There is a big difference between eating more to lose weight
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I am one of those who says that they cannot eat back all the exercise calories and sometimes finds it hard to eat 1200 cals a day. For me this is because it is what I am eating now. I accept that in the past I was probably eating a lot more in terms of calories but the food was crap e.g. large bag of tyrrells or kettle chips as a snack, Mc Donalds meals which meant I was full at the time but 2 hours later I wanted more. Now I think hard about my calories and what I put in my mouth. I make the most of what I eat and find that I am fuller for longer, which means I am not hungry between meals as I have been in the past and this is why I can't always get my calories in. Don't know if this is the same for everyone, but this is my experience.0
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I have been doing good, but now I have gained 6 lbs back..I am not forgetting to put anything on mfp..There are days that I eat less calories..I have 1560 a day..but I do at least eat 1200..I measure..I don't get it why did the weight come back..I have changed to a better way of eating.0
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What I don't understand is, most people came to MFP because they were eating well above their recommended caloric intake, so how all of a sudden are they now not able to eat exercise calories back and not eat up to 1200, 1300, 1400 calories?
The problem is that we are now eating good food that fills you up. If I eat good protein and lots of fruit and veggies and try to keep fat < 20%, calorie intake will be low and I will be stuffed. 400 calories of good protein and fruit and veggies will stuff you.
Sure when I was eating bad...I could eat 1/2 a pizza ( 4 pieces) and calories would be 1500-2000 calories or go to the chineese buffett and blow them out of the water with a couple egg rolls.
Today, I have to work on trying to add good calories. Maybe add some protein powder or nuts to my food or eating greek yogurt.
I don't understand why you would keep fat <20% of your calories. It's suggested that it be between 20-30% of your daily intake. Eating HEALTHY fats helps you lose fat. Nuts are a great source of healthy fats & are high in calories, so if you'd up your fat intake you'd probably be able to eat enough...
Just my take on this0 -
Amen!!!! I also think it's important to look at WHAT you're eating when you increase your calories to lose weight. It doesn't mean going hog wild and enjoying fast food every single day or bags of candy!! I've increased my calories and have managed to do it with clean foods.0
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Bump for later!0
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What I don't understand is, most people came to MFP because they were eating well above their recommended caloric intake, so how all of a sudden are they now not able to eat exercise calories back and not eat up to 1200, 1300, 1400 calories?
The problem is that we are now eating good food that fills you up. If I eat good protein and lots of fruit and veggies and try to keep fat < 20%, calorie intake will be low and I will be stuffed. 400 calories of good protein and fruit and veggies will stuff you.
Sure when I was eating bad...I could eat 1/2 a pizza ( 4 pieces) and calories would be 1500-2000 calories or go to the chineese buffett and blow them out of the water with a couple egg rolls.
Today, I have to work on trying to add good calories. Maybe add some protein powder or nuts to my food or eating greek yogurt.
I don't understand why you would keep fat <20% of your calories. It's suggested that it be between 20-30% of your daily intake. Eating HEALTHY fats helps you lose fat. Nuts are a great source of healthy fats & are high in calories, so if you'd up your fat intake you'd probably be able to eat enough...
Just my take on this
so things like nuts, avocado, olive oil? are these the healthy fats
you have a great figure btw lol0 -
Gonna give this a good ol' "Bump!"0
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This post makes me want to eat pizza. =\
I am with the OP. On days that I don't exercise, I ALWAYS break 1200 calories. Even when everything I'm eating is disgustingly healthy!0 -
So…I didn’t read ALL the responses. But, I have been, in the past one of the people that found it hard to eat enough calories when trying to ‘diet’. Part of the problem was ‘doing it on my own’ and not understanding really BMR/TDEE. I remember one time (pre-MFP) when I was trying to ‘eat healthy and work out’ and I would write down and add up all my calories of what I was eating and I’d have trouble getting 1000/day. I know that sounds crazy but I think it was because, since I was eating far too few calories/day my metabolism was just very slow. So when I ate a 250-300 calorie meal I was stuffed and not hungry enough to eat enough. So I’ve had times where I literally went probably about one month eating around 1000-ish calories/day and working out for at least ½ hr every day and DIDN’T LOSE A SINGLE POUND. =D So I already know that doesn’t work.
