Why You Should Eat More: A Lion's Tale
Replies
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I will probably get nasty comments for this but, whatever.
Isn't eating too much how most of you got here?
Nope0 -
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I just joined mfp in April and just started Jillians Body Revolution 2 wks ago. I feel like I am going insane! 1200 calories is not a lot especially when you are not eating back your calories. Lost 3lbs first week and nada the second. And I am starving!!! I am going to take your advice and start by eating back my calories and possibly add some! Thanks again! It was just the info I have been looking for!0
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Great and well explained post!
Very similar thing happened to me. I ate at 1200 for roughly 6-7 months, I DID get to goal weight, but I was miserable. My hair fell out in clumps, my skin was sallow and pale and I had literally NO energy. I could barely answer the phone because my hands were shaking too much. By that point I was so convinced that I was doing the right thing that I couldn't see what I was doing to myself and was reluctant to eat more than 1200, even at goal.
I fully admit even now that I rush straight back to 1200 if my clothes feel tight, but I am getting better at this, and aim for at least 1550 (my BMR) and plan on raising that to 1900 (My TDEE) over the next few weeks. Even just being on 1550 stops me obsessing over food and I haven't binged in months, whereas at 1200 they were almost weekly occurrences.
Moral of the story? Be kind to yourself, you deserve it.0 -
I will probably get nasty comments for this but, whatever.
Isn't eating too much how most of you got here?
Nope
There's a difference between eating too much, eating enough and eating too little. You can reduce your calorie intake to a deficit without going too far and being unhealthy in a different way!0 -
lion, i looked at your diary. you dont have veggies salads or fish and meats it looks like a lot of yoghurts junk foods. dunking doughnut stuff etc, and your water intake. i may have got this wrong but it looks like your food intake is high call processed stuff. maybe you would be well advised to have salads for lunch the body needs this. i must admit i only looked at first few days but there seemed to be a pattern. good luck with your diet, inbox me if i can help,0
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I will probably get nasty comments for this but, whatever.
Isn't eating too much how most of you got here?
Nope
There's a difference between eating too much, eating enough and eating too little. You can reduce your calorie intake to a deficit without going too far and being unhealthy in a different way!
Yup, the food is just one piece amongst many others when it comes to bein healthy.0 -
definitely thanks for sharing! i am dealing with this right now, and you just made me feel a bit better about it lol.
i have been doing the 1200 cal thing since feb and ive lost 17 lbs which is great but i have hit a wall in the last few weeks, with only 10 lbs to go to get to my GW. so yesterday after spending several hours on MFP forums and researching plateaus and what could be happening, i decided to up my cal intake. im having a hard time right now getting past my thoughts of "omg im eating toooo much!" but i do know that its best! and that my body will adjust. i want to do this the healthy way and if it means eating more and taking it slow then i am willing to do just that!0 -
MFP gives me 1870 to eat per day. With excerise that can go up from around 300 to 1000 or more depending on my training for hat day.
When I calculate my TDEE, it puts me at 2800 per day at maintenance. (I used fat2fitradio.com). But, I don't add back my exercise cals. I just exercise and eat. It's made a huge difference. My energy is through the roof. And, I don't feel like I'm starving. I don't even crave cheat days anymore. All that went away.0 -
Wow, just wow. Go back to polishing your halo.I will probably get nasty comments for this but, whatever.
Isn't eating too much how most of you got here?0 -
Honestly, quality of food plays a huge role as well. Hair falling out is from malnutrition, not lack of calories if you are still overweight. Upping calories and still eating crap is still unhealthy.0
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I will probably get nasty comments for this but, whatever.
Isn't eating too much how most of you got here?
Eat more than your BMR and less than your TDEE and you will lose fat slowly and steadily. This is moderation, you don't need to swing from overeating to undereating.
