I thought the "eat more food" people were crazy

AnswerzPwease

Because it just doesn't make sense to me.

However, I've been eating more the last 4 days and have been losing each day.

Maybe my body is simply releasing water now, or maybe it's just a coincidence.

But I'm going to keep doing it as long as the weight is coming off.

WBB55

If you're eating at a deficit, you should lose. It's awesome that you're losing. Keep up the good work!

I think the issue a lot of people face is that they don't know what their TDEE. So they think the only thing to do is eat as little as possible. That works for some people. Other people do it differently.

albayin

If you're eating at a deficit, you should lose. It's awesome that you're losing. Keep up the good work!

I think the issue a lot of people face is that they don't know what their TDEE. So they think the only thing to do is eat as little as possible. That works for some people. Other people do it differently.

I don't know about this for sure...but I have read there is something like delayed effect to release water with some fat...in long run, I don't see how eating more can help lose. That's how i got stuck...

AnswerzPwease

If you're eating at a deficit, you should lose. It's awesome that you're losing. Keep up the good work!

I think the issue a lot of people face is that they don't know what their TDEE. So they think the only thing to do is eat as little as possible. That works for some people. Other people do it differently.

I was eating a 1500 calorie defecit a day and losing 1 pound a week.

And I weigh everything. Use the USDA database. I'm a little OCD.

For whatever reason, the scale was stuck.

DeguelloTex

Now much are you eating and losing per week now?

AnswerzPwease

I want to be clear before the snark monsters show up.

I am NOT saying that eating more led to the weight loss.

I'm saying that when I started eating more, I started losing more. It could be coincidence. I'm simply saying that I'm adding it back to my list of possibilities.

WBB55

If you're eating at a deficit, you should lose. It's awesome that you're losing. Keep up the good work!

I think the issue a lot of people face is that they don't know what their TDEE. So they think the only thing to do is eat as little as possible. That works for some people. Other people do it differently.

I was eating a 1500 calorie defecit a day and losing 1 pound a week.

And I weigh everything. Use the USDA database. I'm a little OCD.

For whatever reason, the scale was stuck.

What's your deficit now, if you don't mind me asking, and what's your rate of loss now?

In the end, to me, it doesn't matter as long as you're happy with your rate of loss and overall mood.

WalkingAlong

Sometimes the plateau just breaks for whatever reason. Sometimes I think it does help to have some higher calorie days. I had some higher ones last week and a plateau broke. Not sure if it would've otherwise or not.

The theory of calorie cycling has been around a long time. I figure there must be something to it, at least for some people. I don't think I could eat more every day and lose more, though.

There is some known adaptive thermogenesis that is mainly that we move less at higher deficits. So even if you don't notice it, you might be moving more now. I think your BMR is actually a range, too, and can decrease some at steep deficits.

Leggylass

i finding it hard to get my head around.. but i am just going to go for it and see what happens over the next month

AnswerzPwease

If you're eating at a deficit, you should lose. It's awesome that you're losing. Keep up the good work!

I think the issue a lot of people face is that they don't know what their TDEE. So they think the only thing to do is eat as little as possible. That works for some people. Other people do it differently.

I was eating a 1500 calorie defecit a day and losing 1 pound a week.

And I weigh everything. Use the USDA database. I'm a little OCD.

For whatever reason, the scale was stuck.

What's your deficit now, if you don't mind me asking, and what's your rate of loss now?

In the end, to me, it doesn't matter as long as you're happy with your rate of loss and overall mood.

I'm eating about 2200 cals a day now. And I've lost 4 pounds in the last 4 days.

WBB55

If you're eating at a deficit, you should lose. It's awesome that you're losing. Keep up the good work!

I think the issue a lot of people face is that they don't know what their TDEE. So they think the only thing to do is eat as little as possible. That works for some people. Other people do it differently.

I was eating a 1500 calorie defecit a day and losing 1 pound a week.

And I weigh everything. Use the USDA database. I'm a little OCD.

For whatever reason, the scale was stuck.

What's your deficit now, if you don't mind me asking, and what's your rate of loss now?

In the end, to me, it doesn't matter as long as you're happy with your rate of loss and overall mood.

I'm eating about 2200 cals a day now. And I've lost 4 pounds in the last 4 days.

That rate will likely slow down. And maybe even stop for a bit. But 2200 is probably a good deficit for you. You estimate that's about 800 calories below your TDEE? Is that your estimate? If so, just continue on at 2200 for a while. If your numbers are all accurate, you'll probably steady off at 1-1.5 lbs per week. I think 800 calories/day is a very sensible deficit for you based on your profile picture.

DeguelloTex

A while back, I lost about one pound over two weeks, despite high four and low five digit weekly deficits. Then I lost 18 pounds in 18 days. I didn't (consciously) change anything. Same intake, same exercise.

SLLRunner

Because it just doesn't make sense to me.

However, I've been eating more the last 4 days and have been losing each day.

Maybe my body is simply releasing water now, or maybe it's just a coincidence.

But I'm going to keep doing it as long as the weight is coming off.

Isn't it amazing what proper fueling the body can do?

SLLRunner

I want to be clear before the snark monsters show up.

I am NOT saying that eating more led to the weight loss.

I'm saying that when I started eating more, I started losing more. It could be coincidence. I'm simply saying that I'm adding it back to my list of possibilities.

