various questions about why i'm not losing and eating more c

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claroj
claroj Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Right, have read a few posts advising people who aren't losing to eat more calories. I have MAJOR doubts about this but nothing else seems to be working so am trying to open my mind to it.

I lost 3lbs the first week and put 1lb on this week despite being under my weekly calorie goal by 8,500 cals! ( I do a lot of exercise!)

So here's my questions:

1. Myfitnesspal tells me to eat say 1,100 cals a day but that BMR says for me to eat 1,500cals...so which one should I be following and why are they different? Makes no sense.

2. Why does every diet theory basically boil down to burn more calories than you eat to lose weight, basic physics. I've followed that and put weight on! Stupid theory!

3. If I need to eat more to lose weight how does anorexia work?

Help please - am proper fed up today!

Replies

  • melcowenfitness
    melcowenfitness Posts: 221 Member
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    All very good questions!

    1. I never go by MFP - it's way lower than what I should be eating. I eat anywhere from 1500-1900 calories/day (always striving for the higher end). I was just as skeptical as you about eating MORE calories while trying to lose weight, but I did what was recommended and it really does work! (I've lost 30+ pounds and kept it off for over a year now). Here's a great article for you to read that will help explain it better: http://www.melcowenfitness.com/eat-more-to-lose-more-really

    2. It takes a 3500 calorie deficit to lose a pound. You can either get that deficit from eating less or by exercising more. I lean toward exercising more - I love food too much to starve.

    3. Eating disorders are a big deal. Bottom line - if you don't feed yourself enough calories, your body will go into starvation mode and start using your lean muscle for fuel. That is why people suffering from anorexia look the way they do - their bodies have used up all the fat, moved onto muscle, and they're literally wasting away to nothing.

    I hope that helps!

    Mel
  • claroj
    claroj Posts: 3 Member
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    Hi Mel

    Thanks for your reply...but still confused cos the answer to Q2 and Q3 contradict your answer to Q1.
    If it takes 3500 to lose a pound then with 8,000 under over the week I should have lost 2lbs not put 1lb on!

    ...and if you need to eat more to lose weight then why are anorexics who eat nothing losing weight?

    (not having a go at you, just find all the theories contradict each other)

    So how do you track your calories? Still on Myfitnesspal?
  • marianne_s
    marianne_s Posts: 986 Member
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    Have you read this?

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics

    There are a lot of answers there....

    I'm assuming, based on your daily allowance, that you're quite petite?
  • paulslimjonesbryant
    paulslimjonesbryant Posts: 46 Member
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    myfitness pal is a just a guide and provides people who want too lose weight share their journey what works for one person dont work for all so need too find what works for you what foods too cut when too have treat days and refeeds or you just give up stick with it cause its not a race its a life change good luck
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,250 Member
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    Right, have read a few posts advising people who aren't losing to eat more calories. I have MAJOR doubts about this but nothing else seems to be working so am trying to open my mind to it.

    I lost 3lbs the first week and put 1lb on this week despite being under my weekly calorie goal by 8,500 cals! ( I do a lot of exercise!)

    So here's my questions:

    1. Myfitnesspal tells me to eat say 1,100 cals a day but that BMR says for me to eat 1,500cals...so which one should I be following and why are they different? Makes no sense.

    2. Why does every diet theory basically boil down to burn more calories than you eat to lose weight, basic physics. I've followed that and put weight on! Stupid theory!

    3. If I need to eat more to lose weight how does anorexia work?

    Help please - am proper fed up today!

    Mine is set at 1200 calories per day, the most I have ever gone into my exercise calories (this time around since 1st January) has been 100, other than that I remain at my daily allowance.

    If, by eating more, it meant I would lose more weight, why did it not happen before I went on this diet? Answer, it didn't I put weight on, that is why I stick to my calories.

    Starvation mode, Google it and you will see that it isn't a case of not eating your calories for a day or two that will send you anywhere near it. Your metabolism will work regardless, if stopped you would die, that is why it does not stop.

    People are so worried about starvation mode, they are more concerned with that than losing weight, they forget why they are here in the first place.
  • melcowenfitness
    melcowenfitness Posts: 221 Member
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    Hi Mel

    Thanks for your reply...but still confused cos the answer to Q2 and Q3 contradict your answer to Q1.
    If it takes 3500 to lose a pound then with 8,000 under over the week I should have lost 2lbs not put 1lb on!

    ...and if you need to eat more to lose weight then why are anorexics who eat nothing losing weight?

    (not having a go at you, just find all the theories contradict each other)

    So how do you track your calories? Still on Myfitnesspal?

    Read through the article I mentioned above. It provides some great detail on this topic. The long and short of it is having a healthy balance between the amount of calories consumed vs. those expended through both just being alive as well as those you expend during exercise.

    An excerpt from that might help get you started:

    "To keep your metabolism up, you MUST eat. Conventional wisdom dictates that when you first start dieting, the less you eat, the better. While it's true that you often should eat less, eating too little can backfire over time. As your body composition changes, your body will think it's starving, which can make it hold on to fat. (The process actually has to do with excessive release of a hormone called cortisol, but you don't need to know the details, so we'll just call it fat.) To avoid this, most experts agree that over time, you shouldn't eat fewer than 1,200 calories per day for women, 1,500 for men. If your daily diet consists of fewer calories than that, consider eating more".

    I track all of my calories through MFP - I just enter in the amount of calories that work for me, not what MFP suggests (it's way too low). For the skeptics in the room - I know from first hand experience that eating the right amount of calories DOES WORK. I tried doing a low calorie diet and burning tons of calories through a workout - I didn't lose weight. When I increased my intake by 600 calories/day, the weight came off... and off... and off. I lost over 30 pounds doing this and have kept it off for over a year now.

    If limiting your calories hasn't worked for you, maybe it's time to try something different?? Just a thought. :smile:

    Mel

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