »csikes_mama wrote: »First, I'd confirm the calories needed for her resting metabolic rate. You can use a site like this: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/calrmr.htm. If she is cutting more than 200 calories from that need her body will go into starvation mode and store everything she eats. She will gain weight and then start to lose muscle as her "weight loss". Once she starts losing weight she can recalculate the RMR every 3-4 weeks. 500 calories from walking is WAY too high no matter what MFP says. That includes "being alive" calories. I would say probably only half of those are the actual "active" calories ~250. I use an Apple Watch with a heart rate monitor when I workout and it calculates the active calories vs. total calories. The active calories is what MFP pulls over and uses as my exercise burn. Good luck and I hope this helps.
Starvation mode is a myth!!!!!
Adaptive thermogenesis is real, and that is normally what people mean by that term.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3673773/
No that is not how it was used by this person though. The poster said she'll store everything she eats and gain weight. Nope not at all.
I disagree that most people mean adaptive thermogenesis. Adaptive thermogenesis does not stop weight loss at low calories but will slow your metabolism a bit. It definitely won't cause you to gain weight.
And, I agree with @singingflutelady 100%.
Most people here mean starvation mode, as in the reason you're not losing weight is because your body is holding onto the fat, up those calories!
Have you gotten your bmi down in the 20's near goal? Once you get so close to goal you can't keep a restrictive diet going indefinitely. At some point you have to start upping the calories. OP's girlfriend at an ideal weight so she will struggle at 1200 calories. It is too low. She should not drop even lower still.
My BMI is 20 atm though it fluctuates between 19.5- 20 but I have hit 16.0 before (once from anorexia and once from crohn's).
You start upping calories when you get to your goal to reach maintenance. No need to restrict once you hit your goal weight1 -
I made the mistake of eating below my resting metabolic rate and learned from experience. I lost at first but then my body slowed down to compensate. It was miserable. My rmr is 1660, so I need to eat at least 1600 calories. 1200 calories were not enough daily for me. BTW, I plugged in OP's girlfriend's stats and got 1669 calories as her rmr. 1200 calories a day are TOO LOW for her height, weight, and age.
Your body doesn't keep track of your RMR separately from your total caloric burn. It's not a magical barrier.3 -
stevencloser wrote: »I made the mistake of eating below my resting metabolic rate and learned from experience. I lost at first but then my body slowed down to compensate. It was miserable. My rmr is 1660, so I need to eat at least 1600 calories. 1200 calories were not enough daily for me. BTW, I plugged in OP's girlfriend's stats and got 1669 calories as her rmr. 1200 calories a day are TOO LOW for her height, weight, and age.
Your body doesn't keep track of your RMR separately from your total caloric burn. It's not a magical barrier.
Aiming for RMR as a minimum helped me.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/calrmr.htm0 -
Sure, it's not wrong. But it's also not a barrier one must never go under or else face horrible consequences. It's simply all the energy burns that don't inlcude daily activity, just how much you would burn resting all day, as opposed to TDEE which includes everything you actually do.1
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singingflutelady wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »csikes_mama wrote: »First, I'd confirm the calories needed for her resting metabolic rate. You can use a site like this: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/calrmr.htm. If she is cutting more than 200 calories from that need her body will go into starvation mode and store everything she eats. She will gain weight and then start to lose muscle as her "weight loss". Once she starts losing weight she can recalculate the RMR every 3-4 weeks. 500 calories from walking is WAY too high no matter what MFP says. That includes "being alive" calories. I would say probably only half of those are the actual "active" calories ~250. I use an Apple Watch with a heart rate monitor when I workout and it calculates the active calories vs. total calories. The active calories is what MFP pulls over and uses as my exercise burn. Good luck and I hope this helps.
Starvation mode is a myth!!!!!
Adaptive thermogenesis is real, and that is normally what people mean by that term.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3673773/
No that is not how it was used by this person though. The poster said she'll store everything she eats and gain weight. Nope not at all.
I disagree that most people mean adaptive thermogenesis. Adaptive thermogenesis does not stop weight loss at low calories but will slow your metabolism a bit. It definitely won't cause you to gain weight.
And, I agree with @singingflutelady 100%.
Most people here mean starvation mode, as in the reason you're not losing weight is because your body is holding onto the fat, up those calories!
Have you gotten your bmi down in the 20's near goal? Once you get so close to goal you can't keep a restrictive diet going indefinitely. At some point you have to start upping the calories. OP's girlfriend at an ideal weight so she will struggle at 1200 calories. It is too low. She should not drop even lower still.
Not necessarily.
You greatly misunderstand the concept of metabolic adaptation from what I see in your posts.
I fully experienced it, so I get it.
My BMI is low, but I'd like to get it to 20. Right now it's 21. 5. I still eat the same amount of calories I've been eating... anywhere from 1300 to 1600.
You know what I've done to counter metabolic adaption? I move a bit more throughout the day by getting up every hour and pacing/doing body weight squats.
I take maintenance/refeed days every ten days.
I take a diet break every two months for two weeks.
And the scale keeps moving, my energy levels increased, and I was no longer beset by urges to binge.
You keep telling people to just up their calories without giving any context to the fact that they need to move more or any understanding behind the mechanism behind what metabolic adaption really is. It, for the most part, lies in the fact that people move less when they consume very few calories.
Now granted, people who up their calories will likely naturally move more, but not all of them will. Raising calories by itself isn't some piece of magical advice. Those calories have to be offset by movement. Energy balance still applies. CICO can't be tricked or hacked.13 -
singingflutelady wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »csikes_mama wrote: »First, I'd confirm the calories needed for her resting metabolic rate. You can use a site like this: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/calrmr.htm. If she is cutting more than 200 calories from that need her body will go into starvation mode and store everything she eats. She will gain weight and then start to lose muscle as her "weight loss". Once she starts losing weight she can recalculate the RMR every 3-4 weeks. 500 calories from walking is WAY too high no matter what MFP says. That includes "being alive" calories. I would say probably only half of those are the actual "active" calories ~250. I use an Apple Watch with a heart rate monitor when I workout and it calculates the active calories vs. total calories. The active calories is what MFP pulls over and uses as my exercise burn. Good luck and I hope this helps.