BMR = the amount of energy (calories) required to keep all the cells in your body alive (and how much you'd burn if you were in a coma)
TDEE = the total amount of energy (calories) your body uses in a typical day, it is your BMR + all the calories you burn moving around
I messed up my body composition by undereating, accidentally, because I have an anxiety disorder that results in me losing my appetite. Without realising it I was undereating by a lot, slowing my metabolism, losing lean body mass, and then putting on fat on the days when I had more appetite and ate better (healthy food, normal size portions), and due to the very high level of stress hormones in my system, most of it went on as belly flab. It was only when I started trying to lose the belly flab (I did that the healthy way) that I realised just how much I'd been undereating, and I've had to force myself to eat when I feel sick with anxiety (eating little and often helps), but I've gone from over 40% body fat to 24% body fat (currently) and lost almost 10 inches from my waist by eating the right amount of calories (more than my BMR but less than my TDEE) plus cardio and lifting heavy. It's a lot more effort for me to eat enough, than not eat too much. The fat loss was slow and steady, and I would caution anyone about being in a hurry to lose it quickly, because you will still get there and what matters is that when it goes it's gone for good because you're in healthy eating habits that are sustainable for life.0 -
I will probably get nasty comments for this but, whatever.
Isn't eating too much how most of you got here?
Speaking only for myself... yes, I was eating too much, but not by that much.
Say I gained 10 pounds over the course of a year. That's less than one pound a month. We'll round it to a quarter of a pound a week. That's eating an average of 125 calories above maintenance every day for a year. Not major over-eating. Minor over-eating.
Since it only took minor overeating to gain weight, it doesn't require major UNDER-eating to lose it.
I did best eating about 200-300 calories below my maintenance amount, to lose about a half pound a week.0 -
I will probably get nasty comments for this but, whatever.
Isn't eating too much how most of you got here?
Eat more than your BMR and less than your TDEE and you will lose fat slowly and steadily. This is moderation, you don't need to swing from overeating to undereating.
BMR = the amount of energy (calories) required to keep all the cells in your body alive (and how much you'd burn if you were in a coma)
TDEE = the total amount of energy (calories) your body uses in a typical day, it is your BMR + all the calories you burn moving around
I messed up my body composition by undereating, accidentally, because I have an anxiety disorder that results in me losing my appetite. Without realising it I was undereating by a lot, slowing my metabolism, losing lean body mass, and then putting on fat on the days when I had more appetite and ate better (healthy food, normal size portions), and due to the very high level of stress hormones in my system, most of it went on as belly flab. It was only when I started trying to lose the belly flab (I did that the healthy way) that I realised just how much I'd been undereating, and I've had to force myself to eat when I feel sick with anxiety (eating little and often helps), but I've gone from over 40% body fat to 24% body fat (currently) and lost almost 10 inches from my waist by eating the right amount of calories (more than my BMR but less than my TDEE) plus cardio and lifting heavy. It's a lot more effort for me to eat enough, than not eat too much. The fat loss was slow and steady, and I would caution anyone about being in a hurry to lose it quickly, because you will still get there and what matters is that when it goes it's gone for good because you're in healthy eating habits that are sustainable for life.
This...The above is exactly the same for me...Everyone, including me always says 'How did you gain so much when you hardly eat?' Well, now I know that this is the reason why...I thought the less calories I ate the smaller I would be but didn't realize that when I actually had a 'normal' day of eating my body would NOT let go of what it got so I became overweight...I have screwed up my metabolism & I am so thankful for this site for making me realize that I NEED to eat to lose weight....Not starve myself like I have always done b/c obviously that was what made me fat!!0 -
I really liked this post!
It's so informative and it makes sense but (like most people on here), it's hard for me (psychologically) to get myself to eat more than the 1200 cal limit that MFP has set for me. I calculated my BMR to be 1485.5 and my TDEE to be 2290.
I'd appreciate some additional support and encouragement to eat right and healthy instead of starving myself each day out of fear...0 -
I really liked this post!
It's so informative and it makes sense but (like most people on here), it's hard for me (psychologically) to get myself to eat more than the 1200 cal limit that MFP has set for me. I calculated my BMR to be 1485.5 and my TDEE to be 2290.
