Is "eating more and losing more" true?

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  • Coco_Puff
    Coco_Puff Posts: 823 Member
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    I upped mine to 1765 2 weeks ago, I had a 2 pound gain at first and then I lost that within a week. I have been losing inches and I'm amazed I can eat so much and stay where I was, on the scale, as I was at 1400. The info given to me about this explains that it may take 4 weeks before I see a real loss, body adjusting, but inch loss will not stall. It does feell good to eat more and have more energy for workouts. Check the group on here, Eat More to Weigh Less, for more info. Good Luck!
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    <---- Upped her calories and lost 17lbs in 5 weeks.

    I've learned that I can easily lose weight if I'm around 2100-2200 net calories a day. If I tried to stay around 1200 net, I'd be creating a 1000+ calorie deficit per day. Not only would I be starving to death and threatening to eat small household pets, my weight loss would stall (and I may even see a gain on the scale!).


    Eat to lose works.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    Even if you don't lose weight faster, you'll lose weight HAPPIER eating more. Happier weight loss means weight loss you can stick with.

    It would be better to maybe lose 25-30 pounds in the next five months than lose ten in one month, then quit because you hate feeling hangry all the time.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
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    I started off at 1200, but just upped my cals to just over 1500. I'm happier, and feel like I can actually eat now. I know it take some suffering to lose weight, but I just wasn't making it at 1200. It's nearly impossible to voluntarily sustain something that is making you miserable all the time. You need to do whatever works for you. As long as you're losing and staying healthy, that's what really matters.
  • skinnylove00
    skinnylove00 Posts: 662 Member
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    to give you a metaphor, eating more to lose more is like throwing a ball up in the air. your weight will increase for a bit, level off, then you`ll probably start dropping. keep in mind that 1200 cals already HAS A DEFICEIT WORKED IN so if you are eating 1200 and exercising, no wonder youre not losing weight because your body is trying to conserve your calories.

    and another metaphor:: your metabolism is a fire....eating is like feeding it logs and kindle to keep it burning. if you eat little or not at all, it slows that metabolism fire down and youre body wont burn cals. if youre always cranky, thats a sure sign youre doing something wrong. so eat more; i reccommend 1400 to start out with. PUT AWAY YOUR SCALE. and try it for a month or two. you might surprise yourself
  • bacitracin
    bacitracin Posts: 921 Member
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    Eating more calories does not cause anyone to lose more weight. It's illogical and scientifically impossible. If you increase your calories from 1200 to 1400 you will lose slightly slower.

    You don't really know how nutrition works, then. It's not actually as simple as calories in and calories out. Type of calories is a huge difference. For me and many other people, I can eat 1500 calories a day of low-fat, whole grains and fruit, and gain weight. However, when i switched to a ketogenic diet of 2000 or more calories a day, I lost 43 pounds over about 7 months. Carbohydrates spike some sort of hormone in my body that I am extremely vulnerable to, that causes storage of fat. If I eat only fats and proteins, I am healthy as an ox. Your body may very well be different, I don't presume to speak for anyone. I'm simply asserting that one CAN eat more calories and also lose weight faster (especially, as others have said, because lower calories can trigger starvation mode in the body).
    HOWEVER if the amount of calories you're eating is making you irritable then WHY THE HELL (excuse my language) are you eating that little? In order for weight loss to be a long-term success, you need to be doing something that you can happily do for a long period of time, or at least long enough to reach your goals. Not something that's pissing you, and everyone around you off.

    I agree with you there.
  • booyainyoface
    booyainyoface Posts: 409 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/3834-eat-more-to-weigh-less

    eat more, make lifestyle changes that you can live with... 1200 calories for life isn't a reality for most of us. i eat 1500+ exercise calories back (about 1800-2000 a day total) and am losing a lot, am sane, and have stopped binging on crap because i can fit it into my diet if i budget well :)
  • believeandtry
    believeandtry Posts: 64 Member
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    loving the responses bump :D
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    It's true for me. I don't eat fewer than 1500 calories. I tried 1200 for a few weeks and didn't lose any weight.
  • kylesmommy89
    kylesmommy89 Posts: 356 Member
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    My weight loss "sweet spot" is 1600 calories. I'm trying to maintain now on 1800.
  • losethatshit
    losethatshit Posts: 22
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    It's as easy as calories in > calories out. Adjusting by a few hundred calories won't make much of a difference around the 1300 mark. There is no such thing as starvation mode... if there is then someone needs to explain how i lost 150+ lbs.

