Biggest Loser comment about high calorie day??

ohthatbambi
ohthatbambi Posts: 1,098 Member
edited September 19 in Health and Weight Loss
I have never really heard them say what amount of calories these people actually consume while at the ranch and last night there was a comment made about high calorie day so my guess is they vary it up a bit. Anybody else do this and get results? Just curious.
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Replies

  • ohthatbambi
    ohthatbambi Posts: 1,098 Member
    I have never really heard them say what amount of calories these people actually consume while at the ranch and last night there was a comment made about high calorie day so my guess is they vary it up a bit. Anybody else do this and get results? Just curious.
  • MyaPapaya75
    MyaPapaya75 Posts: 3,143 Member
    I know some people do calorie cycling starting at 1200 then increasing to 1800 every other day ..the numbers vary with each person but it takes dedication and strict logging of food. Ive seen it work:flowerforyou:
  • Paeonia
    Paeonia Posts: 161
    Err I think I unintentionally do this...without great results :laugh:
  • ohthatbambi
    ohthatbambi Posts: 1,098 Member
    I am really curious about how many calories these people actually eat on the BL. I wish the show would share that info.
  • ohthatbambi
    ohthatbambi Posts: 1,098 Member
    Err I think I unintentionally do this...without great results :laugh:

    Yeah me too...especially on the weekends (high calorie days):laugh:
  • Paeonia
    Paeonia Posts: 161
    Found this info...

    Biggest Loser Diet

    * modified, low carbohydrate diet 45% of calories from carbohydrates (mostly fruits, vegetables and some whole grains), 30% of calories from protein, and 25% of calories from healthy fats or oils (seeds, nuts, avocado, olive oil)
    * no “white stuff”
    * whole foods, elemental ingredients
    * 4-3-2-1: daily 4 cups minimum of fruits and vegetables, 3 servings of healthy proteins (e.g. fish, skinless chicken breast, 93% lean ground turkey), 2 servings of whole grains, and 1 serving of healthy fat.
    * Aim for everyone to have 1 serving of fish daily.
    * There is room for 1 optional treat per day.
    * Cereals must have minimum 5 grams of fiber per serving and less than 5 grams of sugar per serving. This limits the cereals to certain oatmeals, bran cereals, or other high fiber cereals on the market.
    * Goal of 7 calories per pound of body weight for daily caloric intake. This is recalculated after significant weight loss.

    Here:

    http://rebeccascritchfield.wordpress.com/2007/10/15/science-behind-the-biggest-loser-diet/
  • age1389
    age1389 Posts: 1,160 Member
    I'm on Maintenance calories and never eat the same calories each day. I don't figure out which days I eat more or less, it just happens. I also sometimes go over my calories also and I've maintained my weight for over a year now. I have heard of cycling your calories really working.
  • StiringWendel
    StiringWendel Posts: 3,908 Member
    Jillian talks about how much they eat at times on her radio show. She has pretty consistently indicated that the women eat between 1200-1400 calories and the men somewhere around 1800 calories. Obviously given the amount of weight being lost, these contestants aren't eating their exercise calories.

    Jillian has also talked about the notion of a 'cheat' (a word she hates) or higher-calorie day. Apparently there is some disagreement between she and the doctor on the show whether such days are beneficial. I don't know if the contestants have 'high calorie' days, though Jillian does seem to favor them and last night's show seemed to imply that at least some contestants were using such days. But Jillian has told female callers that a higher calorie day would be taking their calories up to something like 1800 or so....not totally blowing their calorie count out of the water.
  • karlira
    karlira Posts: 100
    Hi!

    I've heard that varying te amount of calories is good because that way your body doesn't really get used to a certain amount of calories. You know, in vey low calorie diets, the risk is that your body goes into Starvation mode so it stops burning fat. So having some high calorie days tricks your body to make it "think" your not starving. Also I've read it rev up the metabolism. Finally, I think is also a way no to be bored by the diet.

