Can someone please explain eat more weigh less?

rk_19

I'm a fitness newbie so for me, "eat more, weigh less" is like whaaaaaat. It's a total leap of faith. all the responses on all the message boards of this site, all the answers to my questions are "you gotta eat more!" and i'm confused.. because my concept of weight loss is probably very narrow - eat less calories + work out more = lose weight. cleaarly that's not the case. especially, because im at a normal weight (112lbs at 5"1 or 5"2 idk, 19 years), just looking to lose some inches in some problem areas.

so can someone please explain or post some links to other discussions about how eating more is going to help me lose the inches? its really scary for me to eat a lot without getting nervous or conscious about putting on weight.

my TDEE is 1800, and i shouldnt go below 1400 it says!

thanks a ton!

rk_19

Bummp!

Erica0718

Here is a link to the group, maybe it will help..............

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less

alexisdc

I know... there is a group Eat More to Weigh Less. They provide an explaination, how to begin to do this etc. Its pretty interesting.

wonderwoman234

Well, if you eat a large volume of low calorie foods, like fruits and veggies, you can "eat more, weigh less". You can't eat a lot of cheese because it has a lot of calories.

You do have to create a calorie deficit to lose weight. But you can make smart food choices by filling in lots of veggies to keep yourself full. I love veggie soup, roasted veggies, apples, clementines, etc. And of course eat the foods you like, just in moderation.

editorgrrl

The closer you are to goal, the more slowly you lose. Set your goal to .5 lb. per week, and be patient. Concentrate less on losing fat (you don't have much), and more on building lean body mass (aka muscle).

Log everything you eat accurately & honestly. Find reliable database entries. (There's a lot of incorrect data in there.) Weigh your food. Log your exercise, and eat back your exercise calories for two weeks. If you're still not losing, eat back half your exercise calories.

Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

TeaBea

Well, if you eat a large volume of low calorie foods, like fruits and veggies, you can "eat more, weigh less". You can't eat a lot of cheese because it has a lot of calories.

You do have to create a calorie deficit to lose weight. But you can make smart food choices by filling in lots of veggies to keep yourself full. I love veggie soup, roasted veggies, apples, clementines, etc. And of course eat the foods you like, just in moderation.

Um....no, this isn't what the "eat more to weight less" means here. I'm sure there are diets labeled that...but some types of calorie dense foods are really good for you......olive oil, nut butters, avocado, etc.

Here on MFP it's .....(read the link....that does a way better job of explaining.......EditorGrl's link).....but basically very calorie restrictive diets can have you lose fat+muscle.....instead of mostly fat. When you lose fat+muscle, you actually lower your metabolism a bit. So eat more means a smaller calorie deficit (you lose slower) .....but slow helps you retain healthy muscle.

Rayman79

The whole 'eat more to weigh less' concept can be taken waaay out of context. Let's not forget the first rule, the only proven way to lose weight is to be in a caloric deficit (eat less than your body uses).

Theoretically, the greater the deficit, the quicker the weightloss. BUT, if you diet too drastically all sorts of nasty things can happen:
1. Your body will metabolise muscle for fuel instead of fat
2. You will have a significantly harder time adhering to your diet
3. Your bodily functions can be impaired (hormone levels, reduced energy etc), right through to severe symptoms for long term severe restriction such as hair falling out and loss of menstrual cycle etc.

This is where the concept of eat more comes into it. You want to give your body enough fuel to perform well, hang on to your muscle tissue etc, while still losing fat. The goal while trying to lose fat should always be to:

EAT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN WHILE STILL LOSING FAT

This requires consistency. Work out what your TDEE is, eat at 20% less than this. Track your calories pretty carefully at this level for a month and see what progress you have made. If you have lost weight then keep going at that level until you stall, then reduce by 10%, rinse and repeat.

For women I would always suggest giving it at least a month at a given calorie level, due to natural fluctuations in water retention of the course of a month.

I hope that makes sense, feel free to hit me up if you'd like anything explained further.

rk_19

The whole 'eat more to weigh less' concept can be taken waaay out of context. Let's not forget the first rule, the only proven way to lose weight is to be in a caloric deficit (eat less than your body uses).

Theoretically, the greater the deficit, the quicker the weightloss. BUT, if you diet too drastically all sorts of nasty things can happen:
1. Your body will metabolise muscle for fuel instead of fat
2. You will have a significantly harder time adhering to your diet
3. Your bodily functions can be impaired (hormone levels, reduced energy etc), right through to severe symptoms for long term severe restriction such as hair falling out and loss of menstrual cycle etc.

This is where the concept of eat more comes into it. You want to give your body enough fuel to perform well, hang on to your muscle tissue etc, while still losing fat. The goal while trying to lose fat should always be to:

EAT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN WHILE STILL LOSING FAT

This requires consistency. Work out what your TDEE is, eat at 20% less than this. Track your calories pretty carefully at this level for a month and see what progress you have made. If you have lost weight then keep going at that level until you stall, then reduce by 10%, rinse and repeat.

For women I would always suggest giving it at least a month at a given calorie level, due to natural fluctuations in water retention of the course of a month.

I hope that makes sense, feel free to hit me up if you'd like anything explained further.

