Not eating enough, lesson learned
jardane1
Posts: 58 Member
Well, i think I found out why I was not losing and even gaining at times, I was not eating enough. I was eating 1000 calories below the highest weight loss setting in my fitness pall. For weeks I was not losing weight and I had no idea why i lost a lot when I starting cutting lower but it stalled. So, I am trying to eat my full recommended intake and after eating so few calories it feels indulgent lol. It worked and am losing weight gain, I guess I was curing to low and my body felt like it was starving.
Lesson learned.
Lesson learned.
12
Replies
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Crazy huh? It seems so counter intuitive but it works! I'm not complaining!!5
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Starvation mode is a myth - the fewer calories under your TDEE you eat, the more weight you will lose. Period.
There are a few things that might've prevented you from losing weight, and it's not "starvation mode":
- Inaccurate tracking (not using a food scale, not using reliable MFP database entries, forgetting to log)
- Water weight (from starting a new exercise routine, consuming a lot of salt, stress, etc.)
- Constipation
- Normal weight fluctuations (weight goes up and down due to all kinds of causes, so if you weigh yourself on the 'wrong' day you could think you're not losing)
- Unreliable bathroom scale
With that said - the goal of weight loss is creating sustainable habits, not crash dieting. Your body needs a certain amount of nutrients (based on your gender, weight, height, activity level) and if you don't get enough of those nutrients, you can have some nasty side effects, like losing your hair or passing out.
The goal of losing weight should always be slow and steady - eat enough calories to feel good (not ravenous all the time), and lose 0.5-2lbs a week (once again, depending on your gender, height, weight and activity level).37 -
Starvation mode is a myth - the fewer calories you eat, the more weight you will lose. Period.
There are a few things that might've prevented you from losing weight, and it's not "starvation mode":
- Inaccurate tracking (not using a food scale, not using reliable MFP database entries, forgetting to log)
- Water weight (from starting a new exercise routine, consuming a lot of salt, etc.)
- Constipation
- Normal weight fluctuations (weight goes up and down due to all kinds of causes, so if you weigh yourself on the 'wrong' day you could think you're not losing)
- Unreliable bathroom scale
With that said - the goal of weight loss is creating sustainable habits, not crash dieting. Your body needs a certain amount of nutrients (based on your gender, weight, height, activity level) and if you don't get enough of those nutrients, you can have some nasty side effects, like losing your hair or passing out.
The goal of losing weight should always be slow and steady - eat enough calories to feel good (not ravenous all the time), and lose 0.5-2lbs a week (once again, depending on your gender, height, weight and activity level).
I disagree with you but thanks for the comment.4 -
Starvation mode is a myth - the fewer calories you eat, the more weight you will lose. Period.
There are a few things that might've prevented you from losing weight, and it's not "starvation mode":
- Inaccurate tracking (not using a food scale, not using reliable MFP database entries, forgetting to log)
- Water weight (from starting a new exercise routine, consuming a lot of salt, etc.)
- Constipation
- Normal weight fluctuations (weight goes up and down due to all kinds of causes, so if you weigh yourself on the 'wrong' day you could think you're not losing)
- Unreliable bathroom scale
With that said - the goal of weight loss is creating sustainable habits, not crash dieting. Your body needs a certain amount of nutrients (based on your gender, weight, height, activity level) and if you don't get enough of those nutrients, you can have some nasty side effects, like losing your hair or passing out.
The goal of losing weight should always be slow and steady - eat enough calories to feel good (not ravenous all the time), and lose 0.5-2lbs a week (once again, depending on your gender, height, weight and activity level).
I disagree with you but thanks for the comment.
Thankfully science always works the same way regardless of one's oppinions and beliefs.
73 -
The same thing happened to me. I had my calories set high when I first started counting and the weight was dropping off. I was eating the same foods, and working out the same. When I dropped my calorie goal my weight slowed and then stopped all together. I was still eating the same healthy foods, exercising the same amount but the weight wouldn't come off. Once I bumped it back up to my initial calorie goal, the weight started coming off again!3
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what don't you agree with? all that was stated is infact truth. research. google is your friend.14
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gebeziseva wrote: »Starvation mode is a myth - the fewer calories you eat, the more weight you will lose. Period.
There are a few things that might've prevented you from losing weight, and it's not "starvation mode":
- Inaccurate tracking (not using a food scale, not using reliable MFP database entries, forgetting to log)
- Water weight (from starting a new exercise routine, consuming a lot of salt, etc.)