    :happy:
  • ohthatbambi
    ohthatbambi Posts: 1,098 Member
    Jillian talks about how much they eat at times on her radio show. She has pretty consistently indicated that the women eat between 1200-1400 calories and the men somewhere around 1800 calories. Obviously given the amount of weight being lost, these contestants aren't eating their exercise calories.

    Jillian has also talked about the notion of a 'cheat' (a word she hates) or higher-calorie day. Apparently there is some disagreement between she and the doctor on the show whether such days are beneficial. I don't know if the contestants have 'high calorie' days, though Jillian does seem to favor them and last night's show seemed to imply that at least some contestants were using such days. But Jillian has told female callers that a higher calorie day would be taking their calories up to something like 1800 or so....not totally blowing their calorie count out of the water.

    Well I don't know how much time these people are actually spending in the gym, but it appears to be ALOT. I wondered about eating those earned calories and guessed by the crazy amounts of weight they lost each week that they didn't.
  • I cannot remember where I read it - but it was probably something I read about last season's winner, Michelle.....

    They do have one high calorie day.

    But they are being much more closely monitored than you or I.

    I am a huge fan of Tom Venuto. He is a body builder who has written books about re-programming the way you think and about burning fat efficiently. Anyway - one philosophy he talks about is zig-zagging your calories. Our bodies go into starvation mode if we cut our calories too drastically for longer than 2-3 days. He reccommends either (a) not cutting your calorie intake so drastically - just cut it to a small percentage below your maintenance needs or (b) zig-zagging..... Eat your low calorie days and then one high calorie day in spurts. So it may look like this 3 days at 1500 calories, 1 day at 1800 calories, repeat. And always re-evaluate once you've hit a plateau. You may need to re-adjust. He also says until you are in better control - maybe have a high calorie meal.....and don't let that meal last more than 1 hour.

    Wow - long post. Check out Mr. Venuto. He has a website.....

    Good luck!

    And to sum up - they do have controlled high calorie days.
  • flcaoh
    flcaoh Posts: 444
    So, those of us that have been here a while have seen repeated debates over exercise calories.

    What do you all think about the fact the the Biggest Loser contestants most likely don't eat their exercise calories? I'm sure everyone agrees that the incredible amount of weight they lose every week is not really healthy. But since we see/hear very little about most of the past contestants that don't win, do you think they have issues with the dreaded "starvation mode" and/or gaining back a lot of weight after the show? Even if they keep up with the healthy eating?

    Just curious as to what everyone's opinion is.
  • ohthatbambi
    ohthatbambi Posts: 1,098 Member
    Found this info...

    Biggest Loser Diet

    * modified, low carbohydrate diet 45% of calories from carbohydrates (mostly fruits, vegetables and some whole grains), 30% of calories from protein, and 25% of calories from healthy fats or oils (seeds, nuts, avocado, olive oil)
    * no “white stuff”
    * whole foods, elemental ingredients
    * 4-3-2-1: daily 4 cups minimum of fruits and vegetables, 3 servings of healthy proteins (e.g. fish, skinless chicken breast, 93% lean ground turkey), 2 servings of whole grains, and 1 serving of healthy fat.
    * Aim for everyone to have 1 serving of fish daily.
    * There is room for 1 optional treat per day.
    * Cereals must have minimum 5 grams of fiber per serving and less than 5 grams of sugar per serving. This limits the cereals to certain oatmeals, bran cereals, or other high fiber cereals on the market.
    * Goal of 7 calories per pound of body weight for daily caloric intake. This is recalculated after significant weight loss.

    Here:

    http://rebeccascritchfield.wordpress.com/2007/10/15/science-behind-the-biggest-loser-diet/

    So I take my weight and multiply times 7...that has me only eating 1085 a day...eeks, but for someone weighing 300 pounds that is 2100. I eat more than 1085...a good bit more and still lose, but slowly. Interesting info. Thanks for sharing!
  • Paeonia
    Paeonia Posts: 161
    Yes, the calculation is just for people who need to lose a lot of weight. For me personally, if I followed that calculation, I would be eating like 900 cals...obviously not good...so yeah, this diet was created for BL sized people ~~~
  • ohthatbambi
    ohthatbambi Posts: 1,098 Member
    So, those of us that have been here a while have seen repeated debates over exercise calories.

