Is the "wrong" way the right way?

JadeRabbit08

This guy eats 500 cals and seems healthy though...

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/518970-who-should-eat-500-calories-a-day

1953Judith

Listening to some people on MFP and not my own common sense had me seriously worried..especially about the 'starvation mode' myth. This website is by someone who regularly posts on MFP (stroutman81) and makes a lot of sense. No more forced feeding for me...though I kind of liked the excuse to eat a massive cake to myself! http://body-improvements.com/resources/eat/

Congrats on your 10lbs lost too

Thanks for the citation. I just read the article (though I should be getting ready for work). It has really helped me see the big picture, clarified and affirmed some things and raised a few questions. I have lost over 70 pounds in four years, slowly and happily. I don't think there is a day where I ate less than 1500 calories and most days I ate more, typically between 1800 and 2000 (and I am hypothyrhoid, 58 years old, and taking adjuvant cancer medicine that can cause weight gain). My major reason for weight loss was to be in better shape should I be buffeted by life's challenges. I am being tested right now with some back issues. Believe me, I'm glad not to have those 75 pounds and I'm glad to have the knowledge base and habits in place that I can tweak and adjust to adapt to my temporary inertia.

OP, it is your life and your choices. But please don't assume that the majority of the fitness successes are based on low calorie diets. I wish you success in your choices and, most importantly, good health!

m60kaf

Long story short - I lost 90% of what I want relatively easy and the last 10% is proving very difficult. The last step needs far more than just eat less.

For me its just a balance sheet now, the actual numbers don't matter. Infact I'm not that bothered about weight its all about body fat.

Now I know you know the science - but I'll explain how I make it work for me

I have my ratios what I want at about 120g carb, 250g+ of protein and not too concerned at fat levels because if you are doing 120g of fat and high protein fat isnt going to be that big a deal.

So 3600 cals = 1lb. I want to lose a 1lb a week because that is best for muscle / fat / body I need a deficit of about 500 cals a day

Record calories very accurately at a figure initially of BMR - 500 but then slowly adjust to the figure that actually applies to you in reality. EG: If after two weeks you HAVE been eating and drinking 2000 calories but you have lost half a pound a week down the daily calories by 250 a day for another 1/2lb a week and what goes against what you will want to do is if you loose 1 1/2 a week - you must up your cals by 250 a day - aim for 1lb

So eat good food... meat and good carbs and keep it simple. Don't deviate from your plan. An overweight person might get fed up of not eating much and pig out. but if you are focused and appear to put a bit of weight on it is very easy to panic and drop down to very low cals - dont - that's where it starts to go wrong

lisa28115

The HR monitor is another challenge. On my walks it says I burn about 530 cal, while MPF says its about 280. Keep running into these interesting results, makes me wonder about the accuracy of both.

even more reason for u to eat more than 1200 calories a day

if you are burning 500 calories and your BMR is 1600 you are not leaving your body much to work with

try this for 2 weeks
eat 1700 calories no matter what ...whether you exercise or not

exercise for less than 1hr 3 times a week
and everytime you walk into the bedroom
do 3-5 squats holding for 30 sec and 8-12 pushups

and see what happens...

Can't hurt:bigsmile:

vabchloser

Just to keep this short - I don't have a "miracle" story. I used to weigh 275 lbs and now weigh 200 lbs. I lost it over about 2 yrs by eating lots of fresh foods and very little meat. I exercised very regularly. My daily caloric intake was about 1500 calories and I didn't eat back what I exercised.

I am now on my 2nd push to finally get to my goal weight from 200. I am still eating all fresh foods, exercising regularly and not eating back those calories (for the most part).

I picked a slow approach that I will stick to for the rest of my life. I have no interest in being miserable and tired because my food is cut down dramatically. 1500 calories is difficult for me some days, but most days I feel satisfied and healthy. I also have a TON of energy. I move from morning to night and, I can tell you, it was not this way when I was eating an average American diet of fast food and red meat.

Good luck to you!

eschwab855

going at this for over 2 years now what has worked for me:


1) sleep. at least 6 hrs. I made this a priority. even if it meant missing out on a sechduled work out day.

2) never ate below my BMR

3) only thing diet wise I restrict is soda pop. I just don't even drink it. everything else I enjoy in moderation.

4) I initally started my journey with a Atkins-light style of a diet recommended by my doctor since I had diabetes. low carbs I think it was 200g a day.

5) I invested in a HRM. big eye opener for me. One good example from when I first started, MFP would estimate I'd burn from walking for 1 hr 700-900 calories. My Polar HRM would actually say 1200-1400 calories.

6) patience

7) the scale is NOT I repeat NOT the only way to measure how well you are doing. are you measuring yourself? clothes? do they feel less tight? besides measuring tape I also got a Body Fat % monitor and I see I am making progress

8) lift. I actually hate it. I would rather do cardio over lift any day. but I know it's important so I do it.

9) on the exercise calories I eat about 90% of my calories back

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Spot on all nine are spot on glad you are my friend lol

watboy

I agree 100% on both these statements!! Good luck everyone finding something that works for you.