Since joining MFP and getting educated a little more I now have a better idea of how much to eat/day. I’m hungry when it’s time to eat too. And I’ve been losing. Go figure. I don’t necessarily know if I was eating ‘far more’ calories prior to MFP…..though I had to have been since I was slowly but surely gaining weight. But I’d go a whole day only eating twice or something like that (granted those 2 meals weren’t healthy at all)
Basically if someone is having trouble ‘eating all their calories’…..their metabolism is suffering and that’s the reason they aren’t hungry. That’s what I think at least. I think when trying to lose weight, one of the easiest ways to tell if you’re doing it right is this: if your ravenous --- you’re not eating enough calories. If your appetite is non-existent…you are also not eating enough calories. You should be hungry when it’s time to eat and satisfied with the meal you have --- not stuffed or still hungry.0 -
I absolutely agree! When I tried to diet before I found MFP, I just figured I would keep calories below 1500 a day. I was ALWAYS hungry and ended up gaining weight. When I found MFP, I found out that I needed almost 1,000 more calories a day to maintain my weight! My daily calorie goals now are 1990 a day, not including any exercise. I did exactly as you said and logged my food the way I used to eat...It's absolutely no wonder how I got up to the weight I did. I know this is going to be a long road to getting healthy, but it's becoming part of my life now. Great post!0
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I read a lot of posts from people from both sides of the fence: the ones who tell you to eat more to lose weight, and the others who say they simply "can't" eat all their exercise calories back, or reach their calorie goal for the day because they're so "stuffed", or lose weight if they aren't eating at MFP's 1200 calorie guideline.
What I don't understand is, most people came to MFP because they were eating well above their recommended caloric intake, so how all of a sudden are they now not able to eat exercise calories back and not eat up to 1200, 1300, 1400 calories?
normally take in.
I am one of these people. I used to eat all kinds of bad high calorie foods. That stuff never filled me up so I ate more. I also ate after I started feeling full, just because it tasted good. Now I am eating better foods, more fruits and vegetables. They fill me up and I don't eat once I feel satisfied. I could easily go a day on 1000 calories and not feel hungry. I don't do it, of course, because I know it isn't healthy and I want to lose weight the right way.0 -
I know that I personally am eating a TON more food than I was before I decided to make a change, but consuming far fewer calories.
I used to always skip breakfast, sometimes skip lunch. So there might be days where all I ate was dinner. So say I had Chuy's for dinner. A Chuychanga (chimichanga), refried beans, chips, creamy jalepeno sauce, and a Coke -- that adds up to 1795 calories. For ONE MEAL. And I'm not even sure that counts the queso on the Chuychanga, because that's not the standard sauce but it's how I like it.
Now I've gone from eating only one meal a day, to eating three plus a snack. In addition to eating smaller portions of my typical dinner foods, I also eat yogurt, fruit (fresh & dried), raw vegetables, nuts, and a piece of boneless, skinless chicken breast every day. By volume it's way more food, but it's only 1300-1400 calories a day.
Of course, I rarely find it difficult to eat enough. But, once I trained myself to eat little bits at a time instead of huge amounts at once, I certainly don't find myself hungry and wishing I could eat like the old days.0 -
It seems simple to me...when people make that change they go from eating higher calorie, more processed foods that only fill your body up temporarily to eating less processed, higher fiber, higher protien, fresher foods that keep your body full longer. Essentially your getting less calories per day but your body is satisfied and not wanting more.0
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I have a problem trying to eat back all calories too actually. I eat a lot during the day, usually around 2000 - 2200 calories but I also burn off almost 1400 calories a day so that puts me at a deficit but after eating 2200 calories spread out I'm full! I eat healthy so 2200 calories is a lot of food, big bowls of chili, sandwiches, curry. By the end of the day I sometimes have 600 more calories I need to consume and I've already eaten so I don't always know how to fit it in. I usually have 6 meals a day of 300 - 400 calories each. I could try boosting each meal to 400 - 500 but I would feel really full after each one.0
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THIS. We end up eating much more because its all much healthier. And if it's not more, it still fills you up to the point where you cant eat back ALL of your exercise calories.What I don't understand is, most people came to MFP because they were eating well above their recommended caloric intake, so how all of a sudden are they now not able to eat exercise calories back and not eat up to 1200, 1300, 1400 calories?
The problem is that we are now eating good food that fills you up. If I eat good protein and lots of fruit and veggies and try to keep fat < 20%, calorie intake will be low and I will be stuffed. 400 calories of good protein and fruit and veggies will stuff you.
Sure when I was eating bad...I could eat 1/2 a pizza ( 4 pieces) and calories would be 1500-2000 calories or go to the chineese buffett and blow them out of the water with a couple egg rolls.
Today, I have to work on trying to add good calories. Maybe add some protein powder or nuts to my food or eating greek yogurt.
agreed!0 -
There is an excellent book that really puts the current knowledge of food and calories in it's head. it's called "The Smarter Science Of Slim". i would suggest everyone here google it and at least read reviews or an introductory video to the book.0
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Before I started losing weight back in January, I calorie checked what I was eating...I was ranging between 1400-1600 calories NOT ON A DIET. 1361 is my BMR. I was steadily gaining weight. So not always true that people were eating 2400 calories.
I don't know what your height and weight are, and how much you're looking to lose, but that's why I had to had to specify "most" "average" people... not if you had some sort of health issue that continuously caused you to gain weight on that amount of calories. You may have an extraordinary case.0 -
AMEN! I was drinking tons of pop, flavored creamer, triple helpings of chips, crackers, et cetera. Now, no way, but i eat my calories back for the most part, and some of the stuff i eat still is not healthy, and some is, and i am still losing weight. Eat within allowed calories, dont starve yourself, and exercise daily!0
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I think part of the problem is that many people think that losing weight means a complete lifestyle overhaul, when in reality, it's gradual and smaller changes that make the biggest longterm impact.