    What do you all think about the fact the the Biggest Loser contestants most likely don't eat their exercise calories? I'm sure everyone agrees that the incredible amount of weight they lose every week is not really healthy. But since we see/hear very little about most of the past contestants that don't win, do you think they have issues with the dreaded "starvation mode" and/or gaining back a lot of weight after the show? Even if they keep up with the healthy eating?

    Just curious as to what everyone's opinion is.

    I am "iffy" on the whole exercise calorie thing. I actually tried it for 2 months and I gained almost 10 pounds so now I only eat some of them. Losing very slowly but losing. I think it is important to not starve your body but I think everyone needs to find what works for them and go with that. Eating all my ex. cals did NOT work. It was so frustrating too. Finally went to my doctor to have thyroid checked and when I told her what I had been doing she laughed at me and told me I was eating way too much. So I hope those people on BL are eating more than 1200 calories a day...their exercise routine looks crazy!
  • staceyw37
    staceyw37 Posts: 2,094 Member
    i read on webmd the other night an article about losing larger amts of weight per week. i believe it's written by one of the bl drs. you might want to check that out. also, he stresses that bl people have LOTS of weight to lose so they--the show people-handle things differently. hth--
  • MyaPapaya75
    MyaPapaya75 Posts: 3,143 Member
    So, those of us that have been here a while have seen repeated debates over exercise calories.

    What do you all think about the fact the the Biggest Loser contestants most likely don't eat their exercise calories? I'm sure everyone agrees that the incredible amount of weight they lose every week is not really healthy. But since we see/hear very little about most of the past contestants that don't win, do you think they have issues with the dreaded "starvation mode" and/or gaining back a lot of weight after the show? Even if they keep up with the healthy eating?

    Just curious as to what everyone's opinion is.
    I personally dont think starvation mode sets in as easily as many of us tend to believe..I dont think the BL contestants even get near starvation mode. I think they gain back just like the majority of the world..lack of will power and dedication and not stepping outside of their comfort zone once the "show" is over..I dont think the reason they may gain back really stems from the BL diet itself but more from the individual and the way we are raised and our environment...Kinda like birds of a feather flock together when you dont fix your families diet on a whole and you hang with people who eat fast food.or over indulge.... and dont excercise you tend to pick up those habits..or go back to old habits. Especially when we lack will power
  • flcaoh
    flcaoh Posts: 444

    I am "iffy" on the whole exercise calorie thing. I actually tried it for 2 months and I gained almost 10 pounds so now I only eat some of them. Losing very slowly but losing. I think it is important to not starve your body but I think everyone needs to find what works for them and go with that. Eating all my ex. cals did NOT work. It was so frustrating too. Finally went to my doctor to have thyroid checked and when I told her what I had been doing she laughed at me and told me I was eating way too much. So I hope those people on BL are eating more than 1200 calories a day...their exercise routine looks crazy!

    When I was in Army boot camp (about 6 years ago) I was often moving and working out from 4am until 11pm... I am sure on BL they work out 6-8 hours a day, so their calories burned must be in the thousands, as I am sure mine was in boot camp. I went into boot camp weighing 145 pounds and came out weighing 155. I was SURE I'd lose weight but I didn't. I know I gained muscle though. When I look back at the food we ate, between calorie dense mess hall gunk and MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat - which are usually between 2500-3000 for each one) I'm sure I was eating between 5-6000 calories a day and I'm not surprised I didn't lose any weight - although if I knew then what I knew now I'd probably purposely eat less to lose weight LOL.
  • MyaPapaya75
    MyaPapaya75 Posts: 3,143 Member
    So, those of us that have been here a while have seen repeated debates over exercise calories.

