Does eating more to weight less work for everyone?

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Replies

  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    Some maths is wrong there Dan -

    LBM is about 114lbs
    And fat mass at 133lbs
    total - 247

    but she is only 162!

    Sorry ive got 2pints of guinness running through me at the moment so edited for content!
    =D
    IIFYM right?!
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    LOL, Dan. I just told you I did 1800-some calories for 8 weeks. What more do you want? My stats? Here you go, buddy.

    Age 47
    Height 5'4"
    Weight 162
    Body fat% over 30%
    How often you work out: I don't 'work out' so much as focus on NEAT. I do three 45-minute-ish kettlebell workouts a week, currently, and walk about 4 miles a day above my sedentary levels of activity.

    Because I know I lose at the rate science predicts (3500 calories = 1 lb.) I don't foresee trying any higher deficit levels, especially since I have in the past. But I will let you have my stats so you can do your math magic and I can tell you how much less I lose at the level you suggest. Again. : )


    So you have a BMR of appx 1359
    A TDEE of appx 2107

    Cardio has nothing to do with weight loss but can help with fat mobilization.

    Perfect weight 128lbs.

    Youll drop fat at 1800 cals a day!
    Screenshot2012-07-12at62444PM.png
    You are losing 1lb a week!!!!!

    I'm telling you this **** works!
    It doesnt matter how old you are or what you do!
    I've proiven it!
    This **** works!


    Screenshot2012-07-12at62553PM.png


    You can completely drop cardio and just lift 3x a week for a 200kcal burn and lose weight faster than how you are doing it!
    Period!

    Kettlebells and all...btw.

    So why waste 500 extra cals a day when you can be feeding possible muscle retention and maybe even indulging a little?
    I dont get it!
  • Yes, Skipping Queen. I am really nervous but I started it today. I have been eating 1200 calories and only had an initial loss of 5 lbs. So today I upped my calories today to 1680. Plus I earned 196 calories from exercise. This just seems like a lot of food. But since so many people swear by it, I am going to give it a try.
  • Screenshot2012-07-12at62444PM.png

    Screenshot2012-07-12at62553PM.png

    Where are you getting these sexy graphs? Can I use this tool too? Sorry if I missed where I can find it. ;~; Ty~ <3
  • sarahrobin
    sarahrobin Posts: 138 Member
    Yes, Skipping Queen. I am really nervous but I started it today. I have been eating 1200 calories and only had an initial loss of 5 lbs. So today I upped my calories today to 1680. Plus I earned 196 calories from exercise. This just seems like a lot of food. But since so many people swear by it, I am going to give it a try.

    If you are upping to be 15-20% below TDEE then do not eat your exercise calories back. They are already figured into the equation. Go to this thread to get all the facts. Dan lays it out really nicely. I've been following it for a couple of weeks and have seen some nice progress! Plus, I'm not hungry at all!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12?hl=road+map
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    Sorry but I didnt set your macros correctly!
    Appx 1g per pound LBM.

    Screenshot2012-07-12at64238PM.png
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Yes, Skipping Queen. I am really nervous but I started it today. I have been eating 1200 calories and only had an initial loss of 5 lbs. So today I upped my calories today to 1680. Plus I earned 196 calories from exercise. This just seems like a lot of food. But since so many people swear by it, I am going to give it a try.

    Don't you dare eat that exercise!

    if you followed this method and came up with a TDEE that includes exercise - you don't eat it back because it's already in your total figure prior to the deficit.
  • These whole calculations are confusing as hell for me. I've wasted so much time on this. I tried running his numbers running a tool and I got totally different numbers than you did Helloit. So I pretty much won't bother with mine if I'm obviously doing something horrendously wrong.

    If there is a tool I can use to make this easier, or if I can PM someone for help, I'd like love it. In return once I understand, I'll make sure to help people who come into the thread as well, and return the favor~ but as of now this is extremely frustrating to get.

    Sorry for being stupid. -.-
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    These whole calculations are confusing as hell for me. I've wasted so much time on this. I tried running his numbers running a tool and I got totally different numbers than you did Helloit. So I pretty much won't bother with mine if I'm obviously doing something horrendously wrong.

    If there is a tool I can use to make this easier, or if I can PM someone for help, I'd like love it. In return once I understand, I'll make sure to help people who come into the thread as well, and return the favor~ but as of now this is extremely frustrating to get.

