Wanna lose weight??? EAT SOMETHING!!!

bodybyrick

Ok Team. Especially you ladies on the Low Low Calorie Diet: "Houston we have a problem". The problem is...not enough fuel to get off the launch pad. Some how this mentality of less is better go established in our society and it is causing many people a ton of heart ache. The body needs fuel to operate, without enough fuel the body slows metabolism to compensate. Plus, to make matters worse. If you're exercising and hoping to put on muscle to help eliminate those pesky fat cells well, again the low calorie diet is a problem. The body only builds muscle if it has more calories than it needs for SURVIVAL. The low calorie diet is actually doing the reverse of what you want.
So, get your caloric intake up above 1500 calories or more per day and be sure to eat every 3 hours or less (that includes at night). Just be sure your evening snacks are low carb. Look at me, I have a small high protein snack right before bed and normally in the middle of the night to keep my metabolism fire cooking those fat cells out of my system. Going to bed with protein in your system also provides raw material for muscle growth and recovery. If you have questions, please please send me a personal message and I'll address your specific issue. Hugs n Health, Rick

hpsnickers1

I like the way you explained it.

I upped my calories from 1250 to 1480 (maintenance) and kept losing weight. I don't always get there but I try with all my might.

So many think it's all about restricting calories to the point of starvation. I spent most of my adult life not eating, eating the wrong foods when I did and fought my weight and always looked chunky (last year I gained almost 20 pounds by not eating).

Now, I eat at least 4 times a day, sometimes more. I still have sugar but I keep it in check. I still have fat but they are good fats. I still have junk food but it is now an occasional treat.

TrainerRobin posted something on Monday called And Email Response That might help some...". it is now in my signature. She really explains it well, too.

Lisa__Michelle

Thank you! This sounds exactly like my post from yesterday titled something like "MFP ALREADY GIVES YOU A CALORIE DEFICIT- EAT CALORIES". I explained what net calories were and had this same concept in mind. I think some people on here want to lose weight too fast by eating barely anything and then not eating it back when exercising. Some doing this end up losing no weight (stalled metabolism) and some end up losing a load BUT that does not mean you are healthy and treating your body right! Good post!

CameraGirlBond

I blogged about this recently as I hit the low cal wall

http://weightwars.wordpress.com/2011/02/16/going-back-to-basics/

It's been a real journey trying to get my head around it and I'm still maintaining (explained in todays blog) but it's been much more kind on my head.

I want a properly thin and toned body not a skinny fat body!

If you do VLC diets you;ll end up Slim, yes. Toned? No way! How can you have a nice toned, firm body if your muscle tissue has been obliterated thanks to such a drastic way of dieting? It’s not attractive is it?

Lushcious

Thanks for posting this.I'm 1 of those people who never eats breakfast,rarely eats lunch then eats a huge dinner.I went to a Dr. a few years ago because i swore there was something wrong with medically because i was putting on weight.I couldn't understand how i was gaining weight and barely eating 600-700 calories a day.He ran all kinds of tests did bloodwork etc.checked thryroid and all.He calls back and says theres nothing wrong with any of the tests.Then he asked me questions about my diet and exercise.He of course was like "Well theres your problem!"He said that i pretty much turned my metabolism off.I couldn't believe it.I was told to eat every 2 hrs.even if it was just an apple or handful of nuts.Well needless to say that's easier said then done.But after reading this and reading the link that was posted it makes perfect sense to me now.I'm glad i found this.So far i have eaten breakfast and lunch 3 days in a row.I am having a few snacks as well.I am finding that it is still hard for me to eat all of the calories i need.Especially when i started doing tae bo again.Its even harder since i'm eating alot of fruits and veggies.But at least i am working on it.Thanks for posting!I guess i better go get some more to eat!LOL :laugh:

twinkier

Great post! It is something that I have to constantly remind myself of. I think it is the mentality like you said of eating = gaining weight, which is not true. Thanks for the great reminder. :-)

Ningymouse

Excellent post. So I wonder since MFP has me at 1270 if I should change to 1500? Can u tell me Rick if that would be better?

kld1624

I like how you put this. I'm still new at this and am trying to grasp this concept. I've always been one of those people that thought that less calories was better. When I first joined this site about a week ago, I thought that the concept of eating more would never work, but I've been watching people's tickers. Those who follow this concept seem to be the ones losing the most amount of weight. Others who try to eat under the 1200 seem to be at a plateau or not losing anything at all. I suppose this is showing me that it really must work. I've just got to re-educate myself and learn that it's better to eat the calories as discussed. Thanks so much for your post!