    What do you all think about the fact the the Biggest Loser contestants most likely don't eat their exercise calories? I'm sure everyone agrees that the incredible amount of weight they lose every week is not really healthy. But since we see/hear very little about most of the past contestants that don't win, do you think they have issues with the dreaded "starvation mode" and/or gaining back a lot of weight after the show? Even if they keep up with the healthy eating?

    Just curious as to what everyone's opinion is.

    I am "iffy" on the whole exercise calorie thing. I actually tried it for 2 months and I gained almost 10 pounds so now I only eat some of them. Losing very slowly but losing. I think it is important to not starve your body but I think everyone needs to find what works for them and go with that. Eating all my ex. cals did NOT work. It was so frustrating too. Finally went to my doctor to have thyroid checked and when I told her what I had been doing she laughed at me and told me I was eating way too much. So I hope those people on BL are eating more than 1200 calories a day...their exercise routine looks crazy!
    I got to thinking about it those people are not working and Im willing to bet very sedentary when not in the gym for those 4-6hrs..Im willing to bet what we see on the show is the hardcore portion of their workouts but the remaining of the time they probably dont push as hard when their trainers are not present...It would kinda make sense for them to eat around 1200-1800 considering they arent doing anything else the rest of the day.. Just my opinion
  • flcaoh
    flcaoh Posts: 444
    Wasn't there one challenge that lasted over 24 hours? The calories for that alone must have been really crazy high.

    Back to the original subject (sorry for changing it LOL), I can totally understand the basis behind having a high calorie day to keep your body guessing... but when BL contestants are burning massive amounts of calories... would it really matter if they have days where their calories vary by a few hundred?
  • MacMadame
    MacMadame Posts: 1,893 Member
    [I personally dont think starvation mode sets in as easily as many of us tend to believe..I dont think the BL contestants even get near starvation mode.
    Starvation mode is largely a myth, particularly for the morbidly obese. Sorry, Tom Venuto.

    In the famous Minnesota study that started the whole theory, the people in the study were not morbidly obese. They did experience a slow down in metabolism once they had been on a starvation diet for a while (longer than a few days), but they continued to lose fat during that time. They didn't stop losing fat until their body fat got down to 5%, in fact.

    Also, when they repeated the starvation studies on obese people, they found that -- compared to the non-obese -- they preferencially lost fat over muscle. The body put that fat on so it had energy stores during time of "famine" and so it used them when starvation came.

    Here are some articles about it:

    http://www.healthscience.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=512:are-you-in-the-starvation-mode-or-starving-for-truth&catid=102:jeff-novicks-blog&Itemid=267

    http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=35501

    http://caloriecount.about.com/truth-starvation-mode-ft28742

    Btw, a starvation diet is cutting back your calories to 50% or less of what your body needs. If you have a RMR of 1200 and are lightly active (as most people who exercise some, but have a desk job are), a starvation diet is eating below 800 calories on average. It's not just not eating your exercise calories.
    I think they gain back just like the majority of the world..lack of will power and dedication and not stepping outside of their comfort zone once the "show" is over..
    They gain back their weight because diet & exercise alone doesn't work for the morbidly obese. They are no different than all the other people who lose massive quantities of weight and can't keep it off because of ghrelin, body set point and other physiological factors.

    I know that goes against the entire premise of the show and what people on diets want to believe, but that's what science and clinical data shows... your chances of losing 50 lb. or more and keeping it off for 5 years or more are around 2%, probably lower.

    Why should the BL contestants be able to beat those odds? It's not realistic to expect that.
  • StiringWendel
    StiringWendel Posts: 3,908 Member
    Regarding exercise calories and The Biggest Loser, there have been a couple of contestants on the show (Mike most notably this season) where the trainers have had to tell them to increase their eating, so there is definitely some issues with finding the right balance. That being said, I agree with many others here that these contestants don't really have to worry about going into starvation mode, even given how much they are working out.

    I will admit I've not researched this, but Jillian said on one of her radio shows that the recommended loss of weight per week of 1-2 pounds is set because that is the most practical amount to recommend. Without going too low in calories (below the 1200 for women and 1600 for men marks), it is very difficult for people to create a significant calorie deficit that would allow for much more weight loss than that if they aren't working out copious amount (like those people on The Biggest Loser).