    Sorry for being stupid. -.-

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/620206-spreadsheet-for-bmr-tdee-deficit-calcs-mfp-tweaks-hrm
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    These whole calculations are confusing as hell for me. I've wasted so much time on this. I tried running his numbers running a tool and I got totally different numbers than you did Helloit. So I pretty much won't bother with mine if I'm obviously doing something horrendously wrong.

    If there is a tool I can use to make this easier, or if I can PM someone for help, I'd like love it. In return once I understand, I'll make sure to help people who come into the thread as well, and return the favor~ but as of now this is extremely frustrating to get.

    Sorry for being stupid. -.-

    You arent stupid!
    lol
    Just figuring out your TDEE takes time.
    Even for me!
  • learntolive
    learntolive Posts: 168 Member
    Doesn't work for me. I have to count calories ( I'm @ 1,200) and exercise. Joni:flowerforyou:
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
    Doesn't work for me. I have to count calories ( I'm @ 1,200) and exercise. Joni:flowerforyou:
    The point is here.



    Your head is down here.
  • DarthH8
    DarthH8 Posts: 298 Member
    Doesn't work for me. I have to count calories ( I'm @ 1,200) and exercise. Joni:flowerforyou:
    The point is here.



    Your head is down here.

    hahahhaha nice...
  • Sigh~ alright, I still don't quite get the TDEE thing but... I put in everything in yellow in the spreadsheet.

    Age: 29
    Sex: F (MTF, hormones have shifted~ so, calculating as F unless you know something I don't)
    Current Weight: 161lbs
    Goal Weight: 130 (We'll see~ ><)
    Height: 65" (5'5")
    Body Fat: 34.9% (Hush... :3)
    Blood Type: O+
    Sign: Pisces
    Favorite Dish: Sushi

    Kay so with all of that typed in, at Sedentary (which my buns are right now until I get myself moved in...)
    BMR: 1397
    TDEE: 1676

    So Sedentary, I can only eat 1425 Calories a day to lose weight... is this correct? Mind you I will be doing exercise soon. I will, and I'll recalculate, but right now I want a Sedentary baseline. Am I looking at my numbers correctly? Because this is kind of what MFP has for me already. :/

    Edit: Bah, I killed the thread.
  • nannabannana
    nannabannana Posts: 780
    bumpity bump....yes...tks for sharing this ....I will have to read later.
  • JessLLoser
    JessLLoser Posts: 235 Member
    Yes it does, it just doesn`t mean eat all you want. It means trust the on line calculators and fiddle around with your numbers till you find the right activity level. I`ve had a little trouble with that. Hence the 0.

    But once you do eating 1200 cal is a thing of the past. I thought I could eat more. Now I know for weight loss you have to suffer a little. But not a lot.

    I gained weight for a while trying to figure it out. But now it`s coming off and the same that is promised by MFP one to 2 lbs a week. At way more than 1200. Well 600 calories more anyway.

    It`s not a party, but it`s doable. You know what I mean?
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
    One reason that some people get frustrated is because *some* of the EM posts are pretty superior or moralizing to people who eat 1200 calories. However, using the fitness frog website, and the EM method, my calories on a day I don't exercise are ... 1220. On the days I do exercise, it only goes up to 1400. That's not laughable to me. That just stinks! But it is reality for me.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    Sigh~ alright, I still don't quite get the TDEE thing but... I put in everything in yellow in the spreadsheet.

    Age: 29
    Sex: F (MTF, hormones have shifted~ so, calculating as F unless you know something I don't)
    Current Weight: 161lbs
    Goal Weight: 130 (We'll see~ ><)
    Height: 65" (5'5")
    Body Fat: 34.9% (Hush... :3)
    Blood Type: O+
    Sign: Pisces
    Favorite Dish: Sushi

    Kay so with all of that typed in, at Sedentary (which my buns are right now until I get myself moved in...)
    BMR: 1397
    TDEE: 1676

    So Sedentary, I can only eat 1425 Calories a day to lose weight... is this correct? Mind you I will be doing exercise soon. I will, and I'll recalculate, but right now I want a Sedentary baseline. Am I looking at my numbers correctly? Because this is kind of what MFP has for me already. :/

    Edit: Bah, I killed the thread.

    Heres the problem.
    TDEE of 1600 is if you are sedentary.
    I highly doubt you sit around all day long and barely walk.

