Eat More to Weigh Less? I THINK NOT!
Replies
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You could just forget the technical crap and just eat when your body tells you to. I don't particularly believe the "eat more weigh less" stuff people on this site say.
you're too literal. In a way, eat more to weigh less agrees with eating when you are hungry.
I tried 1200. I was hungry. so i ATE MORE. and now I weigh less. How can you disagree with that??
How in the world does that agree with eating when you're hungry? Maybe some people just don't eat a lot and they are okay on 1200 calories a day? I'm sure everyone doesn't eat the exact same things every day, so that number can change. That's why I say just eat when you get hungry. You ate more, and you lost weight, that's great. But, shocker, not everyone is you.
If you only ate when you are hungry, why are you here with weight to lose? Do you honestly think that we all know how to "listen" to our bodies properly? There are plenty of overweight people out there that under eat consistently and it keeps their metabolisms not functioning properly.0 -
If you are losing weight at 1 pound per week and up your calories ~500 calories a day, that will negate your previous calorie deficit and you would oestensibly stay at the same weight. (500 calories * 7 days = 3500 calories = 1 pound)0
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I've been losing weight since 2009. Lost 32 pounds since then. And during that time, I ate around 1200 maybe a little more and worked out and I've seen huge changes. And I didn't log on here every single day during that time. Now, all of a sudden since I joined the military, I am struggling to lose weight. I've tried to consistently log on here since then. I don't know why it's changing. I tried going back to what I did, but to no avail. So now I'm just a little lost. I might try and find my "sweet spot" like some people are saying.0
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You could just forget the technical crap and just eat when your body tells you to. I don't particularly believe the "eat more weigh less" stuff people on this site say.
you're too literal. In a way, eat more to weigh less agrees with eating when you are hungry.
I tried 1200. I was hungry. so i ATE MORE. and now I weigh less. How can you disagree with that??
How in the world does that agree with eating when you're hungry? Maybe some people just don't eat a lot and they are okay on 1200 calories a day? I'm sure everyone doesn't eat the exact same things every day, so that number can change. That's why I say just eat when you get hungry. You ate more, and you lost weight, that's great. But, shocker, not everyone is you.
If you only ate when you are hungry, why are you here with weight to lose? Do you honestly think that we all know how to "listen" to our bodies properly? There are plenty of overweight people out there that under eat consistently and it keeps their metabolisms not functioning properly.
Your assuming I'm done, and I don't have other crap I deal with and I'm perfect. Not the case. Are you looking to argue with me? Because I'm not trying to make anyone agree with me. I put my opinion on here and now I'm getting attacked (as usual) because people think because I don't do what they do I'm wrong. I'm not arguing with you. Disagree with me, fine, but I really don't give a rats butt what you have to say about it. Everyone is different and different things work for different people.0 -
Bump. Having similar problems.
bump me also.0 -
It's always different for everyone. For the past three months I've been eating about 2800 cals a day and lifting heavy 6 days a week. I've gained 6lbs of muscle and lost 2% body fat. So am I heavier? yes. But my pants are looser, shirts are tighter, and I feel way better. The scale is not the best way to judge success.
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I thought the same thing. Have you measured yourself. I actually had gained 6 lbs but have lost 2 inches off my waist and hips. You should read this to better understand what you need to be eating.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/937712-in-place-of-a-road-map-ver-3-00 -
You could just forget the technical crap and just eat when your body tells you to. I don't particularly believe the "eat more weigh less" stuff people on this site say.
you're too literal. In a way, eat more to weigh less agrees with eating when you are hungry.
I tried 1200. I was hungry. so i ATE MORE. and now I weigh less. How can you disagree with that??
How in the world does that agree with eating when you're hungry? Maybe some people just don't eat a lot and they are okay on 1200 calories a day? I'm sure everyone doesn't eat the exact same things every day, so that number can change. That's why I say just eat when you get hungry. You ate more, and you lost weight, that's great. But, shocker, not everyone is you.
This is far too oversimplified.
Hunger isn't always a reliable indicator.
Anorexics often don't experience hunger and they are literally starving. Some obese people feel constant hunger and they do need to eat.
Consistently under eating can affect hunger signals. Consistently under eating can have a negative impact on metabolism, which can make it harder to maintain when you reach goal.
The idea of eating more to weigh less is not to eat tons of food, it is to eat enough food that you avoid excess muscle loss and to minimize the effect dieting has on your metabolism while still losing weight.