Most of us probably weren't eating THAT bad before. Say you were gaining on average 10 pounds in six months, or 20 pounds a year. That's less than a half a pound a week, or about 200 calories more per day than you should have been eating to maintain your weight. If you'd maintain around 2000 calories, you were eating about 2200... not 3000 or 4000 calories a day.
But instead of looking at the math and approaching it rationally, we beat ourselves up and think we're gluttonous sloths, and instead of going for a reasonable 1/2 or 1 pound a week loss, we're stubborn and impatient and want it gone as soon as possible, and go for the lowest calorie allowance possible, and do things like cut out entire food groups because we think they're evil and bad.
Chances are, you weren't eating THAT bad to gain weight. It was small changes over a long period of time to put the weight on. And small changes over a long period of time will take it off, too. You were eating just a little bit more than you should to gain, and you can eat just a little bit less than normal to lose.
True too. This is another reason why I wonder how people need to be so extreme. Yes, this is often the case for a lot of folks who gradually gain weight over time, not just from gorging like I had mentioned in my original post. What comes on slowly will also come off slowly. People want quick results and get discouraged that they only lose one pound in a week, when in reality, a pound or two a *year* is considered normal weight gain.
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bump0
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Excellent post
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Very concise and eloquent at the same time- wonderful post.
I hope more people come to understand it in the future and stop torturing themselves with this all or nothing thinking. There is room for middle ground and as in most things, the middle ground makes the most sense.0 -
Two words: Stomach shrinkage. I don't know if it's an actual physical shrinkage or not, but when I'm dieting, over time, my ability to eat large volumes decreases. I just get full faster, even if the food is not high-volume low-calorie veggies and such.0
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You took the words right out of my mouth!!!
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I am one of those who says that they cannot eat back all the exercise calories and sometimes finds it hard to eat 1200 cals a day. For me this is because it is what I am eating now. I accept that in the past I was probably eating a lot more in terms of calories but the food was crap e.g. large bag of tyrrells or kettle chips as a snack, Mc Donalds meals which meant I was full at the time but 2 hours later I wanted more. Now I think hard about my calories and what I put in my mouth. I make the most of what I eat and find that I am fuller for longer, which means I am not hungry between meals as I have been in the past and this is why I can't always get my calories in. Don't know if this is the same for everyone, but this is my experience.
Agreed. For a snack I'd have a packet of crisps and a choccy bar....now it's a piece of fruit or some nuts. Most of what I eat now is low GI so I feel much fuller than I would have before, hence the "stuffed" feeling. Much more satisfying to eat too now!
Also, for a while I don't think I WAS eating much more than an RDA of calories, my weight was maintaining, it was just all crap and I didn't move. Now I'm eating MORE than I would have before (which feels WEIRD) and it's also that habit breaking. I'd restrict myself on food so I could just eat crap (i.e. miss dinner in favour of having a doughnut!) now it's like....wait, I should have been eating more anyway!
That's not how I got overweight, but it's how i maintained being overweight! In fact at some points I'd track my food and make sure I was eating no more than 800 calories (but ofc, not changing the actual food).....the weight never went anywhere and it wasn't sustainable. So it's not always necessarily about pigging out above RDA on crap and everything else.0 -
Great post !!! I just recently upped my calories because I was exhausted and starving at the end of the day at 1200 calories plus eating whatever back in exercise calories. I may lose slower now, but I won't be a ravenous, angry b#tch anymore!...lol
^^This. Before MFP, I was only counting calories and not really taking into consideration how much exercising I do. It's no wonder I was so hungry and light-headed all the time! I was probably only netting 700-800 calories on some days because I wasn't balancing it out properly. I love that MFP "does the math" for you, as it were, to help you see the balance between eating and exercising.
Not that I didn't KNOW that, of course, but I was way off on my estimates before. Now I am a much happier person - although still above the weight my doc wants me at, grrr.0 -
Awesome post and awesome follow ups from everyone:) Love it!!
This is just what I needed to hear today! I think I get too caught up in the "numbers" and I just need to keep working out and eating healthy and keep plugging away. I actually up'd my calories the other week and lost a few pounds...ACK!! It does drive me a little bonkers b/c I am one of the people that thinks that you have to starve yourself to lose weight but I am learning that it's just not true...and especially now that i am working out everyday I have to fuel my body to give it energy. I am DRAGGING right now b/c I am so tired from my workouts!! Like I feel like i need to go take a nap! So instead of getting down I just ate some chicken and a huge pile of steamed broccoli. already feeling revived!!
Boy, I tell ya it makes me want to help every other person I run into that struggles to lose weight b/c this is not as easy as it looks! 0 -
lean protein and vegetables make you feel fuller longer. Before they were eating sugar and saturated fats that make them feel hungry after eating0
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Bump0
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I love this!0
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