Not Eating Enough Calories to Lose Weight
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February 24: Ate over calories. Ate 100% exercise calories + additional.
February 23: Ate 75% exercise calories.
February 21: Ate over calories. Ate 100% exercise calories + additional.
February 20: Ate over calories. Ate 100% exercise calories + additional.
February 19: Ate 50% exercise calories.
I went back 1 week in your diary. Three of the 7 days you ate back all of your exercise calories, plus additional calories, putting you in the red.
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Try taking one day and eating 2800 calories. Your weight will probably swing up but disregard the scale for a few days. Your calories are a bit low and this 'spike' day should get you moving. If you are going to maintain 1400 calories, do this spike day once a week. If this doesn't work, please message me and I will help.
If she's not losing at 1400, all doubling her calories one day of the week would do is increase her daily average to 1600. She wouldn't lose on that either if nothing about her diet/exercise was changed other than adding those extra 1400 on one day. That's not a "fueling the body" solution...it's literally just piling in more calories one day a week.
I wouldn't recommend something if I didn't think it would work. I have helped dozens and dozens of people through the years lose weight, many of which had a similar issue. The body is not a calculator...it just doesn't work that way. We have taken the human body, an extremely complicated miracle, and reduced it to simple math problem. Sometimes the math works. Sometimes it doesn't. When it doesn't, I try to find the solution.
No...the math ALWAYS works.
It's just that quite often people are adding/subtracting the wrong numbers.
They THINK they're only eating 1400 calories; but they're actually eating 1800.
They THINK they're burning 400 calories; but they're actually burning 150.0 -
This post has gained a lot of... opinions. I hope this one helps but it seems to be missing from the above... helpfulness (?).
When you exercise the same way over and over again, you're body gets efficient at it, meaning it will burn less calories than it previously did. If I only use the elliptical every day, I might burn 200 calories at first but eventually only 150 because my body becomes accustomed to it and no longer need to work as hard. If this cross training is something you've done for a long time, with the same methods at the same pace consistently, then it's possible you're burning less than you once did with that same training.
I know that's the point you're trying to avoid simply by doing cross training, but it still happens. Just a thought!
good luck! 0 -
If OP is 5'11" and weighs 10 stone (around 140 lbs.) she is at normal weight. The reason she's not losing is probably because there isn't much left to lose. Usually people who are at or close to normal weight lose very slowly. I would say 1400 calories is too low for someone that height who is physically active.0
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britishbroccoli wrote: »February 24: Ate over calories. Ate 100% exercise calories + additional.
February 23: Ate 75% exercise calories.
February 21: Ate over calories. Ate 100% exercise calories + additional.
February 20: Ate over calories. Ate 100% exercise calories + additional.
February 19: Ate 50% exercise calories.
I went back 1 week in your diary. Three of the 7 days you ate back all of your exercise calories, plus additional calories, putting you in the red.
Yup! Diet needs to be tightened up.0 -
Try taking one day and eating 2800 calories. Your weight will probably swing up but disregard the scale for a few days. Your calories are a bit low and this 'spike' day should get you moving. If you are going to maintain 1400 calories, do this spike day once a week. If this doesn't work, please message me and I will help.
If she's not losing at 1400, all doubling her calories one day of the week would do is increase her daily average to 1600. She wouldn't lose on that either if nothing about her diet/exercise was changed other than adding those extra 1400 on one day. That's not a "fueling the body" solution...it's literally just piling in more calories one day a week.
I wouldn't recommend something if I didn't think it would work. I have helped dozens and dozens of people through the years lose weight, many of which had a similar issue. The body is not a calculator...it just doesn't work that way. We have taken the human body, an extremely complicated miracle, and reduced it to simple math problem. Sometimes the math works. Sometimes it doesn't. When it doesn't, I try to find the solution.
Why is the solution to add 1400 calories per week? Is there some reason behind it? Even one math cannot explain, maybe one some other science can explain? Why e.g. not suggest she eat a boiled egg before lunch, drink water with lemon, eat 10 bananas for breakfast or wear a tin foil hat to bed?
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If you want to lose weight you need to eat at a caloric deficit. Eating more, will just help you gain more.
This article does an awesome job explaining it and talking through real-world examples: http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/
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electricmoogaloo wrote: »You are not losing weight, because you are eating too much, not too little. If you were indeed eating 1400, being active and not losing, it would have been weird. But your loggings so most days no exercise or slow paced walking and that you are eating closer to 1700 or more calories, which especially if you are not overweight or very tall, it is probably around maintenace for a lightly active woman.
I'm not sure how you think I'm eating too much. I usually cross-train almost every day, something I've been doing since before I started my profile here but I've been ill the past week and haven't been doing it. I walk about an hour every day in all regardless. When cross training my weight started to go up, not sure if it was building muscle and not losing fat, or if my muscles were retaining water. Still there's been no change in my weight in the last month. I log pretty much everything I eat here too.