But that isn't even the issue on this topic. OP did not even attempt to try the eat more to weigh less.0 -
You could just forget the technical crap and just eat when your body tells you to. I don't particularly believe the "eat more weigh less" stuff people on this site say.
you're too literal. In a way, eat more to weigh less agrees with eating when you are hungry.
I tried 1200. I was hungry. so i ATE MORE. and now I weigh less. How can you disagree with that??
How in the world does that agree with eating when you're hungry? Maybe some people just don't eat a lot and they are okay on 1200 calories a day? I'm sure everyone doesn't eat the exact same things every day, so that number can change. That's why I say just eat when you get hungry. You ate more, and you lost weight, that's great. But, shocker, not everyone is you.
This is far too oversimplified.
Hunger isn't always a reliable indicator.
Anorexics often don't experience hunger and they are literally starving. Some obese people feel constant hunger and they do need to eat.
Consistently under eating can affect hunger signals. Consistently under eating can have a negative impact on metabolism, which can make it harder to maintain when you reach goal.
The idea of eating more to weigh less is not to eat tons of food, it is to eat enough food that you avoid excess muscle loss and to minimize the effect dieting has on your metabolism while still losing weight.
But that isn't even the issue on this topic. OP did not even attempt to try the eat more to weigh less.
Like I've been saying, everyone is different. I put in my opinion. Jesus christ the people on this site....0 -
Well I can tell you with my experience I like to jump around with my calories so one time I might eat 2000 calories and at another time I might only eat 1300 When I workout I base my calories I want to burn on what I want to eat. I also think it depends on how hard you workout. If you are burning over a 1000 cals a wokrout you should have no problem eating more and dropping the weight. I just recently increased my cal goal cause i started weight training again plus i am at my weight goal right now. So not to worried about losing weight just trying to maintain and gain muscle. I hope you find something that works for you. Good luck!0
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I've never heard that. Before I do anything, I mention it to my grandmother or an elder. If they have never heard of it, it is simply fabricated. Go back to what was working for you before. I am not sure what you are preparing for, but don't be a nervous wreck. Get yourself straight and try again.
And, it is very important to log in everyday. Ecspecially, if you are working towards a goal.
What? You ask an elder if they have heard of something and if they haven't you dismiss it outright as fabrication? Ok then.0 -
I'm in agreement with those that have said you increased your calories too quickly. Your body had adjusted to the lower calories and you would have needed to gradually increase to the higher level instead of all at once.
I posted this in another thread yesterday, but it gives a very good explanation of how this works.
http://youtu.be/QHHzie6XRGk
ETA: Have you checked other measurements to see if you are losing inches?0 -
I mean...3dogsrunning has given you the best advice and you're not listening. Buy a food scale. Measure your own food. Log every single thing you eat and drink. Stop eating out or at friends' houses, or offer to cook for them yourself so you know what you're making and how much you're eating. If you do eat out, you have to find similar foods and log them, estimating on the high side. It's really not complicated.0
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You could just forget the technical crap and just eat when your body tells you to. I don't particularly believe the "eat more weigh less" stuff people on this site say.
you're too literal. In a way, eat more to weigh less agrees with eating when you are hungry.
I tried 1200. I was hungry. so i ATE MORE. and now I weigh less. How can you disagree with that??
How in the world does that agree with eating when you're hungry? Maybe some people just don't eat a lot and they are okay on 1200 calories a day? I'm sure everyone doesn't eat the exact same things every day, so that number can change. That's why I say just eat when you get hungry. You ate more, and you lost weight, that's great. But, shocker, not everyone is you.
This is far too oversimplified.
Hunger isn't always a reliable indicator.
Anorexics often don't experience hunger and they are literally starving. Some obese people feel constant hunger and they do need to eat.
Consistently under eating can affect hunger signals. Consistently under eating can have a negative impact on metabolism, which can make it harder to maintain when you reach goal.
The idea of eating more to weigh less is not to eat tons of food, it is to eat enough food that you avoid excess muscle loss and to minimize the effect dieting has on your metabolism while still losing weight.
But that isn't even the issue on this topic. OP did not even attempt to try the eat more to weigh less.
