Anyone else discovered low calories are their only option?

supplemama

Wow all these medical anamolies on MFP. You guys need to go to your nearest University with a medical school because they would LOVE to study you. If in fact what you say is true, the study of your special metabolism would be of great interest and add knowledge to humanity's field of nutrition and exercise science. However, I suspect that if you participated in such a study, where your food was strictly controlled and exercise monitored, you would indeed lose weight without cutting your calories so low. Oh, and these studies are free.

JAT74

Yes but you're netting 1280 because you're eating exercise calories back pinksparklefa. I'm netting around 850 as I'm eating 1250. I tried doing what you are doing and didn't lose a single pound for months hence why I've now decided to try eating less.

pinksparklefairy

If you were netting 850 for months and then increased your calories to TDEE PLUS exercise calories then no wonder you put weight on - temporarily. That is a big jump in calories! Your body would need time to re-adjust. Maybe I have misunderstood something??

Then you started the weight-lifting too which means you have some water weight at the moment.

Netting 850 a day is starving yourself and not healthy! You need at least 1200 a day if you are the same height as me, which you must be with the same TDEE.

If I were you I would try eating 1300 plus exercise calories for a few months. See if that works - as far as I can tell you have not tried it yet. Also, have 1100 on some days and 1400 on others - just make sure you hit your weekly target.

Balance and long-term determination are what you need to lose the weight .. not very fun but it has to work due to basic scientific facts.

JAT74

Supplemama it's not a case of special metabolism or anything worth anyone studying. I am very strict with weighing, measuring and counting calories, monitoring via HRM etc. so unless those are way out then everything I log is quite accurate, as far as it can be. Don't know why you seem to think that someone studying me would have any different results by getting me to eat more.

A lot of people on MFP are big and have a lot of weight to lose and many are only just embarking on this journey. Many are also a lot younger. Here I am after 12 years of losing/gainin/losing weight and now my body isn't responding in the same way as it used to.

When I was a student I ate like a horse, drank loads of beer/wine daily and ate tons of junk food. I went from a fairly 'normal' size and body fat % to way above what I should be by eating probably 2000-3000 calories per day back then and lost all the excess very quickly (56 lbs in 4.5 months) by dropping calories way too low on the recommendation of people who didn't know any better at the time and neither did I.

Now I have a very slow metabolism and need to eat less to lose weight and that's the reality. Those of you who haven't had this pattern throughout a long period of their lives don't have these issues. Lucky you.

I am in a country where I don't speak the local language fluently and am in the middle of nowhere with the nearest University 45 minutes away and I don't have a car so being studied really isn't an option!

JAT74

No No No! I wasn't netting 850 calories in the past. I was netting way more and some days I was netting 1600 and eating 2000 or more for months. This is the first week I'll be netting 850. I started on MFP when I was eating 1300-1700 daily nett and I wasn't exercising and I got to my current weight by eating like that. When I joined this site I started working out more and eating more, although for the first 2 weeks out of over 4 months here I did eat 1100-1200 but was netting around 1000.

I have also already tried eating 1300 plus exercise calories which didn't work as I've been saying repeatedly! I tried that for several weeks!!

I've also been weight training for 4 months in total, 2 of those months with heavy weights so it's nothing new for my body.

And yes I already eat different amounts on different days which I monitor carefully. I'm doing 5:2 so 2 days at 500-600 calories then I normally have 3 days at 1400 and the other 2 days at 1600.

KaleeCat

I can only lose when I consume about 1,066 calories. I found this number by reading a post about the Biggest Loser online somewhere. You take your weight and multiply it by 7 (they multiply it by 6 on the show for fast results). I tried the In Place Of a Roadmap thing for about a month and it didn't help at all, I thought I had been eating too little before hand but it turns out I've actually been eating way too much. So eating much fewer calories has done wonders for me!

