does eating more really help?

momof5kiki

My mind is telling me to NOT eat any more. I work out about 5 days a week doing mostly cardio. I occasionally do small weights but that is it. I am horrible about logging, but I know I was not eating enough. I have been working out hard core for two months and gained. Now I am trying to up my calories but it is really hard. REALLY Hard. Especially when you spent so much of your time before working out trying not to eat too much and now I am trying to eat more but it is soooo hard. So will eating more really help me loose weight?

MB_Positif

Yes, it will help. The best thing you can do to start upping your calories is to add something higher calorie to something you are already eating. If you normally eat a turkey sandwich with one slice of cheese, add a second slice, etc. You won't really notice you are eating any more food that way. You'll adjust.

sofitheteacup

I'm interested to hear what others have to say. I also work out for an hour a day, cardio, and my cals are usually around/just over 1200. Other posts here are making me paranoid, but most of the time I'm not hungry enough for more.

pumpkin_mel

bump

llaurenmarie

bump

feistyhorsegal

eating small healthy meals often is supposed to kick start your metabolism. Perhaps if you've been eating very few calories your body is going into starvation mode??

Bikini_Bound150

Your body needs the extra nutrients. You don't have to stuff your face or anything. I love the suggestions mbcarreno08 gave! Maybe add a small snack in your day, if you don't have one already. Don't think about it as sabotage! It's really going to help you out in the long run!

llaurenmarie

Just scares me people warning not to eat back exercise calories because they're saying mfp and machines way over estimate them. HALP

dwirt18

I feel as though it does. I eat about 12 things a day but i space it out. I was able to lose 30 pounds easy with eating more food. The trick is to eat healthy stuff. I eat tomatoes, carrots, celery, grapes, strawberries, bananas and peppers all as snacks. You also need to eat until you are content, don't eat to make yourself seem stuffed. So yes, eat more but make sure it is healthy stuff that you put into your diet. Sleep can also be a contributing factor. You need sleep. Try to get 8 hours a night. If you find that you can't do that, cut out things that you don't NEED, like maybe watching some tv or something. Things that aren't important. Try to stay stress free as much as possible, stress has been known to cause people to gain weight. Good luck with your goals!

bobie1978

I have about 20 pounds to lose.. I was trying to stay at 1200 calories per day. I also do a lot of cardio. Since I have upped my calories I have lost weight every week! If you want to stay at lower calories make sure to add in your exercise at least. And if you don't feel hungry then don't eat them

babeebMom

I just started adding about 300 cals to my daily intake. It is so hard but from what I read it keeps your body out of starvation mode. After the first day I did lose weight still. I am still in a calorie deficit so I shouldn't be gaining anything at least

peachy_keen

I got to a point in my weight loss journey a year ago where I was stalled. I was going through a lot and barely eating. I went to a nutritionist and was told that I HAD to eat more in order for my body to rev back up again. I added more fruits and veggies, maybe a serving of raw nuts when I didn't meet my daily quota here and there. It definitely helped.

CyberEd312

I can't stress enough how important it is to make sure you are logging as accurately as you can but yes eating more if you are exercising is very important. If you set up MFP correctly you should have a calorie deficit factored in so your exercise calories are eaten to fuel your workouts... My bmr is current 2160 with a deficit of 500 calories to lose a pound a week. I eat 800-1000 calories over my bmr (eating back exercise calories) to fuel my body... This system has worked well for me.. check out my ticker.... Good Luck....

Anjeroo

it took me a long time to believe that eating more food would make me lose weight. A nutritionalist I really love finally explained it in a way it made sense...

she said:

A fire with small twigs (meals) constantly throughout the day will burn better longer and more efficiently than a fire that goes out every few hours and then has tons of wood piled ontop of it (ie: 3 large meals a day). i try to eat 6 small meals a day of 200 - 250 calories and the results have been amazing. I"m not starving I'm not hungry I know what and when my next meal is and I'm continuing to get staggering results. I'm eating as frequently as I did when I was really heavy but much smaller portions. I also didn't realize how many calories I "drank" during the day. Coffees ... juice.. pop... it all adds up.

