The 500 calorie deficit myth

Roaringgael

I think the big lesson from ALL the studies is that no one can really know what any one person's metabolism is doing. They can look at overall average numbers from large groups of people to try to predict the outcome - but when it's you on your own diet/fitness plan, you don't know whether you're exactly average, or leaning towards one end or the other of the spectrum - ESPECIALLY when you consider that your own metabolism will change as your body adjusts to the diet, so even that isn't ever 100% known at any time either.

The only thing you can do is choose a healthy diet/fitness plan that works for you, and stick with it long enough to ascertain whether it is working, and then make adjustments in physical activity and calories to correct your metabolism, which will change as your diet does.

Thanks for the advise! im going to try cleaning up my calories abit as in the nutrition im getting. i always have high sugar levels when the dr takes my bloods and really need to control that. i think that can play a big part in stopping me from loosing as the first thing the body burns is glucose. it also effects my hormones massivley!

Your metabolism does not change as you lose weight, except that a smaller body requires fewer calories at rest than a larger one. That is why it is important to keep updating your weight in your profile, so MFP can adjust.

Smaller bodies! that's the key.
If you love eating large amounts of food don't expect a tiny body.
A friend got to her goal weight and decided that the calories required to stay there were to few to her liking - now of course she could have exercised more - however she chose to gain a few more kilos and enjoyed her lifestyle a lot better!
That's where she's stayed for 20 years.
Being happy with where you are is what its about.
I eat to my calorie deficit because, for now, I find it effortless.
Of course its not exact but hey I lose.

SLLRunner

I think the big lesson from ALL the studies is that no one can really know what any one person's metabolism is doing. They can look at overall average numbers from large groups of people to try to predict the outcome - but when it's you on your own diet/fitness plan, you don't know whether you're exactly average, or leaning towards one end or the other of the spectrum - ESPECIALLY when you consider that your own metabolism will change as your body adjusts to the diet, so even that isn't ever 100% known at any time either.

The only thing you can do is choose a healthy diet/fitness plan that works for you, and stick with it long enough to ascertain whether it is working, and then make adjustments in physical activity and calories to correct your metabolism, which will change as your diet does.

Yep. great post and in full agreement. Finding the right diet/fitness plan that works for you takes a lot of trail and error.

alisonlynn1976

It's propaganda pushing a particular agenda. While I agree that it's true that a 500 calorie deficit is not going to translate perfectly into 1 pound lost per week because there are many other factors involved, the logical conclusion is not that calories in/calories out is meaningless and weight loss is impossible. The starvation experiment illustrates why yo-yo dieting doesn't work. The reason weight loss doesn't work in studies is because the participants go back to their previous habits (or binge even more than they used to if they were really deprived) after the study is over. That's not surprising. Of course the weight is going to come back on if the changes made to lose weight were temporary.

ILoveGingerNut

such a ridiculous post and still so many comments.
you must be really enjoying this.
typical of MFP anyway :yawn: :yawn: :yawn: :yawn: :yawn: :yawn:

jayclock

For 90%+ of people (probably closer to 98% at a guess) eating fewer calories and moving around more results in a weight loss. Some can cope with 500 deficit, others might be 250 or 700. Seems generally agreed that extreme deficits are not healthy or effective.

Those who claim they are "special" due to slow metabolism etc are generally big eaters who do little exercise.

Key for me is portion control (which requires calorie counting). My breakfast (various high fibre cereal with skimmed milk) totals 405 calories by weighing out. Just tipping cereal randomly in the bowl would be 650 or so. Same applies to other meals. Snacks are easy to shove in 500+ calories

So be sensible, and eat healthy foods. If you one of the tiny % with problems like thyroid, see a doctor

With regards exercise, find what works for you, AND YOU ENJOY

Nuff said,off for a bike ride

jayclock

one thing to add, is that for me I do not need to eat back all the calories I use exercising. If I am aiming for 1600 a day and run 10k (approx 1000 calories theoretically for me) I aim only to eat back half of those, as I am very fit (but overweight) and have been doing tons of exercise for years. (Average in 2013 was 1000 cals per day of exercise)

Chadomaniac

what nonsense is that


Don't believe all the bs you read OP

Phoenix_Warrior

I bet I could find a random Internet blog proving the Loch Ness monsters existence too. It's probably just as convincing to me as some random idiot via interweb insisting that thermodynamics isn't real and the only reason they aren't losing weight is due to a mystical voodoo curse involving toxins, sugar, and a "broken" metabolism.

OP, I'm at a healthy weight at 121 lbs at 5'3.5", yet I can lose weight on 1900 calories a day with moderate exercise. It's not because I sprinkle my pop tarts with magic. It's because I'm creating a calorie deficit by being 100% honest with everything I log in my diary. While I think it is important to have a balanced diet involving nutrient dense foods, the idea that the quality, rather than quantity matters in terms of weight loss makes no sense. Will an imbalanced diet make me feel like poo? Yes. Will it hinder my weight loss? No.

3laine75

TL,DR

But yes 500 deficit is based on fat loss and you'll lose a mixture of fat and muscle. The amount of muscle you lose will be based on how you exercise, what your macros are and your genetics.

There's not a lot you can do to work this stuff out so best not to worry about it.