Starvation mode is a myth!!!!!
Adaptive thermogenesis is real, and that is normally what people mean by that term.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3673773/
No that is not how it was used by this person though. The poster said she'll store everything she eats and gain weight. Nope not at all.
I disagree that most people mean adaptive thermogenesis. Adaptive thermogenesis does not stop weight loss at low calories but will slow your metabolism a bit. It definitely won't cause you to gain weight.
And, I agree with @singingflutelady 100%.
Most people here mean starvation mode, as in the reason you're not losing weight is because your body is holding onto the fat, up those calories!
Have you gotten your bmi down in the 20's near goal? Once you get so close to goal you can't keep a restrictive diet going indefinitely. At some point you have to start upping the calories. OP's girlfriend at an ideal weight so she will struggle at 1200 calories. It is too low. She should not drop even lower still.
What? In the context of this thread, what does a BMI that is close to 20 have to do with anything?
You don't increase calories when you are not losing weight. If this were true, there would be no fat people.
You only increase your calories to lose weight at a slower rate if you are already losing in order to better fuel your body.
There is the common myth, misinformation and silliness, that you increase your calories to lose weight, not decrease. Eating less to lose weight is spot on common knowledge.
Any person who is not losing weight when truly eating at a calorie deficit needs to go to the doctor, just as someone who is dropping weight without trying.5 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »csikes_mama wrote: »First, I'd confirm the calories needed for her resting metabolic rate. You can use a site like this: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/calrmr.htm. If she is cutting more than 200 calories from that need her body will go into starvation mode and store everything she eats. She will gain weight and then start to lose muscle as her "weight loss". Once she starts losing weight she can recalculate the RMR every 3-4 weeks. 500 calories from walking is WAY too high no matter what MFP says. That includes "being alive" calories. I would say probably only half of those are the actual "active" calories ~250. I use an Apple Watch with a heart rate monitor when I workout and it calculates the active calories vs. total calories. The active calories is what MFP pulls over and uses as my exercise burn. Good luck and I hope this helps.
Starvation mode is a myth!!!!!
Adaptive thermogenesis is real, and that is normally what people mean by that term.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3673773/
No that is not how it was used by this person though. The poster said she'll store everything she eats and gain weight. Nope not at all.
I disagree that most people mean adaptive thermogenesis. Adaptive thermogenesis does not stop weight loss at low calories but will slow your metabolism a bit. It definitely won't cause you to gain weight.
And, I agree with @singingflutelady 100%.
Most people here mean starvation mode, as in the reason you're not losing weight is because your body is holding onto the fat, up those calories!
Have you gotten your bmi down in the 20's near goal? Once you get so close to goal you can't keep a restrictive diet going indefinitely. At some point you have to start upping the calories. OP's girlfriend at an ideal weight so she will struggle at 1200 calories. It is too low. She should not drop even lower still.
Not necessarily.
You greatly misunderstand the concept of metabolic adaptation from what I see in your posts.
I fully experienced it, so I get it.
My BMI is low, but I'd like to get it to 20. Right now it's 21. 5. I still eat the same amount of calories I've been eating... anywhere from 1300 to 1600.
You know what I've done to counter metabolic adaption? I move a bit more throughout the day by getting up every hour and pacing/doing body weight squats.
I take maintenance/refeed days every ten days.
I take a diet break every two months for two weeks.
And the scale keeps moving, my energy levels increased, and I was no longer beset by urges to binge.
You keep telling people to just up their calories without giving any context to the fact that they need to move more or any understanding behind the mechanism behind what metabolic adaption really is. It, for the most part, lies in the fact that people move less when they consume very few calories.
Now granted, people who up their calories will likely naturally move more, but not all of them will. Raising calories by itself isn't some piece of magical advice. Those calories have to be offset by movement. Energy balance still applies. CICO can't be tricked or hacked.
Yes. Very well said, and spot on.1 -
singingflutelady wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »csikes_mama wrote: »First, I'd confirm the calories needed for her resting metabolic rate. You can use a site like this: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/calrmr.htm. If she is cutting more than 200 calories from that need her body will go into starvation mode and store everything she eats. She will gain weight and then start to lose muscle as her "weight loss". Once she starts losing weight she can recalculate the RMR every 3-4 weeks. 500 calories from walking is WAY too high no matter what MFP says. That includes "being alive" calories. I would say probably only half of those are the actual "active" calories ~250. I use an Apple Watch with a heart rate monitor when I workout and it calculates the active calories vs. total calories. The active calories is what MFP pulls over and uses as my exercise burn. Good luck and I hope this helps.
Starvation mode is a myth!!!!!
Adaptive thermogenesis is real, and that is normally what people mean by that term.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3673773/
No that is not how it was used by this person though. The poster said she'll store everything she eats and gain weight. Nope not at all.
I disagree that most people mean adaptive thermogenesis. Adaptive thermogenesis does not stop weight loss at low calories but will slow your metabolism a bit. It definitely won't cause you to gain weight.
And, I agree with @singingflutelady 100%.
Most people here mean starvation mode, as in the reason you're not losing weight is because your body is holding onto the fat, up those calories!
Have you gotten your bmi down in the 20's near goal? Once you get so close to goal you can't keep a restrictive diet going indefinitely. At some point you have to start upping the calories. OP's girlfriend at an ideal weight so she will struggle at 1200 calories. It is too low. She should not drop even lower still.
What? In the context of this thread, what does a BMI that is close to 20 have to do with anything?
You don't increase calories when you are not losing weight. If this were true, there would be no fat people.
