THE answers to THE questions

dhayes

Oh yes prior to eating all of my calories the most i lost in a week was about 4 pounds, So far I am on track for 2 weeks in a row of 4 pound losses.

deanea

:bigsmile: From another one on maintenance.....how many times have we repeated this in one way or another and people just don't believe us?

alaskagal

Bless you, Viv and others for contributing to this topic. It was greatly needed.

Also, consider this a *bump*

Great job, everyone!
:flowerforyou:

jessneill

Just want to clear up something with BMR.
BMR is not the same as Maintain calories. Maintain calories are what your body needs to keep the same weight during a normal day, and are what you subtract from to loose weight, BMR is the absolute minimum number of calories the human body needs to function normally if you didn't use any muscles at all all day.

So

- Subracting calories from your normal Maintain calories is good for loosing weight.

- Subtracting calories from BMR causes malnutrition and is dangerous (this is what causes you to be sluggish, have headaches,...etc) Even approaching BMR calories while keeping up a normal, active schedule is dangerous, please stay above this level.

Great explanantion banks!

Here is a site that will calculate your daily calories needed to MAINTAIN your weight.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/calorie-calculator/NU00598

MontanaGirl

Excellent info!! Thanks for taking the time to put this all together!

FitnHealthyGal

Very Good Info!!! Thank you!!

lotusfromthemud

Just want to clear up something with BMR.
BMR is not the same as Maintain calories. Maintain calories are what your body needs to keep the same weight during a normal day, and are what you subtract from to loose weight, BMR is the absolute minimum number of calories the human body needs to function normally if you didn't use any muscles at all all day.

So

- Subracting calories from your normal Maintain calories is good for loosing weight.

- Subtracting calories from BMR causes malnutrition and is dangerous (this is what causes you to be sluggish, have headaches,...etc) Even approaching BMR calories while keeping up a normal, active schedule is dangerous, please stay above this level.

thanks for taking that one, banks. You should never eat below your BMR. IMHO, this is the one flaw with MFP, that it will allow you to do that.

lotusfromthemud

You have answered many questions that I have wondered about. BUT, I do have one other question. I am trying to develop the mentality of eating when hungry, not eating when not hungry. I mean, we should not stuff ourselves to the point of being sick lazy people. So, this has not happened very often but there have been 2 days that I just could not eat all of my calories. Some days, I am starving and I wish that I could eat more. Other days, like yesterday, I was starving in the morning. Could not get enough to eat, had lunch, still hungry, had two low calorie snacks and then I was not hungry. I forced myself to go ahead and eat at dinner time with the kids but I could not finish my dinner and I had already logged the calories. On top of not eating all the calories I had already logged, I had left over calories. But I was not hungry. I had another snack just to eat my calories and I still probably had 250-300 calories left over. What are you supposed to do? I mean, if your body was hungry and going into starvation mode wouldn't it tell you?

Actually, I eat all the time. I eat vegetables, fruit, whole grains and some lean protein. It is good to "listen to your body", but in order to stoke your metabolism, you will occassionally have to eat when you're not hungry. Not stuff yourself, just eat. A handful of walnuts is my latest "go to". I am currently neither sick nor lazy, thank you very much. Yes, your appetite will fluctuate from day to day, depending on a lot of factors. I find that for me, if I wait too long between eating, I always overeat.

And, one of the primary symptoms of "starvation mode" is that you STOP being hungry. Your body turns off that instinct, so that it can survive and get you through the day. This is one of the most difficult things to change once you get out of starvation mode.

banks1850

*bump*

filergirl

OK, this will be long. Please read it if you are confused. Disclaimer: I am not a dietician or a doctor, just a successful loser and maintainer, who has consulted both doctors and dieticians.

Question #1:

Should I eat all my calories?

Yes. MFP is already figuring a deficit for you to lose weight. This deficit is based on what you need to eat based on your everyday activity, not counting exercise. In the end, it's all about "net calories" (you can view yours under reports)

Example: you need to eat 2,000 calories to maintain your current weight (random number)
MFP will tell you to eat 1,500 to lose one pound per week (500x7=3500=one pound loss).

Let's say you exercise, and burn 500 additional calories.
UH-OH, now you are at a 1,000 calorie a day deficit. You need 2,000 calories to maintian, are already restricted to 1500, so now your net calories are a 1,000 a day. This is starvation central. Your body, which is very good at keeping you alive, will store and save calories. You WILL stop losing weight. You WILL want to throw your scale out the window.

Eat your exercise calories. At least eat most of them.

Question #2:
I'm eating 1200 calories, I feel like crap and I'm not losing weight. What gives?

Answer:
Run, don't walk, to "tools" and use the BMR calculator. Please, please, please, eat at least your BMR calories every day. You might lose weight more slowly, but you will still lose, and you will not longer feel a sudden urge to fall over every time you do, well, anything.

Question #3:
I'm doing "everything right" and the scale won't move.

Answer #1: The scale is the devil. Step away from the scale. Buy a tape measure, notice how your clothes are (probably) fitting better. Muscle is more dense than fat, and takes up less space on your body. More muscle on your body will make the scale freeze or (gasp) move upward.

Answer #2: You're not being honest. In order for this to work, you must record every morsel of food that goes in your body. Also, if you ride a stationary bike for 30 minutes and barely break a sweat and can still chatter on your cell phone (OK, that's my personal gym pet peeve) then you're probably not working "vigorously". Don't overestimate your exercise calories. (this was a big mistake I made in the past.)