In short.... your metabolism has to be burning your calories. Feed your body and your metabolism will take care of the rest!

Elen_Sia

When I joined MFP, I started at 1200 calories/day. After 4 weeks of cardio only, I knew I was not gonna survive on that number much longer even after eating back my exercise calories. The weight continued to drop every week but I was getting increasingly tired.

After I hit my goal weight and started strength training about 6 weeks ago, I changed my MFP goal to Maintenance, and used a different website to calculate my TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure). My daily calorie goal now is 1588, with a focus on more protein and fewer carbs. On workout days I eat as much as 2100 calories sometimes. My weight has not budged in the last two weeks but I've had to buy smaller-sized clothes.

This is purely anecdotal so don't use my experience as science. Hope this helps.

Helloitsdan

Goto
http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/

Do the body fat tool then the BMR tool.

The BMR tool gives EXACT calories to eat daily.
This number is based off how often you workout.
To get TDEE you add 20% to your number and that is how appx how much you expend in any given day.

Eating below TDEE will result in weight loss.

The Katch Mcgardle BMR number is the most accurate so far.

Never eat at or below BMR or you will lose more lean mass.

So to sum up....

1) Body Fat tool
2) BMR tool.

Record your BMR and calories per day.

Set up MFP to this number.

change Protein and Fat to 30% each and youll start losing fat but maintaning most lean mass.

FlaxMilk

I have a question on this regarding TDEE vs eating back exercise calories.

I am currently set at sedentary, with the goal to lose 1 lb per week. MFP set me at 1200, with a projected loss of .6 lbs a week.

In reading another of these threads, I got curious and changed my TDEE setting to active. That only upped my calories to 1230. The top setting only upped my calories to 1350. That makes me think that maybe I should NOT eat my exercise calories back. I know in general people are supposed to, but I am wondering if with my situation, I should not, based on the active setting only upping me by 30 calories.

Not counting my exercise, I am probably somewhere in between sedentary and lightly active.

cjpg

I was losing weight consistently from week to week but found myself gradually losing less and less per week.

I've linked my weight loss below and highlighted my longest plateau:



EDIT: Added web link that you can copy and paste if the pic doesn't work: http://i.imgur.com/uOjKu.jpg.

The problem was even though I upped my cardio and strength exercises, I consistently kept my metabolism at a constant. I don't understand it enough to know why, all I know is my weight loss was still working up until three weeks ago.

Here's the funny thing - I got discouraged over the last three weeks and ended up exercising about a third of what I normally do per week. Not purposely, I ended up with many of my days being over my calorie limit.

I weighed myself this week and I've lost 1kg with exercising LESS and eating MORE. My metabolism is working in overdrive.

I've read there's a concept called 'Zigzagging' your calories for effective weight loss without losing muscle mass. It's worth having a look as I would suspect it would be similar to my scenario but in small, more effective weekly increments.

Mindmovesbody

It does work actually! I'm going through, or was going through the same thing. When you do not eat back your exercise calories your body does go into starvation mode and it starts to 'store' what you DO eat which results is weight gain. The last time I saw my doctor he recommended I up my intake and at first I thought 'he must be nuts'! I can now say, it's working. I joined this the same day to actually keep track and I'm losing weight finally. I talked to a trainer today because I am interested in starting with one and he told me the same thing. Try it for a couple weeks and see what happens!

bethbeckman

Yes it does. Maaking sure you are eating at least 3 meals a day plus snacks or several small meals over the day keeps the body in a state of constant meabolization. Your body starts to burn off the extra calories and doesn't store as much fat. Also if you are working out that much don't forget you are also building up muscle mass. That could be the reason for the weight gain. Keep going and working hard. You're doing awesome.

ALH1981

i have such a hard time believing this - like the first poster, i have always been VERY active but when i started working out more i started to gain weight... i couldn't figure it out so i reduced calories..

Working out more+ eating less and i gained!! I don't get it - i thought maybe it was just muscle but now not so sure....

My only option is to give the 'eating more' theory a go....

how quickly did people see results, and what type of additional calories are you adding - assuming its not a big mac!

Pepper2185

Yes.

A well fueled body is more efficient.

An underfed body is... starving.

