Why Can Some Dieters Eat More?

There are soooooo many factors that go into weight loss

1 - % of muscle to fat - if you have a lower body fat to muscle ratio you will burn more calories at rest - this is why you can have 2 people who weigh say 150 lbs...if one had a body fat % of 20% and another has a body fat % of 30% - the one at 20% can eat more and maintain or loose weight...

2 - how your body responds and break down nutritional components - one of those - not the calorie but the fuel itself. Some people do very well with a balance of carbs, fats and protiens - others do better on a lower carb diet.

3 - movement - if you expend a lot of calories you can eat more calories - the problem comes into that some people dont' accurately calculate the calories burned. I have a friend who bragged she burned 400 calories at the gym...until i pointed she drank almost a half gallon of sweet tea as she was working out - she told me it was tea and didn't have any calories - I had to tell her to read the nutritional label (100 calories per 8 ounces)...she didn't burn jack....and I watched her work out - there is no way she burned 400 calories

4 - if you are quite overweight your body needs more calories on a daily basis to function - this is why it is better to eat more the more you have to loose...then you adjust as you loose weight.

There are so many different factors you really have to sort of try a few different things and see if it works for you...and by try I mean do something for at least 30 days to evaluate if it is working for you... I am constantly amazed at people who try something for a week and then say "oh it doesn't work for me"

Higher activity level.

Because I'm 6'1" and a man. Short women definitely get the short end of the stick.

I see what you did there :laugh:

Genetics, amount of lean body mass, and activity level

I see such a variety of calorie intakes here with people who are losing weight. For those of you who are eating 2,000 or more calories a day and still losing weight, what's your secret? What do you think you're doing that allows you to eat so much more than other dieters?

A lot of people have opted to lose their weight at a slow pace so they are not eating in such a restricted deficit. Other people maybe doing strenuous workouts that burn a ton of calories which allows them to eat more as well. And then there is the 20% less your TDEE method which will generally give you more calories to work with than MFP.

One way is if you are very large and don't choose the most drastic approach that you can find. Most people immediately jump on either choosing 2 lbs per week loss or manually set their budget to 1200 because they think it will make it all happen faster. A large, young man will have a calorie intake of well over 2,000 calories a day even at a deficit.

This sounds about right. It tends to be more about taking a cut from your BMR vs the generic MFP numbers.

A lot of it also comes down to our BMR (Base Metabolic Rate) and TDEE.(Totall Daily Energy Expenditure).

I USED to eat just 1800 -1900 Cals a day, knowing it way below my usual expenditures, and thought I could lose. I was in fact slowing to a crawl. Then I read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Now? I eat at 2450 Cals a day, still in deficit, and my body is burning at a regular rate now. Granted, not everyone's body burns the same. However, 2450 (and adjusted lower as my weight drops), I can eat what I like, how I like, as long as I keep my cals and macros in check!

Burger, anyone?

Our secret is that we calculated our TDEE and took a 20% cut from that, instead of just relying on MFP numbers.

This. I choose a number between my BMR and TDEE and use that instead of the major deficit that MFP gives me.

Higher activity level.

Not necessarily. I sit at a computer all day. Yes, I exercise 5-6 times a week but at least 3 of those are strength training sessions which don't burn all that much during, and most of my cardio is shorter HIIT sessions.

I eat 1900 to lose (10% cut as I don't have heaps to lose and want to retain as much LBM as possible while cutting).

Oh, and wizardry.

It depends on what your goals are. If you have a huge deficit, you'll drop weight really quickly and lose LBM with it. And then don't forget you'll probably put it all back on when you start eating "normally" again. If you have a small deficit, you can still eat heaps and enjoy the slow ride. I'm in this for the long run and I love food far too much.

So this "secret", like all the other posters have said: I know my TDEE, and I cut at a small deficit.