someone, explain how eating more = weightloss? please
Replies
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This concept is lost on me, if eating more causes weight loss then shouldn't we all weight 2 pounds and be sticks? Instead it is those that don't eat, that are sticks (no offense, just lack of a better word)... Highly confused...
My father always fights with me on this exact topic, he thinks if he starves himself he'll lose weight faster when in all reality its the other way around. Hard to convince really big people of this simple concept, subconsciously they think they'll get fat if they eat constantly.0 -
I was just reading about this concept in my Turbofire - Power through a plateau. As your body gets into better shape, it will begin to burn more calories. In turn, you may need to increase the calories you eat to maintain your fitness goals and avoid seeing a plateau in your results. In the simplest sense, when your body's out of shape and has more fat and less muscle, your metabolism is slow. As you begin to eat less, you lose fat, since your body converts it into fuel. Add exercise to this equation and now you start building muscle, which also speeds up your fat loss. More muscle requires more calories to maintain. If you don't eat more, your workouts will suffer and so will your results.
As you get more fit and lose weight - your body is going through a plateau and needs more fuel to increase the intensity of your workouts.
Hope this helps - very interesting concept0 -
The minimum amount you'll burn in a day is BMR. The actual amount you burn in a day is called TDEE around here (Total Daily Energy Expenditure), which includes exercise AND a whole bunch of other activities like showering, eating, driving, moving around an office, changing diapers, sex, and whatever else you do in a day.
If you eat more than BMR but less than TDEE you will lose weight.
So some of us want to eat closer to our actual TDEE to lose weight (I like a ~400 cal/day deficit, personally) to lose weight slowly and without much effort while preserving lean muscle mass. Others choose to eat closer to BMR... or less.
How do you figure out your TDEE?0 -
The minimum amount you'll burn in a day is BMR. The actual amount you burn in a day is called TDEE around here (Total Daily Energy Expenditure), which includes exercise AND a whole bunch of other activities like showering, eating, driving, moving around an office, changing diapers, sex, and whatever else you do in a day.
If you eat more than BMR but less than TDEE you will lose weight.
So some of us want to eat closer to our actual TDEE to lose weight (I like a ~400 cal/day deficit, personally) to lose weight slowly and without much effort while preserving lean muscle mass. Others choose to eat closer to BMR... or less.
Many people decide they want to lose weight and are bombarded with messages about eating 1200 calories/day, eating 500 calories plus HCG injections, eating 300 calories plus B vitamin injections or whatever... the truth is, as long as what you eat is somewhat less than what you burn, you'll lose weight.
It doesn't have to be super restrictive. Just tracked accurately.
Could you help me figure mine? I'm female, age 38, 5'9 and I weigh 250. I want to weigh 170, after an 80 lb loss. Thanks!
WHat is your weekly exercise like?
I am pretty active. I clean houses 5 days a week for 4-5 hours each day for work, and I have been taking moderate paced morning walks 3-5 days a week for 60 minutes each time.0 -
Simple to lose eat between your BMR (what you need when in a COMA) and your TDEE ( total calories burned in a day). So yes you need a deficit but if it is too much you are asking for trouble sooner or later.0
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The idea is to always keeping your belly and guts doing something.
When it`s busy digesting, it breaks your food down, sends to good stuff to your cells and takes what it doesn`t need and/or uses up from your food and sends it down the line, so to speak.
When your belly and your guts are always busy like this, your body is not worried about the next meal. It doesn`t know what it`s like to feel `starved` so it`s not afraid of starving.
Your body just works on what it does best.... breaking down food, feeding your cells and eliminating waste.
If you don`t eat enough your body freaks out and gets afraid there won`t be more. So it sends the food to your cells and tells the cells to hang onto it - all of it, `cause there ain`t no more! That`s what starvation mode is.
It`s not because there`s no food... it`s because we sit and eat until we can`t move, stuffing ourselves with all sorts of processed junk food and then don`t eat again for four to six hours, maybe more.