I'd appreciate some additional support and encouragement to eat right and healthy instead of starving myself each day out of fear...
totally agreed!0 -
OP, wonderfully written. Thank you for sharing your story. I'm thrilled that you decided to start eating more and that you're feeling better! Well done.0
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lion, i looked at your diary. you dont have veggies salads or fish and meats it looks like a lot of yoghurts junk foods. dunking doughnut stuff etc, and your water intake. i may have got this wrong but it looks like your food intake is high call processed stuff. maybe you would be well advised to have salads for lunch the body needs this. i must admit i only looked at first few days but there seemed to be a pattern. good luck with your diet, inbox me if i can help,
The OP has already addressed this issue- this week was an "off week". However, even if it wasn't, there's nothing at all wrong with the way she chooses to eat. Nor is it necessary to critique her diary- It's really not any of your business unless she invites you to make it your business. She shared her story. She did not ask for help on what to eat. The OP is doing just fine. She's listening to her body, giving it the fuel she needs. She's choosing different fuel than you would choose, but if she's feeling good, it just doesn't matter.0 -
I will probably get nasty comments for this but, whatever.
Isn't eating too much how most of you got here?
YES. TOO MUCH. Meaning MORE than your body needs to maintain its weight. Essentially TDEE + calories = GAIN.
This post is not talking about eating beyond TDEE0 -
Love, love, love this! I was so excited to learn about "Eat more to weigh less" until I found out I was the freaking exception to the rule. My BMR is 1250 and my TDEE is 1700. I also have the Fitbit which gives me a more exact number of my expenditure and to my disappointment I actually only burn 1500 on a non exercise day. I still eat my calories back and I still stay way above 1200 but it takes me FOREVER to lose a lb. I'm at the high end of "normal" for my size and I'm only looking to lose 5 more.
However, I agree 1000% with EVERYTHING you said. It just made me realize why some ppl never lose those last few lbs. I've also realized that I just can't do it w/o exercise. Wooo hoo! I LOVE exercise - NOT!
Good luck to you though and keep up the good work! I'm not starving, hungry, unhealthy or anything else but I am very envious of ppl who don't have to live the rest of their life on diet food and/or less food. /)0 -
Ps - I didn't see the drama unfolding before posting. (I'm on my phone.)
Just wanted to add that. Its so unnessisary when were all just reaching for the same goal.
Anyway, I'm out. Goodnight and best wishes to all.0 -
I will probably get nasty comments for this but, whatever.
Isn't eating too much how most of you got here?
Nope
There's a difference between eating too much, eating enough and eating too little. You can reduce your calorie intake to a deficit without going too far and being unhealthy in a different way!
Totally agree.
We did get fat by eating too much, but what most people used to eat is a huge amount more than the higher cals that they are now losing on.
I now lose 1.5 per week on 2000 cals, before I joined mfp I think I ate at least 3000-4000 a day.0 -
Great story but I've been on 1200 cals for about a year I've stalled so tried a spike day when got chance to go to Pizza Hut. Problem was once there I couldn't stop thinking about how many calories were in it I chose lowest cal pizza, I wasn't gonna get a pudding but sister in law insisted and I didn't want to make it into a big deal so picked one, but was instantly working out how long I'd have to go on pedals when I got back to burn it all off.
If I can't exercise I stay very low cal, if I'm gonna go on at least an hour (about 660 cals its motorised pedals as I'm unable to pedal due to disability) I can eat a bit more and often find at TOTM if I've cravings crisps and choc I'll actually eat them whilst I'm sat on the bike so I don't feel as guilty cos I'm burning it straight off.
I weighed before getting in bed and gone up to 9st 9 I was expecting to be less as I've been peeing all day from water tablets, but will try again tomorrow morning. I get the theory but can't see me been able to eat more and not instantly work it off.
I only had 3lb to go when I weighed in at 9st 6 but now I have 6lbs to lose so thought of eating more and getting heavier scares me as my goal date is in a few weeks (6th June) and I'm now further from goal than I was last week. :sad:
It takes a while for your body to adjust to new cal levels, give it a few weeks, it can't hurt if you are not losing on current low cals!
What will happen if you don't lose 6lbs by 6th June??? It's not like the world will end or anything!!!
One of my friends has gone from 700 to 1600 cals this week, and only gained 1lb. It's all down to making healthy choices and giving it a chance to work :-)0 -
Hello guys and gals. I decided today to share my weight loss story with other people on MFP so that you can understand why it is essential to eat above your Basal Metabolic Rate. Many of you believe that 1200 calories a day is enough, or that it isn't important to eat back your exercise calories. I'm here to tell you why you should.