- Constipation
- Normal weight fluctuations (weight goes up and down due to all kinds of causes, so if you weigh yourself on the 'wrong' day you could think you're not losing)
- Unreliable bathroom scale
With that said - the goal of weight loss is creating sustainable habits, not crash dieting. Your body needs a certain amount of nutrients (based on your gender, weight, height, activity level) and if you don't get enough of those nutrients, you can have some nasty side effects, like losing your hair or passing out.
The goal of losing weight should always be slow and steady - eat enough calories to feel good (not ravenous all the time), and lose 0.5-2lbs a week (once again, depending on your gender, height, weight and activity level).
I disagree with you but thanks for the comment.
Thankfully science always works the same way regardless of one's oppinions and beliefs.
Thankfully science is always changing and what people think they know is always changing.15 -
Starvation mode is a myth - the fewer calories you eat, the more weight you will lose. Period.
There are a few things that might've prevented you from losing weight, and it's not "starvation mode":
- Inaccurate tracking (not using a food scale, not using reliable MFP database entries, forgetting to log)
- Water weight (from starting a new exercise routine, consuming a lot of salt, etc.)
- Constipation
- Normal weight fluctuations (weight goes up and down due to all kinds of causes, so if you weigh yourself on the 'wrong' day you could think you're not losing)
- Unreliable bathroom scale
With that said - the goal of weight loss is creating sustainable habits, not crash dieting. Your body needs a certain amount of nutrients (based on your gender, weight, height, activity level) and if you don't get enough of those nutrients, you can have some nasty side effects, like losing your hair or passing out.
The goal of losing weight should always be slow and steady - eat enough calories to feel good (not ravenous all the time), and lose 0.5-2lbs a week (once again, depending on your gender, height, weight and activity level).
I disagree with you but thanks for the comment.
It may seem to conflict with your personal experience, but it is factual.
Bottom line is, eat your full calorie allowance with accurate logging practices.8 -
gebeziseva wrote: »Starvation mode is a myth - the fewer calories you eat, the more weight you will lose. Period.
There are a few things that might've prevented you from losing weight, and it's not "starvation mode":
- Inaccurate tracking (not using a food scale, not using reliable MFP database entries, forgetting to log)
- Water weight (from starting a new exercise routine, consuming a lot of salt, etc.)
- Constipation
- Normal weight fluctuations (weight goes up and down due to all kinds of causes, so if you weigh yourself on the 'wrong' day you could think you're not losing)
- Unreliable bathroom scale
With that said - the goal of weight loss is creating sustainable habits, not crash dieting. Your body needs a certain amount of nutrients (based on your gender, weight, height, activity level) and if you don't get enough of those nutrients, you can have some nasty side effects, like losing your hair or passing out.
The goal of losing weight should always be slow and steady - eat enough calories to feel good (not ravenous all the time), and lose 0.5-2lbs a week (once again, depending on your gender, height, weight and activity level).
I disagree with you but thanks for the comment.
Thankfully science always works the same way regardless of one's oppinions and beliefs.
Thankfully science is always changing and what people think they know is always changing.
so taken to the extreme, no one would die of starvation or experience malnutrition because the body would adjust...and retain weight? Logically that makes no sense. Starvation is a real thing but not really a thing if you have the luxury of MFP on your killer internet connection.35 -
I had the same experience as you did. I was eating about 1100 calories daily and losing weight very, very slowly. I increased it to between 1500 and 1700 calories and started losing weight much faster. This was over the course of months and I was under my doctor's care the whole time. My diet was nutritionally adequate and my activity level remained about constant.
I know people insist that fewer calories automatically lead to weight loss, but that wasn't my experience. I'm not offering an explanation or claiming that I was in "starvation mode" - whatever that is interpreted to mean. But there does seem to be more at work than just reducing caloric intake to lose weight. I talked with my doctor about this and he said it's just not well understood.
11 -
Seattleovercast wrote: »The same thing happened to me. I had my calories set high when I first started counting and the weight was dropping off. I was eating the same foods, and working out the same. When I dropped my calorie goal my weight slowed and then stopped all together. I was still eating the same healthy foods, exercising the same amount but the weight wouldn't come off. Once I bumped it back up to my initial calorie goal, the weight started coming off again!
something else at play here to cause that. the greater the calorie deficit you are under, the more you will lose. its just simple math. there are a lot of factors but math is math. caveat....you have to do the math correctly.11 -
Tomk652015 wrote: »Seattleovercast wrote: »The same thing happened to me. I had my calories set high when I first started counting and the weight was dropping off. I was eating the same foods, and working out the same. When I dropped my calorie goal my weight slowed and then stopped all together. I was still eating the same healthy foods, exercising the same amount but the weight wouldn't come off. Once I bumped it back up to my initial calorie goal, the weight started coming off again!
something else at play here to cause that. the greater the calorie deficit you are under, the more you will lose. its just simple math. there are a lot of factors but math is math. caveat....you have to do the math correctly.