Get enough protein for your goals, do some form of resistance training ( along with your cardio) and hope for the best

ETA: prob shouldn't have put the 'yes' as I've no idea what the blog said as I didn't look at it

Denjo060

saving to read later

franurra

i think so, I would increase the fruit and veggie intake and cut out processed food? a suggestion, even bread always always and i swear by it, makes you bloat and retains water. worth a shot

Jennilyn79

Instead of spending all of that time "researching" a study on starving men, the OP should've spent the time to read and educate about nutrition, BMR, TDEE, from actual books. There is soooo much information available online also. I startedy journey years ago when I bought the clean eating diet by tosca reno. When you're educated about what is good for your body and what is harmful, you're less likely to just follow a diet plan that could harm you eventually. MFP calculates a calorie plan based on what you want but doesn't not encourage you to eat below bmr. Yeah you'll lose weight with a calorie deficit, but everyone needs to understand nutrition is extremely important. I love how MFP includes nutritional counts. It's made me realize some things I'm not getting enough of. MFP is a great way to start a fitness plan and a great way to get back on track if you've been eating extra without realizing. Tracking my food has always worked for me when I need to lose. I don't have unrealistic goals or expectations, and like everything else you need patience. It's a great platform for starting new and getting encouragement from others on the journey. I encourage everyone to read as much as you can about fitness and nutrition. Fitness magazines are fun reads for me and provide me with with incentives when I see others success stories. If everyone was more educated you would see less unhealthy fad diets.

franurra

It depends on each individual I think, like someone said, the men in this experiment were of a healthy weight, so Im assuming their bmi wasnt over rated. A person that has an obese BMI might benefit from fewer calories in their diet, teaches us self control and smart eating, when we reach a healthy weight, we should maintain it by eating our BMR calories. (Im here with an OBESE BMI but from pregnancy weight) I have done a low calorie intake in the past whilst obese and have lost unwanted weight and maintained by eating my BMR. Now, if a perfectly healthy person wants to lose a few stubborn lbs, then I suggest changing their eating habits, reduce process foods, increase fruit and veg(5 portions as recommended) and add exercise. In short, a 500 cal deficit is just a guideline in my opinion, you need to listen to your body and see what is best for it.
I hate how ppl sometimes think that because guidelines are set, they must be followed to the letter, there is also another myth involving breastfeeding mothers should eat 500 calories extra a diet which is a lot of rubbish. I eat 1000 a day, full of fruit and veggies and leans and my milk supply is plenty and my baby is a heavy chunky boy!:D

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

It depends on each individual I think, like someone said, the men in this experiment were of a healthy weight, so Im assuming their bmi wasnt over rated. A person that has an obese BMI might benefit from fewer calories in their diet, teaches us self control and smart eating, when we reach a healthy weight, we should maintain it by eating our BMR calories. (Im here with an OBESE BMI but from pregnancy weight) I have done a low calorie intake in the past whilst obese and have lost unwanted weight and maintained by eating my BMR. Now, if a perfectly healthy person wants to lose a few stubborn lbs, then I suggest changing their eating habits, reduce process foods, increase fruit and veg(5 portions as recommended) and add exercise. In short, a 500 cal deficit is just a guideline in my opinion, you need to listen to your body and see what is best for it.
I hate how ppl sometimes think that because guidelines are set, they must be followed to the letter, there is also another myth involving breastfeeding mothers should eat 500 calories extra a diet which is a lot of rubbish. I eat 1000 a day, full of fruit and veggies and leans and my milk supply is plenty and my baby is a heavy chunky boy!:D

You should not be maintaining on your BMR calories. That would be your maintenance if you never moved at all.

Also I hope you're being monitored by a doctor to be eating so little while breastfeeding. It's incredibly difficult if not impossible to get all the nutrients you and your baby need on that intake.

geebusuk

It's all an approximation; 500 is a good enough one to use.

The reason why fat loss isn't linear is that there is more going on within the body than a simple calories in vs. calories out exchange. The body is exceptionally good at self preservation and, when faced with a large deficit, will shut down any non essential functions in order to protect itself. For example, loss of menstruation occurs in women (amenorrhea) because reproduction is non-essential. In fact everything slows down.

Actually, the example given IS CICO - it just alters 'calories out'. Always amused when people use an example which disproves their point.

The body also recognises that lean muscle tissue requires 3 times as many calories as fat just to maintain itself, and so starts to utilise lean tissue as fuel instead, which has a knock on effect on basal metabolic rate (the amount of calories you burn at complete rest). This is obviously counterproductive for fat loss.

Quite true. But we're talking say 2 calories per pound of fat vs 6 calories per pound of muscle.
Keeping protein levels up and doing resistance training will help insure muscle isn't lost.

joyfuljoy65

I got as far as if I cut 500 calories I wouldn't lose 4 stone........ I did and I did so I am not reading anymore. Everyone is different and studies are good for research but everyone needs to know how their own body and metabolism works, and thats by trial and error.

Heronimos

The population has never eaten so little...

I'm sorry, no professional can be that out of touch. The article author is flat out lying, as we know for certain that Americans have never in history been eating more than they do today.

Well, maybe she has a point. But not in the way she means it I think.
Now I have started to count calories and eat healthy, I have been eating a lot more (in quantity) but a lot less in calorie.
2 slice's of bread with a normal healthy thing on it (can't find a some so fast that I know the English name for) is a lot bigger as one candybar.

So if (again if) the population is eating less then before, it is because the now food is packing so much calories a small package.

Stage14

Things that are true in that blog...
1. 3500cal per pound is an estimate.
2. The body loses a mix of fat and muscle.
3. Weight loss is not truly linear.
4. The study referenced existed.

Things that are false in that blog...
Everything not listed above.

franurra

this is my second child and breastfeeding is like second nature to me. yes, my GP( practitioner) recomended fewer calories to loose weight because my bmi is 32 and was finding it hard to loose,( low metabolism, thyroid issues) my kids are happy and my baby is a healthy and big and continues putting weight on.
This is why i say listen to your body, if a person of heatlhy Bmi needs to loose a few lbs, then make healthier changes.

franurra

spot on, exactly my point, ppl like to judge too quick, every one is different individual. guidelines are just that, guidelines, nothing written on stone.