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Eat more to reduce body fat? debate
LivingtheLeanDream
Posts: 13,342 Member
I'm a long term maintainer, a big believer in CICO, its definately how I maintain my weight but I had a long conversation with my eldest son the other night about lowering bf%.
He was mentioning how two of his co workers had in recent weeks started going to the gym and both have a personal trainer who advises them on food intake.
Both guys were wanting to maintain their weight but build muscle.
They were told firstly they weren't eating enough.
They were told eating too little leads to weight gain! yes really! (I just can't get my head around that, nor do I even believe it! I've been browsing these forums for years and can't see that it is possible!)
They increased their meals x 5 a day, mostly rice/chicken/fish/eggs veg and no bread no sauces (sounds boring to me personally!)
Anyway, both guys have remained the same weight but their body fat percentage has dropped radically in a matter of 5 or 6 weeks and both are visibly trimmer. I mean they have lost enough body fat for their clothes to be hanging off them.
So what gives?
I'd love to hear your thoughts because here I am with 7 years experience of counting calories in and out, I eat all the foods but I stay within the calories my body burns and maintain my weight fairly effortlessly (but always am looking to lower my bf% a little more.)
How can these guys be losing so much fat yet staying same weight?
They workout at gym heavy lifting 4 times a week. Is it really that simple? lift more = reduce bf%?
Your thoughts please?
Thanks in advance
Ruth
He was mentioning how two of his co workers had in recent weeks started going to the gym and both have a personal trainer who advises them on food intake.
Both guys were wanting to maintain their weight but build muscle.
They were told firstly they weren't eating enough.
They were told eating too little leads to weight gain! yes really! (I just can't get my head around that, nor do I even believe it! I've been browsing these forums for years and can't see that it is possible!)
They increased their meals x 5 a day, mostly rice/chicken/fish/eggs veg and no bread no sauces (sounds boring to me personally!)
Anyway, both guys have remained the same weight but their body fat percentage has dropped radically in a matter of 5 or 6 weeks and both are visibly trimmer. I mean they have lost enough body fat for their clothes to be hanging off them.
So what gives?
I'd love to hear your thoughts because here I am with 7 years experience of counting calories in and out, I eat all the foods but I stay within the calories my body burns and maintain my weight fairly effortlessly (but always am looking to lower my bf% a little more.)
How can these guys be losing so much fat yet staying same weight?
They workout at gym heavy lifting 4 times a week. Is it really that simple? lift more = reduce bf%?
Your thoughts please?
Thanks in advance
Ruth
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Replies
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ps I wasn't sure what to put as the title of this debate!0
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They were told eating too little leads to weight gain!
Just following the thread other than that question - topic is of interest to me too.2 -
No its not a typo, they were told by this personal trainer that eating too little leads to weight gain!! I know, its dumbfounding! wonder how much training in nutrition and facts do you need to be a personal trainer!
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sounds like they dropped carbs... instant water loss and looking more lean.
how are they measuring bodyfat %?9 -
LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »No its not a typo, they were told by this personal trainer that eating too little leads to weight gain!! I know, its dumbfounding! wonder how much training in nutrition and facts do you need to be a personal trainer!
Pretty much zero training, hence that statement.
That statement is the old starvation mode myth.
Of course they're getting more lean with a protein/vegetable meal plan and heavy lifting. The lifting is the important bit here.5 -
LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »No its not a typo, they were told by this personal trainer that eating too little leads to weight gain!! I know, its dumbfounding! wonder how much training in nutrition and facts do you need to be a personal trainer!
I....don't know what to say to that4 -
LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »No its not a typo, they were told by this personal trainer that eating too little leads to weight gain!! I know, its dumbfounding! wonder how much training in nutrition and facts do you need to be a personal trainer!
you don't do any training in nutrition to be a PT....4 -
TavistockToad wrote: »sounds like they dropped carbs... instant water loss and looking more lean.
how are they measuring bodyfat %?
I'm not sure about that, must ask my son - but if they're visibly leaner there's no question about fat loss right?0 -
TavistockToad wrote: »LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »No its not a typo, they were told by this personal trainer that eating too little leads to weight gain!! I know, its dumbfounding! wonder how much training in nutrition and facts do you need to be a personal trainer!
you don't do any training in nutrition to be a PT....