This was great, thank you.. I'm just super nervous about eating so many calories, the traditional view toward losing weight has always been to eat less to weigh less, for me. And I'm scared my body will have a negative reaction since I'm not used to it.
But thanks a lot, I will definitely msg you if I have any queries

rk_19

Thanks everyone for replying to this

loubidy

, just looking to lose some inches in some problem areas.

so can someone please explain or post some links to other discussions about how eating more is going to help me lose the inches? its really scary for me to eat a lot without getting nervous or conscious about putting on weight.

But you're not looking to weigh less? You are looking to lose inches!!! Throw the scale away now and get the measuring tape out and get into strength training!! Do weights! For this you will definitely need to eat more at least your TDEE.

someone smarter than me will explain why.

rk_19

, just looking to lose some inches in some problem areas.

so can someone please explain or post some links to other discussions about how eating more is going to help me lose the inches? its really scary for me to eat a lot without getting nervous or conscious about putting on weight.

But you're not looking to weigh less? You are looking to lose inches!!! Throw the scale away now and get the measuring tape out and get into strength training!! Do weights! For this you will definitely need to eat more at least your TDEE.

someone smarter than me will explain why.

Someone a few weeks ago on this site told me to "keep" my muscles I have I have to eat at a slight deficit and weight train and only when I want to gain muscle I have to eat above..

I. Am. So. Confused.

Lol.

rk_19

, just looking to lose some inches in some problem areas.

so can someone please explain or post some links to other discussions about how eating more is going to help me lose the inches? its really scary for me to eat a lot without getting nervous or conscious about putting on weight.

But you're not looking to weigh less? You are looking to lose inches!!! Throw the scale away now and get the measuring tape out and get into strength training!! Do weights! For this you will definitely need to eat more at least your TDEE.

someone smarter than me will explain why.

Oh and by putting on weight in the above post, I meant fat! :P

Rayman79

The point re weight training is true. Doing resistance training and providing a progressive overload on your muscles is the best way to preserve the lean tissue you have when dieting.

As a very non-scientific explanation of this, stressing your muscles tells the body that they are needed, and are therefore much less likely to be broken down for energy (which means the energy required comes from fat cells instead).

Doing some sort of weight training 3 days per week (combined with a moderate caloric deficit) is probably THE best way to lose fat and improve the composition (shape) of your body!

cwolfman13

Join the group...

Eat more weight less is largely about dietary adherence...i.e. you ultimately lose weight faster at a more reasonable calorie deficit because you're not being super restrictive and then going on calorie benders and wiping out all of your progress...you're just nice and slow and steady and not hungry all of the time and have plenty of energy, etc.

cwolfman13

, just looking to lose some inches in some problem areas.

so can someone please explain or post some links to other discussions about how eating more is going to help me lose the inches? its really scary for me to eat a lot without getting nervous or conscious about putting on weight.

But you're not looking to weigh less? You are looking to lose inches!!! Throw the scale away now and get the measuring tape out and get into strength training!! Do weights! For this you will definitely need to eat more at least your TDEE.

someone smarter than me will explain why.

Someone a few weeks ago on this site told me to "keep" my muscles I have I have to eat at a slight deficit and weight train and only when I want to gain muscle I have to eat above..

I. Am. So. Confused.

Lol.

That is correct...instead of telling MFP you want to lose 2 Lbs or whatever set it to 1/2 Lb per week or even just set it to maintenance and hit the weight room. At maintenance while lifting and following an intelligent program you will lose a little fat and gain a little muscle...this is called "re-composition". It is an extremely slow process so patience is a virtue.

To actually build muscle with any kind of speed (still slow) requires a surplus of calories just like getting fat requires a surplus of calories...you inevitably put on fat while in a bulk cycle as well. Personally, I think most people do just fine re-comping if they give it enough time...that's really the key...time and patience.

loubidy

I'm sure you're well aware that "fat weighs less than muscle" so when you start weight training its quite likely you'll gain weight but you'll be losing inches.

Again someone smarter can correct me on this, but to build muscle (which will help tone you and reduce stubborn fat/ change to muscle) you shouldn't be eating a deficit.

dmoppy

I'm sure you're well aware that "fat weighs less than muscle" so when you start weight training its quite likely you'll gain weight but you'll be losing inches.

Again someone smarter can correct me on this, but to build muscle (which will help tone you and reduce stubborn fat/ change to muscle) you shouldn't be eating a deficit.

Uh oh...this is the beginning of the mass v. weight clarification. I think you mean something like "fat takes up more volume than muscle pound for pound" because 2 pounds of fat and 2 pounds of muscle weigh the same = 2 pounds. Muscle is denser so it's possible to stay the same weight (or even gain) but lose inches in some areas as you replace fat with muscle. I agree with what cwolfman13 said, depending on your goals.

suziepoo1984

As someone already mentioned above, its always better to eat the maximum you can while you continue to lose weight. So experiment Eat what MFP gives you, eat back exercise calories, eat as per macros and wait for results(atleast few weeks)- Based on results- adjust!
For eg: I am 5'5 and 142 pounds and eat around 1500 + exercise calories to lose weight. I have a friend on here, same height, weighs 10 pounds lesser than me and eats 2400 to lose weight So everybody is different, there is no one calorie goal fits all! So if you start by eating lowest possible, you will never find out your true weight loss or maintenance potential- so start at the top!