Are you serious? Just because I didn't log it you're suggesting I haven't eaten more? You couldn't be anymore wrong. I DID eat more. And it felt great. Did I lose weight? No. I pretty much stayed the same. I understand you are trying to help but I know what I ate and how much even if it's not in the log.0 -
So I took the advice from people here and I upped my calories by 480 (to 1680) because apparently I should be eating more so I can lose weight. I have been doing this for a couple of weeks now and NOTHING HAS HAPPENED. I weigh exactly the same if not a pound or 2 more. I've been going to the gym and doing cardio mixed with some weight training on certain days and I even try to get some workouts in while I'm at work. I've been trying to do this because I have weigh ins coming up and I'm now about 5 pounds over my maximum weight and now I'm scrambling to drop it before then. My TDEE is around 2400 and my BMR is somewhere around 1600. So I've been eating as much as I should. This is going to sound bad but since I'm now in a rush to lose these 5 pounds that I gained by trying to eat right and up my calories I don't have time for this. I need to drop this ASAP so I don't fail my PFA. If you think you can help, please, by all means. My diary is open but be warned I have not logged since around 26 MAR because I didn't think it was working. And before anyone says that I gained the weight because I haven't logged that's not true. I've weighed this for the past like 3-4 weeks. WTF.
Honestly-it could be as simple as not eating 3 hours before bedtime. For me this is very difficult but has always given me weight loss when I've done it.0 -
You could just forget the technical crap and just eat when your body tells you to. I don't particularly believe the "eat more weigh less" stuff people on this site say.
you're too literal. In a way, eat more to weigh less agrees with eating when you are hungry.
I tried 1200. I was hungry. so i ATE MORE. and now I weigh less. How can you disagree with that??
How in the world does that agree with eating when you're hungry? Maybe some people just don't eat a lot and they are okay on 1200 calories a day? I'm sure everyone doesn't eat the exact same things every day, so that number can change. That's why I say just eat when you get hungry. You ate more, and you lost weight, that's great. But, shocker, not everyone is you.
This is far too oversimplified.
Hunger isn't always a reliable indicator.
Anorexics often don't experience hunger and they are literally starving. Some obese people feel constant hunger and they do need to eat.
Consistently under eating can affect hunger signals. Consistently under eating can have a negative impact on metabolism, which can make it harder to maintain when you reach goal.
The idea of eating more to weigh less is not to eat tons of food, it is to eat enough food that you avoid excess muscle loss and to minimize the effect dieting has on your metabolism while still losing weight.
But that isn't even the issue on this topic. OP did not even attempt to try the eat more to weigh less.
Are you serious? Just because I didn't log it you're suggesting I haven't eaten more? You couldn't be anymore wrong. I DID eat more. And it felt great. Did I lose weight? No. I pretty much stayed the same. I understand you are trying to help but I know what I ate and how much even if it's not in the log.
I wasn't referring to you about the hunger part.
The last line I did. I don't understand how you can know how much you were eating when you weren't logging. You said yourself you didn't know how much some of your meals were.
If you know what you ate fine. Like I said I'm done giving you advice. I just hate to see people avoid the EMTWL because you feel that is the reason you aren't losing when you aren't logging consistently. I said I was out, I shouldn't have come back. Curiousity kills the cat.0 -
its always worked for me BUT i always drop back down after a week. plus if you are working out you are probably gaining weight but loosing fat. muscle weighs more than fat. measureing yourself is a better way to gauge your sucess. ditch the scale. also the KINDS of calories you are getting make a big difference. if you increase calories with junk... of course it wont work. but if you increase your calories with good foods high in protien low in carbs and fat.. it WILL work.
the fact of the matter is... do what works for you and stop focusing on the scale. focuse on how you feel and what your measurements are.0 -
If you want ALL guess work to be removed from the equation the get either a BodyBugg or a BodyMedia FIT armband and keep your daily deficit at 500 or 1000 calories, probably 500 for you. That's 1lb/week loss. You'll be surprised how inaccurate most people are at calculating their daily burn vs. intake. Gym machines are extremely inaccurate at caloric burns.
What's nice is you can adjust your intake daily by the projected daily burn. So on your 'off' days you can adjust your intake to stay at your deficit and on your 'on' days you can increase your intake because of the increased burn. This also will avoid a plateau since you will be increasing/decreasing your caloric intake daily instead of constantly eating the same amount daily whether you work out or not.
I love mine and it has made a major difference. Once I started using it my 'plateau' immediately broke and I lost 5lbs in 2 weeks. I found that I was eating just over maintenance which was keeping me stalled. Now I just keep my deficit at 1000-1200 calories/day and the weight is falling off.
