Why does a fatter/larger person need more calories?

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  • will010574
    will010574 Posts: 761 Member
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    Because bigger people burn more calories doing simple daily activities.

    Why do I burn more calories? Because I'm carrying around so much weight? If so, then why bother building up muscle?

    I know these are ridiculously stupid questions, but I'm sick wondering.

    You won't likely put on much muscle. Weight training in a calorie deficit is more about preservation of your muscle because it is metabolically active, so if you lose a pound of muscle instead of a pound of fat, you will lose less volume because a pound of fat takes up less space than a pound of muscle, and you will lose more metabolic activity.

    No a pound of muscle is roughly the size of a baseball a pound of fat is the size of a softball. Fat takes up more space than muscle.
  • peacefulsong
    peacefulsong Posts: 223 Member
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    I don't understand... And never will understand and may get banned but here I go.

    Why are we pushing food onto an already over fat body? Seriously do you think even at 300 pounds a person who lifts 2-3 times a week and does moderate cardio need all those extra calories that frankly their body can supply to fuel their exercise?

    People are fat for this reason! People will not change for the better when people are overfeeding others on here every day. Why do people go for gastric bypass surgery??? To make their stomachs smaller when their mouths and minds are the ones to blame. Go on people eat more... ;)

    If someone strapped 100 pounds of weights on your back, you'd need more energy to carry it around all day than you would if you were just walking around normally, right? Someone who weighs more needs more energy just to go through the day, not even taking into account exercise. As the weight drops those caloric requirements drop. It's not that hard to understand. It's not a matter of eating more, it's a matter of eating ENOUGH. It's a balance, finding the right level to give yourself the energy you need to get through the day while at the same time making sure it's low enough that the weight starts coming off.
  • lilojoke
    lilojoke Posts: 427 Member
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    Oh I understand completely... But exactly what is enough? 3000 calories is never enough for me! ;) if a 50 year old woman That weighs 300 pounds who is 5'4 and worksout three times a week needs 2700 to maintain and 2300 to lose I still think this is way too high for the average person who loves to workout and is serious about shedding body fat.
  • Jlwebb07
    Jlwebb07 Posts: 38 Member
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    Bump...interesting
  • tig_ol_bitties
    tig_ol_bitties Posts: 561 Member
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    This topic got me thinking:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/580240-not-hungry-listen-to-your-body-with-no-results

    In the OP, he says, "the minimum someone should eat is "bodyweight * 10" in calories. Multiply your weight by 10, if you're eating below that number, you're not eating enough."

    Ok, to me that would be 2670 cals a day to lose weight. The underlying question is why? Why does a fat/large person need to eat so many calories?

    First off, that bodyweight x10 is not accurate for everyone, so just erase that from your memory completely.

    When I have patients that are confused about why they need to eat more, I explain it this way:

    My smartcar gets 50 miles to the gallon. It's small, compact and light.
    My boyfriend's Police SUV gets about 19 miles to the gallon. It's larger, bigger and heavier.
    It takes more energy to move something larger than it does for something smaller. A calorie is a unit of energy, much like a gallon of gasoline. I can get a really high burn doing an exercise that someone else who is smaller than me burns less doing. This is why you need to eat more.
  • Jme2012
    Jme2012 Posts: 106 Member
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    bump
  • Tzippy7
    Tzippy7 Posts: 344 Member
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    imagine walking with a 50 lb backpack all day. you would burn more
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
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    the more you weigh, the more calories you burn. So you need to eat more.

    As you lose weight, the amount of calories you need will go down.
  • amy32lynn
    amy32lynn Posts: 157 Member
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    I read you should eat 10X of your goal wieght...so say my goal is 140 then i should eat 1400 to loose 2 pounds per week. Has Anyone ever tryed this?
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    The body weight x 10 calories is for MAINTAINING that weight. So if you want to weigh 200 lbs then you should be eating 2000 calories a day.

    This is not accurate. I read the original thread this was posted in and am familiar with the theory that is espoused by the original poster. 10X body weight is the MINIMUM one should safely consume. This does not nessesarily apply to those severely overweight with a lot to lose. These folks can handle a higher deficit as thier body has sufficient energy reserves. For the rest of us, approximately 15x body weight is maintenance. 12x is a jump off point for weight loss deficit. If losing after a couple of weeks, great. If not adjust downward by 10%. Nothing is set in stone. Whether at maintenance or deficit, if you are not getting the result you want, adjust in small incrments. Activity level is assumed. No need to add calories for exercise. It's just a simpler way to accomplish the same thing and a somewhat healthier one as it won't give you 1200 calories or less as MFP will. In this thread as well as in the original one, for some reason, the fixation goes to the 10x number as though that's a recomendation. It was not. Just like on MFP 1200 calories is a minimum not a recomedation but how many threads do you see where people just default to that number???