    How often do you work out?
    What kind of job do you have?
    Do you commute?
    Do you go out on the weekends?
    Do you do chin ups every time you go into the basement?
  • Ladywindchaser
    Ladywindchaser Posts: 44 Member
    Please do yourself a favor and ask your Doctor!!!! When I asked mine, all (3) of them the answer was "NO!" They had reasons like I am a diabetic. Other type of diseases, age, weight, height, etc. Therefore I eat what my Int. Med. Dr. told me to eat. Which is the opposite of what MFP and others on here tell people to do.

    People are giving you answers based on their own physical self. YOU R NOT THEM!!! Do what is right for you.
  • reneecgc
    reneecgc Posts: 179 Member
    I have upped my calories and have lost weight. I was at 1200 and my trainer told me it was too low
    so on my rest days I ate 1400 calories and I stayed around 1500 on days I worked out. My
    friend tried upping her calories and it didn't work for her. I upped my calories for maintenance with
    losing 5-10lbs more slowly in mind. My calories are at 1600-1700 and I have lost another 5lbs, I am 45 years
    old, so I am no spring chicken. What I think made the biggest difference for me was weight training.
    The more muscle you have the more your body burns calories. I take a body pump class at my
    local YMCA that has you work with weights.
  • lpullum1
    lpullum1 Posts: 5
    Yes, it worked for me. Two months before I started using MyFitnessPal I started doing HIIT and eating clean, about 5 small meals a day. It was surprising how much more I was eating but the weight was coming off. I don't eat at certain times. Just when I feel that I am truly hungry. I don't like to go more than 4 hours without eating, though. MyFitnessPal is now helping to guide me to lose the last few pounds. I think now I'm building muscle faster than losing the last few but I'm ok with that.
  • How often do you work out?
    What kind of job do you have?
    Do you commute?
    Do you go out on the weekends?
    Do you do chin ups every time you go into the basement?

    How often do you work out?
    ~Atm, not much. I've had the flu and just moved into a new apt last week so it's been awhile. So pretty much scratched that from my result. I'm going to work my way up and start taking walks 3-5 times a week and doing some pushups, squats and other body-weight exercises. Considering HIIT training.

    What kind of job do you have?
    ~IT professional for a large contractor. I literally sit for 8 hours every day. I'll get up for water and the like, but it's mostly all at the terminal. I get an hour lunch, and there is a gym here but I need membership.

    Do you commute?
    ~I drive 20-25m to and from work every day.

    Do you go out on the weekends?
    ~Yes, typically. Normally at night, or I visit friends. Every so often I'll go camping, or hitting a weekend long party but that's like once every two months or so. Most of the time it's a lot of hanging out or shopping.

    Do you do chin ups every time you go into the basement?
    ~Basement? Where do you think I live, the hills? I got an apt downtown, I got no basement. xD But physical activity is limited, but I do the occasional set of pushups and will be doing more.

    Either way, I just wanted to see if I was doing this properly set to sedentary. If my numbers are correct, and I did that right~ that's great. It means I can modify it from there as I tally how much I actually burn yes? Should I consider a Fitbit?

    I've been losing weight without doing much exercise when I had my cals down to 1530 every day. I ate five times a day and hit 1530 and lost a pound a week without much exercise. This was before hormones, and other gender shifts. With testosterone down~ weight loss at this number just hasn't been cutting it. There's not much info for girls with my body type out there (nobody cares lol), so a lot of this is experimental.
  • nickyfm
    nickyfm Posts: 1,214 Member
    Not for me. If I eat above 1350 cals when trying to lose weight, It will either be a negligible amount, or none at all.

    However in saying that, if I burn like 700 cals through exercise on a particular day, if I don't raise my caloric consumption by around 200 cals, then my cravings get too strong, and I end up bingeing. So it works for me once a week, but I suppose in more of a psychological way.

    Also my maintenance at my goal weight is between 1500-1600 cals, and I gain if I eat any more, even with exercise. So it really depends on a lot of variables.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    How often do you work out?
    What kind of job do you have?
    Do you commute?
    Do you go out on the weekends?
    Do you do chin ups every time you go into the basement?

    How often do you work out?
    ~Atm, not much. I've had the flu and just moved into a new apt last week so it's been awhile. So pretty much scratched that from my result. I'm going to work my way up and start taking walks 3-5 times a week and doing some pushups, squats and other body-weight exercises. Considering HIIT training.

    What kind of job do you have?
    ~IT professional for a large contractor. I literally sit for 8 hours every day. I'll get up for water and the like, but it's mostly all at the terminal. I get an hour lunch, and there is a gym here but I need membership.

    Do you commute?
    ~I drive 20-25m to and from work every day.