I started losing weight in January 2011 with my mom's old Weight Watcher's materials (slide rule, points books, etc) and at first, everything was going great. I needed to lose at least 100 pounds to reach a healthy weight range and I was totally ready to make the change. In the beginning, I was losing 2 lbs per week just by watching what I ate. But after 5 or 6 months I started to notice some pretty weird declines in physical health. I was hungry and irritable all the time, but since I was eating the amount of food that I thought I was supposed to, I didn't understand why there was a problem.
Some symptoms:
- My body felt soft/squishy
- My nails were growing in with divots in them, not smooth
- My hair fell out, thinning to about half the normal thickness
- I was tired, grumpy, and generally unpleasant (all the time)
- I would inexplicably carb binge on the weekends
- About 8 months in, I plateaued and stopped losing weight
Looking back now, I understand why all of this happened. At the time though, I was so obsessed with meeting some contrived number to lose weight that I was pretty much starving and too nearsighted to recognize the signs. Yesterday, I was going through my room and found an old notebook where I was keeping track of the food I was eating (before I joined MFP) - now that I have a better grasp for calorie counting, it was glaringly obvious that I was eating 200 calories BELOW my BMR, every day, and had no clue that my body was starving. My lean body mass (muscle) was being broken down to support my unsustainable calorie deficit, and so I felt worse some days than before I started losing weight due to my lack of muscle tone.
I lost hair and experienced weird nail growth by not eating enough protein, or enough calories in general. I would binge on carbs because my body needed food and sometimes the temptation got so strong that I literally could not stop myself from popping unlimited bags of popcorn. You need to understand that these things happened because I was not eating the amount of food I needed to. Just as you need to eat BELOW a certain number to lose weight - you also need to eat ABOVE one, too.
If this story sounds similar to your life right now, I want you to listen to me because you CAN fix it.
After Christmas I had lost a total of 70 pounds but still wanted to drop another 40 more to reach a healthy weight. I joined MyFitnessPal and learned that I should be eating more calories (1450) than I had been eating with the Points program (1250). I figured, okay, maybe that was my problem after all! Let me try eating more and exercising more, make sure I get enough fat and protein, and hopefully things will be better on the second part of my weight loss journey.
I started P90x and went to the gym twice a week with my best friend. Things were going better, but I still noticed that come weekends, I still really felt the urge to devour a bagel or a ton of pizza. (Carb temptations! I knew this was probably a sign that my calories were STILL too low.)
At the end of P90x (earlier this April) I noticed my energy level was on the decline. It's important to notice those kinds of things, and I realized there was probably something still wrong with my diet. With all of these factors adding up, I decided it was time to REALLY investigate the scientific dynamics of my eating habits.
Instead of listening to MFP's automatic calorie assignment, I did some major math by myself. I broke out a calculator and became a total nerd for about three hours while I crunched numbers and compiled an Excel Spread Sheet to calculate my Body Fat %, Lean Body Mass, BMR, and Total Daily Energy Expenditure using scientific equations based on nutritional science.
What I came up with:
- TDEE (how many calories I burn every day): 2200
- BMR (average b/w both equations): 1550
- What I should ACTUALLY be eating to lose 1 lb a week.... 1700 calories. Minimum. Every day. (Without exercise)
Despite my best efforts at joining MFP in January I still hadn't completely fixed my problem. I had been eating 250 calories less than I should have been to maintain a healthy functioning body. As of a week ago, I have fixed this. Now that I'm eating more I have a TON of energy. And even since joining in January (when I half-fixed my problem), I have noticed my hair growing back in thick, my nails are healthy and shiny, my mood is much more optimistic, and my brain is no longer stuck thinking about food all the time (whereas when I was on Weight Watchers, I found myself obsessing).
I've noticed remarkable changes in myself and I hope that you guys will listen to my advice when I say that you should eat ABOVE your BMR. It's important to feed your body and nourish it if you expect to make it healthier. And keep in mind that diet alone is no good - if you want to lose body fat and feel good it is really important to exercise. (And remember to eat the calories you burned to fuel your working muscles.)
If you meet the following goals:
- Eat above your BMR
- Exercise
- Drink lots of water
- Sleep well
You will lose fat at a steady rate and feel great doing it. And to end my post, I'll leave you with a quote that really got me thinking, and shifted my focus from "Lose Weight" to "Get Healthy"....
