"Eat More To Weigh More"

dansls1

It shouldn't be eat more or eat less, it should be eat what is right for you. It's simple math to figure out how much you should eat to lose. Go for 1-2 months logging everything you eat. Then add up all the calories. Add up your gain or loss, multiply by 3500. If you gained, subtract this from the calorie total, for a loss add it. Divide that total number by the days you tracked for. This number is YOUR body's maintenance calorie count right now. Period. If you want to lose, eat at a deficit to this amount - 500 calories a day is 1 pound.

The 'eat more to weigh less' camp is targeted at people who are not active and eat crap - then they get active and stop eating enough. It's not everybody - but certainly there is a large group of people who don't understand and don't really get healthy because they don't feed their body enough to exercise. That is the person the 'eat more to weigh less' mantra is targeted at. If that is not you - of course it didn't work for you.

RobynMWilson

Look at my pictures...eat more to weigh less obviously works! But it's WHAT you're eating that counts. If you're eating more fast food and Twinkies and general processed food slop, you're gonna weigh more. What everybody is missing is the eat more LEAN PROTEIN, FRUITS and VEGGIES, NATURAL CARBS and HEALTHY FATS. And of course I work out and that's at least half of it...so really it's HOW you're eating more that matters, not just the fact you're eating more.

I've kept off my weight for over 20 yrs doing this so it works....when you do it RIGHT...

NormalSaneFLGuy

It shouldn't be eat more or eat less, it should be eat what is right for you. It's simple math to figure out how much you should eat to lose. Go for 1-2 months logging everything you eat. Then add up all the calories. Add up your gain or loss, multiply by 3500. If you gained, subtract this from the calorie total, for a loss add it. Divide that total number by the days you tracked for. This number is YOUR body's maintenance calorie count right now. Period. If you want to lose, eat at a deficit to this amount - 500 calories a day is 1 pound.

The 'eat more to weigh less' camp is targeted at people who are not active and eat crap - then they get active and stop eating enough. It's not everybody - but certainly there is a large group of people who don't understand and don't really get healthy because they don't feed their body enough to exercise. That is the person the 'eat more to weigh less' mantra is targeted at. If that is not you - of course it didn't work for you.

This sounds like a lot of excess math. I need pictures.

aquinn31

Absolutely correct. The eat more to weigh less applies to those who are not eating enough for the weight that they are currently at. Your body doesn't respond well to starvation mode! One good thing about this website is it tells you how many calories you should be eating at your weight and to accomplish your goal!

Hendrix7

this again.

It's not for everyone, if you are already eating enough or too much then clearly eating more is not going to help.

However there are some out there who eat such a small amount it is detrimental to their performance in workouts, hormonal state and general mindset. For those specific people it's may well be better to increase calories.

Why is that so hard to understand?

Oh right because it didn't work for you personally it's obviously rubbish.

Ok,

beansprouts

Dang it!! You mean I have been doing it wrong the last 3 years!! Crap..... Well to late now might as well stay the course and keep Eating more to weigh less........... If only I knew...... Crap Crap Crap!!! :drinker:

In short... Yes. You could have done it in 2!

You realise Ed has lost 311 pounds and is one of the biggest, most muscular guys on here now, right?

Which is EXACTLY another point that is never really explored with all of this "Eat more business"....Ed stopped being a couch potato and became very, very physically active. (ie he created an automatic calorie deficit with all of the hard core exercise)...But here is the kicker...The minute that Ed stops exercising (but continues to eat at his higher caloric level)...He will blow back up again...(gain weight).

Hate to burst your bubble but there is not a chance in Hell I will EVER go back to that guy......... Best of Luck....

Ed...after all of your hard work...I really doubt that you would ever go back....But my point is that the slogan "Eat more to weigh less" is not only deceptive...but it is down right dangerous for people who are not paying close attention to all of the factors. I continue to say that the advocates of "eat more" need to "explain more" ...rather than to blindly promote a deceptive slogan.

Hendrix7

...The minute that Ed stops exercising (but continues to eat at his higher caloric level)...He will blow back up again...(gain weight).

This has nothing to do with EM2WL, if he did less exercise he would (or at least should) reduce calories accordingly.

Your saying if you eat more energy than you use you put on weight,...............we all know that.......it; has nothing to do with the topic at hand.

Shannota

Ive lost 16 pounds EATING MORE TO WEIGH LESS! in 76 days so far. You are obviously Uninformed. I just feel so sorry for people like you. Go ahead continue to be hungry. Lose your weight and muscle. Gain it all back and you will!! When you do, come back to these forums, actually take the time to do your research. Read what Eat more to Weigh Less is actually about. Then you can lose weight the right way and keep it off. Till then STARVE

I'm not starving, nor hungry. I feel full of both food AND energy. I've read the EMTWL, tried it, and found it only dampened my progress.