The human body is complex, it's not just math.6 -
@tomk652015 I agree. I just asked my doctor about this last month. She said it's a myth too. Otherwise, anorexic's wouldn't be thin, etc. Unless it's a medical problem, if you eat way below your calories, you lose weight. It's really not an opinion.18
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gebeziseva wrote: »Starvation mode is a myth - the fewer calories you eat, the more weight you will lose. Period.
There are a few things that might've prevented you from losing weight, and it's not "starvation mode":
- Inaccurate tracking (not using a food scale, not using reliable MFP database entries, forgetting to log)
- Water weight (from starting a new exercise routine, consuming a lot of salt, etc.)
- Constipation
- Normal weight fluctuations (weight goes up and down due to all kinds of causes, so if you weigh yourself on the 'wrong' day you could think you're not losing)
- Unreliable bathroom scale
With that said - the goal of weight loss is creating sustainable habits, not crash dieting. Your body needs a certain amount of nutrients (based on your gender, weight, height, activity level) and if you don't get enough of those nutrients, you can have some nasty side effects, like losing your hair or passing out.
The goal of losing weight should always be slow and steady - eat enough calories to feel good (not ravenous all the time), and lose 0.5-2lbs a week (once again, depending on your gender, height, weight and activity level).
I disagree with you but thanks for the comment.
Thankfully science always works the same way regardless of one's oppinions and beliefs.
Thankfully science is always changing and what people think they know is always changing.
Thank you for proving that no one needs to eat anything. I'll throw out my food and spend my money on only women and song. And the women won't eat because you proved they don't need to.
Educate yourself on secret eating.27 -
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Tomk652015 wrote: »Seattleovercast wrote: »The same thing happened to me. I had my calories set high when I first started counting and the weight was dropping off. I was eating the same foods, and working out the same. When I dropped my calorie goal my weight slowed and then stopped all together. I was still eating the same healthy foods, exercising the same amount but the weight wouldn't come off. Once I bumped it back up to my initial calorie goal, the weight started coming off again!
something else at play here to cause that. the greater the calorie deficit you are under, the more you will lose. its just simple math. there are a lot of factors but math is math. caveat....you have to do the math correctly.
The human body is complex, it's not just math.
It's definitely complex. Your body can gain/lose amazing amounts of water weight in a short time due to any number of factors unrelated to your calorie intake. That doesn't mean you were failing to lose weight due to a lack of calories.12 -
haha that was all entertaining across the board.
13 -
Tomk652015 wrote: »Seattleovercast wrote: »The same thing happened to me. I had my calories set high when I first started counting and the weight was dropping off. I was eating the same foods, and working out the same. When I dropped my calorie goal my weight slowed and then stopped all together. I was still eating the same healthy foods, exercising the same amount but the weight wouldn't come off. Once I bumped it back up to my initial calorie goal, the weight started coming off again!
something else at play here to cause that. the greater the calorie deficit you are under, the more you will lose. its just simple math. there are a lot of factors but math is math. caveat....you have to do the math correctly.
The human body is complex, it's not just math.
well what would it be then? the question is what makes your body lose weight? I pose that burning (by whatever means) more energy than you consume. example, your TDEE is 2500 cals, You consume 1500, your deficit is 1000. over time, your weight drops faster than if your TDEE is 2500 and you consume 2000 with a deficit of 500. See..math.4 -
Tomk652015 wrote: »Seattleovercast wrote: »The same thing happened to me. I had my calories set high when I first started counting and the weight was dropping off. I was eating the same foods, and working out the same. When I dropped my calorie goal my weight slowed and then stopped all together. I was still eating the same healthy foods, exercising the same amount but the weight wouldn't come off. Once I bumped it back up to my initial calorie goal, the weight started coming off again!
something else at play here to cause that. the greater the calorie deficit you are under, the more you will lose. its just simple math. there are a lot of factors but math is math. caveat....you have to do the math correctly.
The human body is complex, it's not just math.
Out of curiosity, did you ever struggle with binge eating?
Edit: Before you were calorie counting on a consistent basis?2 -
Great thread peoples...
I will add this, the plateau thing....that gets tricky for me sometimes. I lost a lot in the beginning and then slowed wwaayy down. Once I added a different type of exercise in it all picked up again...and kept the monotony at bay.3 -
the fewer calories you eat, the more weight you will lose. Period.