    I found that fascinating. Like I said, I've not researched the validity of that statement, but it does make me wonder if so many doctors/nutritionists/etc saying that 1-2 pounds a week is a 'safe' weight loss are saying that because they don't want to assume that people will actually exercise to create a larger calorie deficit and are, in fact, basing everything on creating a calorie deficit from diet alone (and, again, creating more than 1000 calorie a day deficit through diet is incredibly difficult--and could be dangerous--for many people).

    MacMadame, interesting numbers of what constitutes 'starvation mode'. Thanks for posting those! That answers alot of my questions regarding the subject.
  • flcaoh
    flcaoh Posts: 444
    Regarding exercise calories and The Biggest Loser, there have been a couple of contestants on the show (Mike most notably this season) where the trainers have had to tell them to increase their eating, so there is definitely some issues with finding the right balance. That being said, I agree with many others here that these contestants don't really have to worry about going into starvation mode, even given how much they are working out.

    I will admit I've not researched this, but Jillian said on one of her radio shows that the recommended loss of weight per week of 1-2 pounds is set because that is the most practical amount to recommend. Without going too low in calories (below the 1200 for women and 1600 for men marks), it is very difficult for people to create a significant calorie deficit that would allow for much more weight loss than that if they aren't working out copious amount (like those people on The Biggest Loser).

    I found that fascinating. Like I said, I've not researched the validity of that statement, but it does make me wonder if so many doctors/nutritionists/etc saying that 1-2 pounds a week is a 'safe' weight loss are saying that because they don't want to assume that people will actually exercise to create a larger calorie deficit and are, in fact, basing everything on creating a calorie deficit from diet alone (and, again, creating more than 1000 calorie a day deficit through diet is incredibly difficult--and could be dangerous--for many people).

    MacMadame, interesting numbers of what constitutes 'starvation mode'. Thanks for posting those! That answers alot of my questions regarding the subject.

    That's an interesting thought. I have lost vast amounts of weight before very quickly by working out TONS and not eating much (~1000 cal/day - not sure as I wasn't counting, just guestimating). I gained the weight when I went back to my old ways, but had I kept eating healthy I wonder if the weight would have stayed off.
  • mrsyac2
    mrsyac2 Posts: 2,784 Member
    There bodies don't go into starvation mode because they have so much Fat that their bodies are using for fuel- Per What Jillian Michaels said on her talk show-


    They also workout for 6-8 hours a day

    and the women on the show are eating 1400-1600 calories a day

    and the men around 1800


    Jillian Doesn't do the whole eat your earned calories thing like MFP-- She told a lady that just had 20lbs to lose to eat 1600 calories Forever and just workout- she never said anything about eating your exercise calories just eat this amount and workout
  • singfree
    singfree Posts: 1,591 Member
    It's interesting to watch the contestants on BL work out. The producers only show them working out hard. I seriously doubt that they can sustain that workout intensity for 6-8 hrs per day. Heck, I'm in pretty good shape with very little fat on me and I would have a hard time exercising for that many hours! I can't imagine lugging around that much weight, and having been sedentary for their entire lives, working out that much...no way!

    Bamboo, thanks for starting this post. Are you biking much yet? I finally got out a few times last week, around 50 miles so far.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    I hate that people mis-interpret the whole exercise calorie thing.

    Jillian doesn't use any different concept than we do here. she just uses different semantics.

    the term "exercise calories" is just a way for people to say, stay within a certain range. don't go too far below your maintenance calories.

    Obese people can afford a bigger calorie deficit because they have more energy stores and their body won't see a fuel deficit until a FAR larger deficit is realized.

    Net calories are a sliding scale, people need to stop thinking black and white about the term "exercise calories". Most of us that have been on here and buy into the "exercise calorie" thing, aren't saying anything like "you follow them or you don't" we are saying, you need to give your body enough fuel to work properly. And if you are already at a calorie deficit (MFP), and then you exercise, then your deficit can become larger then you can safely handle if you don't eat back enough to stay within that acceptable fuel level.

