Is it true...

etavi

That eating too few calories will make you gain weight?
It seemed like the only time I ever lost weight was when I was anorexic (<300 cals a day)
Granted, I gained it all back fairly quickly.
But, I still lost weight. I'm not saying I want to go back down that path, but I don't get how eating less will make you gain. Wouldn't you body dip into the fat reserves (then muscle) before it crashes your metabolism?

dg09

I doubt you will gain. But you will probably lose muscle mass, run the risk of health complications from so few calories, and be more likely to plateau.

You can eat to lose, it's just not worth it doing anything else.

sleepytexan

It is true. It's a roundabout way, but this is how:


From one of my old posts from a similar topic:

OK. I'm gonna give this a shot. I am an avid lifelong athlete. I have never been overweight, however, I used to eat too few calories (without knowing it), and a couple years ago, I actually GAINED weight bc of having slowed my metabolism to the point that every little extra treat I ate caused a weight gain, even though overall my calories were too low. THIS DOES HAPPEN.

It is also the reason so many fat people stay fat. They restrict their calories so low, slow their metabolisms, binge (even a little), gain weight, restrict more . . . . and so on and so on. But they are still fat.

It is also the reason most people can't lose that last 10-20 lbs. For real.

1. MFP has a deficit built in. Let's say you're trying to lose 1 lb/ week. That is a 500/day deficit from your BMR (the amount of calories your body needs to complete basic functions.

2. You exercise and burn 500 calories. Now you are at a 1000 deficit. If you eat back those 500 exercise calories, you refuel your body and you still have a 500 deficit for that 1 lb loss. If you DON'T eat back those calories, you have too little fuel. This is bad. This is too much of a deficit for basic functions. If you do this for a long time, you will STOP LOSING WEIGHT. Why? bc your metabolism will slow down -- it's like a brownout--not quite enough electricity to make the whole city (your body) run, so it has to slow down some things. You will probably start being tired a lot, your skin and hair might start to look worse, and you might even gain weight. But you might NOT be hungry -- your body is getting used to fewer calories. That's bad.


That's when you start to gain weight. Let's say you're running along, eating 1200 calories a day, and exercising 400 calories a day, so net is 800. You're losing, you think this is great. You keep doing it, but after a while you stop losing. hmmmmm. One weekend you go out to a special event and have a slice of pizza and a beer. 1 slice of pizza and 1 beer. So you ate maybe 2000 calories that day and exercised off 400, so net 1600. BOOM! You gain 3 lbs! What?!

Next, you freak out and restrict yourself down to 1000 calories a day and work out extra hard, burning 500 calories. Great, netting 500 now. You don't lose any weight, but you sure feel tired. Better get some red bull.

Are you getting the picture?

EDIT: When you work out, you need fuel. Food is fuel. If you don't eat back those exercise calories, you will not only have a big calorie deficit, you will have an ENERGY deficit. Remember, the calorie deficit for weight loss is built in when you use MFP. Exercising basically earns you more calories because you must refuel.
--

There are many people who will tell you not to eat exercise calories. Before you take their advice, you might want to see whether they are at goal, have EVER been at goal, or have ever been able to maintain at goal. If anyone says to you 'THE LAST TIME I LOST WEIGHT", just stop listening right there.

Ask some athletes whether or not they replenish their bodies with food equal to the calories they burn. Ask people who are fit and have achieved and maintained a healthy weight for some years. Don't ask people who count walking across a parking lot as exercise.

Here's an interesting case study about how to stay fat while consuming only 700 calories a day. Take a moment, you'll be glad you did:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

blessings.

NewMoi1

So true !

kikokateyy

It is true. I gained weight eating too little. And I have fat reserves. Lol.

HMVOL7409

It is true. It's a roundabout way, but this is how:


From one of my old posts from a similar topic:

OK. I'm gonna give this a shot. I am an avid lifelong athlete. I have never been overweight, however, I used to eat too few calories (without knowing it), and a couple years ago, I actually GAINED weight bc of having slowed my metabolism to the point that every little extra treat I ate caused a weight gain, even though overall my calories were too low. THIS DOES HAPPEN.

It is also the reason so many fat people stay fat. They restrict their calories so low, slow their metabolisms, binge (even a little), gain weight, restrict more . . . . and so on and so on. But they are still fat.

It is also the reason most people can't lose that last 10-20 lbs. For real.

1. MFP has a deficit built in. Let's say you're trying to lose 1 lb/ week. That is a 500/day deficit from your BMR (the amount of calories your body needs to complete basic functions.