Also keep in mind if you are only 5 pounds over your ideal weight it will come off very slowly.0 -
I've been losing weight since 2009. Lost 32 pounds since then. And during that time, I ate around 1200 maybe a little more and worked out and I've seen huge changes. And I didn't log on here every single day during that time. Now, all of a sudden since I joined the military, I am struggling to lose weight. I've tried to consistently log on here since then. I don't know why it's changing. I tried going back to what I did, but to no avail. So now I'm just a little lost. I might try and find my "sweet spot" like some people are saying.
Your sweet spot changes. You are now 11 pounds from goal according to your ticker. What worked before isn't going to work now, and unfortunately the amount you are able to lose per week decreases. You need to aim for no more than half a pound per week.0 -
You could just forget the technical crap and just eat when your body tells you to. I don't particularly believe the "eat more weigh less" stuff people on this site say.
I tried that once... My hair fell out, my skin was horrible and my nails were brittle.
Dont forget the technical crap, because that can be very detrimental to your body.0 -
The 5 pounds may be muscle.. When you add weight training in the mix you're losing weight by inches and not by pounds b/c muscle is heavier then fat so you cannot go my the scale really, you have to measure yourself and go by how your clothes fit. Weight training tightens up so you're not lose and flabby which is a good thing! So it's probably just muscle gain that you're seeing on the scale. Also, eating more can help you lose weight b/c if you eat 5 to 6 times a day which is about every 2 to 3 hours, small and healthy portions of food this process speeds up your metabolism so it's not just what you eat and how much, but also how often. I promise I can speak from personal experience that you can lose weight by eating more often. Good Luck!0
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Honestly, around here I think people worry way too much about "starvation mode". According to my research, it simply doesn't happen until calories drop to around 500. At levels around 1000-1200, your metabolic rate will drop from 14-22%, and that is nothing to worry about for most people. It won't make your body hold onto every ounce of fat, and you most definitely will not gain weight because of metabolic slow-down. Those are urban myths except for the very rare snowflake. You might, however, be cranky and tired, so if you can find a calorie level that leaves you satisfied and allows you to drop weight - even better for going the distance some of us have to go to get to a healthy weight.0
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So I took the advice from people here and I upped my calories by 480 (to 1680) because apparently I should be eating more so I can lose weight. I have been doing this for a couple of weeks now and NOTHING HAS HAPPENED. I weigh exactly the same if not a pound or 2 more. I've been going to the gym and doing cardio mixed with some weight training on certain days and I even try to get some workouts in while I'm at work. I've been trying to do this because I have weigh ins coming up and I'm now about 5 pounds over my maximum weight and now I'm scrambling to drop it before then. My TDEE is around 2400 and my BMR is somewhere around 1600. So I've been eating as much as I should. This is going to sound bad but since I'm now in a rush to lose these 5 pounds that I gained by trying to eat right and up my calories I don't have time for this. I need to drop this ASAP so I don't fail my PFA. If you think you can help, please, by all means. My diary is open but be warned I have not logged since around 26 MAR because I didn't think it was working. And before anyone says that I gained the weight because I haven't logged that's not true. I've weighed this for the past like 3-4 weeks. WTF.
My numbers did not start dropping until i got a more accurate count of my calories burned. I 1st invested in a Heart Rate Monitor and didn't just go by what the machine said or by the MFP estimates alone. Now I live by the BodyMedia Fit armband and occasionally it has to adjust my calorie burn down because MFP or Runtastic has over estimated my burn. I strive for a daily 1200 calorie burn Mon-Thurs cause i know i don't alway make the best food choices on the weekend and I'd achieve that if i only went by the MFP or Runtastic estimates.
MY EXPERIENCE....
You have to log...unless you eat the same thing (same amount) every day
Weigh foods that aren't already portioned out so you know exactly how many servings you're eatin
Drink plenty of water
Every now and then change those calories so your body won't get use to the same old
Invest in a HRM (at minimum) to get a better account of your calorie burn
Good luck to you! :flowerforyou:0 -
Honestly, if you are "weight training" assuming that's heavy lifting, you actually shoud be eating more than you say you are.
But yeah, I think it's probably just water retention or you gaining muscle.. get a HRM if you don't have one already, work hard and relax.0 -
You need to give it more time and be as accurate as you possibly can before you say it doesn't work. That means not eating things that you don't know the calorie content of. If you are guessing and ball parking, then you can't possibly know how close to your daily goal you really are.
There is no magic to juicing or any other fad.