Even someone who is overweight or obese can be in starvation mode!
Our bodies really don`t do well with processed foods and the junk we eat with more ingredients in it that we can`t pronounce than we can. When this stuff hits your belly, you body digs through it looking for the ``good`` stuff - the vitamins, the good carbs, fats and proteins. When your body doesn`t find the good stuff, it sends whatever it has to the cells and tells the cells to hang on to it, just in case there`s no good stuff coming!
That`s getting fat while your body is in starvation mode.
The idea of eating more to loose weight for the most part means eating more often. We are supposed to eat six times a day. Three meals and up to three snacks.... or about every two to three hours (not within two hours of sleeping but that`s another blog response).
Think of it like heating the house with a wood stove. You don`t want to stuff the stove full and turn the house into a sweatlodge, then let it get to the point of shivering before you put more wood in the stove. You want to put wood in the stove at regular intervals and about the same amount every time to be a comfortable temperature in the house at all times. Your body works best when you treat it the same way, all the time.
Hope that helps.
Best,
Brenda0 -
I even had my hubby explain all this to me and once he said TDEE I blanked out...lol. I just do what Mfp tells me to do, cuz I don't get it either!0
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The minimum amount you'll burn in a day is BMR. The actual amount you burn in a day is called TDEE around here (Total Daily Energy Expenditure), which includes exercise AND a whole bunch of other activities like showering, eating, driving, moving around an office, changing diapers, sex, and whatever else you do in a day.
If you eat more than BMR but less than TDEE you will lose weight.
So some of us want to eat closer to our actual TDEE to lose weight (I like a ~400 cal/day deficit, personally) to lose weight slowly and without much effort while preserving lean muscle mass. Others choose to eat closer to BMR... or less.
Many people decide they want to lose weight and are bombarded with messages about eating 1200 calories/day, eating 500 calories plus HCG injections, eating 300 calories plus B vitamin injections or whatever... the truth is, as long as what you eat is somewhat less than what you burn, you'll lose weight.
It doesn't have to be super restrictive. Just tracked accurately.
Could you help me figure mine? I'm female, age 38, 5'9 and I weigh 250. I want to weigh 170, after an 80 lb loss. Thanks!
WHat is your weekly exercise like?
I am pretty active. I clean houses 5 days a week for 4-5 hours each day for work, and I have been taking moderate paced morning walks 3-5 days a week for 60 minutes each time.
Wow thats a hefty amount of exercise.
Calculating based on Strenuous activity:
BMR - 1882
TDEE - 3247
TDEE - 20% cut target - 2597
You would be shooting for 2600 calories (not eating back exercise calories.
This equates to a deficit that allows for roughly 1.3lbs per week lost.
*however I would suggest something like a BodyMedia FIT that you wear 24 hours day to monitor closer how many calories you burn in a day.
Cleaning house can vary in exertion level0 -
So - if I am set on MFPs apparently uniform 1200 cals per day plan - eating those - working out daily and burning 600 to 800 - and eating those back - (for an avg og 1800 cals per day) - am I at least close to being on the right track? I know this isn't rocket science - apparently I'm just making it way harder than it should be.0
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So - if I am set on MFPs apparently uniform 1200 cals per day plan - eating those - working out daily and burning 600 to 800 - and eating those back - (for an avg og 1800 cals per day) - am I at least close to being on the right track? I know this isn't rocket science - apparently I'm just making it way harder than it should be.
Yep your on the right track, however I would adjust to 1lb per week (MFP recommended) and not 2lbs.0 -
The minimum amount you'll burn in a day is BMR. The actual amount you burn in a day is called TDEE around here (Total Daily Energy Expenditure), which includes exercise AND a whole bunch of other activities like showering, eating, driving, moving around an office, changing diapers, sex, and whatever else you do in a day.
If you eat more than BMR but less than TDEE you will lose weight.