Well, it seems to me proper body fueling leads to body efficiency, which probably means more pep in your workouts and everyday movement.

cwolfman13

Just some observations from having been around here for a couple of years. It seems to me that when people have very large deficits, they tend to not really get adequate nutrition and are lacking in certain nutrients and end up with hormonal imbalances which cause weight loss issues. When they up there calories to a more reasonable deficit, their nutrition improves and their hormones balance out and their body's start working correctly and they start losing weight. I would also add that many people also see an improvement in the level of effort for their workouts and tend to just move more in general.

Of course, eat more doesn't mean that you eat above your TDEE....I think that's where people get confused when you say eat more to lose...you still have to be at a deficit. It just tends to be more reasonable which lends itself to greater dietary adherence in many cases as well as a better overall nutritional profile which helps the body just work better.

DeguelloTex

I want to be clear before the snark monsters show up.

I am NOT saying that eating more led to the weight loss.

I'm saying that when I started eating more, I started losing more. It could be coincidence. I'm simply saying that I'm adding it back to my list of possibilities.

Well, it seems to me proper body fueling leads to body efficiency, which probably means more pep in your workouts and everyday movement.

My UP24 and weightlifting log disagree with you.

affacat

Last year, same thing happened to me. I hit a plateau lasting a month or so --- long enough to research my head off about it, because based on my relatively meager food intake vs. my relatively rigorous workout, it just made no sense. And I too weigh everything, etc.

So I figured out my tdee and was surprised to find I was under something like 500-1000 a day. I added those calories to my diet, and weight poured off.

Maybe it's coincidence, and my body was just ready to lose weight, or maybe there's something to it. Ultimately though, if your 'larger' diet is still constrained by good TDEE calculations, and you're still losing weight, imo it's better to get that extra food in you for energy, nutrition, and sanity.

AnswerzPwease

If you're eating at a deficit, you should lose. It's awesome that you're losing. Keep up the good work!

I think the issue a lot of people face is that they don't know what their TDEE. So they think the only thing to do is eat as little as possible. That works for some people. Other people do it differently.

I was eating a 1500 calorie defecit a day and losing 1 pound a week.

And I weigh everything. Use the USDA database. I'm a little OCD.

For whatever reason, the scale was stuck.

What's your deficit now, if you don't mind me asking, and what's your rate of loss now?

In the end, to me, it doesn't matter as long as you're happy with your rate of loss and overall mood.

I'm eating about 2200 cals a day now. And I've lost 4 pounds in the last 4 days.

That rate will likely slow down. And maybe even stop for a bit. But 2200 is probably a good deficit for you. You estimate that's about 800 calories below your TDEE? Is that your estimate? If so, just continue on at 2200 for a while. If your numbers are all accurate, you'll probably steady off at 1-1.5 lbs per week. I think 800 calories/day is a very sensible deficit for you based on your profile picture.

One of the formulas has me at 3700 and another has me at 3300 (TDEE). If I remember correctly? MFP tells me to eat 2800 a day to lose 2lb a week.

AnswerzPwease

Just some observations from having been around here for a couple of years. It seems to me that when people have very large deficits, they tend to not really get adequate nutrition and are lacking in certain nutrients and end up with hormonal imbalances which cause weight loss issues. When they up there calories to a more reasonable deficit, their nutrition improves and their hormones balance out and their body's start working correctly and they start losing weight. I would also add that many people also see an improvement in the level of effort for their workouts and tend to just move more in general.

Of course, eat more doesn't mean that you eat above your TDEE....I think that's where people get confused when you say eat more to lose...you still have to be at a deficit. It just tends to be more reasonable which lends itself to greater dietary adherence in many cases as well as a better overall nutritional profile which helps the body just work better.

Will a multivitamin fill the nutrition gap?

WBB55

If you're eating at a deficit, you should lose. It's awesome that you're losing. Keep up the good work!

I think the issue a lot of people face is that they don't know what their TDEE. So they think the only thing to do is eat as little as possible. That works for some people. Other people do it differently.

I was eating a 1500 calorie defecit a day and losing 1 pound a week.

And I weigh everything. Use the USDA database. I'm a little OCD.

For whatever reason, the scale was stuck.

What's your deficit now, if you don't mind me asking, and what's your rate of loss now?

In the end, to me, it doesn't matter as long as you're happy with your rate of loss and overall mood.

I'm eating about 2200 cals a day now. And I've lost 4 pounds in the last 4 days.

That rate will likely slow down. And maybe even stop for a bit. But 2200 is probably a good deficit for you. You estimate that's about 800 calories below your TDEE? Is that your estimate? If so, just continue on at 2200 for a while. If your numbers are all accurate, you'll probably steady off at 1-1.5 lbs per week. I think 800 calories/day is a very sensible deficit for you based on your profile picture.

One of the formulas has me at 3700 and another has me at 3300 (TDEE).

Meh, they're all estimates. Stick to the 2200 if you like it, keep close track of your rate of loss for a couple months. Then you can do math to figure your actual TDEE, if all of your logging is accurate. Doing this helped open my eyes to what a reasonable calorie deficit was, even if you have a lot of weight to lose. But that's me personally. Now I let my FitBit track my TDEE, and I don't really do the math as much and tweak, since I find my FitBit to be accurate to within +/-70 calories per day over the long term (based on the charts I've made for myself).

Really, 2200 sounds great. Just stick to that for a couple months. Then come back and tell us how much you've lost. Maybe we'll give you new advice then. Good luck, ok?