How do I Eat More To Weigh Less??

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JennKoz529
JennKoz529 Posts: 144 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So, I've seen a lot of post / comments about eating more to weigh less. So I poss a few questions. I am new to all this and just looking for some answers......

1. I am 5'2 and really should only be eating 1200 calories a day.....so how do I eat more to weigh less with calorie restrictions???

2. What should I be eating????

3. Does this really work? Success stories please (and no fake ones)....

Thank you for all your help!!!! :smile:
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Replies

  • JennKoz529
    JennKoz529 Posts: 144 Member
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    Bump....I'm still looking for answers!!!!!
  • madmickie
    madmickie Posts: 221 Member
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    I'd like to hear the answer to this too. I'm in the energy in/energy out camp - eat more than you need and you WILL put on weight - eat less than you need and you WILL lose weight.

    Some will talk about lean mass and starvation mode and metabolism ebla bla.

    "Eat more to lose weight" is pure bollocks
  • AbbyCar
    AbbyCar Posts: 198 Member
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    Bump
  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
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    Go into the tools section of the website and find the BMR calculator. You want to be eating above that number because it's the minimum people of your gender, height, and weight need for all of the body's basic functions (heart beating, digestion, breathing, whatever spleens do, etc.).

    Eat More to Weigh Less is really designed to combat the idea that you can keep on restricting calories further and further, and this will help your weight loss. In reality, it's more of a diminishing returns kind of thing: as you restrict further are further, your body gets more concerned about how little you are eating, and reduces your metabolism rate. This can lead to stagnated weight loss.

    That said, there's no way you can eat more calories than you burn to lose weight. :)

    You might want to check out the group for more info.
  • 2BhappyBhealthy
    2BhappyBhealthy Posts: 181 Member
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    Bump!

    I would ALSO like to understand this. The closest I have come to accomplishing anything like this is by having a "cheat day" and then handling it appropriately afterwards (with meal and workout choices). It actually got me off a plateau. But it wouldn't work if I did that frequently...
  • endureandpersist
    endureandpersist Posts: 59 Member
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    Everybody is different. There are no cookie cutter plans that work with everyone. I can tell you that after years of eating more, and of the "right" things, I didn't lose an ounce. But now, just cutting back on my caloric intake, I've lost around 22lbs. THAT works for me. You need to find what works for you.
  • nixirain
    nixirain Posts: 448 Member
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    Go to groups and search eat more to weigh less. Then read all the stickies. They should answer all your questions.
  • rcs7058
    rcs7058 Posts: 25
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    Bump
  • cherrytulips
    cherrytulips Posts: 109
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    when i eat more, i gain more. plain & simple. even if i go from1200cal to 1800cal... i still seem to put on lbs
  • gatorginger
    gatorginger Posts: 947 Member
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    Here is my journey and how eating more has helped me lose

    My Journey
    2/27/12 started with myfitnesspal at 146 pounds eating 1000 calories a day

    5/25/12 weighing in at 128.8 increased my calories to 1100 a day

    6/8/12 weighing in at 126.4 increased my calories to 1200 a day

    7/6/12 weighing in at 124.8 increased my calories to 1300 a day

    7/20/12 weighing in at 124.6 increased my calories to 1400 a day

    8/3/12 weighing in at 124.4 increased my calories to 1500 a day





    6/11/12 started doing 20 lunges to tone my legs every day but one

    6/13/12 started doing arm lifts 3 sets of 10 every other day

    I walk about 25 minutes 4 times a week

    I will be increasing again either this Friday or next (due to just getting back from vacation or I would have already increased it again)
  • RobynMWilson
    RobynMWilson Posts: 1,540 Member
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    I'd like to hear the answer to this too. I'm in the energy in/energy out camp - eat more than you need and you WILL put on weight - eat less than you need and you WILL lose weight.

    Some will talk about lean mass and starvation mode and metabolism ebla bla.

