Your body's thoughts on calories
banks1850
Posts: 3,475 Member
Well, I have recently seen many people questioning the idea of eating your goal calories and/or eating exercise calories so I thought I would offer up a quick reminder for both the newbies on here who are confused about caloric intake and some of our more seasoned members who may have forgotten. I'll be as brief as possible. (sorry if this gets long, I'll break it up to make it easier to read)
1)
Every single person on here loses weight differently, but there are a few common factors everyone. The first is that we all have a metabolism, governed by how much energy we give it, how active we are, genetic makeup, and the type of energy we give it. With that in mind MFP has a relatively easy to use goals calculator that will give you the amount of food you should eat to lose the weight you desire and become more healthy.
2)
The relationship to your BMI (as flawed as that measurement is) and how much you can lose is real and governs much of your weight loss. People with a BMI over 30 (classified as obese) can lose weight faster then people that are under that number (generally speaking, see number 1) 2 lbs a week or more is realistic for obese people. Trying to lose 2 lbs a week for someone with a BMI under 30 is much more difficult, as well as much more time consuming.
3)
Starvation mode is REAL. It can and does happen. You should keep close tabs on where your BMR calories is. If you are under the obesity level then please try to stay (at a minimum) at your BMR. The goals calculator WILL account for weight you want to lose, don't think you can up the stakes by eating less, it doesn't work. And if you exercise, realize that you are creating a larger deficite, and make sure you eat your exercise calories.
4)
(This is one I see all the time) If you are close (say within 25 lbs or so) of your goal weight, 2 lbs a week is probably unrealistic. The human body knows where it's equalibrium is, attempting to go below it is a difficult, and frustrating process, 2 lbs a week (what ever you may think) is a drastic strategy for someone near their goal and usually doesn't happen. As you approach your goals, slow down your attempt at loss, try for 1 lb a week or less, it will give your body time to adjust it's chemistry more gradually, keep you healthy, and lessen your frustration.
5)
1200 calories is a number that doctors and nutritionists have made up based on averages. It's not a line in the sand. Your starvation calories depends on your body. For me that line is somewhere around 2000 calories, for a really small woman, it could be 1000, Generally it's somewhere around 1000 calories less then your maintenance weight. But being dynamic systems, some of our bodies can tolerate more or less. Be smart about your weight loss, use your common sense, if you're not losing weight and your at or below a 1000 calorie deficite, then think logically and up your calories a little, and keep upping them until you see improvement.
6)
Lastly, the human body has a 5 lb swing daily. That means that on any given 24 hour period yo can go from 5 lbs above your "real" weight to 5 lbs below. Due to water weight, and waste we can swing quite a bit. The scale is a generalist at best, good for an Idea of where you are, but not very good at calculating exact measurements. I generally recommend weighing yourself no more then once every 2 weeks, at the same time, same day every week. Use other measurements along with this, I.E. size measurments, Body Fat %, and over all fitness level to make up the difference.
NOTE: I'm not a doctor or a certified nutritionist, but I have done a large amount of research on this, and have spoken with my doctor and 2 separate nutritionists on this topic. NONE of which has ever recommended a 2 lb a week weight loss without doctor supervision. Even after direct questioning about this they all agreed that 2 lbs a week is an EXTREME stragegy and, for most people who are in the healthy BMI range, an unrealistic goal to set (with some obvious exceptions, like an extremely large person overall)
I hope this clears some stuff up. also see Viviakay's post on general caloric intake, it pretty much says all there is to say about this.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6556-the-answers-to-the-questions
1)
Every single person on here loses weight differently, but there are a few common factors everyone. The first is that we all have a metabolism, governed by how much energy we give it, how active we are, genetic makeup, and the type of energy we give it. With that in mind MFP has a relatively easy to use goals calculator that will give you the amount of food you should eat to lose the weight you desire and become more healthy.
2)
The relationship to your BMI (as flawed as that measurement is) and how much you can lose is real and governs much of your weight loss. People with a BMI over 30 (classified as obese) can lose weight faster then people that are under that number (generally speaking, see number 1) 2 lbs a week or more is realistic for obese people. Trying to lose 2 lbs a week for someone with a BMI under 30 is much more difficult, as well as much more time consuming.
