Does eating more to weight less work for everyone?
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It worked for me.
For two years, I tried losing weight by eating 1200 a day and not eating back my exercise calories. I went from 175-ish to 146 over the course of around 8 months because it was very difficult for me to stick to my diet and I was getting frustrated because I wasn't seeing results. Eventually, last Christmas, I gave up and tried eating intuitively. Because I had been eating at such a low caloric level and couldn't actually teach myself what a healthy caloric level to maintain was or what to eat/how much to eat to keep myself satiated, I ended up gaining everything back and was at 180 at a doctor's appointment in the end of December.
Starting January 8 at 174, I set a goal of netting 1300 per day and eating back my exercise calories. After a month or two, I upped to 1350 net, then 1400 net. I recently ran a half marathon and because of the stress and amount of food I was consuming to keep myself energized through the long runs (for a lot of this time, I didn't even track my food accurately, so I'm not sure how much I was eating), I plateaued for 3 weigh ins. 3 weeks where the scale read the exact same weight (which bummed me out, but I was simultaneously proud of myself for having enough knowledge in listening to my body to maintain. Last week, I posted a 1 pound loss and this morning, I'd lost another pound and a half since last week. I weighed in at 146.5 today. It took me 3 less months to lose approximately the same amount of weight by eating more, eating back my calories, lifting 3-5 days a week, and training for the half marathon.0 -
wow
That is the cutest baby on your marker!
Yes, that baby is precious!!0 -
Omg lol, im losing weight just fine thank you, don't need to eat more.
Wait until you are approaching a normal to low body fat percentage, then tell me, you don't need to lower calories in order to keep losing!People drop calories too fast at the start when there is no need, that's the problem!
Eventually it is Inevitable you "will" have to lower calories at some point as you get closer to your goal, especially if your aiming for a low body fat percentage. The key is to lower calories slowly, to give your body a chance to adjust, if you shock it its just going fight you.
Not entirely true, especially if you are in the eating back your exercise calories camp... Which I am a firm believer in......When I started out at 560 lbs. I worked with a nutritionist as we established me on a 2400 calories a day meal plan and I sustained a avg weightloss of 1 to 2 lbs. a week. Back then I could barely walk from room to room so exercise was next to impossible. I ended up in the pool at the wellness center doing weight displacement walking until I had lost enough weight to get fitted with braces and was able start exercising on dry land... Fast forward 3 years now and down 306 lbs. and my 2nd set of braces per knee... I am now at 254 lbs. and workout 6 days a week doing everything from Pool therapy , weight training, cardio equipment. And I am currently still eating in a deficit to lose 1/2 lb. a week but my total daily caloric intake is now 3200 calories a day. My carbs have increased from 240 grams 3 years ago to 320 grams a day now... So in my case as I am getting closer to my goal weight and my bodyfat continues to go down I am eating more and more and still losing......
allow me to direct you to the group Eat More to Weigh Less.... that is filled with people that have realized you don't have to lower your intake to lose weight if your metabolism is working properly0 -
Good for you, nice job there.
Wait until you are approaching a normal to low body fat percentage, then tell me, you don't need to lower calories in order to keep losing!People drop calories too fast at the start when there is no need, that's the problem!
Eventually it is Inevitable you "will" have to lower calories at some point as you get closer to your goal, especially if your aiming for a low body fat percentage. The key is to lower calories slowly, to give your body a chance to adjust, if you shock it its just going fight you.
Not entirely true, especially if you are in the eating back your exercise calories camp... Which I am a firm believer in......When I started out at 560 lbs. I worked with a nutritionist as we established me on a 2400 calories a day meal plan and I sustained a avg weightloss of 1 to 2 lbs. a week. Back then I could barely walk from room to room so exercise was next to impossible. I ended up in the pool at the wellness center doing weight displacement walking until I had lost enough weight to get fitted with braces and was able start exercising on dry land... Fast forward 3 years now and down 306 lbs. and my 2nd set of braces per knee... I am now at 254 lbs. and workout 6 days a week doing everything from Pool therapy , weight training, cardio equipment. And I am currently still eating in a deficit to lose 1/2 lb. a week but my total daily caloric intake is now 3200 calories a day. My carbs have increased from 240 grams 3 years ago to 320 grams a day now... So in my case as I am getting closer to my goal weight and my bodyfat continues to go down I am eating more and more and still losing......