Listening to some people on MFP and not my own common sense had me seriously worried..especially about the 'starvation mode' myth. This website is by someone who regularly posts on MFP (stroutman81) and makes a lot of sense. No more forced feeding for me...though I kind of liked the excuse to eat a massive cake to myself! http://body-improvements.com/resources/eat/

Congrats on your 10lbs lost too

I can stand by this comment, stroutman81 is one of my MFP friends and ALWAYS posts good advice. Especially when it comes to women and strength training (as opposed to chronic cardio). Very helpful info that I wish more ladies would take the time to read and understand!

minadeathclutch

My BMR is 1,677. I understand the math and the reasoning, but that doesn't seem to be what a lot of "successful" people here are doing. I noticed it when I starting pulling up the diaries of people with significant weight loss.

I usually walk 40 min a day, 1/3 of it is uphill (pushing a 50 lb stroller with 80 lbs of girls in it) . I am also doing Julian Michaels 30 day shred.

well this is kind of a lie.
I'm successful in my weight loss.. I've lost a lot of weight GAINED A TON OF muscle... because I EAT. and i EAT EAT EAT EAT EAT. if i dont .. then i cant do my workouts. 40 mins of day .. walking.. IS NOTHING.
you need to UP your workout. you need to do intense stuff.. try sprints.. and weight lifting. i dont even break a sweat if i walk for 2 hours.. and dont compare yourself to others.. its just not okay..

minadeathclutch

I got told that the Slimfast milkshake diet is wrong! I thought id prove everyyone wrong, so I went on Slimfast for 10 weeks and lots a staggering 1stone7lbs!! I proved EVERYONE wrong that Slimfast does work!! The weight has stayed off and a year later from been on slimfast i am 3 stone lighter and 2 sizes smaller in clothes!! Take no notice of what other people tell you! If you want to try something new for yourself, then you try it dont let others be charge of you and your diet x

LMAO.

rileysowner

The HR monitor is another challenge. On my walks it says I burn about 530 cal, while MPF says its about 280. Keep running into these interesting results, makes me wonder about the accuracy of both.

What sort of HRM? Does it have a chest strap? Did you put in your age, height, weight, and sex? If it has a fitness test mode did you do that to get the watch to estimate your VO2Max?

ironanimal

I stalled pretty quickly eating 1600 a day. I've been gradually increasing the intake, first to 1800, then 2000, then 2200 and now 2500 (which pre-factors my exercise, so for now, I'm not eating them back) and I'm finally seeing the fat shift and muscle replace it. You don't need to starve. That may well lead to you being 'lighter', but you'll have just as little muscle tone as you started with. If you want to look fit and healthy, you need to eat back what your body burns in exercise to provide the nutrients it needs to build and strengthen your muscles.

ninerbuff

Temporary weight loss is the wrong way. Calorie deficits that are too high are temporary in weight loss.


A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

kiminikimkim

I have 8 pounds left to go and it is going really SLOWLY.

1st month I was losing 1 pound a week. Very light exercise (walking mostly)

2nd month I joined a boot camp class. Vigorous exercise twice a week. Continued losing 1 pound a week.

3rd month - I am currently in month #3 and I am stalling. I invested in a Heart Rate monitor watch. It calculates my steps and heart rate. According to my MIO watch I have a basal heart rate of an athlete, close to 43 beats per minute. During my bootcamp workouts, my heart rate was up to 90% of my target heart rate, which meant I was definitely burning calories. I will eat 1/4 of my burned calories.

It appears my body is sustaining itself at 1200cal a day. I eat every time I am hungry to prevent "starvation mode". According to an online calculator (requiring the input of wrist, forearm and hip measurements) , I have a Body Fat % of 25.4%, which is considered okay but not great. I definitely would like to lose 2 inches in my thighs, 1 inch off my knees and calves.

I don't know how I will "shock" my body. I'm scared to nutritionally alter my lifestyle so I will continue till the bootcamp classes end and I will try a different type of exercise.

castadiva

My BMR is 1,677. I understand the math and the reasoning, but that doesn't seem to be what a lot of "successful" people here are doing. I noticed it when I starting pulling up the diaries of people with significant weight loss.

I usually walk 40 min a day, 1/3 of it is uphill (pushing a 50 lb stroller with 80 lbs of girls in it) . I am also doing Julian Michaels 30 day shred.

well this is kind of a lie.
I'm successful in my weight loss.. I've lost a lot of weight GAINED A TON OF muscle... because I EAT. and i EAT EAT EAT EAT EAT. if i dont .. then i cant do my workouts. 40 mins of day .. walking.. IS NOTHING.
you need to UP your workout. you need to do intense stuff.. try sprints.. and weight lifting. i dont even break a sweat if i walk for 2 hours.. and dont compare yourself to others.. its just not okay..

