EAT MORE TO LOSE MORE?

nourishnotpunish
nourishnotpunish Posts: 45
in Health and Weight Loss
Has anyone had great success with this concept? I've been doing a lot of research and I finally convinced myself to up my calorie intake from 1300 to 1600 a day. I'm 5'7, 140lbs looking to lose another 15lbs. Any advice?

Replies

  • soehlerking
    soehlerking Posts: 589 Member
    Yes--your body needs a lot more than 1300 calories. I'm 5'4" 130 lbs, and I'm losing at 1500. I should be eating more, but I did some damage to my metabolism by eating at 1200 calories for a year. Here's a group that can hopefully answer some of your questions:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less
  • ladynocturne
    ladynocturne Posts: 865 Member
    The real deal behind the concept is actually "eat as much as you can while still losing weight".

    I'm 5'7" and my goal is 145lbs. I lose 1lb per week eating 1360 calories per day (more if I exercise).

    I could STILL lose .5lb per week by eating 1610 calories per day + exercise calories. Basically, faster isn't better. You can still achieve your goals without losing your mind.

    Upping your calories isn't going to make you lose weight faster, but it does help you keep more muscle tissue and lose a greater percentage of body fat by going slowly.
  • nourishnotpunish
    nourishnotpunish Posts: 45
    Thank you, I will definitely check that group out. You really made me feel better about upping the calories, thanks!
  • CYaPRN2
    CYaPRN2 Posts: 18 Member
    Eating 5-6 small meals a day spaced out 3 hrs each has been very successful. I have lost 12# since I've started that less than 2 mo ago. Good luck
  • nourishnotpunish
    nourishnotpunish Posts: 45
    Ladynocturne... so would keeping my calories help me lose weight faster? I'm not looking for 10lbs gone in 1 month, but I am impatient nonetheless... do you think eating 1600 calories a day is unrealistic to be losing 1lb a week with moderate exercise?
  • fast_eddie_72
    fast_eddie_72 Posts: 719 Member
    I don't think eating more will make you lose "more" weight, or make you lose weight faster. At least, not in my experience. When I eat less, I lose more weight. When I eat more, as long as I stay in a deficit, I lose weight slower.

    For me, though, I don't mind it taking some time. I'd rather eat in a way I can sustain over the long haul than try to drop a load of weight really fast.
  • zivasak
    zivasak Posts: 88
    I would if I was trying to lose fat and build muscles at the same time. But if workouts are out of the picture, I would keep a 20% deficit. MFP suggested a 1200 cal. with a lower fat and protein intake than my keto calculator. I went with the latter and increased macros and calories up to 1410. I am not too comfortable with the MFP calculations. I find them a bit drastic as I want a healthy lifestyle not a diet. I lift 3 times a week (beginner) and do light cardio the other days. I lost 18 lbs after I started on Dec. 27th. Hope this helps. Anyone else? I would be interested to hear about people who try to lose fat and gain muscles at the same time too.
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
    When I came to MFP I was 43 and looking to lose that last 6 lbs a 40 something wants to lose. I am 5 foot 3.5 and was 118 wanting to get to 112. I was on the MFP setting 1200 per day. I kept reading how I needed to eat more to lose and could not wrap my head around it. After losing a couple of pounds I stalled and nothing was coming off. A friend on here challenged me to eat more for 3 weeks to see if anything happened, so I did and BOOM, the weight started falling off again, plus I just plain old felt better. I upped my calories to 1400 then hit goal, upped to 1500 and still lost weight, then still lost at 1600 before coming to find that my maintenance is around 1750.

    It worked for me.
  • nourishnotpunish
    nourishnotpunish Posts: 45
    When I came to MFP I was 43 and looking to lose that last 6 lbs a 40 something wants to lose. I am 5 foot 3.5 and was 118 wanting to get to 112. I was on the MFP setting 1200 per day. I kept reading how I needed to eat more to lose and could not wrap my head around it. After losing a couple of pounds I stalled and nothing was coming off. A friend on here challenged me to eat more for 3 weeks to see if anything happened, so I did and BOOM, the weight started falling off again, plus I just plain old felt better. I upped my calories to 1400 then hit goal, upped to 1500 and still lost weight, then still lost at 1600 before coming to find that my maintenance is around 1750.

    It worked for me.

    THANK YOU:happy:
  • Zelinna
    Zelinna Posts: 207 Member
    Slower is definitely the way to go. It sets you up for long term success and stops you from feeling too deprived.

    While losing I would I net 1500 cals (2000+ total) while losing. It took me about 15 months to lose 60lbs, but I never felt like i was on a "diet" and I have had no trouble maintaining the loss.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Eat more to Lose is largely about dietary adherence. Over the course of about 8-9 months I lost 40 Lbs pretty slowly but steadily...while friends of mine crashed and burned with lower calories. They'd go crazy with low calories and the binge out and then rage quit and then start over again and again and again...when if they would have just set a more reasonable goal they would be at their goal weight by now.