Answer #3: Your body might be re-adjusting. How you feel is the most important mark of progress. It's very easy to fixate on numbers, but feeling better really should be its own reward.

Question #4:
So, if I'm eating my exercise calories, what's the point of exercise?

Answer: (warning: extremely opinionated answer ahead)
You don't. You can lose weight through diet alone. But, then you will be skinny and flabby. Is a model skinnier than me? OH, YES! Is she healthier than me? probably NOT. She couldn't survive the hour-long spin class that I take three times a week. Trust me. Her skin is a mess, she smokes, and she looks like crap in person. (this is a generalization. I don't hate models, but this is their lifestyle. . .I used to be a "dresser" at shows, and I saw a lot of "behind the scenes" stuff.

Does that help? Please say it does.:flowerforyou:

Nice summary. I'd add to this that now that I'm eating closer to 1500 cals a day, I'm losing weight again. Technically speaking, 1200 cals should be enough, but it wasn't.

You have to listen to your body. If you are *extremely* hungry to the point of fatigue, you're not eating enough.

The problem is that you can underestimate (or overestimate) your base level of physical activity, which I suspect was the culprit in my case. For instance, I have a "desk job" that is mostly sitting on my bum, but I don't own a car and walk everywhere. My morning commute involves a 10-minute brisk walk (sometimes sprint) for a bus, at the end of which I must run three flights of stairs, and a 10-minute walk on the other end. That's 20 minutes right there, without factoring in all the other tasks I do every day. Then add to that working out. . .

I''m reasonably certain I could eat 2,000 calories and not gain.

And an note about working out: viviakay you are ABSOULTELY right . You can lose weight without working out, but you'll get flabby. I took a week off while on vacation, and another week off because I've had the flu, and I'm really starting to notice it . . .

lizard9800

BUMP!

Great thread with great questions and answers.

I wish there was another message board section where people would just post their specifics (average weight loss per week, total weight loss per month/overall, average exercise per day/week and calorie intake, etc.) for people to read.

I think newbies would be surprised to read my eating habits, my exercise regime and my total weight loss since beginning. (Disclaimer* what works for me may not work for others). But I guarantee I eat all of my calories, and more occasionally

This site is great for education from people who have learned by doing. I love throwing out random bits of health info in conversations and having people say "Really?":noway:

banks1850

I think people would be shocked to know that

at 193 lbs, 6 foot 2, 34 years old, male, lightly active

My maintain calories are 2500 plus
Add the 4 to 500 cals I work out a day and I get to eat
3000 cals a day.

I NEVER eat that much (well, ok, almost never) but I am getting closer.
So used to eating 2200 cals a day from when I was actively trying to loose
that it's hard to bump up that extra 5 to 700.

I know what your all thinking..."WAAAAAA hard life for you.":ohwell:

Hang in there folks, this place works, I'm living proof!

lotusfromthemud

OK, I'll put my numbers where my mouth is:

I work out six hours a week for an hour a day on average.

I eat a baseline of 1800 calories, eating almost all of my exercise calories when I earn them.

I am currently maintaining (to the oz.) and have been for 2 months. Which, for the record is 138.8, at 5'7" with a large frame. I am 22% body fat. I am 36 years old.

I rarely eat meat, think processed foods are death in a box, and, like my fellow Torontonian mehughes, (welcome back!. . .I've missed your posts) have to be moderately active just to live my daily life. I don't have a car, so I also have done the sprint to the bus many, many times.

Since my foods aren't calorie-filled I eat, in the words of my DH, "all the time."

I still have a weakness for potato chips. I have a small bag about once a week. I have some sort of dark, high quality chocolate about once a week. Ocassionally, when presented with some sort of delectable, fat and sugar filled item, I eat it.

I lost most of my weight without calorie counting, but then stopped losing and tried to lose the last ten pounds for a year. Then, I found MFP and discovered (an opinion seconded by a nutritionist) that I wasn't eating enough, and had gone into starvation mode. For the record, I was averaging 600-800 NET calories a day after exercise. I have since reached what my doctor and trainer say is an ideal weight for me. I'd love to lose a few more % of body fat, but can live with it if I don't.

I think that culturally we way underestimate the amount of food we need, and way underestimate the amount of activity we should get.

So, everybody, get off of your toucas and eat something.:flowerforyou:

icandoit

Perfect:flowerforyou:

jessneill

*bump*

lotusfromthemud

bump.:flowerforyou:

Cowboy

You said it girl!
Cowboy

cmriverside

:bigsmile: From another one on maintenance.....how many times have we repeated this in one way or another and people just don't believe us?

DEAR GOD, WE REPEAT THIS TWENTY TIMES A WEEK AND NO ONE BELIEVES US.

Bookmark or add this link to your favorites. Do it now :laugh:

PRINT IT. Make copies.

Put it on your mirror in the bathroom, on your refrigerator, in your wallet. On your cubicle wall. Tape it to your car dashboard. If you don't drive, hang it around your neck on a string. Use it as your computer wallpaper. Thanks V -- again.

Eat. :huh: It works. Other people have done it - me included - and are willing to testify to everyone else about their experience.

Eat.. :flowerforyou:

kelpie06

Great topic, great info.
Thanks :flowerforyou:

Healthier_Me

bump