Eat more to lose weight?

Tuesday20

Hello!
Im posting on behalf of my Mum, she has started calorie counting in the last couple of weeks. She is 53 and 147 pounds. When she started out she was eating about 1000 calories a day (that's including 10 cups of coffee with 2 sugars!) She is a waitress 5 nights a week, but does a lot of walking on her days off.

Ive been trying to explain to her that she may have piled on weight because her body is starving. I work out her TDEE is around 2000 calories, so she should be eating 1650 to lose weight. Obviously this is way more food than she has eaten in the past 3 years!
[Since starting calorie counting she has only drank 2 coffees a day, with 1 sugar in each. She likes to stay on top of her fats and sugars (it's a personal vendetta of hers lol)]

Can she really eat more food and lose weight? What advice would you give her?

mockchoc

Tell her that yes it's true. I have a sit down job, am 47 years old, only brisk walk for exercise 30-40mins a day (mostly) and could lose on 1650. She has to eat more than that. You are correct.

pcastagner

Just humor me for a minute and assume the following is true in all cases, and never ever false: matter and energy can't be created or destroyed, they can only be moved around or change from one to the other.


So if your body loses matter and energy at a faster rate than you put it in, how can it stay the same mass?

She needs to eat more because over the long haul, it will allow to create a larger calorie deficit. This is only over the long haul. If you tell her she will lose more quickly by eating more, she might remember that basic law of nature stated above and since she doesn't live in the alternate reality of MFP, she might think you are a goofball and never listen to you when it comes to health and fitness.

You could also point out that losing too fast will give her loose skin.


Interestingly, eating more to lose more only seems to apply to developed countries. In the developing world, where access to food is sometimes limited, eating more makes you weigh more, and eating less makes you weigh less, and your "starvation mode" doesn't happen to fat people, but rather to starving people.

Tuesday20

Is there any way for her to lose weight more quickly? pcastagner mentioning 'long haul', Im just concerned she may become disheartened before she sees any real results. (I realise she has only been calorie counting for a couple of weeks, but she swears when she started weight watchers 4 years ago she lost 8 pounds in her first week, I think she was expecting something similar this time around, losing 1 pound a week seems to have her a little disappointed). Any advice?

P.S thank you for your advice already

pcastagner

Well, maybe tell her to look at herself now and see if she is still happy with the weight she lost on weight watchers or if she is ready for a lifestyle change that leads to permanent fat loss, a nicer physique, and more energy.


Measuring body fat instead of weight is a great way for me to focus on a better goal. My weight jumps up and down by five pounds all the time, but I don't stress. Look at my before and after pics. I'm not done yet but I haven't looked this good as an adult, ever. I've never been able to do a pull up until now. And I feel and look ten years younger.

Tuesday20

Bump