    You lose slower, not faster...your rate of loss is all about how big your deficit is..but you do maintain more lean mass and dietary adherence is usually better. Also, keep in mind that with 15 Lbs only left to go, it's going to be pretty slow.

    I will say that beyond dietary adherence, big calorie deficits can also have a negative impact on your hormones and hormonal balance as well as result in nutritional deficiencies which can make it more difficult to lose. A lot of people find that upping their calories provides them with better nutrition and those hormones come back into balance and they start losing again.
  • zivasak
    zivasak Posts: 88
    Slower is definitely the way to go. It sets you up for long term success and stops you from feeling too deprived.

    While losing I would I net 1500 cals (2000+ total) while losing. It took me about 15 months to lose 60lbs, but I never felt like i was on a "diet" and I have had no trouble maintaining the loss.

    Second that. I am enjoying the journey too. I started on Dec.27 at 1600 cal and lost my 18lbs. When I first joined MFP, the calculations were different. I only eat around 1300 when I don't exercise and try to keep in the 1200-1400 range depending on what my body is telling me.
  • dlionsmane
    dlionsmane Posts: 674 Member
    Sometimes it takes more than just upping calories. You have to find what works for you and what you can reasonable sustain. As long as speed is not an issue (which it really shouldn't be) then you may find that you have to actually 'find' your maintenance and then work from there. If you only have 15 or less pounds to lose then losing it at .5 pounds (or less) per week is reasonable and safe. You don't want to do more than that. You can use calculators to figure out your maintenance and then work around that number by then creating a deficit to reach .5 lbs loss per week. If you go with a number for a few weeks and nothing happens then reduce your intake by 100 calories or so. MFP is a general calculation that doesn't always work for everyone.

    Just remember the key to weight loss is a deficit. It is much easier (more sustainable) to create the deficit by eating less calories than you burn (as opposed to creating a deficit by using exercising more)

    It may take some trial and error. Be patient and be flexible. Good luck!

    Edited to add that I eat 1590 and am losing. It's slow but its coming off. I am 5'7" and on my last 15.
  • Kymmu
    Kymmu Posts: 1,650 Member
    When I came to MFP I was 43 and looking to lose that last 6 lbs a 40 something wants to lose. I am 5 foot 3.5 and was 118 wanting to get to 112. I was on the MFP setting 1200 per day. I kept reading how I needed to eat more to lose and could not wrap my head around it. After losing a couple of pounds I stalled and nothing was coming off. A friend on here challenged me to eat more for 3 weeks to see if anything happened, so I did and BOOM, the weight started falling off again, plus I just plain old felt better. I upped my calories to 1400 then hit goal, upped to 1500 and still lost weight, then still lost at 1600 before coming to find that my maintenance is around 1750.

    It worked for me.

    You look amazing- we are the same height....Can please you tell us what your exercise plan was/is while you ate more?
  • DaveInFL
    DaveInFL Posts: 84 Member
    Interesting thread. I'm male, 44, 5'7" and right now weight around 180lbs. Been doing this for 3 weeks and have lost 4lbs (started at 184lbs) so I'm quite happy with the steady weight loss. My net calorie goal is around 1,600 and I'm thinking that still might be a little on the low side but wanted to stick to that for 1 month and see what happened. If after one month I have lost 5lbs then I'll be pretty happy with that. My goal is to get down to 170lbs so knocking of 1/3 of that goal in 1 month is great, or at least I think so.

    I have to say that I do find myself hungry at times and it's hard to always know what's going in my mouth because I travel a lot and don't always have access to the nutritional info, so I have to guess!

    So, I might look at upping my net calorie goal to 1,800 starting in month 2 and see how that works out. If I still lose around 1lb per week then prefect :)
  • nourishnotpunish
    nourishnotpunish Posts: 45
    I calculated my TDEE to be about 2100 and my BMR to be 1400. From that I can definitely see that eating 1300 cals may definitely have been too small. I feel that 1600 is still a big enough deficit so lose at a reasonable pace. I am in no rush, however I have some plans about 2 months from now that I would like to look and feel better for by then. I don't think losing my remaining 15lbs in that 2 months is reasonable, but do you think at this pace I could acheive an 8lb loss in the next 8-9 weeks?
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Interesting thread. I'm male, 44, 5'7" and right now weight around 180lbs. Been doing this for 3 weeks and have lost 4lbs (started at 184lbs) so I'm quite happy with the steady weight loss. My net calorie goal is around 1,600 and I'm thinking that still might be a little on the low side but wanted to stick to that for 1 month and see what happened. If after one month I have lost 5lbs then I'll be pretty happy with that. My goal is to get down to 170lbs so knocking of 1/3 of that goal in 1 month is great, or at least I think so.

    I have to say that I do find myself hungry at times and it's hard to always know what's going in my mouth because I travel a lot and don't always have access to the nutritional info, so I have to guess!