3)
Starvation mode is REAL. It can and does happen. You should keep close tabs on where your BMR calories is. If you are under the obesity level then please try to stay (at a minimum) at your BMR. The goals calculator WILL account for weight you want to lose, don't think you can up the stakes by eating less, it doesn't work. And if you exercise, realize that you are creating a larger deficite, and make sure you eat your exercise calories.
4)
(This is one I see all the time) If you are close (say within 25 lbs or so) of your goal weight, 2 lbs a week is probably unrealistic. The human body knows where it's equalibrium is, attempting to go below it is a difficult, and frustrating process, 2 lbs a week (what ever you may think) is a drastic strategy for someone near their goal and usually doesn't happen. As you approach your goals, slow down your attempt at loss, try for 1 lb a week or less, it will give your body time to adjust it's chemistry more gradually, keep you healthy, and lessen your frustration.
5)
1200 calories is a number that doctors and nutritionists have made up based on averages. It's not a line in the sand. Your starvation calories depends on your body. For me that line is somewhere around 2000 calories, for a really small woman, it could be 1000, Generally it's somewhere around 1000 calories less then your maintenance weight. But being dynamic systems, some of our bodies can tolerate more or less. Be smart about your weight loss, use your common sense, if you're not losing weight and your at or below a 1000 calorie deficite, then think logically and up your calories a little, and keep upping them until you see improvement.
6)
Lastly, the human body has a 5 lb swing daily. That means that on any given 24 hour period yo can go from 5 lbs above your "real" weight to 5 lbs below. Due to water weight, and waste we can swing quite a bit. The scale is a generalist at best, good for an Idea of where you are, but not very good at calculating exact measurements. I generally recommend weighing yourself no more then once every 2 weeks, at the same time, same day every week. Use other measurements along with this, I.E. size measurments, Body Fat %, and over all fitness level to make up the difference.
NOTE: I'm not a doctor or a certified nutritionist, but I have done a large amount of research on this, and have spoken with my doctor and 2 separate nutritionists on this topic. NONE of which has ever recommended a 2 lb a week weight loss without doctor supervision. Even after direct questioning about this they all agreed that 2 lbs a week is an EXTREME stragegy and, for most people who are in the healthy BMI range, an unrealistic goal to set (with some obvious exceptions, like an extremely large person overall)
I hope this clears some stuff up. also see Viviakay's post on general caloric intake, it pretty much says all there is to say about this.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6556-the-answers-to-the-questions
0
Replies
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Well, I have recently seen many people questioning the idea of eating your goal calories and/or eating exercise calories so I thought I would offer up a quick reminder for both the newbies on here who are confused about caloric intake and some of our more seasoned members who may have forgotten. I'll be as brief as possible. (sorry if this gets long, I'll break it up to make it easier to read)
1)
Every single person on here loses weight differently, but there are a few common factors everyone. The first is that we all have a metabolism, governed by how much energy we give it, how active we are, genetic makeup, and the type of energy we give it. With that in mind MFP has a relatively easy to use goals calculator that will give you the amount of food you should eat to lose the weight you desire and become more healthy.
2)
The relationship to your BMI (as flawed as that measurement is) and how much you can lose is real and governs much of your weight loss. People with a BMI over 30 (classified as obese) can lose weight faster then people that are under that number (generally speaking, see number 1) 2 lbs a week or more is realistic for obese people. Trying to lose 2 lbs a week for someone with a BMI under 30 is much more difficult, as well as much more time consuming.
3)
Starvation mode is REAL. It can and does happen. You should keep close tabs on where your BMR calories is. If you are under the obesity level then please try to stay (at a minimum) at your BMR. The goals calculator WILL account for weight you want to lose, don't think you can up the stakes by eating less, it doesn't work. And if you exercise, realize that you are creating a larger deficite, and make sure you eat your exercise calories.