Well I am pretty sure I have approached that normal body fat percentage and it has not cause me to have to reduce my caloric intake at all as I am eating 800-1000 calories more now at 254 lbs. than I was eating at 560 lbs. and I am still in a deficit and losing weight and have been the last 35 months... I am waiting for the body pod at our local university to get fixed so I can go in for an accurate measurement but I am getting pretty close to my end game and maintenance mode...
Btw do you believe that you wont ever have to lower calories?
I mean that you can keep them static forever?
Because i can tell you for sure you cant!
Unless you are an exception to the law of thermo dynamics0 -
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Omg lol, im losing weight just fine thank you, don't need to eat more.
Wait until you are approaching a normal to low body fat percentage, then tell me, you don't need to lower calories in order to keep losing!People drop calories too fast at the start when there is no need, that's the problem!
Eventually it is Inevitable you "will" have to lower calories at some point as you get closer to your goal, especially if your aiming for a low body fat percentage. The key is to lower calories slowly, to give your body a chance to adjust, if you shock it its just going fight you.
Not entirely true, especially if you are in the eating back your exercise calories camp... Which I am a firm believer in......When I started out at 560 lbs. I worked with a nutritionist as we established me on a 2400 calories a day meal plan and I sustained a avg weightloss of 1 to 2 lbs. a week. Back then I could barely walk from room to room so exercise was next to impossible. I ended up in the pool at the wellness center doing weight displacement walking until I had lost enough weight to get fitted with braces and was able start exercising on dry land... Fast forward 3 years now and down 306 lbs. and my 2nd set of braces per knee... I am now at 254 lbs. and workout 6 days a week doing everything from Pool therapy , weight training, cardio equipment. And I am currently still eating in a deficit to lose 1/2 lb. a week but my total daily caloric intake is now 3200 calories a day. My carbs have increased from 240 grams 3 years ago to 320 grams a day now... So in my case as I am getting closer to my goal weight and my bodyfat continues to go down I am eating more and more and still losing......
allow me to direct you to the group Eat More to Weigh Less.... that is filled with people that have realized you don't have to lower your intake to lose weight if your metabolism is working properly
According to your profile, you are losing weight the way those in the Eat More to Lose Weight camp do it. 20% cut from TDEE.0 -
I do lean gains style diet, calorie macro cycle.
Omg lol, im losing weight just fine thank you, don't need to eat more.
Wait until you are approaching a normal to low body fat percentage, then tell me, you don't need to lower calories in order to keep losing!People drop calories too fast at the start when there is no need, that's the problem!
Eventually it is Inevitable you "will" have to lower calories at some point as you get closer to your goal, especially if your aiming for a low body fat percentage. The key is to lower calories slowly, to give your body a chance to adjust, if you shock it its just going fight you.
Not entirely true, especially if you are in the eating back your exercise calories camp... Which I am a firm believer in......When I started out at 560 lbs. I worked with a nutritionist as we established me on a 2400 calories a day meal plan and I sustained a avg weightloss of 1 to 2 lbs. a week. Back then I could barely walk from room to room so exercise was next to impossible. I ended up in the pool at the wellness center doing weight displacement walking until I had lost enough weight to get fitted with braces and was able start exercising on dry land... Fast forward 3 years now and down 306 lbs. and my 2nd set of braces per knee... I am now at 254 lbs. and workout 6 days a week doing everything from Pool therapy , weight training, cardio equipment. And I am currently still eating in a deficit to lose 1/2 lb. a week but my total daily caloric intake is now 3200 calories a day. My carbs have increased from 240 grams 3 years ago to 320 grams a day now... So in my case as I am getting closer to my goal weight and my bodyfat continues to go down I am eating more and more and still losing......
allow me to direct you to the group Eat More to Weigh Less.... that is filled with people that have realized you don't have to lower your intake to lose weight if your metabolism is working properly
According to your profile, you are losing weight the way those in the Eat More to Lose Weight camp do it. 20% cut from TDEE.
Some days my deficit is 30-35% below maintenance, notice i said some.
I wrote that to help beginners, Its a good way to start.
Lets get something strait here, im not trying to push low calories.
If you read my post, you would see i said, you will eventually have to lower calories at some point, depending on how lean you want to get. You cant keep them static forever.0 -
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/healthy_eating/energy_density.html
- this article is about eating more volume but reducing calories.