    So, I might look at upping my net calorie goal to 1,800 starting in month 2 and see how that works out. If I still lose around 1lb per week then prefect :)

    1800 is the minimum that men should eat. Since you are only about 10 pounds from goal, you should be looking for a half a pound a week weight loss.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    I calculated my TDEE to be about 2100 and my BMR to be 1400. From that I can definitely see that eating 1300 cals may definitely have been too small. I feel that 1600 is still a big enough deficit so lose at a reasonable pace. I am in no rush, however I have some plans about 2 months from now that I would like to look and feel better for by then. I don't think losing my remaining 15lbs in that 2 months is reasonable, but do you think at this pace I could acheive an 8lb loss in the next 8-9 weeks?

    Here's the thing. As you get closer to your goal, the rate of loss slows, because your body doesn't have as much extra to get rid of. When you get 10 pounds from goal, half a pound a week is more to be expected.
  • gigglesinthesun
    gigglesinthesun Posts: 860 Member
    If I eat only 1200 cals I don't actually have as much energy to put into my exercise and day to day living, but I do have to say that my 1200 were carefully measured and as exact as I could be. The eat more to lose more concept relies on the fact that you are very accurate with your calorie counting, because frequently people who say that they only eat such and such calories and are not losing weight at all or only a little do in fact not count accurately and thus taking in more then they think.
  • spirit095
    spirit095 Posts: 1,017 Member
    I've found this concept to work for me. I was at a plateau for a while eating at 1200 calories and I'm only 5'0 tall. After upping my calories to around 1420, I've started to lose weight again. 1200 calories isn't sustainable for me in the long term. I was feeling sluggish and grumpy eating that little, which wasn't pleasant for the people around me too.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    5'5", 35, 138 lbs, and I've never eaten below 1600 calories.

    It totally depends on your activity though... I consider myself lightly active (lift weights 3x a week for 20 minutes, walk 45 minutes a day in average).
  • zivasak
    zivasak Posts: 88
    I calculated my TDEE to be about 2100 and my BMR to be 1400. From that I can definitely see that eating 1300 cals may definitely have been too small. I feel that 1600 is still a big enough deficit so lose at a reasonable pace. I am in no rush, however I have some plans about 2 months from now that I would like to look and feel better for by then. I don't think losing my remaining 15lbs in that 2 months is reasonable, but do you think at this pace I could acheive an 8lb loss in the next 8-9 weeks?

    You will definitely get results in 2 months if you have a calorie deficit and do cardio combined with weight. You will definitely feel better if your deficit is no more than 20 % in that context. Now about the numbers, let your body run its course. Your body knows best. It might be more than you expect, it might be less. Just do your part.
  • ladynocturne
    ladynocturne Posts: 865 Member
    Ladynocturne... so would keeping my calories help me lose weight faster? I'm not looking for 10lbs gone in 1 month, but I am impatient nonetheless... do you think eating 1600 calories a day is unrealistic to be losing 1lb a week with moderate exercise?


    I don't believe you will be able to lose 1lb per week if you eat 1600 + exercise calories, no. You might lose .5lb a week, but you'd need to be extremely diligent with weighing your food and getting a chest strap HRM to make sure your calorie burns are correct.

    You are already a healthy weight, so it's probably better for you to slow it down to .5lbs per week. Right now with your stats I'm getting 1751 calories Sedentary to maintain your current weight. To lose 1lb per week you'd need to net 500 calories less than your maintenance calories.

    1751-500 = 1251 calories per day + eat your exercise calories for NET.

    But since this is below your BMR, it's probably not the most healthy. You could maybe split the difference between 1lb and .5lbs loss and eat that much instead.

    Also as a side note, not sure if you are interested in maybe doing a body recomp instead? Basically, you eat more (including a higher amount of protein) and lift weights, there are many programs out there and the fitness forum is full of people who know a lot about it. Strong lifts 5x5 and New Rules for Lifting for Women are really powerful tools if you are looking to change the way your body looks (smaller/fitter) and have more muscle instead of "just losing weight".
  • DaveInFL
    DaveInFL Posts: 84 Member
    Interesting thread. I'm male, 44, 5'7" and right now weight around 180lbs. Been doing this for 3 weeks and have lost 4lbs (started at 184lbs) so I'm quite happy with the steady weight loss. My net calorie goal is around 1,600 and I'm thinking that still might be a little on the low side but wanted to stick to that for 1 month and see what happened. If after one month I have lost 5lbs then I'll be pretty happy with that. My goal is to get down to 170lbs so knocking of 1/3 of that goal in 1 month is great, or at least I think so.

    I have to say that I do find myself hungry at times and it's hard to always know what's going in my mouth because I travel a lot and don't always have access to the nutritional info, so I have to guess!

    So, I might look at upping my net calorie goal to 1,800 starting in month 2 and see how that works out. If I still lose around 1lb per week then prefect :)

    1800 is the minimum that men should eat. Since you are only about 10 pounds from goal, you should be looking for a half a pound a week weight loss.
    [/quote

    That's interesting...gives me something to think about. My goal of 170lbs is basically my first goal. I wanted to give myself something I felt was achievable. To be honest though, I think that 165lbs is more of an ideal weight for someone my height. I'll keep my net calories at 1,600 until the end of Feb and then bump it up in March and see how that goes.

    Thanks for the advice.

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