4)
(This is one I see all the time) If you are close (say within 25 lbs or so) of your goal weight, 2 lbs a week is probably unrealistic. The human body knows where it's equalibrium is, attempting to go below it is a difficult, and frustrating process, 2 lbs a week (what ever you may think) is a drastic strategy for someone near their goal and usually doesn't happen. As you approach your goals, slow down your attempt at loss, try for 1 lb a week or less, it will give your body time to adjust it's chemistry more gradually, keep you healthy, and lessen your frustration.
5)
1200 calories is a number that doctors and nutritionists have made up based on averages. It's not a line in the sand. Your starvation calories depends on your body. For me that line is somewhere around 2000 calories, for a really small woman, it could be 1000, Generally it's somewhere around 1000 calories less then your maintenance weight. But being dynamic systems, some of our bodies can tolerate more or less. Be smart about your weight loss, use your common sense, if you're not losing weight and your at or below a 1000 calorie deficite, then think logically and up your calories a little, and keep upping them until you see improvement.
6)
Lastly, the human body has a 5 lb swing daily. That means that on any given 24 hour period yo can go from 5 lbs above your "real" weight to 5 lbs below. Due to water weight, and waste we can swing quite a bit. The scale is a generalist at best, good for an Idea of where you are, but not very good at calculating exact measurements. I generally recommend weighing yourself no more then once every 2 weeks, at the same time, same day every week. Use other measurements along with this, I.E. size measurments, Body Fat %, and over all fitness level to make up the difference.
NOTE: I'm not a doctor or a certified nutritionist, but I have done a large amount of research on this, and have spoken with my doctor and 2 separate nutritionists on this topic. NONE of which has ever recommended a 2 lb a week weight loss without doctor supervision. Even after direct questioning about this they all agreed that 2 lbs a week is an EXTREME stragegy and, for most people who are in the healthy BMI range, an unrealistic goal to set (with some obvious exceptions, like an extremely large person overall)
I hope this clears some stuff up. also see Viviakay's post on general caloric intake, it pretty much says all there is to say about this.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6556-the-answers-to-the-questions0 -
Great information Banks! Lets do the BUMP!0
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Preach it, Brother Banks.
Preach it.
Mangia, mangia, mangia! (the right things in sensible portions spaced out over your day according to your needs. . .sorry. . .couldn't do the whole thing in Italian.):flowerforyou:0 -
Mangia = eat, for those that don't know.
Thanks banks.0 -
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Bump 0
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All good stuff Banks! Thanks!
I know, I have to re-program myself soon! I have been losing so well since September BUT my BMI has gone from 45 to 33! Soooo, I know very soon my losses will probably start to slow. Drat!! LOL!!
I mean, it's GOOD that my BMI is so much lower and getting lower every week, but these steady 2-3 lb losses have been wonderful!
The way I think about it, is that my BMI and higher weight allowed me to get the really un-healthy, un-needed weight off my body QUICK! I went from 270 to 199 (as of last Thursday) in just a few months just because my body was just SO weighed down and jumped to attention the second I started to treat it right! But, as I get closer and closer to a healthy weight, I know my body isn't going to let go as easily.
Oh well!!!
Tami0 -
All good stuff Banks! Thanks!
I know, I have to re-program myself soon! I have been losing so well since September BUT my BMI has gone from 45 to 33! Soooo, I know very soon my losses will probably start to slow. Drat!! LOL!!
I mean, it's GOOD that my BMI is so much lower and getting lower every week, but these steady 2-3 lb losses have been wonderful!
The way I think about it, is that my BMI and higher weight allowed me to get the really un-healthy, un-needed weight off my body QUICK! I went from 270 to 199 (as of last Thursday) in just a few months just because my body was just SO weighed down and jumped to attention the second I started to treat it right! But, as I get closer and closer to a healthy weight, I know my body isn't going to let go as easily.
Oh well!!!
Tami
Good work! Think of the slowerer weight loss as a badge of honor!
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I learned a lot reading this thread, thanks for the info Banks!0
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I just BUMPed my self.0
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All good stuff Banks! Thanks!
I know, I have to re-program myself soon! I have been losing so well since September BUT my BMI has gone from 45 to 33! Soooo, I know very soon my losses will probably start to slow. Drat!! LOL!!