No.
The larger your deficit, the more weight you will lose. That is not the same thing.
For many people, eating less leads them to move less and therefore burn fewer calories. For those people, eating enough to increase their activity level can actually increase their deficit and lead to increased weight loss (as long as the increase in calorie burn is greater than the increase in calorie intake).
You are correct that starvation mode does not exist; however, your follow-up statement was incorrect.28 -
Tomk652015 wrote: »Tomk652015 wrote: »Seattleovercast wrote: »The same thing happened to me. I had my calories set high when I first started counting and the weight was dropping off. I was eating the same foods, and working out the same. When I dropped my calorie goal my weight slowed and then stopped all together. I was still eating the same healthy foods, exercising the same amount but the weight wouldn't come off. Once I bumped it back up to my initial calorie goal, the weight started coming off again!
something else at play here to cause that. the greater the calorie deficit you are under, the more you will lose. its just simple math. there are a lot of factors but math is math. caveat....you have to do the math correctly.
The human body is complex, it's not just math.
well what would it be then? the question is what makes your body lose weight? I pose that burning (by whatever means) more energy than you consume. example, your TDEE is 2500 cals, You consume 1500, your deficit is 1000. over time, your weight drops faster than if your TDEE is 2500 and you consume 2000 with a deficit of 500. See..math.
A lot of what's written on this forum assumes that 3500 == 1lb is a hard fact. Some quick google searches would tell you that this is not as settled, scientifically, as people want it to be. Yeah the numbers make things easier to implement but they aren't the sum total of how your body regulates your weight. If it's working for him, so be it. Show me your data/research before you shut him down.6 -
SusanMFindlay wrote: »the fewer calories you eat, the more weight you will lose. Period.
No.
The larger your deficit, the more weight you will lose. That is not the same thing.
For many people, eating less leads them to move less and therefore burn fewer calories. For those people, eating enough to increase their activity level can actually increase their deficit and lead to increased weight loss (as long as the increase in calorie burn is greater than the increase in calorie intake).
You are correct that starvation mode does not exist; however, your follow-up statement was incorrect.
My statement could've been worded better but it seems like everyone has picked up on what I was suggesting - which is the same thing you are saying.4 -
I hate to spoil the party OP but it is "just" maths. Biology = Chemistry = Physics = Maths4
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SusanMFindlay wrote: »the fewer calories you eat, the more weight you will lose. Period.
No.
The larger your deficit, the more weight you will lose. That is not the same thing.
For many people, eating less leads them to move less and therefore burn fewer calories. For those people, eating enough to increase their activity level can actually increase their deficit and lead to increased weight loss (as long as the increase in calorie burn is greater than the increase in calorie intake).
You are correct that starvation mode does not exist; however, your follow-up statement was incorrect.
My statement could've been worded better but it seems like everyone has picked up on what I was suggesting - which is the same thing you are saying.
The original poster said *nothing* about starvation mode. He said he increased his food intake and that helped him lose weight. Another poster agreed that they'd had the same experience. *You* are the one who brought "starvation mode" into the conversation and basically told him that his experience was invalid.
I get that "starvation mode" is a hot button around here, but the "eating more is never ever the answer under any circumstances" crowd is also wrong. Finding the right balance between intake and burn is what matters.24 -
Tomk652015 wrote: »Tomk652015 wrote: »Seattleovercast wrote: »The same thing happened to me. I had my calories set high when I first started counting and the weight was dropping off. I was eating the same foods, and working out the same. When I dropped my calorie goal my weight slowed and then stopped all together. I was still eating the same healthy foods, exercising the same amount but the weight wouldn't come off. Once I bumped it back up to my initial calorie goal, the weight started coming off again!
something else at play here to cause that. the greater the calorie deficit you are under, the more you will lose. its just simple math. there are a lot of factors but math is math. caveat....you have to do the math correctly.
The human body is complex, it's not just math.
well what would it be then? the question is what makes your body lose weight? I pose that burning (by whatever means) more energy than you consume. example, your TDEE is 2500 cals, You consume 1500, your deficit is 1000. over time, your weight drops faster than if your TDEE is 2500 and you consume 2000 with a deficit of 500. See..math.
A lot of what's written on this forum assumes that 3500 == 1lb is a hard fact. Some quick google searches would tell you that this is not as settled, scientifically, as people want it to be. Yeah the numbers make things easier to implement but they aren't the sum total of how your body regulates your weight. If it's working for him, so be it. Show me your data/research before you shut him down.
i never said anything about 3500 cals is a pound. the crux of my statement solely revolves around the fact that when you burn more calories than you consume you lose weight. throw any number you want at it. that law doesn't change.3 -
SusanMFindlay wrote: »SusanMFindlay wrote: »the fewer calories you eat, the more weight you will lose. Period.