    What this means is that the higher your body fat percentage is, the bigger the deficit can be without causing harm or slowing down progress.

    The reason why Jillian gave that woman a 1600 calorie deficit (I listened to that one too) was because she was a small woman (I believe she said 5' 1") and older with probable underactive thyroid and her maintenance calories was somewhere around 1700 (she didn't say this, but I did the calculations). Jillian gave her a calorie range close to 1700, which gave her room to exercise and still lose weight.

    Things to remember about the biggest loser.

    They are wearing a heart rate monitor all day that is being checked by doctors (specialists), they are working out for an extended period and have none of the normal stress factors of every day life. They have a built in support group of other people right there with them, they have no triggers (or very few) in the house on a daily basis (I.E. they aren't going to restaurants or have cookies lying around the ranch), and they have a trainer that see's them 2 to 3 times a week on an individual basis.
    And they STILL have times where they don't lose weight (I'll reference Kristin this week). Why? Because as you lose weight and lose body fat, you need to adjust your calories and change up your routine. Even experienced trainers and dietitians have to tweak numbers every once in a while and experiment, that has been clearly referenced many times on the show.

    So that all being said, can we please stop the "exercise calorie" debate. I think most who have been on here for a while get's the concept of eating enough to keep your body feeling like it isn't starving. New people see this and think there are "sides", can we just try to give them the why, and keep feelings out of it?

    And for anyone confused, it's this simple, the LESS weight you have to lose the smaller your deficit can afford to be. Why? Because the body takes all fuel sources into account when adjusting the metabolic rate, if you have lots of food coming in on a regular basis, then it stores fat, if you have just enough, and your fat stores are sufficient, then it burns the food calories first, and then fat, and then (if necessary) it breaks down protein, if you aren't taking in enough food, and your fat stores are low, the body sees this as famine, and starts reducing the things that USE that fuel, which is primarily muscle, it does this by breaking down the muscle and burning it, which raises your body fat % and makes you less defined and more "jiggly", AND it slows your metabolism making it harder to lose weight.

    That's about as plain as I can make it.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    Oh and just wanted to add, I just redid the calculations for that woman on the Jillian Michaels show.

    I couldn't remember her exact numbers but I estimated on what I thought It was (correct me if you have the exact numbers)

    I thought she said her numbers were:

    about mid 40's

    about 140 lbs

    about 5' 1"

    and underactive thyroid (inactive lifestyle)

    and her maintenance calories came out to just above 1600, so Jillian told her to slowly raise her calories to maintenance level and use exercise to slowly lose weight and stay at a certain level for the rest of her life, which I totally and completely agree with.

    THIS DOES NOT MEAN EVERYONE ON HERE WHO IS 5' 1" AND ABOUT 140 should be at 1600 maintenance, everyone is different, do your own calculations.
    here is a link to a calorie calculator where you can put your own numbers in and find out where your maintenance calories should be.

    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/calorie-calculator/NU00598
  • I think I read somewhere that when you eat the same amount of calories everyday you can hit a sort of plateau in your weight loss and your metabolism slows down a lot. I once did I diet where I had 1 meal, 2 treats a day, nothing else, and I could eat whatever I wanted (in sensible means) I suppose that was varied from day to day and I lost a stone in a couple of weeks
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    Oh and just wanted to add, I just redid the calculations for that woman on the Jillian Michaels show.

    I couldn't remember her exact numbers but I estimated on what I thought It was (correct me if you have the exact numbers)

    I thought she said her numbers were:

    about mid 40's

    about 140 lbs

    about 5' 1"

    and underactive thyroid (inactive lifestyle)

    and her maintenance calories came out to just above 1600, so Jillian told her to slowly raise her calories to maintenance level and use exercise to slowly lose weight and stay at a certain level for the rest of her life, which I totally and completely agree with.