Please, folks, remember that we are all different and one approach is not going to work for everyone. I also tried the Eat More to Weigh Less (for more than 3 months) eating at the TDEE cuts recommended on the MFP group, but all I got was frustrated. My Dr (yes, he is a nutrition and weight loss specialist) put me on a 1200 calorie diet...and that is gross calories...I do NOT eat back my exercise calories. Eureka! This is working FOR ME. Granted, I still have about 100 pounds that I would like to lose to get to my ideal weight, and that may well be why it is working for me right now. As my body changes, I am open to the concept that I may need to change my approach...I will cross that bridge when it gets here. O, and, though I will get flack for this...my lean body mass has actually INCREASED since starting the 1200 calories, and I have been at it for over 2 months. But really, try running up hills carrying 250+ pounds and not building some pretty strong leg muscles!

I wish each of you great success in your efforts and I hope each of you find the method that works for YOU. If you try 1200 calories and it doesn't work, experiment...try the eat more concept. Or vice versa. And I will cheer you on the whole way :flowerforyou:

puffidredz

Whatever works for you do that, my problem is how some of the eat more weigh less folks are so insistent that it will work for everyone. Eating 2000+ calories may help some lose weight, but others may gain. That's the range I was eating while I was gaining, I can't eat that and expect to lose. But some folks are fortunate where they don't have that problem.

agreed. eating more doesn't work for me and i'm guessing it's because when i was little, alot of times we didn't have food to eat so i would go 1-2 days without food and other times there was very little food, on top of that i played lots of sports like track and softball, i guess my body got used to it. all through school and high school i was underweight weighing 110lbs at 5'7" and was extremely thin. but then as i got out on my own as an adult, got my own place with a job and was able to buy my own food, i ate and gained weight and that has landed where i am today at 200 lbs and 5'7". i'm now down to 189 since i started watching my diet. last week i tried that eat more to weigh less and i regained 5 lbs. so now i wouldnt say i'm eating less but i am eating the same things just in smaller portions throughout the day before 6pm and then eating a small snack if i'm hungry after 6pm. call it snopes, broscience, or whatever, but it's what's been working for me and i'm going to stick to it.

dawndw

It is all about a life change I do not like the word "Diet" it sounds so limiting....all boils down to what you take in and what you burn.....just saying :-)

willia123

AGREE (with you, OP)

NGMama

I'm the trouble starter, the instigator.
I'm the fear addicted, danger illustrated.

I'm a firestarter, terrific firestarter.
You're the firestarter, twisted firestarter....

FINALLY!!! Someone got a song stuck inmy head that I looooooove! :laugh:

JeSuisPrest

There's a big difference in "overeating" and the concept of "eating more to weigh less".

NormalSaneFLGuy

I'm the trouble starter, the instigator.
I'm the fear addicted, danger illustrated.

I'm a firestarter, terrific firestarter.
You're the firestarter, twisted firestarter....

FINALLY!!! Someone got a song stuck inmy head that I looooooove! :laugh:

I listen to that song every time I run.
Prodigy + Chemical Brothers = kickass workout

Dauntlessness

Opinions are like butts.., everyone has one. Now here is mine


Eating more =weighing less IF you are not eating enough (aka under 1200 cals a day diets before exercise) and/or exercising so many calories off it stalls your metabolism/body. I understand you once you pass a certain number of calories burned its hard to eat that much and thats okay, but 2k before exercise seems to be the magic number for me at least.

I was on a 1600 cal diet, burning around 1000-1700 calories 6 days a week at the gym on my HRM and working out on Sundays at home. Trust me, it didn't work. My body didnt lose any weight for 8 months!!! I started eating around 2k a day, I lost 4lbs in the first week. another 3 the next. I am on a 1700 cal diet just because its my bmr but I still eat like 2k. Its just easier to see how much in the green I am that way.

I agree with its what your eating too. I have been a lil off the wagon for a few weeks so I havent lost any extra but I havent been eating great either. When I eat big carbs in the morning, a salad type/fruit lunch and a low carb dinner. It falls off. The various snacks throughout the day. The thing is, people can give all the advice they want but unless they have actually done it or have proof it worked for them, well, I wouldn't put too much merit in it.

beansprouts

...The minute that Ed stops exercising (but continues to eat at his higher caloric level)...He will blow back up again...(gain weight).

This has nothing to do with EM2WL, if he did less exercise he would (or at least should) reduce calories accordingly.

Your saying if you eat more energy than you use you put on weight,...............we all know that.......it; has nothing to do with the topic at hand.