    To the OP, it's been explained, sometimes very well, why a heavier person needs more calories. At 267, you can also afford a higher deficit. That said, you should lose at 2670 to 3000 calories. You can possibly do alright at 2400 to 2500 for awhile yet. When you get closer to your goal weight the ratios will change. Right now, your body has enough stored energy to tolerate a larger deficit.
  • lilojoke
    lilojoke Posts: 427 Member
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    Carrying 50 lbs extra will help you burn more but it certainly does not make you magIcally need to eat more.
  • CaroSeraMince
    CaroSeraMince Posts: 51
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    Christ on toast...

    Thank you for my new favorite exclamation.
  • lilojoke
    lilojoke Posts: 427 Member
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    the more you weigh, the more calories you burn. So you need to eat more.

    As you lose weight, the amount of calories you need will go down.

    Not necessarily!!!
  • dlwyatt82
    dlwyatt82 Posts: 1,077 Member
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    I don't understand... And never will understand and may get banned but here I go.

    Why are we pushing food onto an already over fat body? Seriously do you think even at 300 pounds a person who lifts 2-3 times a week and does moderate cardio need all those extra calories that frankly their body can supply to fuel their exercise?

    People are fat for this reason! People will not change for the better when people are overfeeding others on here every day. Why do people go for gastric bypass surgery??? To make their stomachs smaller when their mouths and minds are the ones to blame. Go on people eat more... ;)

    There is practically no end to the amount of information available on this very forum on that topic, if you care to look. Eating at too high of a deficit for long periods of time screws with your metabolism, causing you to burn fewer calories than you otherwise would, impeding weight loss. As long as you are eating less than you burn (and not excessively so), the weight will come off gradually. There is no need to rush it.

    Taking an unhealthy low amount of calories and bringing it up to the proper level for an individual is not "overfeeding".
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    In the OP, he says, "the minimum someone should eat is "bodyweight * 10" in calories. Multiply your weight by 10, if you're eating below that number, you're not eating enough."

    ^ This is not accurate!
    I don't know if it is, or isn't, but interestingly, it ends up being almost exactly my BMR.
  • dlwyatt82
    dlwyatt82 Posts: 1,077 Member
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    In the OP, he says, "the minimum someone should eat is "bodyweight * 10" in calories. Multiply your weight by 10, if you're eating below that number, you're not eating enough."

    ^ This is not accurate!
    I don't know if it is, or isn't, but interestingly, it ends up being almost exactly my BMR.

    Just coincidence, I'm afraid. I weigh 318, but 3180 calories would put me slightly over TDEE on days where I don't work out (BMR is 2434, desk job).
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    In the OP, he says, "the minimum someone should eat is "bodyweight * 10" in calories. Multiply your weight by 10, if you're eating below that number, you're not eating enough."

    ^ This is not accurate!
    I don't know if it is, or isn't, but interestingly, it ends up being almost exactly my BMR.

    Just coincidence, I'm afraid. I weigh 318, but 3180 calories would put me slightly over TDEE on days where I don't work out (BMR is 2434, desk job).
    Makes sense! (Being math and all lol). Thanks
  • keiraev
    keiraev Posts: 695 Member
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    How on earth did this simple question turn into 4 pages of waffle?? :noway:
  • fionarama
    fionarama Posts: 788 Member
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    i have always been a bit surprised at just how much larger people are supposed to eat and still lose weight. Part of the reason people get big is because they don't have a good understanding of portion size etc. So I do think although they do need more, they should eat nearer to "normal" size people just to get their appetite used to eating a normal diet. If that makes sense!
  • jsapninz
    jsapninz Posts: 909 Member
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    In the OP, he says, "the minimum someone should eat is "bodyweight * 10" in calories. Multiply your weight by 10, if you're eating below that number, you're not eating enough."

    ^ This is not accurate!

    Agree. VERY much off. Use your BMR and TDEE as a guideline, not some ridiculously blunt formula. I get SO FRUSTRATED about people posting crap on MFP that is contrary to the whole MFP system.

    A large person needs more calories because there is MORE of them for the body to keep alive. It is really quite simple.

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