    However, eating healthier food like whole grains and staying away from processed stuff does make a difference in mood in some people. There are studies that show psychological and physiological change in people who eat the same amount of calories but different foods (mcdonalds vs whole food home cooked meals)
  • Littlerunner0514
    Littlerunner0514 Posts: 42 Member
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    I have a very small frame and started out at 1200 calories for 2 months and lost 1 lb! So, I upped my calories to 1400-1500 a day and down to 1200 one day a week. It really helped me lose 5 lbs in the next 3 weeks. Also, look at WHAT you are eating. How;s your sugar intake? Whole foods are very important and also are lean meats. Good luck and congrats on your wedding
  • healthyschmealthy
    healthyschmealthy Posts: 9
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    At the bare minimum you need to be eating your BMR. Just Google "BMR calculator." Your BMR is the amount of calories you'd need if you were in a coma and were only performing daily bodily functions. Without this your body can definitely go into starvation mode.
  • Marge321
    Marge321 Posts: 131 Member
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    I've been in the "eat more weight less" group for almost a week. I'm eating 2200 calories a day and I've drop a pound already. I'm just waiting the end of the week to weigh-in.

    I've read all their posts and I do believe this is the way for me to lose. I could never live on 1200 calories a day, but I'm 5'10'' and 197 pounds. Everytime I tried to restrict my diet, I was angry, hungry and eventually binging in chips or chocolate.

    Try to read the posts in this group and see if it's fits your lifestyle !
  • samntha14
    samntha14 Posts: 2,084 Member
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    Yes and No hard to explain I HAVe to eat more to keep up my bodies demands from way more exercise. The more I exercise the more I have to eat. If your not exercising than go ahead and eat less, but otherwise, unless you are obese, you may need to eat more.
  • mumster63
    mumster63 Posts: 29 Member
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    It was a huge leap of faith for me but it actually worked
  • Micahroni84
    Micahroni84 Posts: 452 Member
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    It's true if you are eating your daily allowance plus eating the calories that you burned from your work out. I've been discussing this with several people over the last week because I was only recently convinced of this. I really hated the thought of eating all of those precious burned calories.
    I joined a Biggest Loser Contest and wasn't losing any weight really My metabolism was slow because after my workout and the calories I burned I was only really eating 700 calories a day and I was hungry and moody. This week I have put to practice eating my excercise calories and I've lost 4 pounds. In 4 days, 4 pounds has melted off of my body and I wouldn't be surprised if tomorrow I weighed a pound less than today.

    one of my teammate linked an article about eating your excercise calories and that the best time to do it was within 2 hours, (best within 45 minutes) of working out. I eat about 100 less than I burned because calorie counters on machine and MFP can be inacurate. I also noticed I feel better because my blood sugar stays level. Low blood sugar can make you grumpy and give you mood swings.
  • ErinI5787
    ErinI5787 Posts: 18
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    You want to lose 10 lbs a month? Very doable, at least for me. I've been doing that for 4 months and I'll hopefully hit a full forty lost by may 1st. I eat healthy, I don't starve myself and I exercise 6x a week. 50 lbs in 5 months is very realistic.
  • kyt1206
    kyt1206 Posts: 101
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    Just try it for 2 weeks. Since your previous attempts didn't work, why harm could it be? You won't gain weight if you don't over-eat calories (like 3000 per day). Try going around 1500-1600.
  • Micahroni84
    Micahroni84 Posts: 452 Member
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    You want to lose 10 lbs a month? Very doable, at least for me. I've been doing that for 4 months and I'll hopefully hit a full forty lost by may 1st. I eat healthy, I don't starve myself and I exercise 6x a week. 50 lbs in 5 months is very realistic.

    That's awesome! And what I'm going for, safely of course. I work out 1-2 hours a day, 6-7 days a week, eat healthy and I've lost 4 pounds this week. I'm hoping I will continue at this pace for the next 3 or four months at least. I am eating between 1400 and 1800 calories a day.

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