    Do you go out on the weekends?
    ~Yes, typically. Normally at night, or I visit friends. Every so often I'll go camping, or hitting a weekend long party but that's like once every two months or so. Most of the time it's a lot of hanging out or shopping.

    Do you do chin ups every time you go into the basement?
    ~Basement? Where do you think I live, the hills? I got an apt downtown, I got no basement. xD But physical activity is limited, but I do the occasional set of pushups and will be doing more.

    Either way, I just wanted to see if I was doing this properly set to sedentary. If my numbers are correct, and I did that right~ that's great. It means I can modify it from there as I tally how much I actually burn yes? Should I consider a Fitbit?

    I've been losing weight without doing much exercise when I had my cals down to 1530 every day. I ate five times a day and hit 1530 and lost a pound a week without much exercise. This was before hormones, and other gender shifts. With testosterone down~ weight loss at this number just hasn't been cutting it. There's not much info for girls with my body type out there (nobody cares lol), so a lot of this is experimental.

    Use a light activity modifier then move it up to moderate once you get over the flu.

    The hills?
    Really?!
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    Please do yourself a favor and ask your Doctor!!!! When I asked mine, all (3) of them the answer was "NO!" They had reasons like I am a diabetic. Other type of diseases, age, weight, height, etc. Therefore I eat what my Int. Med. Dr. told me to eat. Which is the opposite of what MFP and others on here tell people to do.

    People are giving you answers based on their own physical self. YOU R NOT THEM!!! Do what is right for you.


    So what you are saying for all intents and purpose as long as you dont have a disease or some type of allergy to food its okay to eat more to lose weight?
    Right?
    Diabetes is keeping you from eating more to lose weight.
    Is this because you are obese or was it hereditary?

    Because I can use age, weight, height etc and tell you pretty much what you need to eat to lose weight.
    Disease aside....
  • Yes, Skipping Queen. I am really nervous but I started it today. I have been eating 1200 calories and only had an initial loss of 5 lbs. So today I upped my calories today to 1680. Plus I earned 196 calories from exercise. This just seems like a lot of food. But since so many people swear by it, I am going to give it a try.

    If you are upping to be 15-20% below TDEE then do not eat your exercise calories back. They are already figured into the equation. Go to this thread to get all the facts. Dan lays it out really nicely. I've been following it for a couple of weeks and have seen some nice progress! Plus, I'm not hungry at all!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12?hl=road+map
  • Thanks to SarahRobin and HeyBales for catching my error. I would have been eating those exercise points and then complaining that it wasn't working, so thanks alot!!
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    Dan, how could I possibly lose a lb. a week eating 1800/day when I did that for 8 weeks and lost a pound a month? (That pound a month is about what the math suggests, too, given my Fitbit avg. TDEE of 1950ish.)

    I mean no offense, you're obviously very passionate about this, but until I have authoritative evidence (or even my own anecdotal evidence!) that a pound isn't 3500 calories, I have to believe it is.
  • pinkita
    pinkita Posts: 779 Member
    Did NOT work for me.. I'm now trying to lose the ~20# I gained doing it.

    I'm happy (and jealous!) for those for whom this has worked, but one size does not fit all.

    20 lbs over what period of time?

    Because that would mean 70,000 extra calories if it is thought that was fat lbs.

    That would mean 10,000 extra calories if it was glucose stores (not actually possible).

    That would mean 20,000 extra calories if it was new muscle (which would then hold more glucose).

    So whichever thing you think it was, divide the above by number of days to gain it, there's your surplus each day.

    Now take whatever you were eating at each day minus that surplus, there's your TDEE for whatever your routine was during that weight gain time.

    It was about 8 weeks. I was also doing the Stronglifts 5x5 program during that time but stopped after 6 weeks because of the weight gain, plus I just wasn't seeing any positive changes in my body or losing inches. I was eating at maintenance based (I bought into the "reset your metabolism" idea), and got my TDEE info from my BodyMedia Fit.

    I'm just going back to eating slightly above BMR and cardio right now. Will add my kettlebell workout (which I was doing before Stronglifts) 3x a week starting next week. There are so many people for whom eating at TDEE worked/is working. I wish I could have been among them.

    Not planning to check this thread again as I don't think I can't talk about my negative experience anymore. The weight gain has really messed with my head, I'm feeling down a lot and I have to find a way to refocus and believe that I can lose weight again.
  • The hills?
    Really?!

    Was teasing~ @w@ lol. :D Sheesh.