"Your body will not run on too few calories just because you DECIDED it would."
Good luck everyone on your weight loss, and I wish you all the best in finding the new healthier you. I know I have.
- Skinnylion
Thanks so much for this!
I was wondering why the constant fatigue, extreme hard work and very little results.
I will adjust based on my TDEE and see if that helps.
Thanks again!!0 -
So i just looked up my TDEE and based on how often i work out (i even under estimated) it said that it was 2469. BMR (on MFP) is 1510. Soooo... what should my cals be set at? What should my intake be, without work cals burned included? Also as i start to work out more, shouldn't i be changing my settings in my food diary, in relation to my lifestyle? I workout about 4-6 days a week, where when i joined MFP i was never working out. This whole thing is confusing, and i feel like im missing something in my diet because my acne as become out of control, out of nowhere and my cycle showed up 5 days early this month.
To lose weight at a healthy rate, calculate TDEE and subtract 15% from that. If your activity level changes, make necessary adjustments. Check out the group 'Eat more to weigh less' for more in-depth info!
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I will probably get nasty comments for this but, whatever.
Isn't eating too much how most of you got here?
Nope
There's a difference between eating too much, eating enough and eating too little. You can reduce your calorie intake to a deficit without going too far and being unhealthy in a different way!
Totally agree.
We did get fat by eating too much, but what most people used to eat is a huge amount more than the higher cals that they are now losing on.
I now lose 1.5 per week on 2000 cals, before I joined mfp I think I ate at least 3000-4000 a day.
This...What got you here - not understanding basic science or the inability to be nice and learn from others?0 -
So i just looked up my TDEE and based on how often i work out (i even under estimated) it said that it was 2469. BMR (on MFP) is 1510. Soooo... what should my cals be set at? What should my intake be, without work cals burned included? Also as i start to work out more, shouldn't i be changing my settings in my food diary, in relation to my lifestyle? I workout about 4-6 days a week, where when i joined MFP i was never working out. This whole thing is confusing, and i feel like im missing something in my diet because my acne as become out of control, out of nowhere and my cycle showed up 5 days early this month.
To lose weight at a healthy rate, calculate TDEE and subtract 15% from that. If your activity level changes, make necessary adjustments. Check out the group 'Eat more to weigh less' for more in-depth info!
This.
Either work out tdee based on goal weight and eat the number in the chart
OR
work out current tdee and eat at 15-20% less than that.
Also choose your exercise level correctly. Under estimating will result in your cals being too low.
The whole point of tdee is that it already includes exercise. If you don't want exercise to be included, use the number for sedentary then log And eat back exercise.0 -
I will probably get nasty comments for this but, whatever.
Isn't eating too much how most of you got here?
Look up the definitions for TDEE, surplus, BMR, and deficit.
This should help you understand things a little better.
*I'm being totally sincere and not nasty*0 -
I will probably get nasty comments for this but, whatever.
Isn't eating too much how most of you got here?
I don't think anyone was advocating eating "too much" i.e. more than daily expenditures. Did I miss something?0 -
I will probably get nasty comments for this but, whatever.
Isn't eating too much how most of you got here?
Did the concept bother you that people are actually losing weight without punishing themselves in the process?
I see from an earlier comment on another thread you mentioned you would hate yourself if you got fat so I understand the hostility simmering below your comment on this thread.
People nuturing their bodies and becoming healthier without self loathing driving them must be anathema to you.
Its a simple concept, eat at a small deficit so weight loss occurs, but not so large a deficit that your health is compromised.
Wishing you well in your own journey to health.
To the OP, love your post! Its great to be free of the tryanny of food whether its guilt of binging or overcontrol issues and to be simply be able to enjoy it. Best thing I did was when I started to eat over my BMR.0 -
I'm nervous as hell eating at 1650 calories (my bmr) and planning to EAT BACK exercise calories to stay at 1650 a day.
but it seems like less torture than the last few times i've dieted. and I am pretty stoked I can eat a massive tuna salad and not feel hungry after it!
Still nervous being above 1200 calories a day but here goes!
Wish me luck!0
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