In principle of course this is true but if you need to do something for a 1x weigh in than the only way to do it is by fasting i.e. 5.2 diet or juicing. Something dramatic just for the weigh in and then you need to find the right formula for you. Good luck!0 -
Honestly, around here I think people worry way too much about "starvation mode". According to my research, it simply doesn't happen until calories drop to around 500. At levels around 1000-1200, your metabolic rate will drop from 14-22%, and that is nothing to worry about for most people. It won't make your body hold onto every ounce of fat, and you most definitely will not gain weight because of metabolic slow-down. Those are urban myths except for the very rare snowflake. You might, however, be cranky and tired, so if you can find a calorie level that leaves you satisfied and allows you to drop weight - even better for going the distance some of us have to go to get to a healthy weight.
I did find that when I ate 1200, I was a lot more tired.If you want ALL guess work to be removed from the equation the get either a BodyBugg or a BodyMedia FIT armband and keep your daily deficit at 500 or 1000 calories, probably 500 for you. That's 1lb/week loss. You'll be surprised how inaccurate most people are at calculating their daily burn vs. intake. Gym machines are extremely inaccurate at caloric burns.
I was thinking about getting one of these. I did spinning yesterday and it told me that I burned 452 calories in an hour. At first I was like SWEET! But then I realized it didn't ask for my weight or anything. I did see a lot of people with watches and arm/waist bands at Spinning so I think I'm going to invest in one 0 -
You could just forget the technical crap and just eat when your body tells you to. I don't particularly believe the "eat more weigh less" stuff people on this site say.
you're too literal. In a way, eat more to weigh less agrees with eating when you are hungry.
I tried 1200. I was hungry. so i ATE MORE. and now I weigh less. How can you disagree with that??
How in the world does that agree with eating when you're hungry? Maybe some people just don't eat a lot and they are okay on 1200 calories a day? I'm sure everyone doesn't eat the exact same things every day, so that number can change. That's why I say just eat when you get hungry. You ate more, and you lost weight, that's great. But, shocker, not everyone is you.
This is far too oversimplified.
Hunger isn't always a reliable indicator.
Anorexics often don't experience hunger and they are literally starving. Some obese people feel constant hunger and they do need to eat.
Consistently under eating can affect hunger signals. Consistently under eating can have a negative impact on metabolism, which can make it harder to maintain when you reach goal.
The idea of eating more to weigh less is not to eat tons of food, it is to eat enough food that you avoid excess muscle loss and to minimize the effect dieting has on your metabolism while still losing weight.
But that isn't even the issue on this topic. OP did not even attempt to try the eat more to weigh less.
Are you serious? Just because I didn't log it you're suggesting I haven't eaten more? You couldn't be anymore wrong. I DID eat more. And it felt great. Did I lose weight? No. I pretty much stayed the same. I understand you are trying to help but I know what I ate and how much even if it's not in the log.
I wasn't referring to you about the hunger part.
The last line I did. I don't understand how you can know how much you were eating when you weren't logging. You said yourself you didn't know how much some of your meals were.
If you know what you ate fine. Like I said I'm done giving you advice. I just hate to see people avoid the EMTWL because you feel that is the reason you aren't losing when you aren't logging consistently. I said I was out, I shouldn't have come back. Curiousity kills the cat.
3dogs is giving you the best advice in this thread--you should really thank her and think about what she's saying. You have to consistently log your calories or you simply have no idea what the numbers are, period. You can't say you tried EM2WL and it didn't work when you didn't follow the program. Follow the program as stated (not your own bizarre version of it) for a month or two and see what happens. Perhaps it will work for you, too.
If you refuse to consistently and accurately log your food intake, I'm not sure how anyone can advise or help you. It's impossible for anyone to estimate what your empty food logs may or may not total. And who knows how many calories you possibly burned...it's all very mysterious.
My suggestion is that you really buckle down, track everything accurately, and see what happens.0 -
I'd say do what you know works for you... If you're comfortable eating around 1200, and it doesn't seem to be giving you any negative side effects, then go for it... For me, if I eat 1200 a day, I put on weight unless I exercise all day, because my metabolism is wrecked, even though I "should" be eating around 2000.
It would really help if you logged more accurately, though. From what I've read you're a little spotty some days, and it's a good idea to try and log everything (sometimes I get too lazy to put in everything and just use the quick add option for calories only)... we can't really help you if you don't accurately show us what you're eating. Like, if you're full-out binging right before bed, and you get to your 1680 goal that way, then of course you won't lose weight. Or if you're eating a TON of sodium, that'll make your body hold onto water, or you could be gaining muscle... we really can't tell.
Good luck.0 -
Too big deficit is too big.0
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