It is NOT that simple.

How long did you consume 1100 cals per day for and do you still have those tracking records?

Roughly a year, possibly more. But it was mostly processed foods--just smaller quantities.

Weightloss is magic

what makes you think you were overweight at 1100 calories a day?

Ummm... Being 235 lb. Am I understanding this question correctly? I was clinically obese and was only consuming 1100 cals a day. I increased my intake, but changed the quality of food, and lost 60 lb.

I think it is more likely you did not track properly

We need an eyeroll smiley.

Yes, because it is so impossible for me to have only consumed 1100 cals and be nearly 100lb oveweight. It MUST be that I just didn't track properly. And the part about losing 60 lbs when adding cals... that was a fluke, right??

Yes exactly I'm glad you understand now

How long did you consume 1100 cals per day for and do you still have those tracking records?

Roughly a year, possibly more. But it was mostly processed foods--just smaller quantities.

Weightloss is magic

what makes you think you were overweight at 1100 calories a day?

Ummm... Being 235 lb. Am I understanding this question correctly? I was clinically obese and was only consuming 1100 cals a day. I increased my intake, but changed the quality of food, and lost 60 lb.

I think it is more likely you did not track properly

We need an eyeroll smiley.

Yes, because it is so impossible for me to have only consumed 1100 cals and be nearly 100lb oveweight. It MUST be that I just didn't track properly. And the part about losing 60 lbs when adding cals... that was a fluke, right??

Not being confrontational, just wondering - did you exercise* whilst only eating 1100/day and getting fat (ter)???

*REALLY exercise?

You cannot be healthy when you eat fewer cals but all processed food; and you can be healthy by eating more cals of whole foods.

Um, stop overgeneralizing based on your own personal experiences. For some people it is that simple - for others, it's not.

pretty sure she was trying to tell other people to stop overgeneralizing. that was the entire point of her post and you missed it.

I think this is part of it. Most of the loudest cals-in/cals-out chanters are male. Being malnourished can absolutely change your rate of metabolism.

And for the bazillionth time, yes, I was eating only (on average, of course) 1100 cals/day, because I skipped breakfast, ate hardly anything for lunch (protein bar and a juice), and then the majority of my cals came from dinner, which was usually something that came out of a box. I was AFRAID to eat more, because I was overweight, and I avoided food as much as I could. I was not at a desk job, worked out, was otherwise fairly active (not sedentary), and still could not lose weight. I added cals, but changed the quality of food, and I lost 60lb in 5 months.

http://youtu.be/QHHzie6XRGk

I think this is part of it. Most of the loudest cals-in/cals-out chanters are male. Being malnourished can absolutely change your rate of metabolism.

And for the bazillionth time, yes, I was eating only (on average, of course) 1100 cals/day, because I skipped breakfast, ate hardly anything for lunch (protein bar and a juice), and then the majority of my cals came from dinner, which was usually something that came out of a box. I was AFRAID to eat more, because I was overweight, and I avoided food as much as I could. I was not at a desk job, worked out, was otherwise fairly active (not sedentary), and still could not lose weight. I added cals, but changed the quality of food, and I lost 60lb in 5 months.

It is that simple... your calories were too low, too quickly. You created such a deficit that you actually slowed your metabolism and thus hit a plateau.

Watch this video: http://youtu.be/QHHzie6XRGk

She has a medical condition (see page 8)...yeah..it's annoying and something the OP SHOULD have mentioned to start off with in the original post. :grumble:

So it isn't a wonder why when you choose to eat healthier (probably a better carb/fat/protein ratio) that you lost weight instead

I cannot believe that I check back on this thread to find out that the OP has both PCOS and thyroid disease and opted to leave that out of her original condescending rant. Forchrissakes. What a waste of everyone's time and effort.

/smh

How long did you consume 1100 cals per day for and do you still have those tracking records?

Roughly a year, possibly more. But it was mostly processed foods--just smaller quantities.

Weightloss is magic

what makes you think you were overweight at 1100 calories a day?

Ummm... Being 235 lb. Am I understanding this question correctly? I was clinically obese and was only consuming 1100 cals a day. I increased my intake, but changed the quality of food, and lost 60 lb.

I think it is more likely you did not track properly

exactly. if she was only eating 1100 calories a day, somehow she was burning fewer. you can't spontaneously create energy in the human body. if she was capable, scientists should be picking and prodding at her to find out how she is mystically creating more energy than she's consuming.

maybe she's a plant and was using photosynthesis and she didn't realize.

It "almost" is that simple. Isn't a human body pretty much a closed system to which principles of the "law of conservation of energy" would apply?

the food you eat has a certain amount of energy in it. the things you do in a day take a certain amount of energy to do. Add one, subtract the other, and you have a positive or a negative number. If it's positive you should gain weight. If it's negative you should lose weight.

The reason I say "almost" is because I am sure there are some other minor factors that tweak this simple formula somewhat. For example, what if your body, for whatever reason, is really good at extracting all the calories from some foods, but leaves a lot of calories on the table when you eat others?

As for whether the same number of "processed" calories will behave differently in your system than the same number of "whole" calories, I really doubt the effect is anything more than minor. You avoid processed foods not because the calories will behave differently in your body (as the OP suggested happened to her), but because they tend to have more fat, salt, and sugar, and because as lower protein, lower-fiber, addictive tasting foods, you'll tend to consume more of them before getting, or feeling, full, and therefore you'll take in more calories and sodium. But if that doesn't affect you and you can control yourself, then 1000 calories of crap SHOULD be the same as 1000 calories of whole foods. With very minor adjustments, if anything.

My own results and those of my wife clearly demonstrate this.

On page 1, the OP said "it is just a tiny piece of the puzzle". While I'm ready to admit that it likely isn't the whole puzzle itself, it is the largest piece and almost certainly larger than all other pieces combined.

It "almost" is that simple. Isn't a human body pretty much a closed system to which principles of the "law of conservation of energy" would apply?

the food you eat has a certain amount of energy in it. the things you do in a day take a certain amount of energy to do. Add one, subtract the other, and you have a positive or a negative number. If it's positive you should gain weight. If it's negative you should lose weight.

The reason I say "almost" is because I am sure there are some other minor factors that tweak this simple formula somewhat. For example, what if your body, for whatever reason, is really good at extracting all the calories from some foods, but leaves a lot of calories on the table when you eat others?

As for whether the same number of "processed" calories will behave differently in your system than the same number of "whole" calories, I really doubt the effect is anything more than minor. You avoid processed foods not because the calories will behave differently in your body (as the OP suggested happened to her), but because they tend to have more fat, salt, and sugar, and because as lower protein, lower-fiber, addictive tasting foods, you'll tend to consume more of them before getting, or feeling, full, and therefore you'll take in more calories and sodium. But if that doesn't affect you and you can control yourself, then 1000 calories of crap SHOULD be the same as 1000 calories of whole foods. With very minor adjustments, if anything.

My own results and those of my wife clearly demonstrate this.

On page 1, the OP said "it is just a tiny piece of the puzzle". While I'm ready to admit that it likely isn't the whole puzzle itself, it is the largest piece and almost certainly larger than all other pieces combined.