You only increase your calories to lose weight at a slower rate if you are already losing in order to better fuel your body.
There is the common myth, misinformation and silliness, that you increase your calories to lose weight, not decrease. Eating less to lose weight is spot on common knowledge.
Any person who is not losing weight when truly eating at a calorie deficit needs to go to the doctor, just as someone who is dropping weight without trying.
As you mentioned, "eating less to lose weight" is common knowledge. That works. It is true that one has to eat at a deficit to lose weight. But if the person in question is already too low calories with a big deficit, then they might need to add some calories and aim for a smaller deficit.
Read the details about the specific person this thread is about. In the context of the thread the girlfriend has a normal BMI already and is eating 1200 calories a day. People are only fueling the girlfriend's eating disorder by accusing her of overeating and telling her to drop even more calories.
Instead, she can recover her metabolism by eating a little bit more (while still keeping a small deficit) . She might be scared of gaining weight back and maybe doesn't know that there is a way to avoid the "post diet rebound"? No one is recommending anyone going over TDEE or of course there will be weight gain.
Occasionally there is someone who has been on a restrictive diet for too long of a time who is dealing with getting stuck with no weight loss. The frustrating part is that the body gets worn out and needs nourishment, but there is that fear of coming off of the diet and gaining. By learning how to gradually get the metabolism speeded up, one can start feeling energetic again. Increasing calories at small, controlled increments helps prevent the feared weight gain.0 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »csikes_mama wrote: »First, I'd confirm the calories needed for her resting metabolic rate. You can use a site like this: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/calrmr.htm. If she is cutting more than 200 calories from that need her body will go into starvation mode and store everything she eats. She will gain weight and then start to lose muscle as her "weight loss". Once she starts losing weight she can recalculate the RMR every 3-4 weeks. 500 calories from walking is WAY too high no matter what MFP says. That includes "being alive" calories. I would say probably only half of those are the actual "active" calories ~250. I use an Apple Watch with a heart rate monitor when I workout and it calculates the active calories vs. total calories. The active calories is what MFP pulls over and uses as my exercise burn. Good luck and I hope this helps.
Starvation mode is a myth!!!!!
Adaptive thermogenesis is real, and that is normally what people mean by that term.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3673773/
No that is not how it was used by this person though. The poster said she'll store everything she eats and gain weight. Nope not at all.
I disagree that most people mean adaptive thermogenesis. Adaptive thermogenesis does not stop weight loss at low calories but will slow your metabolism a bit. It definitely won't cause you to gain weight.
And, I agree with @singingflutelady 100%.
Most people here mean starvation mode, as in the reason you're not losing weight is because your body is holding onto the fat, up those calories!
Have you gotten your bmi down in the 20's near goal? Once you get so close to goal you can't keep a restrictive diet going indefinitely. At some point you have to start upping the calories. OP's girlfriend at an ideal weight so she will struggle at 1200 calories. It is too low. She should not drop even lower still.
Not necessarily.
You greatly misunderstand the concept of metabolic adaptation from what I see in your posts.
I fully experienced it, so I get it.
My BMI is low, but I'd like to get it to 20. Right now it's 21. 5. I still eat the same amount of calories I've been eating... anywhere from 1300 to 1600.
You know what I've done to counter metabolic adaption? I move a bit more throughout the day by getting up every hour and pacing/doing body weight squats.
I take maintenance/refeed days every ten days.
I take a diet break every two months for two weeks.
And the scale keeps moving, my energy levels increased, and I was no longer beset by urges to binge.
You keep telling people to just up their calories without giving any context to the fact that they need to move more or any understanding behind the mechanism behind what metabolic adaption really is. It, for the most part, lies in the fact that people move less when they consume very few calories.
Now granted, people who up their calories will likely naturally move more, but not all of them will. Raising calories by itself isn't some piece of magical advice. Those calories have to be offset by movement. Energy balance still applies. CICO can't be tricked or hacked.
Yes. Very well said, and spot on.
Yes. Totally agree. Very well said. This is what I mean. It isn't magical at all. It is very deliberate. The fact that I did not give a whole teaching about how to do it doesn't mean that I don't know how. I ate at 1200 calories for a long time and know firsthand how it feels to get stuck. Now I am unstuck.
People need to research whenever they see these things that people talk about on MFP forums so that they can learn to do it correctly and not just run with it.
0 -
singingflutelady wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »csikes_mama wrote: »First, I'd confirm the calories needed for her resting metabolic rate. You can use a site like this: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/calrmr.htm. If she is cutting more than 200 calories from that need her body will go into starvation mode and store everything she eats. She will gain weight and then start to lose muscle as her "weight loss". Once she starts losing weight she can recalculate the RMR every 3-4 weeks. 500 calories from walking is WAY too high no matter what MFP says. That includes "being alive" calories. I would say probably only half of those are the actual "active" calories ~250. I use an Apple Watch with a heart rate monitor when I workout and it calculates the active calories vs. total calories. The active calories is what MFP pulls over and uses as my exercise burn. Good luck and I hope this helps.
Starvation mode is a myth!!!!!
Adaptive thermogenesis is real, and that is normally what people mean by that term.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3673773/
No that is not how it was used by this person though. The poster said she'll store everything she eats and gain weight. Nope not at all.
I disagree that most people mean adaptive thermogenesis. Adaptive thermogenesis does not stop weight loss at low calories but will slow your metabolism a bit. It definitely won't cause you to gain weight.
And, I agree with @singingflutelady 100%.
Most people here mean starvation mode, as in the reason you're not losing weight is because your body is holding onto the fat, up those calories!
Have you gotten your bmi down in the 20's near goal? Once you get so close to goal you can't keep a restrictive diet going indefinitely. At some point you have to start upping the calories. OP's girlfriend at an ideal weight so she will struggle at 1200 calories. It is too low. She should not drop even lower still.
What? In the context of this thread, what does a BMI that is close to 20 have to do with anything?