You are not eating too much, as in you are getting "fat". You are eating too much to lose weight. Because you have not been losing, so you are eating at maintenance. And interestingly enough, the calories you are actually eating are very close to maintenance for an average height, average weight, lightly active woman, so you have statistics to back up the experimental results of what has been happening to you. You cannot lose weight without eating less. Try 200 calories less per day for the next weeks, and see what happens.
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snoringcat wrote: »Try messing with your macros more. Increase your protein and fat and reduce your carbs (not cut them out- but make sure they're super clean and not processed). Sometimes it's all about balance. All calories are not created equal.
Actually all calories are equal - 1kcal = 1kcal. It's a scientific unit of measurement!snoringcat wrote: »Try messing with your macros more. Increase your protein and fat and reduce your carbs (not cut them out- but make sure they're super clean and not processed). Sometimes it's all about balance. All calories are not created equal.
Actually all calories are equal - 1kcal = 1kcal. It's a scientific unit of measurement!
I have learned that although all calories are equal, not ALL used the same way. Non resistant carbs, coupled with a body shoots out a-amaylase will pack crap into your fat cells faster than an angry woman packing her cheating husband's bags!.
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britishbroccoli wrote: »February 24: Ate over calories. Ate 100% exercise calories + additional.
February 23: Ate 75% exercise calories.
February 21: Ate over calories. Ate 100% exercise calories + additional.
February 20: Ate over calories. Ate 100% exercise calories + additional.
February 19: Ate 50% exercise calories.
I went back 1 week in your diary. Three of the 7 days you ate back all of your exercise calories, plus additional calories, putting you in the red.
Yup. Plus her exercise calorie burns are questionable. And calling them questionable is being charitable. They are very inflated.
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If OP is 5'11" and weighs 10 stone (around 140 lbs.) she is at normal weight. The reason she's not losing is probably because there isn't much left to lose. Usually people who are at or close to normal weight lose very slowly. I would say 1400 calories is too low for someone that height who is physically active.
Actually she said she was 10st 10, which is 150lbs. But I agree, she doesn't have much to lose and it will come off slower than someone with more to lose.0 -
snoringcat wrote: »Try messing with your macros more. Increase your protein and fat and reduce your carbs (not cut them out- but make sure they're super clean and not processed). Sometimes it's all about balance. All calories are not created equal.
Actually all calories are equal - 1kcal = 1kcal. It's a scientific unit of measurement!snoringcat wrote: »Try messing with your macros more. Increase your protein and fat and reduce your carbs (not cut them out- but make sure they're super clean and not processed). Sometimes it's all about balance. All calories are not created equal.
Actually all calories are equal - 1kcal = 1kcal. It's a scientific unit of measurement!
I have learned that although all calories are equal, not ALL used the same way. Non resistant carbs, coupled with a body shoots out a-amaylase will pack crap into your fat cells faster than an angry woman packing her cheating husband's bags!.
Try consulting dr google again. Because what you just typed, it really is nonsense. Sorry.0 -
Yes, you can, because science, especially for a physically active person. The issue here is not total intake. It's the size of the deficit. And eating too little can cause one to be more lethargic and burn fewer calories during a workout. If a 200 calorie boost in your diet allows you to burn 300 calories extra during your workout (or gives you the energy for longer or more frequent workouts), then you are creating a greater deficit because of the extra intake. Does this happen? Well, I have often found that if I exercise when I'm hungry, I burn 200-300 calories less during my workout, mostly because I don't have the energy to workout for longer.No that's not right. You can't increase calories to lose weight .. what you can do is tighten up on your logging, weigh everything, log it carefully, never use cups, check calories against packages and other calorie databases, never use other people's homemade recipes and don't overestimate your exercise burns using the MFP database (cut them in half)
That's general advice .. if you want specific you will need to set your diary to public
PS it's Lose weight... and when you do your clothes will become loose
Sometimes you can increase calories to lose weight. I have seen it work several times when people are eating very little and exercising too much. OP...if you are exercising a lot and never eating more than 1400 it could be your problem. How much do you exercise and how much do you weigh?
Nope .. You can't .. cos Science!
The problem is we go around and assume that no matter how much you eat, you will expend the exact same amount of energy working out or that you will do the same intensity, same time workouts no matter your intake. That is often not the case.
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So is that "eat more to weigh less" thing out the window now? I remember it taking MFP by storm a couple years ago. Now I see people advocating weighing all your food and that eating more to weigh less makes no sense.0
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Try taking one day and eating 2800 calories. Your weight will probably swing up but disregard the scale for a few days. Your calories are a bit low and this 'spike' day should get you moving. If you are going to maintain 1400 calories, do this spike day once a week. If this doesn't work, please message me and I will help.
If she's not losing at 1400, all doubling her calories one day of the week would do is increase her daily average to 1600. She wouldn't lose on that either if nothing about her diet/exercise was changed other than adding those extra 1400 on one day. That's not a "fueling the body" solution...it's literally just piling in more calories one day a week.