I mean, it's GOOD that my BMI is so much lower and getting lower every week, but these steady 2-3 lb losses have been wonderful!
The way I think about it, is that my BMI and higher weight allowed me to get the really un-healthy, un-needed weight off my body QUICK! I went from 270 to 199 (as of last Thursday) in just a few months just because my body was just SO weighed down and jumped to attention the second I started to treat it right! But, as I get closer and closer to a healthy weight, I know my body isn't going to let go as easily.
Oh well!!!
Tami
So true tam, and That is so awesome on your great progress. You've lost an 11 year old boy from your body! How cool is that. Will it slow down? Sure it will, but you'll be so busy telling guys "My eyes are up here!" you won't even notice!
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Banks
So I took your advise. I am wanting to lose 10-15 pds. and since starting in November i have lost one gained two, lost two gained one.. or some variation.. basically im in the same boat as when i started.
When i started i said i wanted to lose 2 pds a week ..
so i changed it today.... and i am shooting for 1pd a week.. it gave me a good 200 more calories to eat a day.. lets hope this shows some changes....
thanks!0 -
Banks
So I took your advise. I am wanting to lose 10-15 pds. and since starting in November i have lost one gained two, lost two gained one.. or some variation.. basically im in the same boat as when i started.
When i started i said i wanted to lose 2 pds a week ..
so i changed it today.... and i am shooting for 1pd a week.. it gave me a good 200 more calories to eat a day.. lets hope this shows some changes....
thanks!
Good luck, keep us updated! :happy:0 -
GREAT INFO BANKS:flowerforyou: :drinker:
As always!! How is that 30 degree weather. 75 here today.:laugh:0 -
GREAT INFO BANKS:flowerforyou: :drinker:
As always!! How is that 30 degree weather. 75 here today.:laugh:
You're evil. Actually it's not bad today, about 45 or so and sunny. Atleast I can throw a baseball today.0 -
Shouldn't you be OUTSIDE enjoying that weather???!!:noway:GREAT INFO BANKS:flowerforyou: :drinker:
As always!! How is that 30 degree weather. 75 here today.:laugh:
~Joanna:flowerforyou:0 -
I live in New England too and the thing about this time of year is you have to seriously layer every time you leave the house. It is chilly first thing in the morning but around mid-day it will have warmed up enough to be pleasant. So you can't dress to light or too heavy. I cannot wait until it hits a steady 65 during the day!!! LOL!
Then we get to look forward to the humidity!!!
Sorry for complaining so much but it just seems like there is such a small window where the weather in this area is PERFECT. Like high 70's and no humidity.0 -
I live in New England too and the thing about this time of year is you have to seriously layer every time you leave the house. It is chilly first thing in the morning but around mid-day it will have warmed up enough to be pleasant. So you can't dress to light or too heavy. I cannot wait until it hits a steady 65 during the day!!! LOL!
Then we get to look forward to the humidity!!!
Sorry for complaining so much but it just seems like there is such a small window where the weather in this area is PERFECT. Like high 70's and no humidity.
No need to remind me. You haven't felt humidity until you have pitched the first game of a double header in late August with it at 97 or 98 degrees and 85% humidity. 2 hours of strenuous, tiring, dusty, sweaty, rash inducing, sunburned nastyness. And then having to play center field for the second game. That's the worst part, the second game.0 -
Hi
I thought i'd chip in!!
Well, since being on here from Oct I have lost 57lbs at a steady pace of 2lbs a week (which is what i typed into mfp) my bmi has gone from 37 to 27!!! :noway:
I still have 28lbs to go and a couple of weeks ago i came to a standstill! :grumble:
I knew what i had to do....~(because of all the posts on here!)....i changed my goal to 1lb a week!
I don't know how its going yet but i sure am enjoying the extra calories!
I am happy with my weight loss so far and even beginning to like my body :noway: so i am not too bothered that the last lot of weight is going to take a while to come off.
Lets celebrate our successes!!