You don't increase calories when you are not losing weight. If this were true, there would be no fat people.
You only increase your calories to lose weight at a slower rate if you are already losing in order to better fuel your body.
There is the common myth, misinformation and silliness, that you increase your calories to lose weight, not decrease. Eating less to lose weight is spot on common knowledge.
Any person who is not losing weight when truly eating at a calorie deficit needs to go to the doctor, just as someone who is dropping weight without trying.
As you mentioned, "eating less to lose weight" is common knowledge. That works. It is true that one has to eat at a deficit to lose weight. But if the person in question is already too low calories with a big deficit, then they might need to add some calories and aim for a smaller deficit.
Read the details about the specific person this thread is about. In the context of the thread the girlfriend has a normal BMI already and is eating 1200 calories a day. People are only fueling the girlfriend's eating disorder by accusing her of overeating and telling her to drop even more calories.
Instead, she can recover her metabolism by eating a little bit more (while still keeping a small deficit) . She might be scared of gaining weight back and maybe doesn't know that there is a way to avoid the "post diet rebound"? No one is recommending anyone going over TDEE or of course there will be weight gain.
Occasionally there is someone who has been on a restrictive diet for too long of a time who is dealing with getting stuck with no weight loss. The frustrating part is that the body gets worn out and needs nourishment, but there is that fear of coming off of the diet and gaining. By learning how to gradually get the metabolism speeded up, one can start feeling energetic again. Increasing calories at small, controlled increments helps prevent the feared weight gain.
No, Deb. Here is what I suspect you might be missing.
We don't know if this woman is eating 1200 calories or not, we just does know what the OP (boyfriend) says she's eating. There is no way he would even know that because he is not with her 24/7.
We are not fueling her eating disorder, if indeed she has one, because she's nowhere to be found in this thread. She has not shown up. Several of us told the boyfriend to stop trying to fix her and get her some help.
Adaptive thermogenesis does not stop your metabolism, it slows it down. I believe @GottaBurnEmAll spoke about this condition upstream.
1 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »csikes_mama wrote: »First, I'd confirm the calories needed for her resting metabolic rate. You can use a site like this: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/calrmr.htm. If she is cutting more than 200 calories from that need her body will go into starvation mode and store everything she eats. She will gain weight and then start to lose muscle as her "weight loss". Once she starts losing weight she can recalculate the RMR every 3-4 weeks. 500 calories from walking is WAY too high no matter what MFP says. That includes "being alive" calories. I would say probably only half of those are the actual "active" calories ~250. I use an Apple Watch with a heart rate monitor when I workout and it calculates the active calories vs. total calories. The active calories is what MFP pulls over and uses as my exercise burn. Good luck and I hope this helps.
Starvation mode is a myth!!!!!
Adaptive thermogenesis is real, and that is normally what people mean by that term.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3673773/
No that is not how it was used by this person though. The poster said she'll store everything she eats and gain weight. Nope not at all.
I disagree that most people mean adaptive thermogenesis. Adaptive thermogenesis does not stop weight loss at low calories but will slow your metabolism a bit. It definitely won't cause you to gain weight.
And, I agree with @singingflutelady 100%.
Most people here mean starvation mode, as in the reason you're not losing weight is because your body is holding onto the fat, up those calories!
Have you gotten your bmi down in the 20's near goal? Once you get so close to goal you can't keep a restrictive diet going indefinitely. At some point you have to start upping the calories. OP's girlfriend at an ideal weight so she will struggle at 1200 calories. It is too low. She should not drop even lower still.
Not necessarily.
You greatly misunderstand the concept of metabolic adaptation from what I see in your posts.
I fully experienced it, so I get it.
My BMI is low, but I'd like to get it to 20. Right now it's 21. 5. I still eat the same amount of calories I've been eating... anywhere from 1300 to 1600.
You know what I've done to counter metabolic adaption? I move a bit more throughout the day by getting up every hour and pacing/doing body weight squats.
I take maintenance/refeed days every ten days.
I take a diet break every two months for two weeks.
And the scale keeps moving, my energy levels increased, and I was no longer beset by urges to binge.
You keep telling people to just up their calories without giving any context to the fact that they need to move more or any understanding behind the mechanism behind what metabolic adaption really is. It, for the most part, lies in the fact that people move less when they consume very few calories.
Now granted, people who up their calories will likely naturally move more, but not all of them will. Raising calories by itself isn't some piece of magical advice. Those calories have to be offset by movement. Energy balance still applies. CICO can't be tricked or hacked.
Yes. Very well said, and spot on.
Yes. Totally agree. Very well said. This is what I mean. It isn't magical at all. It is very deliberate. The fact that I did not give a whole teaching about how to do it doesn't mean that I don't know how. I ate at 1200 calories for a long time and know firsthand how it feels to get stuck. Now I am unstuck.
People need to research whenever they see these things that people talk about on MFP forums so that they can learn to do it correctly and not just run with it.
Again, people don't stall at 1200 pounds, but instead are not correctly calculating CICO.2 -
singingflutelady wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »csikes_mama wrote: »First, I'd confirm the calories needed for her resting metabolic rate. You can use a site like this: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/calrmr.htm. If she is cutting more than 200 calories from that need her body will go into starvation mode and store everything she eats. She will gain weight and then start to lose muscle as her "weight loss". Once she starts losing weight she can recalculate the RMR every 3-4 weeks. 500 calories from walking is WAY too high no matter what MFP says. That includes "being alive" calories. I would say probably only half of those are the actual "active" calories ~250. I use an Apple Watch with a heart rate monitor when I workout and it calculates the active calories vs. total calories. The active calories is what MFP pulls over and uses as my exercise burn. Good luck and I hope this helps.
Starvation mode is a myth!!!!!
Adaptive thermogenesis is real, and that is normally what people mean by that term.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3673773/
No that is not how it was used by this person though. The poster said she'll store everything she eats and gain weight. Nope not at all.