So some of us want to eat closer to our actual TDEE to lose weight (I like a ~400 cal/day deficit, personally) to lose weight slowly and without much effort while preserving lean muscle mass. Others choose to eat closer to BMR... or less.
Many people decide they want to lose weight and are bombarded with messages about eating 1200 calories/day, eating 500 calories plus HCG injections, eating 300 calories plus B vitamin injections or whatever... the truth is, as long as what you eat is somewhat less than what you burn, you'll lose weight.
It doesn't have to be super restrictive. Just tracked accurately.
Could you help me figure mine? I'm female, age 38, 5'9 and I weigh 250. I want to weigh 170, after an 80 lb loss. Thanks!
WHat is your weekly exercise like?
I am pretty active. I clean houses 5 days a week for 4-5 hours each day for work, and I have been taking moderate paced morning walks 3-5 days a week for 60 minutes each time.
Wow thats a hefty amount of exercise.
Calculating based on Strenuous activity:
BMR - 1882
TDEE - 3247
TDEE - 20% cut target - 2597
You would be shooting for 2600 calories (not eating back exercise calories.
This equates to a deficit that allows for roughly 1.3lbs per week lost.
*however I would suggest something like a BodyMedia FIT that you wear 24 hours day to monitor closer how many calories you burn in a day.
Cleaning house can very in exertion level
Thank you for this! Couple questions: Can I see a break-down of how you got the numbers? Also does the TDEE include the walks, or just house cleaning?
Also, given the fact that I have a LOT of weight to lose (80 pounds!!) is it safe to eat that much... meaning will I still lose weight? That's a LOT of calories! Last week I ate about 1800 cals per day and I lost 2.5 lbs. I would like to lose 2lbs a week.0 -
For sure.
Take a look at
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
You recalculate for every 5lbs you lose
Also, I personally do not go below my BMR (NET). I am doing this as something that will sustainable for the rest of my life (plus I am trying to avoid excess skin).
2.5lbs a week is a lot in reality but the choice is yours
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Brenda- I think they've debunked that eating frequently has any effect, same for 'quality of calories' (read up on the twinkie diet experiment). I think BOTH habits can help people feel more satisfied and less likely to overeat, though. And of course quality of food adds to quality of life in other ways besides weight loss.0
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Simple, we all burn calories, even without exercising. If intake and expenditure are balanced then weight is maintained. However the relationship between muscle and fat mass is complex and dynamic. Poorly understood bc not much research has been done in this area. Genetics, stress, sleep, diet and exercise all impact fat/muscle. Everyone has their resting metabolic rate. There are medical test to find it. For most people who are trying to loose fat or gain muscle (wasting) a body scan is the best and more economical approach. Very few physicians have the machine but you could find one in your area.
If your intake is less than your expenditure then your body will protect itself by saving fat and it will get proteing from its own muscles. Protein it's easier than fat to break down. Basically your body will eat itself . Therefore you need to eat the right quantity and the right quality of food to achieve your goals. Grandma was right everything in moderation. I hope it helps.0 -
Basically, you need to eat at least 1200 calories a day because anything less than that kicks your body into survival mode. Your body will think there is some kind of famine and hold on to every shred of fat it can and slow your metabolism way down to try and keep you alive because it thinks you are in danger of dying. That's why you need to eat more.
As has been discussed MANY MANY times on this site, "starvation mode" is not an easy state to achieve.0 -
I was just reading about this concept in my Turbofire - Power through a plateau. As your body gets into better shape, it will begin to burn more calories.
WHEN my body gets in better shape and starts to burn more calories then I'll start worrying about eating the "proper" amount of calories. My BMR is 2,493 calories and MFP has set my daily calorie goal at 2,120 which is below my BMR. Today, I had net calories of 1,398 and when I completed my Food Diary it said that if I ate like I did today I would lose 17 pounds in 5 weeks, which by my math is a little over 3 lbs per week. So, if I can eat 1,400 calories per day -- even though it's considerably below my BMR -- and still lose over 3 lbs per week then I'm satisfied and see no need to increase my calorie intake. My goal, after all, is to lose weight.0 -
then why are all the kids in Africa... the ones you see on "feed the children" ads... all are bone? their bodies have gone for how long with out food?