Don't let your mind get the best of you.

layfield23

Not knowing how much you eat makes that hard to answer. How often you eat dfinately could help.Eating your 3 healthy meals and snacks in between. Go no longer than 2-3 hourswithout eating and always include a fruit/veggie AND a protein. This keeps your metabolism raised and steady and your body will learn it is not being deprived so doesn't go into the starvation reserve mode.
Also, cardio isn't always the best fat burner. It depends on the muscle fibers (fast twitch or slow twitch) being used in a particular excersize. Slow twitch, larger fat burniung muscles as in the legs, hips and core will burn more fat. That is why you hear so much about walking being a great excersize because it works these muscles. So maybe slowing down a couple workouts and a couple more snacks could be the ticket you need!

Coyla

If you're exercising more, the weight gain could be from water retention. You're wearing down your muscles, which can cause your body to hold water.

I don't know the science behind it, and I'm no expert.

However, if you keep cutting, and you're still gaining, there may be something medically wrong with you. I suggest seeing a doctor if possible.

You should also gradually add calories. If you add them all at once, you'll have a gain. It'll go away after awhile, but I know what a small gain can do to the mind. So add about 100 calories this week, then another 100 next week. You should aim for a deficit of 500 below your TDEE, NOT your BMR. You should not be eating below your BMR ever.

Aim for slow and steady weight loss, and you'll increase your chance of success.

Elen_Sia

i have such a hard time believing this - like the first poster, i have always been VERY active but when i started working out more i started to gain weight... i couldn't figure it out so i reduced calories..

Working out more+ eating less and i gained!! I don't get it - i thought maybe it was just muscle but now not so sure....

My only option is to give the 'eating more' theory a go....

how quickly did people see results, and what type of additional calories are you adding - assuming its not a big mac!

I upped my daily calorie goal in several phases. I didn't jump from 1200 to 1588 overnight. It took about 4 weeks before I reached 1588. At the same time, I reduced the amount of time I spent on cardio (only because strength training takes A LOT of time). When I was doing only cardio, I worked out 3 days and rested 1 day. After incorporating strength training, I work out 2 days and rest 1. During the 3 weeks when I was steadily increasing my daily calorie goal, my weight continued to drop at 1 lb a week. I increased my calorie goal to 1588 when my weight dropped to below where I wanted it to be (I have a specific goal weight only because I want to be able to continue to donate blood).

Again, remember: this is purely anecdotal. Your mileage may vary.

momof5kiki

wow thank you everyone. I am shocked to hear all the responses. Thank you. I am working so I will let you know what happens :-)

ALH1981

To be honest, still scared to try it, and unsure how to apply it to me!?

I am not really very hungry. ever!

Helloitsdan

To be honest, still scared to try it, and unsure how to apply it to me!?

I am not really very hungry. ever!

Google ghrelin.
You may have a hormonal issue that keeps you from being hungry.
If you have been on a crash diet or VLCD for a long time or have an eating disorder you could have hormonal issues.

angisnee

I gained and lost the same 3 pounds for 6 months, all while lifting heavy and doing cardio 3x/week. (187 to 190 lbs, eating NET of 1800, which I thought was a lot).

Upped my intake to 2100 NET. Went back up to 190 for one whole week but kept at it. Three weeks into it, and I'm at my lowest weight in 1.5 years, 185. And my weight now only fluctuates a tiny bit day by day instead of 2 or 3 pounds overnight. And I have a TON more energy.

So, I'm a believer.

If you do make any changes, please stick with it long enough to see if it actually works. Give it a few weeks, even if you do gain initially. There is a group called Eat More To Weigh Less, and there are lots of good stories there to encourage you if you decide to try it. Good luck!

ALH1981

i think i need to try it...

ALH1981

To be honest, still scared to try it, and unsure how to apply it to me!?

I am not really very hungry. ever!

Google ghrelin.
You may have a hormonal issue that keeps you from being hungry.
If you have been on a crash diet or VLCD for a long time or have an eating disorder you could have hormonal issues.

i don't know what VLCD is - but have definitely been on every crash diet under the sun ...! haven't we all? what hormonal issues do you mean that could hinder this?