So how come they feel so free to spout their so called knowledge...sorry but that bugs me! LOL so much bad information out there in general.0 -
LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »sounds like they dropped carbs... instant water loss and looking more lean.
how are they measuring bodyfat %?
I'm not sure about that, must ask my son - but if they're visibly leaner there's no question about fat loss right?
do you ever wake up in the morning and think, ohhhh, my stomach looks good, oooh there's some abs starting to show... and then by evening they're gone?
that's hydration not 'gaining' fat through the day.9 -
@tavistock that happens me daily LOL but that's natural cos food in my system etc...1
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The thing behind eating 5/6 meals aday that’s not big each , is that you don’t want your metabolism to stay asleep and act as anti starvation survival saving food mode which happens when you eat 3 big meals aday with 4/6 hours between ,
So they eat every 2/3 hours a meal which contains a decent amount of protein and slightly low carbs makes thier bodies’s metabolism rate higher
And as they train whether it’s cardio or weightlifting the protein they get helps to build lean muscles and burn those extra fats
But after all it depends on the bodytype and its metabolism,a hardgainer doesn’t have to worry about the carbs intake that much unlike easygainers. So you can expect from some ppl to eat 7 meals a day and still lose weight.40 -
If you're alive and breathing, your metabolism won't sleep. Starvation mode isn't real. Metabolism isn't something you boost.
https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/metabolic-damage/14 -
NavaGunJara wrote: »The thing behind eating 5/6 meals aday that’s not big each , is that you don’t want your metabolism to stay asleep and act as anti starvation survival saving food mode which happens when you eat 3 big meals aday with 4/6 hours between ,
So they eat every 2/3 hours a meal which contains a decent amount of protein and slightly low carbs makes thier bodies’s metabolism rate higher
And as they train whether it’s cardio or weightlifting the protein they get helps to build lean muscles and burn those extra fats
But after all it depends on the bodytype and its metabolism,a hardgainer doesn’t have to worry about the carbs intake that much unlike easygainers. So you can expect from some ppl to eat 7 meals a day and still lose weight.
Nope - this is an old bro-science myth that just will not die... your body does not hang onto calories and turn them into fat when you decrease the amount of food that you eat. Your metabolism does not slow down when you eat 3 meals a day and it does not speed up when you eat 5+ meals a day.
Basically what is happening to these guys is a re-comp - they are eating at close to maintenance and they are trading out fat for muscle.14 -
It sounds like a few things could be happening. They could actually be at a deficit but since starting training they could be retaining water and maintaining their weight over the few weeks. Also fluxes in water weight can make a difference in appearance. It sounds like they could be recomping, although it is a short period of time to see results, but if they are newer to lifting that could definitely be possible. After my first bulk (and fairly new to training) I transitioned to recomp and I was visibly leaner in less than 3 months. But that was shortlived.
In any case in order to actually lower bodyfat, there are two methods to do it. Deficit or recomp.6 -
Yes I was thinking the time wasn't enough for recomp results.3
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The only time eating less leads to weight gain is when it causes you to binge because you are not eating enough. IMO. But guys can change their BODIES so quickly it really does irritate me. Let's see how it goes long term for them.3
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SummerSkier wrote: »The only time eating less leads to weight gain is when it causes you to binge because you are not eating enough. IMO. But guys can change their BODIES so quickly it really does irritate me. Let's see how it goes long term for them.
I know men eh!!! so annoying LOL but I'll be asking for updates as the weeks go on - I'm not sure who could eat rice and chicken day in day out long term1 -
I'm guessing they are young men - late teens, early 20's - doing a structured lifting program for the first time, so they have a good chance of getting some fairly impressive 'newbie' gains when starting out. I am willing to bet that the gains taper off as they keep with the program.5
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too low calories can cause adaptive thermogensis and increase the stress on the body raising cortisol levels that can cause an increase in water retention. There is some thought behind the increasing calories - that you become more energetic, workout harder, your unintentional movement increases and sleep better - all of which contributes to weight loss...
that being said - so does cutting carbs...6
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