I disagree that most people mean adaptive thermogenesis. Adaptive thermogenesis does not stop weight loss at low calories but will slow your metabolism a bit. It definitely won't cause you to gain weight.
And, I agree with @singingflutelady 100%.
Most people here mean starvation mode, as in the reason you're not losing weight is because your body is holding onto the fat, up those calories!
Have you gotten your bmi down in the 20's near goal? Once you get so close to goal you can't keep a restrictive diet going indefinitely. At some point you have to start upping the calories. OP's girlfriend at an ideal weight so she will struggle at 1200 calories. It is too low. She should not drop even lower still.
What? In the context of this thread, what does a BMI that is close to 20 have to do with anything?
You don't increase calories when you are not losing weight. If this were true, there would be no fat people.
You only increase your calories to lose weight at a slower rate if you are already losing in order to better fuel your body.
There is the common myth, misinformation and silliness, that you increase your calories to lose weight, not decrease. Eating less to lose weight is spot on common knowledge.
Any person who is not losing weight when truly eating at a calorie deficit needs to go to the doctor, just as someone who is dropping weight without trying.
As you mentioned, "eating less to lose weight" is common knowledge. That works. It is true that one has to eat at a deficit to lose weight. But if the person in question is already too low calories with a big deficit, then they might need to add some calories and aim for a smaller deficit.
Read the details about the specific person this thread is about. In the context of the thread the girlfriend has a normal BMI already and is eating 1200 calories a day. People are only fueling the girlfriend's eating disorder by accusing her of overeating and telling her to drop even more calories.
Instead, she can recover her metabolism by eating a little bit more (while still keeping a small deficit) . She might be scared of gaining weight back and maybe doesn't know that there is a way to avoid the "post diet rebound"? No one is recommending anyone going over TDEE or of course there will be weight gain.
Occasionally there is someone who has been on a restrictive diet for too long of a time who is dealing with getting stuck with no weight loss. The frustrating part is that the body gets worn out and needs nourishment, but there is that fear of coming off of the diet and gaining. By learning how to gradually get the metabolism speeded up, one can start feeling energetic again. Increasing calories at small, controlled increments helps prevent the feared weight gain.
No, Deb. Here is what I suspect you might be missing.
We don't know if this woman is eating 1200 calories or not, we just does know what the OP (boyfriend) says she's eating. There is no way he would even know that because he is not with her 24/7.
We are not fueling her eating disorder, if indeed she has one, because she's nowhere to be found in this thread. She has not shown up. Several of us told the boyfriend to stop trying to fix her and get her some help.
Adaptive thermogenesis does not stop your metabolism, it slows it down. I believe @GottaBurnEmAll spoke about this condition upstream.
Right. I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt. But if she is truly undereating and truly has adaptive thermogenesis, with slowed down metabolism, then she needs to know that there is a way to increase it. Otherwise if she is lying and is a secret eater as some others say she can turn that around and simply tighten up the weighing and logging and carry on.0 -
singingflutelady wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »csikes_mama wrote: »First, I'd confirm the calories needed for her resting metabolic rate. You can use a site like this: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/calrmr.htm. If she is cutting more than 200 calories from that need her body will go into starvation mode and store everything she eats. She will gain weight and then start to lose muscle as her "weight loss". Once she starts losing weight she can recalculate the RMR every 3-4 weeks. 500 calories from walking is WAY too high no matter what MFP says. That includes "being alive" calories. I would say probably only half of those are the actual "active" calories ~250. I use an Apple Watch with a heart rate monitor when I workout and it calculates the active calories vs. total calories. The active calories is what MFP pulls over and uses as my exercise burn. Good luck and I hope this helps.
Starvation mode is a myth!!!!!
Adaptive thermogenesis is real, and that is normally what people mean by that term.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3673773/
No that is not how it was used by this person though. The poster said she'll store everything she eats and gain weight. Nope not at all.
I disagree that most people mean adaptive thermogenesis. Adaptive thermogenesis does not stop weight loss at low calories but will slow your metabolism a bit. It definitely won't cause you to gain weight.
And, I agree with @singingflutelady 100%.
Most people here mean starvation mode, as in the reason you're not losing weight is because your body is holding onto the fat, up those calories!
Have you gotten your bmi down in the 20's near goal? Once you get so close to goal you can't keep a restrictive diet going indefinitely. At some point you have to start upping the calories. OP's girlfriend at an ideal weight so she will struggle at 1200 calories. It is too low. She should not drop even lower still.
What? In the context of this thread, what does a BMI that is close to 20 have to do with anything?
You don't increase calories when you are not losing weight. If this were true, there would be no fat people.
You only increase your calories to lose weight at a slower rate if you are already losing in order to better fuel your body.
There is the common myth, misinformation and silliness, that you increase your calories to lose weight, not decrease. Eating less to lose weight is spot on common knowledge.
Any person who is not losing weight when truly eating at a calorie deficit needs to go to the doctor, just as someone who is dropping weight without trying.
As you mentioned, "eating less to lose weight" is common knowledge. That works. It is true that one has to eat at a deficit to lose weight. But if the person in question is already too low calories with a big deficit, then they might need to add some calories and aim for a smaller deficit.
Read the details about the specific person this thread is about. In the context of the thread the girlfriend has a normal BMI already and is eating 1200 calories a day. People are only fueling the girlfriend's eating disorder by accusing her of overeating and telling her to drop even more calories.
Instead, she can recover her metabolism by eating a little bit more (while still keeping a small deficit) . She might be scared of gaining weight back and maybe doesn't know that there is a way to avoid the "post diet rebound"? No one is recommending anyone going over TDEE or of course there will be weight gain.