SGSmallman

I can only lose when I consume about 1,066 calories. I found this number by reading a post about the Biggest Loser online somewhere. You take your weight and multiply it by 7 (they multiply it by 6 on the show for fast results). I tried the In Place Of a Roadmap thing for about a month and it didn't help at all, I thought I had been eating too little before hand but it turns out I've actually been eating way too much. So eating much fewer calories has done wonders for me!

Do this to lose weight but remember weight = fat, water, muscle and bone mass) Use TDEE if you want to lose body fat as for every lb of body weight lost 25% of that will be muscle

Following the advice biggest loser has given you, I'm sorry but 1470 calories for someone of my height and lean mass i would just become non existant.

TDEE -20% deficit set at a level you know you are going to work out say 2 times a week then do not eat your exercise calories back.

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

Fortunately I've trained my body to lose on more--patience is key with this--I get peeved when I'm not losing after 2 weeks but really I shouldn't. I mean I eat ~2000 calories a day, burn a heap of calories working out, and still manage to lose weight. I'm only 4'11 and ~109-111 pounds so I don't have a high BMR or RMR. I've actually had the respiratory readout twice--my numbers come out to the 1100-1200 calorie range--that doesn't take into account the calories I burn walking to the restroom, cooking dinner, cleaning, or working out. I can easily burn about 1200 calories doing the aforementioned things. A lack of patience is usually the real culprit (or systematic underestimation of your caloric intake).

KaleeCat

I can only lose when I consume about 1,066 calories. I found this number by reading a post about the Biggest Loser online somewhere. You take your weight and multiply it by 7 (they multiply it by 6 on the show for fast results). I tried the In Place Of a Roadmap thing for about a month and it didn't help at all, I thought I had been eating too little before hand but it turns out I've actually been eating way too much. So eating much fewer calories has done wonders for me!

Do this to lose weight but remember weight = fat, water, muscle and bone mass) Use TDEE if you want to lose body fat as for every lb of body weight lost 25% of that will be muscle

Following the advice biggest loser has given you, I'm sorry but 1470 calories for someone of my height and lean mass i would just become non existant.

TDEE -20% deficit set at a level you know you are going to work out say 2 times a week then do not eat your exercise calories back.

I did try that with the TDEE and did not have success. But thank you for your help!

SGSmallman

I can only lose when I consume about 1,066 calories. I found this number by reading a post about the Biggest Loser online somewhere. You take your weight and multiply it by 7 (they multiply it by 6 on the show for fast results). I tried the In Place Of a Roadmap thing for about a month and it didn't help at all, I thought I had been eating too little before hand but it turns out I've actually been eating way too much. So eating much fewer calories has done wonders for me!

Do this to lose weight but remember weight = fat, water, muscle and bone mass) Use TDEE if you want to lose body fat as for every lb of body weight lost 25% of that will be muscle

Following the advice biggest loser has given you, I'm sorry but 1470 calories for someone of my height and lean mass i would just become non existant.

TDEE -20% deficit set at a level you know you are going to work out say 2 times a week then do not eat your exercise calories back.

I did try that with the TDEE and did not have success. But thank you for your help!

Just as a question how long did you try it for? if you're wanting to try again i'm happy to help you out.

Alternatively give this a read:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13 OR
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet

NutellaAddict

Fortunately I've trained my body to lose on more--patience is key with this--I get peeved when I'm not losing after 2 weeks but really I shouldn't. I mean I eat ~2000 calories a day, burn a heap of calories working out, and still manage to lose weight. I'm only 4'11 and ~109-111 pounds so I don't have a high BMR or RMR. I've actually had the respiratory readout twice--my numbers come out to the 1100-1200 calorie range--that doesn't take into account the calories I burn walking to the restroom, cooking dinner, cleaning, or working out. I can easily burn about 1200 calories doing the aforementioned things. A lack of patience is usually the real culprit (or systematic underestimation of your caloric intake).