I found this article from a google of "eat more to weigh less"
I am not losing weight and am eating far less than what mfp set my calories at. I am starting to exercise, so I expect that will help my metabolism. Lots of people are messaging me that I am not eating enough - 1200-1500 cals at 440 lbs. I am constantly hungry and by the end of the day I am making horrible choices. So I am thinking I will try for June to eat the calories recommended.0 -
i think its different...i was eating my exercise calories for a while and didn't lose any so i went back to just eating my 1560 every day no matter what and i'm losing again. everyone is different its trying to find what works for you is the hard part.0
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I think that for a lot of us who were pretty big, when we get smaller our TDEE goes up, because we're more active than we were without even noticing it. Instead of lumbering slowly across the living room floor, there is more spring in your step and so on and that's not even taking into account our workouts at the gym. Yeah, when you're really heavy, it takes more energy to move around, but how often are you moving around when you're sedentary? If you're able to be more mobile, you probably will move around more just because you can and probably not even realize you're doing it. I'm pretty sure that plays a big part of it and I'm really talking about those of us that started off really big, not the ones who are just trying to lose that little bit of midsection fat that's been creeping up on them. I started out well over 3 bills, so this is from my own experience.0
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't leangains a way to lose fat and build muscle? And if your body fat is below some point, the only way you're going to build a significant amount of muscle is by having a caloric surplus. If you're eating at a caloric surplus in an attempt to build muscle, you are probably not a reliable source as to how many calories one should be eating to lose weight.I do lean gains style diet, calorie macro cycle.
Some days my deficit is 30-35% below maintenance, notice i said some.
I wrote that to help beginners, Its a good way to start.0 -
Ok tell me where i told anyone here in this thread to do a lean gains diet?
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't leangains a way to lose fat and build muscle? And if your body fat is below some point, the only way you're going to build a significant amount of muscle is by having a caloric surplus. If you're eating at a caloric surplus in an attempt to build muscle, you are probably not a reliable source as to how many calories one should be eating to lose weight.I do lean gains style diet, calorie macro cycle.
Some days my deficit is 30-35% below maintenance, notice i said some.
I wrote that to help beginners, Its a good way to start.
And yes you can do lean gains style for dieting.
Read intermittent fasting.
And i certainty know how to build muscle, have been doing it for over 13 years!
Have a good day ;-)
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No it does not work for everyone. I tried losing weight for about three years using the old eat more to lose more and I gained 20lbs. I tried everywhere from 1500-2100 cals a day and just kept gaining. I am now eating 1300-1400 cals a day and am now losing weight on a regular basis and I am not eating back my exercise cals. If I am hungry I will eat something, if I am not hungry then I dont eat anything. Eating while not hungry is what got me fat in the first place. I hope you find what works for you, I know how frustrating it is to find that 'sweet spot'.0
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Does eating more to weight less work for everyone? Obviously I know one has to fit in regular exercise and keep a balanced diet and not do the dog on it? .... Im just confused about the whole starving yourself makes your body go into starvation mode and can stop you from losing weight , and eating more can help you lose weight? Is anyone confused by this?? :huh:
*weight less ....in the subject box i mean...*facepalm*
This is such a hot topic here it seems. First, no - I wouldn't say without reservation that any one thing can work for everybody.
The second thing is that it is not about eating "more" so much as fueling your body properly. That encompasses finding the right foods for you and the right calorie burn for you - it's' like anything else, a balancing act.
I've learned of myself (thanks to MFP and my friends here) that I CAN have a few treats scattered through my week, but that my body reacts best when I keep my "metrics" (protein, fat, carbs) in a 40/20/40 balance. I'm still tweaking, and I'm no expert. But I am learning how to listen to and take care of my body.
Having said all that - yes, for the most part people who are trying to "lose weight" do not eat to fuel their bodies - they look for a magic number that will cause them to become thin FAST. They mistakenly believe if they burn 1200 calories a day in rigorous workouts and eat nothing but a cup of yogurt, a salad, and a few multi-vitamins, they'll get skinny fast.
The "starvation mode" is a misnomer that people here like to pick apart, too. Don't pay attention to terms - but to the idea of what you want to achieve. Do you want to lose more fat than muscle? Then fuel your burn.
Be a student of your own body - read the forums and apply the concepts to yourself, then measure and monitor ALL of your success metrics. Do not rely on the scale - it lies. It can swerve over 7 lbs in a single day. Measure yourself. Monitor how you feel in terms of your energy level, your ability to think clearly, your stress levels. How much you eat is secondary to what it is you are eating, and how your body assimilates that particular thing individually.
In short - read, but don't take anything personally. Learn for yourself. Give each concept at LEAST 3 months before you decide it simply doesn't work for you. You'll find the right combination for your physique and you'll get a tremendous sense of accomplishment from it.