Occasionally there is someone who has been on a restrictive diet for too long of a time who is dealing with getting stuck with no weight loss. The frustrating part is that the body gets worn out and needs nourishment, but there is that fear of coming off of the diet and gaining. By learning how to gradually get the metabolism speeded up, one can start feeling energetic again. Increasing calories at small, controlled increments helps prevent the feared weight gain.- Post diet rebound is glycogen replenishment and temporary.
- Metabolism doesn't get damaged and doesn't need to recover.
- The body doesn't get "worn out" in the way you are thinking. If the person has been eating well, there is no lack of "nourishment". What does get depleted are certain hormones. What you have been reading about mostly are very stressed individuals who are trying to make competition weight who have high cortisol levels due to that stress. Diet breaks replenish those hormones.
- Metabolism doesn't get "speeded up". You can burn more calories by moving more as a result of getting more energy by upping your calorie intake.
- At least you're right about the controlled calorie intake hopefully avoiding the glycogen rebound.
2 -
singingflutelady wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »csikes_mama wrote: »First, I'd confirm the calories needed for her resting metabolic rate. You can use a site like this: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/calrmr.htm. If she is cutting more than 200 calories from that need her body will go into starvation mode and store everything she eats. She will gain weight and then start to lose muscle as her "weight loss". Once she starts losing weight she can recalculate the RMR every 3-4 weeks. 500 calories from walking is WAY too high no matter what MFP says. That includes "being alive" calories. I would say probably only half of those are the actual "active" calories ~250. I use an Apple Watch with a heart rate monitor when I workout and it calculates the active calories vs. total calories. The active calories is what MFP pulls over and uses as my exercise burn. Good luck and I hope this helps.
Starvation mode is a myth!!!!!
Adaptive thermogenesis is real, and that is normally what people mean by that term.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3673773/
No that is not how it was used by this person though. The poster said she'll store everything she eats and gain weight. Nope not at all.
I disagree that most people mean adaptive thermogenesis. Adaptive thermogenesis does not stop weight loss at low calories but will slow your metabolism a bit. It definitely won't cause you to gain weight.
And, I agree with @singingflutelady 100%.
Most people here mean starvation mode, as in the reason you're not losing weight is because your body is holding onto the fat, up those calories!
Have you gotten your bmi down in the 20's near goal? Once you get so close to goal you can't keep a restrictive diet going indefinitely. At some point you have to start upping the calories. OP's girlfriend at an ideal weight so she will struggle at 1200 calories. It is too low. She should not drop even lower still.
What? In the context of this thread, what does a BMI that is close to 20 have to do with anything?
You don't increase calories when you are not losing weight. If this were true, there would be no fat people.
You only increase your calories to lose weight at a slower rate if you are already losing in order to better fuel your body.
There is the common myth, misinformation and silliness, that you increase your calories to lose weight, not decrease. Eating less to lose weight is spot on common knowledge.
Any person who is not losing weight when truly eating at a calorie deficit needs to go to the doctor, just as someone who is dropping weight without trying.
As you mentioned, "eating less to lose weight" is common knowledge. That works. It is true that one has to eat at a deficit to lose weight. But if the person in question is already too low calories with a big deficit, then they might need to add some calories and aim for a smaller deficit.
Read the details about the specific person this thread is about. In the context of the thread the girlfriend has a normal BMI already and is eating 1200 calories a day. People are only fueling the girlfriend's eating disorder by accusing her of overeating and telling her to drop even more calories.
Instead, she can recover her metabolism by eating a little bit more (while still keeping a small deficit) . She might be scared of gaining weight back and maybe doesn't know that there is a way to avoid the "post diet rebound"? No one is recommending anyone going over TDEE or of course there will be weight gain.
Occasionally there is someone who has been on a restrictive diet for too long of a time who is dealing with getting stuck with no weight loss. The frustrating part is that the body gets worn out and needs nourishment, but there is that fear of coming off of the diet and gaining. By learning how to gradually get the metabolism speeded up, one can start feeling energetic again. Increasing calories at small, controlled increments helps prevent the feared weight gain.
No, Deb. Here is what I suspect you might be missing.
We don't know if this woman is eating 1200 calories or not, we just does know what the OP (boyfriend) says she's eating. There is no way he would even know that because he is not with her 24/7.
We are not fueling her eating disorder, if indeed she has one, because she's nowhere to be found in this thread. She has not shown up. Several of us told the boyfriend to stop trying to fix her and get her some help.
Adaptive thermogenesis does not stop your metabolism, it slows it down. I believe @GottaBurnEmAll spoke about this condition upstream.
Right. I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt. But if she is truly undereating and truly has adaptive thermogenesis, with slowed down metabolism, then she needs to know that there is a way to increase it. Otherwise if she is lying and is a secret eater as some others say she can turn that around and simply tighten up the weighing and logging and carry on.
Who is she? She is not even in this thread.2 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »csikes_mama wrote: »First, I'd confirm the calories needed for her resting metabolic rate. You can use a site like this: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/calrmr.htm. If she is cutting more than 200 calories from that need her body will go into starvation mode and store everything she eats. She will gain weight and then start to lose muscle as her "weight loss". Once she starts losing weight she can recalculate the RMR every 3-4 weeks. 500 calories from walking is WAY too high no matter what MFP says. That includes "being alive" calories. I would say probably only half of those are the actual "active" calories ~250. I use an Apple Watch with a heart rate monitor when I workout and it calculates the active calories vs. total calories. The active calories is what MFP pulls over and uses as my exercise burn. Good luck and I hope this helps.
Starvation mode is a myth!!!!!
Adaptive thermogenesis is real, and that is normally what people mean by that term.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3673773/
No that is not how it was used by this person though. The poster said she'll store everything she eats and gain weight. Nope not at all.
I disagree that most people mean adaptive thermogenesis. Adaptive thermogenesis does not stop weight loss at low calories but will slow your metabolism a bit. It definitely won't cause you to gain weight.
And, I agree with @singingflutelady 100%.
Most people here mean starvation mode, as in the reason you're not losing weight is because your body is holding onto the fat, up those calories!