It has EVERYTHING to do with the topic at hand...EM2WL is trouted on this board as being the "Magic Bullet" cure for changing metabolism....So apparently...EVERYBODY does not know this!

marie_cressman

i think i'm semi following the "eat more to weigh less" concept. i eat 1800ish calories a day more or less and workout pretty heavily 6 days a week. the scale is moving slowly downward, but i'm shrinking in size pretty rapidly! muscle growth possibly? who knows. all i know is i'm getting smaller. lol i saw a nutritionist who said i'm on the right path.. the weight loss has slowed since i'm closer to goal and i've lost a large amount of weight. as long as the scale isn't creeping up, i will continue to do what i'm doing. i wasn't losing ANYTHING eating 1600 calories a day so if i can eat 1800 and it moves slowly downward, i'll take it! lol

JeSuisPrest

As this is in FUN AND GAMES...
Think about it people :bigsmile:

Ahhh and I thought it was just ignorance. Thanks for the heads up!

almc170

Dang it!! You mean I have been doing it wrong the last 3 years!! Crap..... Well to late now might as well stay the course and keep Eating more to weigh less........... If only I knew...... Crap Crap Crap!!! :drinker:

In short... Yes. You could have done it in 2!

You realise Ed has lost 311 pounds and is one of the biggest, most muscular guys on here now, right?

Which is EXACTLY another point that is never really explored with all of this "Eat more business"....Ed stopped being a couch potato and became very, very physically active. (ie he created an automatic calorie deficit with all of the hard core exercise)...But here is the kicker...The minute that Ed stops exercising (but continues to eat at his higher caloric level)...He will blow back up again...(gain weight).

Hate to burst your bubble but there is not a chance in Hell I will EVER go back to that guy......... Best of Luck....

Ed...after all of your hard work...I really doubt that you would ever go back....But my point is that the slogan "Eat more to weigh less" is not only deceptive...but it is down right dangerous for people who are not paying close attention to all of the factors. I continue to say that the advocates of "eat more" need to "explain more" ...rather than to blindly promote a deceptive slogan.

Which is why they have a group set up. With numerous links, explanations, videos, etc. that explain the whole thing in great detail. If you read through their posts and materials, you might indeed find valid points of criticism (although I wouldn't call any of it "dangerous"). But to dismiss or mischaracterize the group solely based on the name is disingenuous at best.

kuger4119

Dang it!! You mean I have been doing it wrong the last 3 years!! Crap..... Well to late now might as well stay the course and keep Eating more to weigh less........... If only I knew...... Crap Crap Crap!!! :drinker:

In short... Yes. You could have done it in 2!

You realise Ed has lost 311 pounds and is one of the biggest, most muscular guys on here now, right?

Which is EXACTLY another point that is never really explored with all of this "Eat more business"....Ed stopped being a couch potato and became very, very physically active. (ie he created an automatic calorie deficit with all of the hard core exercise)...But here is the kicker...The minute that Ed stops exercising (but continues to eat at his higher caloric level)...He will blow back up again...(gain weight).

This is one of the more ignorant posts on the subject. Here's the deal for people who can't comprehend it.

First, for the person who started the topic. If you weren't happy with your weight loss and you ate more, you probably gained weight initially but what you did was what some people refer to as a metabolic reset. What that means is that after taking in more calories, your metabolism kicked back up, so when you went back to the reduced calories, you saw immediate fast gains. If you stay too low for too long.......you will plateau. As others have said, unless you have the perfect diet, you are going to start losing muscle instead of fat and will not be happy with the end result. I was losing weight steadily from February to May but had slowed down for a couple weeks in May. I was maybe losing 1/2 pound per week. My body was adjusting. I went to California and didn't do too horrible for a vacation but I did gain two pounds. I lost four pounds in the following week using the same diet that was netting me 1/2 pound per week before the trip. Draw your own conclusions.

For the comment above, the reason that it is ignorant is this. Extreme diets that use pills, starvation, surgery, radical alterations to your diet DO NOT WORK! You will lose weight and feel good but once you start eating like a frickin' pig again, you will pack on the pounds like you will never believe. My wife has a friend who used phentermine to lose weight. She looked awesome and I couldn't believe that she had ever been fat. She has gained 100 lbs since I met her three years ago. A starvation diet is great but it is more likely to fail in the long run. A moderate diet that involves exercise that is closer to your normal food intake after the diet is done is far more sustainable.

Americans (myself included) are a instant gratification sort of people. There is nothing wrong with losing 1 lb per week for three years to reach your goal. Life is a marathon and it is better to get it right than get it fast. The key to any diet or body development program is to shake things up and avoid a routine. I shake my head when I read comments by people where it is obvious that they are doomed to fail in the long term if they don't figure out that sustainable is more important than fast and starving yourself isn't smart. I will finish this by saying that there are some people who undoubtedly do fine on 900-1000 calorie diets and will in the long run. If you are in that group.......do your thing. For most people, doctors and dietitians will agree that it is a recipe for disaster.