I know the body can survive at least 40 days without food, water much less... I doubt one day is going to make that big of a difference.
The reason you're puzzled is because this idea of eating more to lose doesn't make sense. I also believe that many people use it as an excuse.0 -
lol its relative its not so much eat more its eat the right amount for ur goals... if u mean eat more often the idea behind that is to eat early and get ur metabolism (body processes that keep u alive and burn calories) going and keep it going throughout the day;)0
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Not true: Protein it's easier than fat to break down.0
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The idea as far as I can tell is this: Your caloric intake should be on par with your activity level. The overall health benefits associated with maintaining a high enough activity level to justify (and necessitate) a higher calorie food intake are far greater than the health benefits of losing weight through simple low-calorie or low-carb dieting with a low activity level.
Basically the goal behind the people pushing you to eat more to weigh less is remind you that if you're exercising, you need to increase your calorie intake accordingly in order to keep you fueled for your activity level and preserve lean muscle mass, which leads to more fat loss in a shorter period of time and greater overall health benefits.
As far as I can tell, anyway. And it's 100% true, if that's what they're trying to push on you.
Example: Three people who both each a BMR of 1700 calories a day, leading to a 1200 calorie per day goal for weight loss (deficit of 500 calories below maintenance which is ideal). Person A sits on their butt all day and eats their 1200 calories. The other two, Persons B and C, follow a fairly rigorous workout regimen that burns ~1000 calories a day. Person B continues to eat the 1200 calories per day despite the higher activity level. Person C increases their calorie intake by 1000 to adjust for the 1000 everyday they are burning through exercise. They will all lose weight. HOWEVER...
Person A gains no lean muscle mass and gains no real health benefits aside from those that comes with lowering your BMI.
Person B loses a lot in the beginning, unfortunately a lot of it is lean muscle mass as well as fat. Also, Person B is unable to maintain their activity level for very long and eventually falls off the exercise wagon due to lack of fuel for the machine that is their body. They then become Person A, or something close to it with their activity level.
Person C keeps losing, keeps working out rigorously building lean mass, improving overall health, and losing fat (but not necessarily weight due to the lean mass gain) at a greater speed than Persons A and B.
This is interesting ... thank you for the very detailed example. What I take from this is that I should be eating all my exercise calories, the weight will come off slower but I will be better off due to the increased lean mass and fat loss... sounds awesome, love my food and I am willing to burn a lot of calories to get it! 0 -
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I was just reading about this concept in my Turbofire - Power through a plateau. As your body gets into better shape, it will begin to burn more calories.
WHEN my body gets in better shape and starts to burn more calories then I'll start worrying about eating the "proper" amount of calories. My BMR is 2,493 calories and MFP has set my daily calorie goal at 2,120 which is below my BMR. Today, I had net calories of 1,398 and when I completed my Food Diary it said that if I ate like I did today I would lose 17 pounds in 5 weeks, which by my math is a little over 3 lbs per week. So, if I can eat 1,400 calories per day -- even though it's considerably below my BMR -- and still lose over 3 lbs per week then I'm satisfied and see no need to increase my calorie intake. My goal, after all, is to lose weight.
Three cheers for common sense. :flowerforyou:0 -
For argument sake... Hugh Jackman Height: 6'1" Weight: 215 lbs Age 45ish...
LOL okay we'll do Hugh (no pun intended)...