Have you gotten your bmi down in the 20's near goal? Once you get so close to goal you can't keep a restrictive diet going indefinitely. At some point you have to start upping the calories. OP's girlfriend at an ideal weight so she will struggle at 1200 calories. It is too low. She should not drop even lower still.
Not necessarily.
You greatly misunderstand the concept of metabolic adaptation from what I see in your posts.
I fully experienced it, so I get it.
My BMI is low, but I'd like to get it to 20. Right now it's 21. 5. I still eat the same amount of calories I've been eating... anywhere from 1300 to 1600.
You know what I've done to counter metabolic adaption? I move a bit more throughout the day by getting up every hour and pacing/doing body weight squats.
I take maintenance/refeed days every ten days.
I take a diet break every two months for two weeks.
And the scale keeps moving, my energy levels increased, and I was no longer beset by urges to binge.
You keep telling people to just up their calories without giving any context to the fact that they need to move more or any understanding behind the mechanism behind what metabolic adaption really is. It, for the most part, lies in the fact that people move less when they consume very few calories.
Now granted, people who up their calories will likely naturally move more, but not all of them will. Raising calories by itself isn't some piece of magical advice. Those calories have to be offset by movement. Energy balance still applies. CICO can't be tricked or hacked.
Yes. Very well said, and spot on.
Yes. Totally agree. Very well said. This is what I mean. It isn't magical at all. It is very deliberate. The fact that I did not give a whole teaching about how to do it doesn't mean that I don't know how. I ate at 1200 calories for a long time and know firsthand how it feels to get stuck. Now I am unstuck.
People need to research whenever they see these things that people talk about on MFP forums so that they can learn to do it correctly and not just run with it.
Again, people don't stall at 1200 pounds, but instead are eating too much.
Again, some people do with an extended 1200 calorie a day diet (although most do not.) In that case the body slows down to compensate.
If it is for the short term the average person often varies calories day by day or take small diet breaks where they go back to maintenance calories or below and this helps prevent the adaptation.
But if she is anorexic she very well could be running too low. We do not have all the information. I agree with others that boyfriend cannot "fix" an eating disorder.
0 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »csikes_mama wrote: »First, I'd confirm the calories needed for her resting metabolic rate. You can use a site like this: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/calrmr.htm. If she is cutting more than 200 calories from that need her body will go into starvation mode and store everything she eats. She will gain weight and then start to lose muscle as her "weight loss". Once she starts losing weight she can recalculate the RMR every 3-4 weeks. 500 calories from walking is WAY too high no matter what MFP says. That includes "being alive" calories. I would say probably only half of those are the actual "active" calories ~250. I use an Apple Watch with a heart rate monitor when I workout and it calculates the active calories vs. total calories. The active calories is what MFP pulls over and uses as my exercise burn. Good luck and I hope this helps.
Starvation mode is a myth!!!!!
Adaptive thermogenesis is real, and that is normally what people mean by that term.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3673773/
No that is not how it was used by this person though. The poster said she'll store everything she eats and gain weight. Nope not at all.
I disagree that most people mean adaptive thermogenesis. Adaptive thermogenesis does not stop weight loss at low calories but will slow your metabolism a bit. It definitely won't cause you to gain weight.
And, I agree with @singingflutelady 100%.
Most people here mean starvation mode, as in the reason you're not losing weight is because your body is holding onto the fat, up those calories!
Have you gotten your bmi down in the 20's near goal? Once you get so close to goal you can't keep a restrictive diet going indefinitely. At some point you have to start upping the calories. OP's girlfriend at an ideal weight so she will struggle at 1200 calories. It is too low. She should not drop even lower still.
Not necessarily.
You greatly misunderstand the concept of metabolic adaptation from what I see in your posts.
I fully experienced it, so I get it.
My BMI is low, but I'd like to get it to 20. Right now it's 21. 5. I still eat the same amount of calories I've been eating... anywhere from 1300 to 1600.
You know what I've done to counter metabolic adaption? I move a bit more throughout the day by getting up every hour and pacing/doing body weight squats.
I take maintenance/refeed days every ten days.
I take a diet break every two months for two weeks.
And the scale keeps moving, my energy levels increased, and I was no longer beset by urges to binge.
You keep telling people to just up their calories without giving any context to the fact that they need to move more or any understanding behind the mechanism behind what metabolic adaption really is. It, for the most part, lies in the fact that people move less when they consume very few calories.
Now granted, people who up their calories will likely naturally move more, but not all of them will. Raising calories by itself isn't some piece of magical advice. Those calories have to be offset by movement. Energy balance still applies. CICO can't be tricked or hacked.
Yes. Very well said, and spot on.
Yes. Totally agree. Very well said. This is what I mean. It isn't magical at all. It is very deliberate. The fact that I did not give a whole teaching about how to do it doesn't mean that I don't know how. I ate at 1200 calories for a long time and know firsthand how it feels to get stuck. Now I am unstuck.
People need to research whenever they see these things that people talk about on MFP forums so that they can learn to do it correctly and not just run with it.
Again, people don't stall at 1200 pounds, but instead are eating too much.
Again, some people do with an extended 1200 calorie a day diet (although most do not.) In that case the body slows down to compensate.
If it is for the short term the average person often varies calories day by day or take small diet breaks where they go back to maintenance calories or below and this prevents the adaptstion. But if she is anorexic she very well could be running too low. We do not have all the information. I agree with others that boyfriend cannot "fix" an eating disorder.
Edited typo
No, they really don't. In the actual studies of these people, they were all either sloppily logging, binging, or sneaking bites of food. A lot of bites of food.