I wouldn't recommend something if I didn't think it would work. I have helped dozens and dozens of people through the years lose weight, many of which had a similar issue. The body is not a calculator...it just doesn't work that way. We have taken the human body, an extremely complicated miracle, and reduced it to simple math problem. Sometimes the math works. Sometimes it doesn't. When it doesn't, I try to find the solution.
Why is the solution to add 1400 calories per week? Is there some reason behind it? Even one math cannot explain, maybe one some other science can explain? Why e.g. not suggest she eat a boiled egg before lunch, drink water with lemon, eat 10 bananas for breakfast or wear a tin foil hat to bed?
Tin foil hat to bed???? Best post ever!!!0 -
Try taking one day and eating 2800 calories. Your weight will probably swing up but disregard the scale for a few days. Your calories are a bit low and this 'spike' day should get you moving. If you are going to maintain 1400 calories, do this spike day once a week. If this doesn't work, please message me and I will help.
If she's not losing at 1400, all doubling her calories one day of the week would do is increase her daily average to 1600. She wouldn't lose on that either if nothing about her diet/exercise was changed other than adding those extra 1400 on one day. That's not a "fueling the body" solution...it's literally just piling in more calories one day a week.
I wouldn't recommend something if I didn't think it would work. I have helped dozens and dozens of people through the years lose weight, many of which had a similar issue. The body is not a calculator...it just doesn't work that way. We have taken the human body, an extremely complicated miracle, and reduced it to simple math problem. Sometimes Pretty much all the time the math works. Sometimes Very rarely it doesn't. When it doesn't seem to be working, a person should scrutinize their logging habits and if everything adds up, then they should consult a doctor....
So your solution is to just randomly double her calorie intake one day/week, rather than asking her if she weighs all her food and where her calorie burn estimates come from to see if those may potentially be overinflated?
Also, see bolded above. FIFY.
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Yes, you can, because science, especially for a physically active person. The issue here is not total intake. It's the size of the deficit. And eating too little can cause one to be more lethargic and burn fewer calories during a workout. If a 200 calorie boost in your diet allows you to burn 300 calories extra during your workout (or gives you the energy for longer or more frequent workouts), then you are creating a greater deficit because of the extra intake. Does this happen? Well, I have often found that if I exercise when I'm hungry, I burn 200-300 calories less during my workout, mostly because I don't have the energy to workout for longer.No that's not right. You can't increase calories to lose weight .. what you can do is tighten up on your logging, weigh everything, log it carefully, never use cups, check calories against packages and other calorie databases, never use other people's homemade recipes and don't overestimate your exercise burns using the MFP database (cut them in half)
That's general advice .. if you want specific you will need to set your diary to public
PS it's Lose weight... and when you do your clothes will become loose
Sometimes you can increase calories to lose weight. I have seen it work several times when people are eating very little and exercising too much. OP...if you are exercising a lot and never eating more than 1400 it could be your problem. How much do you exercise and how much do you weigh?
Nope .. You can't .. cos Science!
The problem is we go around and assume that no matter how much you eat, you will expend the exact same amount of energy working out or that you will do the same intensity, same time workouts no matter your intake. That is often not the case.
Even if you have a point (I don't know enough to care), posting this is on this thread is just pointless. Did you even look at her diary? She's claiming 300+ calorie burns for a half hour activity. That's just not happening.
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snoringcat wrote: »Try messing with your macros more. Increase your protein and fat and reduce your carbs (not cut them out- but make sure they're super clean and not processed). Sometimes it's all about balance. All calories are not created equal.
Actually all calories are equal - 1kcal = 1kcal. It's a scientific unit of measurement!snoringcat wrote: »Try messing with your macros more. Increase your protein and fat and reduce your carbs (not cut them out- but make sure they're super clean and not processed). Sometimes it's all about balance. All calories are not created equal.
Actually all calories are equal - 1kcal = 1kcal. It's a scientific unit of measurement!
I have learned that although all calories are equal, not ALL used the same way. Non resistant carbs, coupled with a body shoots out a-amaylase will pack crap into your fat cells faster than an angry woman packing her cheating husband's bags!.
I gotta call Shenanigans here. This is doo doo.0 -
snoringcat wrote: »Try messing with your macros more. Increase your protein and fat and reduce your carbs (not cut them out- but make sure they're super clean and not processed). Sometimes it's all about balance. All calories are not created equal.
Actually all calories are equal - 1kcal = 1kcal. It's a scientific unit of measurement!
Nutrition is not that simple. I have a degree in it and my husband has a phd in it. There is sooo much evidence that sugar is bad, too many carbs can be bad, all calories are not created equal, what you put into your body influences your gut microbiome which effects your weight. Yes if you reduce calories you will lose weight but focusing on the types of food is the healthiest way to do this, hence why looking at macros can matter.0
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