No.
The larger your deficit, the more weight you will lose. That is not the same thing.
For many people, eating less leads them to move less and therefore burn fewer calories. For those people, eating enough to increase their activity level can actually increase their deficit and lead to increased weight loss (as long as the increase in calorie burn is greater than the increase in calorie intake).
You are correct that starvation mode does not exist; however, your follow-up statement was incorrect.
My statement could've been worded better but it seems like everyone has picked up on what I was suggesting - which is the same thing you are saying.
The original poster said *nothing* about starvation mode. He said he increased his food intake and that helped him lose weight. Another poster agreed that they'd had the same experience. *You* are the one who brought "starvation mode" into the conversation and basically told him that his experience was invalid.
I get that "starvation mode" is a hot button around here, but the "eating more is never ever the answer under any circumstances" crowd is also wrong. Finding the right balance between intake and burn is what matters.
No need to be defensive. He may not have said the words "starvation mode" but it was very clear that he was suggesting the definition of "starvation mode" was indeed happening to him.the "eating more is never ever the answer under any circumstances" crowd is also wrong
If you'll read my post you will find that I am encouraging people to take a balanced approach and eat sustainably. Eat as many calories as you can while still losing weight!2 -
Tomk652015 wrote: »Tomk652015 wrote: »Tomk652015 wrote: »Seattleovercast wrote: »The same thing happened to me. I had my calories set high when I first started counting and the weight was dropping off. I was eating the same foods, and working out the same. When I dropped my calorie goal my weight slowed and then stopped all together. I was still eating the same healthy foods, exercising the same amount but the weight wouldn't come off. Once I bumped it back up to my initial calorie goal, the weight started coming off again!
something else at play here to cause that. the greater the calorie deficit you are under, the more you will lose. its just simple math. there are a lot of factors but math is math. caveat....you have to do the math correctly.
The human body is complex, it's not just math.
well what would it be then? the question is what makes your body lose weight? I pose that burning (by whatever means) more energy than you consume. example, your TDEE is 2500 cals, You consume 1500, your deficit is 1000. over time, your weight drops faster than if your TDEE is 2500 and you consume 2000 with a deficit of 500. See..math.
A lot of what's written on this forum assumes that 3500 == 1lb is a hard fact. Some quick google searches would tell you that this is not as settled, scientifically, as people want it to be. Yeah the numbers make things easier to implement but they aren't the sum total of how your body regulates your weight. If it's working for him, so be it. Show me your data/research before you shut him down.
i never said anything about 3500 cals is a pound. the crux of my statement solely revolves around the fact that when you burn more calories than you consume you lose weight. throw any number you want at it. that law doesn't change.
You need to do a lot more reading before you start talking about "laws". Truth is, like the rest of us, you're parroting what someone else has come up with; I doubt that any of us on this forum has any hard scientific data to prove your "law".
Maybe start by reading this. http://bayesianbodybuilding.com/energy-balance-myths/3 -
Well, i think I found out why I was not losing and even gaining at times, I was not eating enough. I was eating 1000 calories below the highest weight loss setting in my fitness pall. For weeks I was not losing weight and I had no idea why i lost a lot when I starting cutting lower but it stalled. So, I am trying to eat my full recommended intake and after eating so few calories it feels indulgent lol. It worked and am losing weight gain, I guess I was curing to low and my body felt like it was starving.
Lesson learned.
Wrong. You don't lose weight by eating MORE. Nope nope nope. Not happening.
4 -
And yet we have several examples of it happening. It happened to me.fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »Well, i think I found out why I was not losing and even gaining at times, I was not eating enough. I was eating 1000 calories below the highest weight loss setting in my fitness pall. For weeks I was not losing weight and I had no idea why i lost a lot when I starting cutting lower but it stalled. So, I am trying to eat my full recommended intake and after eating so few calories it feels indulgent lol. It worked and am losing weight gain, I guess I was curing to low and my body felt like it was starving.
Lesson learned.
Wrong. You don't lose weight by eating MORE. Nope nope nope. Not happening.
Maybe there are explanations for that you haven't thought of? For example, maybe when we raised our caloric intake, we had more energy and we became more active? I'm not talking about exercising more, but the kind of activity someone might do unconsciously or involuntarily. That's one possibility, anyway.14
This discussion has been closed.
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