YES

carrington2005

Low cals aren't the only option. I'd recommend having a look into Jonathan Bailor's Smarter Science of Slim. He has a lot of podcasts on iTunes and there's also a thread about it on My fitness pal. He proposes an explanation for why people can calorie restrict, exercise, and still not lose weight. It relates to the quality of the food and the quality of the exercise, not the quantity so much. Basically he says it is a myth that all calories are equal, and eating your calories in the form of sugar (incl sugars in carbs) interferes with your metabolism. Good luck!

JAT74

I think part of the problem for me could be my activity level. Thinking about it there's a huge difference between someone who works out 5-6 days a week and is active day to day either through looking after kids, cleaning their home, travelling to and from work, having an active job etc. and someone like me who is extremely sedentary. I don't travel to work or even to the gym so I am at home 24/7 sitting at a desk and then sitting on the sofa except for a little cooking and walking up and downstairs to and from the kitchen and living room most days except for at weekends when I maybe get in the car and go to a restaurant to meet friends so that doesn't involve being very active either.

Yes I work out 6-7 days a week but each workout is around 60 minutes, maybe 120 minutes once a week walking. If you think about the extra calorie burn these active people have it could be as much as an extra 1000 + calories per day more than I'm burning and TDEE figures don't really factor in the difference between a very active person who works out a lot and a sedentary person who works out 6-7 days a week.

My sister has 3 kids and an active job where she's on her feet all day and eats what she wants. She's never been on a diet in her life and with her lifestyle she doesn't have to. Between work, preschool and ferrying the kids to and from various places she probably burning off 2000 calories more than me each day.

JAT74

Hi Carrington

That sounds like an interesting book to read. I generally stay away from sugar that isn't from natural sources like fruit and vegetables although I allow myself a little from time to time. I also try to eat under 100g of carbs at least 5 days a week too. I'm trying to eat less processed foods generally but still have a little each day. I just try and keep the majority of my diet natural if I can.

bcattoes

Wow all these medical anamolies on MFP. You guys need to go to your nearest University with a medical school because they would LOVE to study you. If in fact what you say is true, the study of your special metabolism would be of great interest and add knowledge to humanity's field of nutrition and exercise science. However, I suspect that if you participated in such a study, where your food was strictly controlled and exercise monitored, you would indeed lose weight without cutting your calories so low. Oh, and these studies are free.

OR, there are so many anomolies because they really aren't anomolies at all. 1600 TDEE for a woman doesn't sound very out of the ordinary to me. I know a lot of women that maintain their weight on about that amount.

I'd say the biggest problem with the OP is that she is down to vanity pounds. Those are not easy to get off.

JAT74

Not just vanity pounds. If you saw me in person you'd be able to see how high my body fat is and for my size it's really not healthy at all to have body fat at 31%. At a lower level I'd be lighter/thinner anyway naturally so it's not just down to vanity but health

wllwsmmr

I'm the same height as you and currently lighter but I bet if we stood side by side we'd look very different and I'd look a lot heavier. I'm also a UK 10-12 at the moment.

Ah, okay, now I've read through more of the thread. Perhaps you have some genetic reason why you specifically "can't" respond well to my suggestions, but I'll say it anyway. Here goes...The reason that the two of you are the same height and you have larger inches on arms, thighs, etc (basically more fat), is because you have always pursued very low calorie dieting, in which your body consumes it's own muscle. You became "smaller" and "lighter" by losing muscle (and some fat). Then, when you started eating normally WITHOUT musclebuilding exercises, you replaced the lost muscle with fat. Fat takes up more space than muscle, so you are now measuring bigger in the arms, thighs, etc because (as you yourself pointed out), you have more fat there. You simply need to get your muscle back. That means BUILDING muscle, NOT CONSUMING it. You will need to eat enough protein daily and work very hard to build up your muscle (but not so hard as to injure yourself). THIS TAKES TIME!!!!!. That new muscle, combined with the newly formed fat, will make you bigger. But at the end of adding muscle, you will be able to successfully "cut" that fat...but not before (not easily anyway, and not without continuing to perpetuate the circumstances of muscleloss followed by "filling in" with fat). Hope you can do some further research and perhaps get some good professional help on this journey. i do believe that you can become like your boyfriend who eats as much as he likes and doesn't gain weight. But you need muscle and to EAT healthy to do that.

good luck to you!