If he's completely sedentary here are his estimated numbers:
BMR: 1886 (the number of calories he'd burn if he were comatose)
TDEE: 2263 (the estimated number of calories he actually burns in 24 hours once daily activities are factored in)
15% cut: 1924 (the number of calories he should eat every day to safely lose weight - about 3 lbs/month)
Now, if he does 3-5 hours of moderate exercise weekly, the numbers change:
BMR: 1886 (this doesn't change)
TDEE: 2924 (his average daily calorie burn taking into account daily activity AND exercise)
15% cut: 2485 (the number of calories he should eat every day to safely lose weight - about 3.5 lbs/month)
AND, if he does 5-6 hours a week of strenuous exercise, the numbers change again:
BMR: 1886 (again, this doesn't change)
TDEE: 3254 (his average daily calorie burn taking into account daily activity AND exercise)
15% cut: 2766 (the number of calories he should eat every day to safely lose weight - about 4 lbs/month)
With these calculations, you DO NOT eat back exercise calories. You set your calorie target and eat that every day. Your exercise calories burned are estimated and spread out across all the days of the week to get a daily amount to eat.
If Hugh were to sign up to MFP and fill out the form and tell it he wants to lose 2 lbs/week, it would probably give him a daily calorie target of 1263 (1000 less than his est TDEE when sedentary - see the first set of numbers). But if he's not actually sedentary - he actually works out hard 5-6 days a week for over an hour, he actually burns 3254 calories per day. BUT, he's only eating 1263... that's actually a daily caloric deficit of 1991.
So the body is learning how to do 3254 calories worth of stuff on 1263 calories. And our bodies are very efficient... it will learn. And Hugh's body will dump muscle mass since it is so costly to run it. And then it will start to break down other processes since they are using too many calories... and eventually Hugh's BMR will drop to maybe 800 calories.
So Hugh loses all the weight he wants nice and quickly.... or he stalls out. Wherever he ends up, his body is doing everything it needs to on the 1263 he gives it. Now, when he goes and eats 2000 calories, his body doesn't need the other 737 so it stores it as fat... every day... until Hugh has gained the weight back.
Or he has to keep eating 1263 calories/day for life and keep up that workout schedule.0 -
I was just reading about this concept in my Turbofire - Power through a plateau. As your body gets into better shape, it will begin to burn more calories.
WHEN my body gets in better shape and starts to burn more calories then I'll start worrying about eating the "proper" amount of calories. My BMR is 2,493 calories and MFP has set my daily calorie goal at 2,120 which is below my BMR. Today, I had net calories of 1,398 and when I completed my Food Diary it said that if I ate like I did today I would lose 17 pounds in 5 weeks, which by my math is a little over 3 lbs per week. So, if I can eat 1,400 calories per day -- even though it's considerably below my BMR -- and still lose over 3 lbs per week then I'm satisfied and see no need to increase my calorie intake. My goal, after all, is to lose weight.
Teh only issue with this is your body doesn't always follow the math. And as you lose quickly, a lot of the lost will be muscle. When you lose muscle, you slow your metabolism which will cause your body to plateau faster. So you have to ask if a few short term gains are worth the long term issues.0 -
The whole starvation thing is really blown out of proportion and basically a myth that will not die. If you eat 600 calories one day nothing significant will happen, you in fact will lose more weight. The only reason that will not happen is the next day you will be hungry and will sneak extra food and "forget" to log it.
http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=355010 -
The minimum amount you'll burn in a day is BMR. The actual amount you burn in a day is called TDEE around here (Total Daily Energy Expenditure), which includes exercise AND a whole bunch of other activities like showering, eating, driving, moving around an office, changing diapers, sex, and whatever else you do in a day.
If you eat more than BMR but less than TDEE you will lose weight.
So some of us want to eat closer to our actual TDEE to lose weight (I like a ~400 cal/day deficit, personally) to lose weight slowly and without much effort while preserving lean muscle mass. Others choose to eat closer to BMR... or less.
Many people decide they want to lose weight and are bombarded with messages about eating 1200 calories/day, eating 500 calories plus HCG injections, eating 300 calories plus B vitamin injections or whatever... the truth is, as long as what you eat is somewhat less than what you burn, you'll lose weight.
It doesn't have to be super restrictive. Just tracked accurately.