Er, I walk a minimum of 30-40 mins/day at a brisk pace (no pram!), have lost 34lb in four months and kept it off. Walking is my primary/sole exercise - I have neither the time, the opportunity nor the inclination to do sprints or lift weights. I'm glad intense work-outs work for you, but please don't tell someone what they're doing won't work, based purely on your personal experience. This person may not be at your level of fitness, and an intense workout might be totally wrong for them at this stage in proceedings. Walking is a great way to get started and a good way of maintaining health in the long run. We all have to do this in the way that suits us.

I get that you're trying to be helpful, but maybe you could frame your words as suggestions rather than denigrating the efforts of someone who is doing this their own way and making sweeping generalisations that may or may not hold true.

nk17

Everyone is talking about calories. How are your carbs? I am trying to eat 1200 cals most days, but I'm trying to keep my carbs under 90 gm. I think this makes a big difference.

NovemberJune

I started out at 229 and I usually ate about 1800 calories at that point while exercising about 30-45 minutes per day. Now I'm 164 and I usually eat between 1500-1600 per day and I exercise 30-60 minutes per day. I don't usually eat more or less on the days I exercise more or less, unless I feel extra hungry. And I've lost a little more than a lb per week on AVERAGE. There are plenty of weeks that I didn't lose anything, or had a small gain on the scale.

Good luck!


ETA: For most of my weight loss, I've eaten around my BMR, until here recently. My BMR is now about 1450 and I eat about 100 more than that on average.

NovemberJune

If your HRM doesn't know your weight, gender, age, etc there is no way it's going to be accurate.

10 pounds since December IS success. congrats.

spskinny

Thank you everyone again for the feedback. My take away is I am going to try eating 1300 cals, keep walking ( which pushing 130 lbs uphill gives me a hr of 150, burning back legs and a half wet shirt) which I have to admit has changed my legs completely getting some cuteness back , I will toss my HR monitor for one that is more accurate, and keep on the steady course of healthy weight loss.

Thank you!!!!

Tonika44137

I'm not one to give much advice but I like to share my experience..I joined MFP back in 2010 and did it for a few months, I lost weight but not the right way..I set myself at 1200 cal at that time and did crazy cardio..I didnt know that I was really only consuming 200-500 cal a day after all my exercising..I didnt understand the program and eating back exercise calories it just didnt make sense to me..well after I lost my weight, I stopped logging and stopped paying attention to what I ate and I gained those pounds back..also at that time I was that person that hated strength training so I had no muscle mass...this time around beginning 2012 I incorporated strength training 3-4x a week and read everything I could about eating right and back your exercise calories so now I eat alot more, roughly 1400-1900 cal a day and that includes my exercise calories and I'm losing weight and building muscle which in the long run will help me from gaining the weight back.. so my point is eat right, exercise and your most or all your exercise calories and it will help you in the long run..when you do those short calorie "diets" they're only temporary and will cause you to gain the weight back..you dont want to keep doing this over and over

slimkay1

BUMP!

gaia3rd

I have 8 pounds left to go and it is going really SLOWLY.

1st month I was losing 1 pound a week. Very light exercise (walking mostly)

2nd month I joined a boot camp class. Vigorous exercise twice a week. Continued losing 1 pound a week.

3rd month - I am currently in month #3 and I am stalling. I invested in a Heart Rate monitor watch. It calculates my steps and heart rate. According to my MIO watch I have a basal heart rate of an athlete, close to 43 beats per minute. During my bootcamp workouts, my heart rate was up to 90% of my target heart rate, which meant I was definitely burning calories. I will eat 1/4 of my burned calories.

It appears my body is sustaining itself at 1200cal a day. I eat every time I am hungry to prevent "starvation mode". According to an online calculator (requiring the input of wrist, forearm and hip measurements) , I have a Body Fat % of 25.4%, which is considered okay but not great. I definitely would like to lose 2 inches in my thighs, 1 inch off my knees and calves.

I don't know how I will "shock" my body. I'm scared to nutritionally alter my lifestyle so I will continue till the bootcamp classes end and I will try a different type of exercise.

With only 8 pounds left to lose, MFP would recommend no more than a 1/2 pound weight loss a week. I suggest you reset your goals to 1/2 pound a week and...and eat back more like 2/3 to 3/4 of your exercise calories.

cressievargo

Since starting losing weight I've eaten between 1,200 and 1,400 cals per day, and NOT eaten back any of my exercise cals. Sometimes, when I've had a particularly hard day's exercise, I can net around 600 cals, which some people recoil in horror at. But, I don't feel unhealthy, the foods I'm eating are healthy and well balanced, and I've been losing weight consistently throughout and have lost over 6 stone using this method now. So I don't believe in "starvation mode". It's like saying if your car was running out of fuel it'll stop burning it- utter rubbish. Your body CANNOT and DOES NOT work on thin air. It NEEDS fuel, it's just a basic biological fact.

Eating a net of 600 calories is insanity, especially long term. This does in fact, effect your metabolism, and additionally - your body can burn muscle if you don't "fuel it properly"...so what's the point of losing weight if you are only losing lean muscle?

And "it needs fuel" - yet you aren't giving it to it???