OP, I find this is good advice. What you mentioned about how you lost weight in the past is through restricting calories severely and hence you should be focusing on resetting your metabolism now!! I have been there eating less than 1000cals a day and lost, but then found that I gain so easily!! Then after a few months of eating A LOT (albeit not intentionally), I find that now I am eating at least 2000-3000cals a day with about an hour of slow cardio and I'm still slowly but surely losing inches! Yes it took a long time but it sure is worth it

toutmonpossible

Just a couple of points:

Do you wear a heart rate monitor when working out? You might be over-estimating calories burned. If you are doing the same kind of workout month after month, your body will become more efficient and burn fewer calories. So check how many calories you are REALLY burning to keep things more accurate. Try new kinds of workouts if you get in a rut.

I went to a really tame aerobics/weights class a few weeks ago and was shocked to have muscle aches the next day - because I did some exercises I never usually do!

This is very true. I walked 20 miles for seven hours with only a break of a minute or two. I was still sore two days later. I walk a lot, but not 20 miles.

I use the heart rate monitor to tell me how fast my heart is beating during intense cardio and for nothing else. It helps during interval work. But it's not designed to estimate calorie burn, even if it purports to do so.

If you eat carefully, weighing and measuring if necessary, weigh yourself, use a semi-good method of estimating your body fat (I have a scale) consistently, that's all you need. Exercise is not essential for weight loss. Work out as much as you can, but don't sweat how many calories you're supposedly burning and never eat calories back.

JAT74

All well and good but not effective. Working out for 1 hour per day and 2 hours at weekends burns approx 2500 calories at my estimation therefore that's just over 350 per day. If you're saying to disregard that completely and simply go by what the body burns off without exercise then in that case I'd only be allowing myself 1600 per day total and in order to lose weight I'd then have to take off at least 500 cals from that figure to lose 1lb per week. That would only leave me with 1100 in total and I'm being slated for saying I'll eat 1250 per day!

Regarding the previous poster's comment about restricting calories and losing but eating more and gaining easily and then unintentionally eating a lot more for several months and losing inches what do you think I've been doing for 2.5 years?! I was restricting calories and losing 2 years ago and then ate more because I got slack and stopped calorie counting and gained weight, fat and inches! I never got to the point of being able to eat more and lose anything at all even though I went through months of training every day during the 2 years.

Now I listened to advice which told me to keep on eating mroe and surprise surprise I haven't been losing. The so called 'reset' didn't take place for me at all and I never reached the stage of being able to eat more and lose weight. So, for me the only option is lower calories.

cinbthin

OP, I have seen you post on other threads, and sometimes the same questions on multiple threads. Help me, help me, I can't seem to lose weight, what am I doing wrong, what should I do?? I tried this for a couple of weeks, I tried that for a couple of weeks, I followed this advice, that advice, none of it works. I workout this way, I work out that way, I am going to start changing my workout again. All of this since January 2013. We are now in May, and you haved switched your routine and calories so many times I don't think even you can keep track of all of your changes in the last four months. As several people have stated, try something, stick to it, and give it time. You keep continually asking for advice, but as others have pointed out on this thread, all you do is argue about the advice you are given. You have done this on all the other threads as well. I guess I don't understand why you keep asking for advice that you don't want and you only believe what you want to believe and follow your own program how you want to follow it. How's that working for you? As you can see, I don't normally even post, but I feel your threads are getting ridiculous!!