2. You exercise and burn 500 calories. Now you are at a 1000 deficit. If you eat back those 500 exercise calories, you refuel your body and you still have a 500 deficit for that 1 lb loss. If you DON'T eat back those calories, you have too little fuel. This is bad. This is too much of a deficit for basic functions. If you do this for a long time, you will STOP LOSING WEIGHT. Why? bc your metabolism will slow down -- it's like a brownout--not quite enough electricity to make the whole city (your body) run, so it has to slow down some things. You will probably start being tired a lot, your skin and hair might start to look worse, and you might even gain weight. But you might NOT be hungry -- your body is getting used to fewer calories. That's bad.


That's when you start to gain weight. Let's say you're running along, eating 1200 calories a day, and exercising 400 calories a day, so net is 800. You're losing, you think this is great. You keep doing it, but after a while you stop losing. hmmmmm. One weekend you go out to a special event and have a slice of pizza and a beer. 1 slice of pizza and 1 beer. So you ate maybe 2000 calories that day and exercised off 400, so net 1600. BOOM! You gain 3 lbs! What?!

Next, you freak out and restrict yourself down to 1000 calories a day and work out extra hard, burning 500 calories. Great, netting 500 now. You don't lose any weight, but you sure feel tired. Better get some red bull.

Are you getting the picture?

EDIT: When you work out, you need fuel. Food is fuel. If you don't eat back those exercise calories, you will not only have a big calorie deficit, you will have an ENERGY deficit. Remember, the calorie deficit for weight loss is built in when you use MFP. Exercising basically earns you more calories because you must refuel.
--

There are many people who will tell you not to eat exercise calories. Before you take their advice, you might want to see whether they are at goal, have EVER been at goal, or have ever been able to maintain at goal. If anyone says to you 'THE LAST TIME I LOST WEIGHT", just stop listening right there.

Ask some athletes whether or not they replenish their bodies with food equal to the calories they burn. Ask people who are fit and have achieved and maintained a healthy weight for some years. Don't ask people who count walking across a parking lot as exercise.

Here's an interesting case study about how to stay fat while consuming only 700 calories a day. Take a moment, you'll be glad you did:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

blessings.

I think, IMO, this is the best explanation I've read on here. Very informative.

Glucocorticoid

You won't gain weight in a true caloric deficit. But that doesn't automatically mean a larger deficit = better. Read this for the pros and cons between various sized deficits. http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/setting-the-deficit-small-moderate-or-large.html

LorinaLynn

Eating too little just makes it all HARDER.

Last time I tried to lose weight, I ate under 1000 calories a day. I thought that's how it had to happen... that you had to seriously eat a LOT less than you were before. And I did lose the weight, but it was slow and frustrating.

This time, I ate almost twice as much, and felt great while losing. The weight came off as it was supposed to. I wish it didn't take me until I was 38 to figure it out.

kdiamond

You have some great explanations on here.

I unknowingly fell into this trap years ago, when due to stress at my job, pretty much stopped eating. I did lose weight initially, down to a sickly 100 pounds, but then I smartened up and starting exercising and eating more. It took a good year to undo the damage I did to my metabolism. It sucked. Now I do work out 5 times a week, but I eat to compensate, and I've been the same (healthy) weight of 110 pound for 2 years. Trust me, you don't want to go there, again, especially since you have already been down that road.

happinessforevercm

When I was in High School I ate endless amounts of food, granted I was extremely athletic and younger but when I graduated and moved out I stopped exercising... I thought since I was not exercising I could eat less and not gain the weight and still be ok but unfortunately that was not the case. I wasn't really hungry, but I didn't eat very much and when I did it was not healthy food. So, long story short... after a couple years I gained 30 lbs! Just by not exercising and eating too little! Huh? How does that work. So when I started on MFP I ate at my 1200 calorie goal and tried to stay just a little under because I thought it would help me and be extra. Well, when I started Insanity I ate the same and was STARVING all day long! Now I have upped my calories to about 1600 and I feel much better Plus I have lost some weight! Best of Luck!

wftiger

No it is not true. If it was someone please explain anorexia to me.

You cannot gain on a deficit. It is not possible. For the love of sanity go look on reputable websites or seek medical advice.

mes1119

You'll lose weight when you're anorexic but it messes up your metabolism and health. Personally, I don't believe the starvation mode myth. It might SLOW down weight loss, but you're still eating less than you're burning, by far. If you don't put anything into the body it will be forced to burn muscle and fat as fuel. You can't "gain" weight if you're eating less than you are burning. If anything, you might increase fat percentage and lower lean muscle mass.

soontobesam

bump

Willbenchforcupcakes

Just my personal experience, but between early nov and early feb, I was eating between 1500-1800 calories a day. In that time frame I only lost 2 pounds. Since finding mfp in early feb, and eating a minimum of 2100 calories a day, I have been losing weight at an average pace of a pound every 4 days.

merinefer1972

dg09... 153lbs! wow, what is your secret? That is awesome! You look great!