Eat More to Lose More? Really?

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jenay26
jenay26 Posts: 9 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I keep seeing posts about eating more calories to lose more and to use your TDEE. Has anyone really tried this? Is this really right? If I ate my TDEE calories that would be just over 2000 per day! I've read the topic by Helloitsdan (In Place of a Road Map 2.0) and I'm just curious if anyone has tried this with success. Maybe I figured it out wrong....
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  • Jaulen
    Jaulen Posts: 468 Member
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    You eat your TDEE -20%.

    Or you eat your BMR + exercise calories.

    That's my understanding.
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
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    Read it again. You're supposed to figure out your TDEE and eat 10-20% under that figure.
  • jonesin_am
    jonesin_am Posts: 404 Member
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    YES it does work and is more sustainable than a "diet". It's more of a lifestyle change and something I can continue with through my weight loss and even after I reach goal.

    But it is TDEE minus 20% (or whatever your goal is but no more than 20%). You eat AT TDEE when you are maintaining.
  • DrBroPHD
    DrBroPHD Posts: 245 Member
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    If eating more caused you to lose more I'd be emaciated
  • chimp517
    chimp517 Posts: 185 Member
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    If eating more caused you to lose more I'd be emaciated

    right on DrBro, haha
  • underwater77
    underwater77 Posts: 331 Member
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    If eating more caused you to lose more I'd be emaciated

    hahahaha


    i workout pretty hard everyday, so my TDEE -20% is something like 2600 cals/day. there is no way i could eat that if i tried while still eating healthy. i just stick with my appetite. i eat when i am hungry. i would be terrified to try to eat 2600 calories in a day.
  • estrange22
    estrange22 Posts: 210 Member
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    listen to Dan.
  • sarafil
    sarafil Posts: 506 Member
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    Yes, it works, if you are eating at TDEE minus 20%. You eat at TDEE if you want to maintain your weight.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    If eating more caused you to lose more I'd be emaciated

    hahahaha


    i workout pretty hard everyday, so my TDEE -20% is something like 2600 cals/day. there is no way i could eat that if i tried while still eating healthy. i just stick with my appetite. i eat when i am hungry. i would be terrified to try to eat 2600 calories in a day.

    Why would you be terrified to eat that much? That's how much I eat. It's easy. Wish I could eat more in fact.
  • seena511
    seena511 Posts: 685 Member
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    keep in mind that if you're basing your calorie intake off your TDEE (whether you're eating your TDEE exactly or TDEE-20%), you're not eating back your exercise calories. on the other hand i'm eating at around my BMR so i eat all my exercise calories back...at the end of the day i usually end up eating closer to 2000 total even though i've only got about 1500 net.
  • fiferize
    fiferize Posts: 141
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    eat more to lose more doesnt mean eat lots and lots more calories. it means that you need to eat smaller meals more often. Time intervals should be more like no more than 4 hours apart. I had Dr. in a wt loss clinic tell me that eating some small amount of protein every few hours helps keep the hunger under control and helps keep your blood sugar from spiking which in turn causes insulin issues. Good luck with your journey. You will get lots of advice from your peeps here, but do whats right and working for you!
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    Yes! I'm at 1800+ calories a day, losing fat and inches and needing to buy new jeans AGAIN because my 4's are getting loose. Food is fuel!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • Micahroni84
    Micahroni84 Posts: 452 Member
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    I was a skeptic but i tried it last year before falling off the wagon completely. Yes, it works. Before i was losing about a pound a week, after 2-3 pounds. Now that Im back in the game I'm trying to remember this. Its hard to work out and then eat back those calories but it works. You may have to tweak it a bit to find a good number for you though so it does take patience.
  • Ely82010
    Ely82010 Posts: 1,998 Member
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    Yes, it works, if you are eating at TDEE minus 20%. You eat at TDEE if you want to maintain your weight.

    Not really. I am on maintenance and I don't eat at TDEE. I eat around 10 to 15% below, and doing fine.
  • Noor13
    Noor13 Posts: 964 Member
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    I was eating 2600 (increased from 2400) for the last two and a half weeks (trying to do my first bulk) and as of last week I was losing 2 lbs. The metabolism adapts to what you put it through. A year ago I would live off 1200 kcal and gain if I ate more.
    I revved up my metabolism by doing a reset for about 16 weeks. Yes I initially gained some lbs. but in combination with lifting heavy it worked out to my advantage.

    If you work out hard, you have to fuel your body. And the 2600 kcal I eat are clean. I do not eat junk of any kind.
  • Katbody10
    Katbody10 Posts: 369 Member
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    If eating more caused you to lose more I'd be emaciated

    lmao .. me too! :drinker:
  • juicemoogan
    juicemoogan Posts: 999 Member
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    Largest group on MFP cant be wrong.

    The "more" is relative.

    Read the details first.. join the group..
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,583 Member
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    eat more to lose more doesnt mean eat lots and lots more calories. it means that you need to eat smaller meals more often. Time intervals should be more like no more than 4 hours apart. I had Dr. in a wt loss clinic tell me that eating some small amount of protein every few hours helps keep the hunger under control and helps keep your blood sugar from spiking which in turn causes insulin issues. Good luck with your journey. You will get lots of advice from your peeps here, but do whats right and working for you!

    no.

    Eating more is not just that.

    Also, OP, YES.. it works.
  • 52in13
    52in13 Posts: 38 Member
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    a lot of people have lost weight with Helloitsdan's advice, but I couldn't bring myself to try. Too scared of gaining instead.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,583 Member
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    a lot of people have lost weight with Helloitsdan's advice, but I couldn't bring myself to try. Too scared of gaining instead.

    Yeah, I was too. Then I realized that if I was eating under my BMR, I wasn't doing myself any favors. You can't expect a car to keep rolling without gas in the tank.

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