    THIS DOES NOT MEAN EVERYONE ON HERE WHO IS 5' 1" AND ABOUT 140 should be at 1600 maintenance, everyone is different, do your own calculations.
    here is a link to a calorie calculator where you can put your own numbers in and find out where your maintenance calories should be.

    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/calorie-calculator/NU00598

    NOPE... thats IT!You said it so I am now going on 1600 because it is written!! LOL that story could be me. I have been very very slow to lose with 1200-1400 a day and 4 days a week exercise. I am going on maintenance for a few weeks and see what happens.

    But in the great words of James Brown. "I feel good!!'' nananana I know that I would yeah!

    Have a good day banksy!:flowerforyou:
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    I hate that people mis-interpret the whole exercise calorie thing.

    Jillian doesn't use any different concept than we do here. she just uses different semantics.

    the term "exercise calories" is just a way for people to say, stay within a certain range. don't go too far below your maintenance calories.

    Obese people can afford a bigger calorie deficit because they have more energy stores and their body won't see a fuel deficit until a FAR larger deficit is realized.

    Net calories are a sliding scale, people need to stop thinking black and white about the term "exercise calories". Most of us that have been on here and buy into the "exercise calorie" thing, aren't saying anything like "you follow them or you don't" we are saying, you need to give your body enough fuel to work properly. And if you are already at a calorie deficit (MFP), and then you exercise, then your deficit can become larger then you can safely handle if you don't eat back enough to stay within that acceptable fuel level.

    What this means is that the higher your body fat percentage is, the bigger the deficit can be without causing harm or slowing down progress.

    The reason why Jillian gave that woman a 1600 calorie deficit (I listened to that one too) was because she was a small woman (I believe she said 5' 1") and older with probable underactive thyroid and her maintenance calories was somewhere around 1700 (she didn't say this, but I did the calculations). Jillian gave her a calorie range close to 1700, which gave her room to exercise and still lose weight.

    Things to remember about the biggest loser.

    They are wearing a heart rate monitor all day that is being checked by doctors (specialists), they are working out for an extended period and have none of the normal stress factors of every day life. They have a built in support group of other people right there with them, they have no triggers (or very few) in the house on a daily basis (I.E. they aren't going to restaurants or have cookies lying around the ranch), and they have a trainer that see's them 2 to 3 times a week on an individual basis.
    And they STILL have times where they don't lose weight (I'll reference Kristin this week). Why? Because as you lose weight and lose body fat, you need to adjust your calories and change up your routine. Even experienced trainers and dietitians have to tweak numbers every once in a while and experiment, that has been clearly referenced many times on the show.

    So that all being said, can we please stop the "exercise calorie" debate. I think most who have been on here for a while get's the concept of eating enough to keep your body feeling like it isn't starving. New people see this and think there are "sides", can we just try to give them the why, and keep feelings out of it?

    And for anyone confused, it's this simple, the LESS weight you have to lose the smaller your deficit can afford to be. Why? Because the body takes all fuel sources into account when adjusting the metabolic rate, if you have lots of food coming in on a regular basis, then it stores fat, if you have just enough, and your fat stores are sufficient, then it burns the food calories first, and then fat, and then (if necessary) it breaks down protein, if you aren't taking in enough food, and your fat stores are low, the body sees this as famine, and starts reducing the things that USE that fuel, which is primarily muscle, it does this by breaking down the muscle and burning it, which raises your body fat % and makes you less defined and more "jiggly", AND it slows your metabolism making it harder to lose weight.

    That's about as plain as I can make it.

    Well said. I dont believe for a second it will stop the 'eat your exercise cals debate'!

    People, especially Americans, have been taught that you need to be on a strict diet and take a pill to lose weight. No one actually BELIEVES me when I tell them I have lost 30 pounds by eating!! They laugh, roll their eyes and say "Yeah, right!"

    The way I have lost all of my weight is by changing the foods that I eat. I still eat a burger-it is just a 3-7% fat burger, 3 oz, with 1/2 of american cheese and a whole wheat bun. I really could not eat a fast food burger at this point, cuz mine are so yummy.

    Thanks for always taking the time to write an informative response that is helpful!!
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