someone, explain how eating more = weightloss? please

moerketid

Eat more to weigh less doesn't work for everyone. I tried it for 8 weeks recently - eating 1650 (supposedly my body needs 2100 daily by the calculations) instead of 1250. Result? Gained about 2.5kg and now I've gone back down it's horribly hard to shift any weight at all.

Bodies are individual, if nothing else reading this forums should tell you that. What works for someone else will not necessarily work for your body. Don't believe anyone who claims to have "THE ONE TRUE ANSWER".

pjstar31

I have seen as much as 50% of the weight loss from lean body mass. So someone losing 30 lbs, lost 15 lbs from lean body mass. And this was from a VLCD.

At 300+ pounds I'll take weight loss in any shape or form. I've lived most of my life fat and unhealthy so I think I'll be fine with living the rest of my life thinner and unhealthy.

And a person at your current weight could sustain a large deficit. The only suggestion is once you plateau, which will be inevitable, then add more calories.

Exactly my plan! At my current obese weight I will continue with what I'm doing as long as I continue losing 2-3 lbs per week like I have been. Once that starts to plateau I will slowly add calories, check the results, and then re-adjust accordingly until I'm back to losing 2 lbs/week again. According to the BMI calculator, I've got about 134 pounds to lose to get to a "healthy" weight.

nlhill79

So wait, The other day I ate 1,189 calories. My scale still moved down. Did I melt my muscles by not eating enough calories? Or did my metabolism go down? Still confused. I'm 5'10" and 233lbs.

nlhill79

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.

Completely agree. Eat more weigh more, eat less weigh less. If I eat above 1500 calories a day I gain. People say "you gain weight if you starve" , so that's why anorexics and people in 3rd world countries are so fat? -_-

You wouldn't gain weight on starvation mode, that's not true. What happens is that when you eat VLCD, you'll have dramatic weight loss very quick in the beginning however the problem is that eventually your body will begin to adapt with the very low calorie diet & to compensate for the lack of calories, it will use your muscle, not fat, as a source of energy therefore slowing down the metabolism & thus making you burn fewer calories. Our bodies need fat & that is the last thing that it will let go. So when the dieter decides to go into maintenance, he/she will be having difficult time because of the lowered metabolism & eventually gains back very quickly everything that was lost.










^^^^^^^^^^^^^This statement shatters my hope. If I eat more calories, I won't lose. If I eat less calories my body will compensate for lack of calories, using my muscles instead of my fat, slow down my metabolism and burn fewer calories. My body will burn everything but fat FIRST and when I go into maintenance I will gain it all back.

I'm sure that was not your intentions, but that makes me want to give up.

ctooch99

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.

This pretty much sums it up as concisely as you need to know... starving=lower metabolic rate= no weight loss (or only slight loss). Eating=higher metabolic rate = weight loss. Some caveats though

1) "eating" does not mean pigging out on McDonalds and Taco Bell - it means eating the right amount of calories in healthy, whole foods so you are satisfied and your body is not in "starvation" mode.
2) My personal feeling is that along with eating healthy, one must exercise at 60-80% of maximum heart rate at least 3x per week to make real weight loss and fitness progress. Eating, keeps your metabolic rate normal. Exercising jacks it through the roof and is the other side of the coin to healthy eating - just my 2 cents. Both parts contribute to weight loss and fitness, one without the other won't hurt, but really won't get you to where you want to be...

wareagle8706

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.

They are ACTUALLY starving. Their bodies have used their fat stores.... that's why they're all bone. That is a very very extreme example that cannot be applied here...

NagG23

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.

This pretty much sums it up as concisely as you need to know... starving=lower metabolic rate= no weight loss (or only slight loss). Eating=higher metabolic rate = weight loss. Some caveats though

1) "eating" does not mean pigging out on McDonalds and Taco Bell - it means eating the right amount of calories in healthy, whole foods so you are satisfied and your body is not in "starvation" mode.
2) My personal feeling is that along with eating healthy, one must exercise at 60-80% of maximum heart rate at least 3x per week to make real weight loss and fitness progress. Eating, keeps your metabolic rate normal. Exercising jacks it through the roof and is the other side of the coin to healthy eating - just my 2 cents. Both parts contribute to weight loss and fitness, one without the other won't hurt, but really won't get you to where you want to be...

Do we have to eat all of our exercise calories as well?

inazminy

Ok - so I guess that I don't really understand these numbers. My BMR is 2200; my TDEE is 2650 - and to lose weight I should eat between those numbers daily....... then why is my daily target set by myfitnesspal at 1550?

Alzzak

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.

They are ACTUALLY starving. Their bodies have used their fat stores.... that's why they're all bone. That is a very very extreme example that cannot be applied here...

Then give me a better example... please, cause they still prove my point that eating more does not = weight loss

davidsgirl145

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.

It all totally confuses me. Maybe that is why I am not doing as well as I want. LOL.

Can you give me your height, weight and age? If you have it, your BF%. I'll find some real numbers for better illustration.

For argument sake... Hugh Jackman Height: 6'1" Weight: 215 lbs Age 45ish...

I'm SOOOO Ok with hearing anything about Hugh Jackman! Good Call!

Tonya0605

I'm no expert or anything, but the way I look at it is that it's more about what you're eating than how much. You can eat tons more vegetables and fruit for the same amount of calories or less than if you go out or eat processed empty calories.

^^ .....this is excactly what I think of when I hear "eating more = weight loss." The MORE is what you're eating.

Helloitsdan

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.

They are ACTUALLY starving. Their bodies have used their fat stores.... that's why they're all bone. That is a very very extreme example that cannot be applied here...