Cheers for the post banks! :drinker:0 -
GREAT INFO BANKS:flowerforyou: :drinker:
As always!! How is that 30 degree weather. 75 here today.:laugh:
You're evil. Actually it's not bad today, about 45 or so and sunny. Atleast I can throw a baseball today.
Excuse me, but I am the evil one. Banks, thanks for having the energy and patience for putting all this into words - again.
Will it work? :devil:0 -
GREAT INFO BANKS:flowerforyou: :drinker:
As always!! How is that 30 degree weather. 75 here today.:laugh:
You're evil. Actually it's not bad today, about 45 or so and sunny. Atleast I can throw a baseball today.
Excuse me, but I am the evil one. Banks, thanks for having the energy and patience for putting all this into words - again.
Will it work? :devil:
lol, doubt it. :ohwell:0 -
:flowerforyou:0
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I am posting this site because I am confused, they say less than 50% of your bmr is starvation mode, but you are saying not to eat any less than your bmr??? I am confused and dont want to go the wrong way and end up losing none or gaining, ideas???:ohwell:
http://www.calorie-count.com/forums/post/28742.html0 -
I am posting this site because I am confused, they say less than 50% of your bmr is starvation mode, but you are saying not to eat any less than your bmr??? I am confused and dont want to go the wrong way and end up losing none or gaining, ideas???:ohwell:
http://www.calorie-count.com/forums/post/28742.html
king, while I'm not a dietician, I did check out your link, I don't know who that person is or where she got those numbers, but they are lower then any I have ever seen. My doctor said that starvation mode is an individual thing based on a person's body chemistry, BMI, genetic makup and a whole host of other factors. So for her to put an absolute number on it I would want to check with the "expert" she got it from. Personally, after reading her post, I believe she just misread the answer. the quote was
A starvation diet does not mean the absence of food. It means cutting the total caloric intake to less than 50% of what the body requires.
I believe maybe she meant 50% of your maintenance calories (which is one interpretation of "what your body requires"), which would make much more sense to me. I think she confused maintenance with BMR, but since I queried that site and couldn't find that specific answer, I couldn't confirm.
OOh... I kept digging (this is 10 minutes later). I found it. Yeah, she misread. The quote was talking about a Starvation DIET. Which is a completely different thing then starvation mode. A starvation diet is something doctors use on morbidly obese people (a bmi in the high 30s or above) and is done under close supervision because the patient is at risk of immenant death. The diet cuts calories to 1/2 your bmi. This is acceptable ONLY because of the extremely high volumes of fat available to the person using it, and when the fat levels drop to a sufficient amount they are alotted more calories.
Whew, glad that got cleared up, I thought I was losing my mind for a minute. :noway:0 -
Banks, you just keep on being the calorie cop.
I
it.
I have learned sssooooo much!
:flowerforyou:0 -
0
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Dear Banks,
You have at once made me feel both better and worse. Better, because of the extreme frustration I'm having at shifting the last 20 pounds or so, and worse, because I know it'll continue to be a difficulty and may not actually happen by the time I want it to happen (need it to happen, actually, because the weight I'm at now on my poor little toes is more than they can bear, even with the added strength of the past 8 or so months).
I am both reassured (that I'm not REALLY so far wrong) and unsure of how to get that last 20 to go...
Thank you, for the reassurance (e.g. I'm not actually going mad, having gone down 3 dress sizes since July but the weight isn't going down as fast as the size is). :ohwell:
S.0 -
Dear Banks,
You have at once made me feel both better and worse. Better, because of the extreme frustration I'm having at shifting the last 20 pounds or so, and worse, because I know it'll continue to be a difficulty and may not actually happen by the time I want it to happen (need it to happen, actually, because the weight I'm at now on my poor little toes is more than they can bear, even with the added strength of the past 8 or so months).
I am both reassured (that I'm not REALLY so far wrong) and unsure of how to get that last 20 to go...
Thank you, for the reassurance (e.g. I'm not actually going mad, having gone down 3 dress sizes since July but the weight isn't going down as fast as the size is). :ohwell:
S.
Well....I'm happy and sad for you.
You'll get there, don't worry. Just remember it's a lot better to look good and feel great then to lose weight an nobody notice!0 -
bump0
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