    "Eat more to lose weight" is pure bollocks

    Look at my pix...I eat 2000 cals per day on workout days and I'm 40 yrs old. No bullocks here lol. Friend me and look at my diary...I eat all throughout the day and primarily the "good" foods...
  • autumnk921
    autumnk921 Posts: 1,376 Member
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    Here is a link to the EM2WL group:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less

    There is tons of information & plenty of people who will help you in any way!! Check out the videos as well - they really explain a whole lot!! Best of luck to you!!:flowerforyou:

    ETA: To put it VERY basically for now: You just calculate your BMR & TDEE, then you eat between those 2 numbers to make sure that you are fueling your body enough to be healthy but still lose the weight. The stickies/videos will definitely give more detail for you.
  • madmickie
    madmickie Posts: 221 Member
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    Everybody is different. There are no cookie cutter plans that work with everyone. I can tell you that after years of eating more, and of the "right" things, I didn't lose an ounce. But now, just cutting back on my caloric intake, I've lost around 22lbs. THAT works for me. You need to find what works for you.

    THAT works for everyone
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    The idea is you eat more than a big deficit goal would give you, like selecting sedentary and 2lb weight loss goal and exercising a lot and not eating those calories back.
    But you still eat less than your maintenance level.

    You of course don't eat more than you used to eat.

    It was a probably poorly worded phrase in response to what I described above, big huge deficit compared to what you used to eat, wondering why weight loss slows down or stops after 6-8 weeks, and stalls for months - which many people find when taking big deficits.

    Most people seem to accept as fact, than when they select sedentary as activity level outside exercise, that the computed value (1.25 x BMR) must therefore be fact. Usually is no where near fact. But they would have no idea.

    Very rare is the person that actually logs what they used to eat when they maintained their undesired weight.

    That would be maintenance for that level of exercise.
  • AshleyG31
    AshleyG31 Posts: 21
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    I'm in your same situation. Its more of the good stuff such as proteins and veggies that will help or at least that is what has helped me. Im gonna go look at the suggested stickies to find out more too. Good Luck!
  • Chipmunk222
    Chipmunk222 Posts: 240 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 3,019 Member
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    i would like to know too. all i know is when i started on here mfp set me at 1200 cals. I was losing slowly but losing. i am also 5.2ft. it worked for 2-2.5 months then i hit plateau. then i found out about bmr. and at that time it was 110 cals more then 1200, so i ate that as my base amount min, normally between 1400-1500 as i was suggested by so many and not to net under my bmr. . I started to lose again. now i am stuck again a few months later so i guess i am having to back lower as i have been gaining ... guess my body got adjusted to the higher amount and now i need to shock it again?
  • l_beakley
    l_beakley Posts: 48
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    Not eating enough can force your body into starvation mode. Sure, you'll lose weight up front but eventually the more you restrict the more your body holds on to EVERY bit of food it gets because it doesn't know when it will be fed again. Simply put, food is fuel for your body. Feed it, burn the fuel & you lose weight. Simple! I lost 10 pounds fast at 1200 calories then nothing. I upped my calories based on a calorie calculator & began losing again. Do what works for you but keep in mind you HAVE to eat.
  • SnapNTurtle
    SnapNTurtle Posts: 2
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    I was skeptical when I was told to snack during meals. I have always gained by snacking . . . but that's because I had the wrong snacks. Eat a good healthy breakfast. I like Kashi Go Lean cereal with fresh fruit - either a banana or strawberries. I also love eggs, so when I have the time, I scramble up one full egg with 2 egg whites, 1 oz of 2% shredded sharp cheddar cheese, tomatoes & spinach. I have a whole wheat English muffin and an orange with it. It's very filling once you get used to eating less. For a snack, I love my carrots and hummus. I can either have 10 carrots with 3 tbsp of hummus or 10 carrots with 2 tbsp hummus with 1 oz of cheese (2 oz if it's 2% cheese). Once in a while, I'll trade that up with a Greek yogurt with fresh fruit or 20 peanuts. I found that eating protein/fiber bars end up putting the weight back on, so I try to stay fresh on everything.

    So good snacking between meals is the key to eating more and still loosing. Veggies are always a freebie. If you don't like carrots, you can eat celery, which has no calories at all, but very healthy for you.

    Hope that helps.
  • Chipmunk222
    Chipmunk222 Posts: 240 Member
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    Everybody is different. There are no cookie cutter plans that work with everyone. I can tell you that after years of eating more, and of the "right" things, I didn't lose an ounce. But now, just cutting back on my caloric intake, I've lost around 22lbs. THAT works for me. You need to find what works for you.

    THAT works for everyone


    Not Hardly

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