Then give me a better example... please, cause they still prove my point that eating more does not = weight loss

They have very little LBM as well.
By eating more you are feeding the LBM to preserve or in some cases of extremely overweight who can actually build muscle while in a deficit.
By eating slightly lower than TDEE youll lose fat while maintaining LBM.
If you diet down too low at a low calorie, hormonal responses will signal the body to maintain fat stores for energy later.
Leptin bottoms out telling the CNS to burn other energy sources.
These energy sources tend to come from protein sources like damaged muscle tissue or even organ tissue.

hope that answers your question.

nlhill79

If I new I wouldn't be fat.

I know right! If eat more, weigh less worked for me, I wouldn't even be here right now.

Catie_v2

So glad this string of posts is on here...helping me to understand some of the finer details of these numbers. But I have a couple of major questions:

First: I used the BMR calculator on this site and it told me mine is ~1900. Is there a "better" way to determine your BMR?

Secondly: how do you know your TDEE?

Lastly - MFP has my calorie goal as 1400/day...I am set up as trying to lose 2 lb/wk (since I just started) - but since that doesn't meet my BMR requirements I think it is too low! May explain why I am feeling hungry...

Can anyone help me out? Thank you!

mcarter99

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.

They are ACTUALLY starving. Their bodies have used their fat stores.... that's why they're all bone. That is a very very extreme example that cannot be applied here...

Then give me a better example... please, cause they still prove my point that eating more does not = weight loss

They have very little LBM as well.
By eating more you are feeding the LBM to preserve or in some cases of extremely overweight who can actually build muscle while in a deficit.
By eating slightly lower than TDEE youll lose fat while maintaining LBM.
If you diet down too low at a low calorie, hormonal responses will signal the body to maintain fat stores for energy later.
Leptin bottoms out telling the CNS to burn other energy sources.
These energy sources tend to come from protein sources like damaged muscle tissue or even organ tissue.

hope that answers your question.

I think if the responses to hormones and LBM and metabolism were as severe as people here believe them to be, no doctor or managed weight plan would have people eating below their BMR. They all do.

Do people really think you're onto something from reading internet forums and blogs that the medical and weight loss community missed?

klalaw

So glad this string of posts is on here...helping me to understand some of the finer details of these numbers. But I have a couple of major questions:

First: I used the BMR calculator on this site and it told me mine is ~1900. Is there a "better" way to determine your BMR?

Secondly: how do you know your TDEE?

Lastly - MFP has my calorie goal as 1400/day...I am set up as trying to lose 2 lb/wk (since I just started) - but since that doesn't meet my BMR requirements I think it is too low! May explain why I am feeling hungry...

Can anyone help me out? Thank you!

The best way to determine your BMR is to have it actually tested, using a process called indirect calorimetry. Some weight loss centers, fitness centers, and doctors will provide this service for about $75-100. Anything else is just an estimate - it will tell you the average BMR of a male/female of your age, height, and weight, but won't take into account YOUR actual metabolism.

Similarly, TDEE is just an estimate based on your subjective perception of your activity level. As a result, while I agree with not shooting for super-low calories, I think it's important to increase calories gradually to find your sweet spot...

vade43113

I think if the responses to hormones and LBM and metabolism were as severe as people here believe them to be, no doctor or managed weight plan would have people eating below their BMR. They all do.

Do people really think you're onto something from reading internet forums and blogs that the medical and weight loss community missed?

I am not a for, eating that low[as those in third world countries do], but I have to agree.

sandown12

Hi How come I gradually increased my calories over 5-6 weeks from 1250 a day to 1785 a day and gained weight after6 weeks?
I do lots of walking and zumba 5-6 times a week Ive still got 60lbs to lose

Can anyone advise me what amount I should eat as my losses arent grat and I dont want to yoyo again

Im female
42
5ft 2
198lbs
exercise 5-6 zumba sessions a week and walk 30-60 minutes 5 times a week
I am fairly active at work but not all the time.

Thanks

albayin

I don't know why most of this type of threads end up confusing more people than clearing out things for us...:(

Eat more or less, should all have some sort of baseline. Absolute is not correct in either way. It also depends on your fitness/weight loss goal. Seriously, can we make sure this is in our mind before simply saying "eat more or eat less"?

For those who want to weigh more (like building muscle) they need eat more; for those who are stuck at scale number (such as myself) yeah, eating less definitely is the way to go.

Helloitsdan

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.

They are ACTUALLY starving. Their bodies have used their fat stores.... that's why they're all bone. That is a very very extreme example that cannot be applied here...

Then give me a better example... please, cause they still prove my point that eating more does not = weight loss

They have very little LBM as well.
By eating more you are feeding the LBM to preserve or in some cases of extremely overweight who can actually build muscle while in a deficit.
By eating slightly lower than TDEE youll lose fat while maintaining LBM.
If you diet down too low at a low calorie, hormonal responses will signal the body to maintain fat stores for energy later.
Leptin bottoms out telling the CNS to burn other energy sources.
These energy sources tend to come from protein sources like damaged muscle tissue or even organ tissue.

hope that answers your question.

I think if the responses to hormones and LBM and metabolism were as severe as people here believe them to be, no doctor or managed weight plan would have people eating below their BMR. They all do.

Do people really think you're onto something from reading internet forums and blogs that the medical and weight loss community missed?

LOL the 200 or so ppl following my plan seem to be doing well.
they eat closer to 2k a day and lose fat but maintain LBM and are getting stronger.
To that I laugh!

Doctors and weight loss programs tend to be short term and also tend to have a lot of bounce back.
It helps business!