In other words, none of them were actually eating 1200.5 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »singingflutelady wrote: »csikes_mama wrote: »First, I'd confirm the calories needed for her resting metabolic rate. You can use a site like this: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/calrmr.htm. If she is cutting more than 200 calories from that need her body will go into starvation mode and store everything she eats. She will gain weight and then start to lose muscle as her "weight loss". Once she starts losing weight she can recalculate the RMR every 3-4 weeks. 500 calories from walking is WAY too high no matter what MFP says. That includes "being alive" calories. I would say probably only half of those are the actual "active" calories ~250. I use an Apple Watch with a heart rate monitor when I workout and it calculates the active calories vs. total calories. The active calories is what MFP pulls over and uses as my exercise burn. Good luck and I hope this helps.
Starvation mode is a myth!!!!!
Adaptive thermogenesis is real, and that is normally what people mean by that term.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3673773/
No that is not how it was used by this person though. The poster said she'll store everything she eats and gain weight. Nope not at all.
I disagree that most people mean adaptive thermogenesis. Adaptive thermogenesis does not stop weight loss at low calories but will slow your metabolism a bit. It definitely won't cause you to gain weight.
And, I agree with @singingflutelady 100%.
Most people here mean starvation mode, as in the reason you're not losing weight is because your body is holding onto the fat, up those calories!
Have you gotten your bmi down in the 20's near goal? Once you get so close to goal you can't keep a restrictive diet going indefinitely. At some point you have to start upping the calories. OP's girlfriend at an ideal weight so she will struggle at 1200 calories. It is too low. She should not drop even lower still.
Not necessarily.
You greatly misunderstand the concept of metabolic adaptation from what I see in your posts.
I fully experienced it, so I get it.
My BMI is low, but I'd like to get it to 20. Right now it's 21. 5. I still eat the same amount of calories I've been eating... anywhere from 1300 to 1600.
You know what I've done to counter metabolic adaption? I move a bit more throughout the day by getting up every hour and pacing/doing body weight squats.
I take maintenance/refeed days every ten days.
I take a diet break every two months for two weeks.
And the scale keeps moving, my energy levels increased, and I was no longer beset by urges to binge.
You keep telling people to just up their calories without giving any context to the fact that they need to move more or any understanding behind the mechanism behind what metabolic adaption really is. It, for the most part, lies in the fact that people move less when they consume very few calories.
Now granted, people who up their calories will likely naturally move more, but not all of them will. Raising calories by itself isn't some piece of magical advice. Those calories have to be offset by movement. Energy balance still applies. CICO can't be tricked or hacked.
Yes. Very well said, and spot on.
Yes. Totally agree. Very well said. This is what I mean. It isn't magical at all. It is very deliberate. The fact that I did not give a whole teaching about how to do it doesn't mean that I don't know how. I ate at 1200 calories for a long time and know firsthand how it feels to get stuck. Now I am unstuck.
People need to research whenever they see these things that people talk about on MFP forums so that they can learn to do it correctly and not just run with it.
Again, people don't stall at 1200 pounds, but instead are eating too much.
Again, some people do with an extended 1200 calorie a day diet (although most do not.) In that case the body slows down to compensate.
If it is for the short term the average person often varies calories day by day or take small diet breaks where they go back to maintenance calories or below and this prevents the adaptstion. But if she is anorexic she very well could be running too low. We do not have all the information. I agree with others that boyfriend cannot "fix" an eating disorder.
Edited typo
No, they really don't. In the actual studies of these people, they were all either sloppily logging, binging, or sneaking bites of food. A lot of bites of food.
In other words, none of them were actually eating 1200.
Took the words right out of my mouth.1 -
Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »At 5'7 and 136 lbs, she is at a healthy weight. I would look into recomp if I were her. She doesn't need to lose. She needs to lift.
@joshsparkes another voting for lifting and recomping rather than eating at a calorie deficit.0 -
-
Also, why would a 5'7" 136 pound woman be using a 500 calorie deficit?
None of this is making sense to me.
Exactly! OP here is a site where your gf can figure out what her TDEE is. http://www.iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
Those should be her maintenance calories with activity level built in. Then she can also figure out her resting metabolic rate. If she can slowly work up to where her calories are between rmr and tdee she will be in a great position to lose weight slowly. If her metabolism has slowed then she should very slowly add calories to try to raise her metabolism. This may take a few months.
If she has in fact allowed calorie creep or is eating covertly then none of the above applies. She can simply log and weigh carefully but should still not go under rmr except for short periods -- not 1200 for an indeterminate time.0 -
I'm going to put a disclaimer in that my participation in this discussion is aimed at correcting some of the misinformation posted. As far as the original topic, this girl does not need to be eating 1200, nor does she need to lose weight.5
-
This content has been removed.
-
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »I'm going to put a disclaimer in that my participation in this discussion is aimed at correcting some of the misinformation posted. As far as the original topic, this girl does not need to be eating 1200, nor does she need to lose weight.
This has been my aim as well. After six pages, I still don't now anything concrete.
0 -
Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »At 5'7 and 136 lbs, she is at a healthy weight. I would look into recomp if I were her. She doesn't need to lose. She needs to lift.
I agree!0 -
Also, why would a 5'7" 136 pound woman be using a 500 calorie deficit?
None of this is making sense to me.
Exactly! OP here is a site where your gf can figure out what her TDEE is. http://www.iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
Those should be her maintenance calories with activity level built in. Then she can also figure out her resting metabolic rate. If she can slowly work up to where her calories are between rmr and tdee she will be in a great position to lose weight slowly. If her metabolism has slowed then she should very slowly add calories to try to raise her metabolism. This may take a few months.
If she has in fact allowed calorie creep or is eating covertly then none of the above applies. She can simply log and weigh carefully but should still not go under rmr except for short periods -- not 1200 for an indeterminate time.
OP needs to encourage his girlfriend to get help for her ED, first and foremost. Weight loss should be the last thing she needs to worry about right now.
Again, putting this out there in a vain attempt that OP (and others in this thread) will stop trying to "fix" his girlfriend on his own and get her to someone who has the knowledge/skill to do so: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/5
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