Perfect explanation.0 -
The minimum amount you'll burn in a day is BMR. The actual amount you burn in a day is called TDEE around here (Total Daily Energy Expenditure), which includes exercise AND a whole bunch of other activities like showering, eating, driving, moving around an office, changing diapers, sex, and whatever else you do in a day.
If you eat more than BMR but less than TDEE you will lose weight.
So some of us want to eat closer to our actual TDEE to lose weight (I like a ~400 cal/day deficit, personally) to lose weight slowly and without much effort while preserving lean muscle mass. Others choose to eat closer to BMR... or less.
Many people decide they want to lose weight and are bombarded with messages about eating 1200 calories/day, eating 500 calories plus HCG injections, eating 300 calories plus B vitamin injections or whatever... the truth is, as long as what you eat is somewhat less than what you burn, you'll lose weight.
It doesn't have to be super restrictive. Just tracked accurately.
LOVE the way you worded this. I so agree!0 -
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The illustration someone gave me was of a car Lol they said my "internal engine" needs a minimum of 1200 calories to keep me going. Because we burn calories all day when we walk around the house, clean, go to work, maybe go shopping, etc. The 1200 calories make sure you have enough to just do day-to-day activities.
If you don't eat at least the 1200, you're asking your engine to run on empty, essentially. That's why "eating more" will help you lose weight. Eating the minimum calories gives you the fuel you need to actually build muscle and burn fat in a HEALTHY way 0 -
For argument sake... Hugh Jackman Height: 6'1" Weight: 215 lbs Age 45ish...
LOL okay we'll do Hugh (no pun intended)...
If he's completely sedentary here are his estimated numbers:
BMR: 1886 (the number of calories he'd burn if he were comatose)
TDEE: 2263 (the estimated number of calories he actually burns in 24 hours once daily activities are factored in)
15% cut: 1924 (the number of calories he should eat every day to safely lose weight - about 3 lbs/month)
Now, if he does 3-5 hours of moderate exercise weekly, the numbers change:
BMR: 1886 (this doesn't change)
TDEE: 2924 (his average daily calorie burn taking into account daily activity AND exercise)
15% cut: 2485 (the number of calories he should eat every day to safely lose weight - about 3.5 lbs/month)
AND, if he does 5-6 hours a week of strenuous exercise, the numbers change again:
BMR: 1886 (again, this doesn't change)
TDEE: 3254 (his average daily calorie burn taking into account daily activity AND exercise)
15% cut: 2766 (the number of calories he should eat every day to safely lose weight - about 4 lbs/month)
With these calculations, you DO NOT eat back exercise calories. You set your calorie target and eat that every day. Your exercise calories burned are estimated and spread out across all the days of the week to get a daily amount to eat.
If Hugh were to sign up to MFP and fill out the form and tell it he wants to lose 2 lbs/week, it would probably give him a daily calorie target of 1263 (1000 less than his est TDEE when sedentary - see the first set of numbers). But if he's not actually sedentary - he actually works out hard 5-6 days a week for over an hour, he actually burns 3254 calories per day. BUT, he's only eating 1263... that's actually a daily caloric deficit of 1991.
So the body is learning how to do 3254 calories worth of stuff on 1263 calories. And our bodies are very efficient... it will learn. And Hugh's body will dump muscle mass since it is so costly to run it. And then it will start to break down other processes since they are using too many calories... and eventually Hugh's BMR will drop to maybe 800 calories.
So Hugh loses all the weight he wants nice and quickly.... or he stalls out. Wherever he ends up, his body is doing everything it needs to on the 1263 he gives it. Now, when he goes and eats 2000 calories, his body doesn't need the other 737 so it stores it as fat... every day... until Hugh has gained the weight back.
Or he has to keep eating 1263 calories/day for life and keep up that workout schedule.
Just one addition, I do eat back calories if my deficit puts me under my BMR (or if I'm doing endurance training). You probably said that somewhere ...
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