:flowerforyou:0 -
http://www.everydayhealth.com/weight/fewer-calories-stalls-metabolism.aspx
First 2 paragraphs - If you're like most people who want to lose weight, you want to lose it fast. So you may be tempted to make drastic changes in your diet to dramatically reduce the number of calories you consume. But what you may not know is that eating too few calories can actually backfire and sabotage your weight-loss efforts.
"It would make sense to stop eating [when you are trying to lose weight], but it actually works in the opposite way," says Kimberly Lummus, MS, RD, Texas Dietetic Association media representative and public relations coordinator at the Austin Dietetic Association in Austin, Texas.0 -
Does eating more to weight less work for everyone? Obviously I know one has to fit in regular exercise and keep a balanced diet and not do the dog on it? .... Im just confused about the whole starving yourself makes your body go into starvation mode and can stop you from losing weight , and eating more can help you lose weight? Is anyone confused by this?? :huh:
*weight less ....in the subject box i mean...*facepalm*
This is such a hot topic here it seems. First, no - I wouldn't say without reservation that any one thing can work for everybody.
The second thing is that it is not about eating "more" so much as fueling your body properly. That encompasses finding the right foods for you and the right calorie burn for you - it's' like anything else, a balancing act.
I've learned of myself (thanks to MFP and my friends here) that I CAN have a few treats scattered through my week, but that my body reacts best when I keep my "metrics" (protein, fat, carbs) in a 40/20/40 balance. I'm still tweaking, and I'm no expert. But I am learning how to listen to and take care of my body.
Having said all that - yes, for the most part people who are trying to "lose weight" do not eat to fuel their bodies - they look for a magic number that will cause them to become thin FAST. They mistakenly believe if they burn 1200 calories a day in rigorous workouts and eat nothing but a cup of yogurt, a salad, and a few multi-vitamins, they'll get skinny fast.
The "starvation mode" is a misnomer that people here like to pick apart, too. Don't pay attention to terms - but to the idea of what you want to achieve. Do you want to lose more fat than muscle? Then fuel your burn.
Be a student of your own body - read the forums and apply the concepts to yourself, then measure and monitor ALL of your success metrics. Do not rely on the scale - it lies. It can swerve over 7 lbs in a single day. Measure yourself. Monitor how you feel in terms of your energy level, your ability to think clearly, your stress levels. How much you eat is secondary to what it is you are eating, and how your body assimilates that particular thing individually.
In short - read, but don't take anything personally. Learn for yourself. Give each concept at LEAST 3 months before you decide it simply doesn't work for you. You'll find the right combination for your physique and you'll get a tremendous sense of accomplishment from it.
:flowerforyou:
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Me too. So far, it's my ONLY motivation to work out.0
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This is so simple, but everyone over complicates it. If you simply take a scientific approach to t, you'll find out what works and what doesn't.
My suggestion, is go to fitnessfrog.com or fat2fitradio.com and calculate your TDEE. then cut 15% from that number. Eat that amount of calories for 6 weeks. If you do not lose AFTER 6 WEEKS (I say that because you might temporarily gain), then drop 100 calories for 1 week. Continue to drop 100 cals per week until you start seeing results. At some point, you'll find that place where you lose weight and are eating right. That's the point where you'll know where to be. When you plateau again, and you will, recalc and do it all over again, and find your new point. It's not hard. It's very scientific and easy, it's just a very slow process. Eventually, you get to know your body really well and you'll get to understand what it needs.0 -
This is so simple, but everyone over complicates it. If you simply take a scientific approach to t, you'll find out what works and what doesn't.
My suggestion, is go to fitnessfrog.com or fat2fitradio.com and calculate your TDEE. then cut 15% from that number. Eat that amount of calories for 6 weeks. If you do not lose AFTER 6 WEEKS (I say that because you might temporarily gain), then drop 100 calories for 1 week. Continue to drop 100 cals per week until you start seeing results. At some point, you'll find that place where you lose weight and are eating right. That's the point where you'll know where to be. When you plateau again, and you will, recalc and do it all over again, and find your new point. It's not hard. It's very scientific and easy, it's just a very slow process. Eventually, you get to know your body really well and you'll get to understand what it needs.
This!0 -
I dont think anything is gonna work for "everyone" but it works for me. I eat back most if not all my exercise calories and so with working out 6 days a week.. my goal is 1700 but I eat 2200-2300 depending on the day.0
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