If I want to lose weight, how much should I eat before my body starts adapting to the calories?

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uniqueresonance
uniqueresonance Posts: 4 Member
edited May 2015 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello, I'm new to this, but I do know some stuff about dietings as I used to go through a harsh diet with extreme deficit that ruins my metabolism and now I"m back to eating normal and gained so much weight back.

I know that our body adapts to the amount of calories we eat somehow, and that is why dieting with extreme calories deficit is never good because your metabolism just slows down with it. I want to know how to tackle this problem?
I need to lose a couple of pounds, and apparently my TDEE is 1800. I exercise with Insanity, T25, and jogging around the park about 4 times a week.

If I want to lose weight, how much should I eat before my body starts adapting to the calories I intake and before fat loss progress slows down? I"m planning to eat around 1500-1600 calories per day (clean eating too), but won't my body adapt to it and I have to eat lower and lower as each month pass by? :/

Also, I could not do weight training right now as I'll be hiking/roadtripping with my friends for a month next month and I don't want to lose all the muscles yet. I plan to do weight training afterwards though. But for now, please advice me with what I should do.
Thank you xx

Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Your body doesn't adapt to the calorie intake. However, as you lose, your TDEE drops as there is less energy needed to run your body, therefore you'll want to adjust your intake every 5-10 pounds lost.
  • uniqueresonance
    uniqueresonance Posts: 4 Member
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    malibu927 wrote: »
    Your body doesn't adapt to the calorie intake. However, as you lose, your TDEE drops as there is less energy needed to run your body, therefore you'll want to adjust your intake every 5-10 pounds lost.

    I see... but I thought our body turns on the "survival" mode when we are in deficit? I remembered talking to a nutritionist and a trainer about this when I was eating way too low that she said if I keep doing that, my body's gonna adapt to it and in order to lose weight means I have to eat EVEN lower.
    But yeah I'll try to adjust if I do lose the pounds. (hopefully)

  • SusanKing1981
    SusanKing1981 Posts: 257 Member
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    You only have to look at photographs of prisoners of war to see there is no such thing as starvation mode / survival mode.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
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    ^^^ This.
  • Redbeard333
    Redbeard333 Posts: 381 Member
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    If you restrict yourself to 500-1000 calories/day, then you'll end up doing more harm that good. Find what your TDEE is and consume at a slight deficit.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    Time to throw away everything you think you know about dieting because I'm afraid it's mainly tabloid nonsense or dieting marketing bull

    Simply eat fewer calories than you burn, a moderate defecit say 500 per day to hit an average pound a week weight a loss

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    uniqueresonance wrote: »
    Also, I could not do weight training right now as I'll be hiking/roadtripping with my friends for a month next month and I don't want to lose all the muscles yet. I plan to do weight training afterwards though. But for now, please advice me with what I should do.
    Thank you xx

    Don't make excuses not to weight train, no point delaying it...when you're hiking you can throw in some bodyweight exercises if you have the time and inclination
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
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    uniqueresonance wrote: »
    Hello, I'm new to this, but I do know some stuff about dietings as I used to go through a harsh diet with extreme deficit that ruins my metabolism and now I"m back to eating normal and gained so much weight back.

    I know that our body adapts to the amount of calories we eat somehow, and that is why dieting with extreme calories deficit is never good because your metabolism just slows down with it. I want to know how to tackle this problem?
    I need to lose a couple of pounds, and apparently my TDEE is 1800. I exercise with Insanity, T25, and jogging around the park about 4 times a week.

    If I want to lose weight, how much should I eat before my body starts adapting to the calories I intake and before fat loss progress slows down? I"m planning to eat around 1500-1600 calories per day (clean eating too), but won't my body adapt to it and I have to eat lower and lower as each month pass by? :/

    Also, I could not do weight training right now as I'll be hiking/roadtripping with my friends for a month next month and I don't want to lose all the muscles yet. I plan to do weight training afterwards though. But for now, please advice me with what I should do.
    Thank you xx

    You're nineteen years old. Go run around the block a few times and the weight will fall off.
  • uniqueresonance
    uniqueresonance Posts: 4 Member
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    rabbitjb wrote: »
    uniqueresonance wrote: »
    Also, I could not do weight training right now as I'll be hiking/roadtripping with my friends for a month next month and I don't want to lose all the muscles yet. I plan to do weight training afterwards though. But for now, please advice me with what I should do.
    Thank you xx

    Don't make excuses not to weight train, no point delaying it...when you're hiking you can throw in some bodyweight exercises if you have the time and inclination

    Haha, yup that's what i"m doing, body weight training, but not weight like actual weights :)
  • uniqueresonance
    uniqueresonance Posts: 4 Member
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    atypicalsmith wrote: »
    uniqueresonance wrote: »
    Hello, I'm new to this, but I do know some stuff about dietings as I used to go through a harsh diet with extreme deficit that ruins my metabolism and now I"m back to eating normal and gained so much weight back.

    I know that our body adapts to the amount of calories we eat somehow, and that is why dieting with extreme calories deficit is never good because your metabolism just slows down with it. I want to know how to tackle this problem?
    I need to lose a couple of pounds, and apparently my TDEE is 1800. I exercise with Insanity, T25, and jogging around the park about 4 times a week.

    If I want to lose weight, how much should I eat before my body starts adapting to the calories I intake and before fat loss progress slows down? I"m planning to eat around 1500-1600 calories per day (clean eating too), but won't my body adapt to it and I have to eat lower and lower as each month pass by? :/

    Also, I could not do weight training right now as I'll be hiking/roadtripping with my friends for a month next month and I don't want to lose all the muscles yet. I plan to do weight training afterwards though. But for now, please advice me with what I should do.
    Thank you xx

    You're nineteen years old. Go run around the block a few times and the weight will fall off.

    lol you saying to go run around the block makes it sound like I'm a kid or something. But thanks
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
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    uniqueresonance wrote: »
    atypicalsmith wrote: »
    uniqueresonance wrote: »
    Hello, I'm new to this, but I do know some stuff about dietings as I used to go through a harsh diet with extreme deficit that ruins my metabolism and now I"m back to eating normal and gained so much weight back.

    I know that our body adapts to the amount of calories we eat somehow, and that is why dieting with extreme calories deficit is never good because your metabolism just slows down with it. I want to know how to tackle this problem?
    I need to lose a couple of pounds, and apparently my TDEE is 1800. I exercise with Insanity, T25, and jogging around the park about 4 times a week.

    If I want to lose weight, how much should I eat before my body starts adapting to the calories I intake and before fat loss progress slows down? I"m planning to eat around 1500-1600 calories per day (clean eating too), but won't my body adapt to it and I have to eat lower and lower as each month pass by? :/

    Also, I could not do weight training right now as I'll be hiking/roadtripping with my friends for a month next month and I don't want to lose all the muscles yet. I plan to do weight training afterwards though. But for now, please advice me with what I should do.
    Thank you xx

    You're nineteen years old. Go run around the block a few times and the weight will fall off.

    lol you saying to go run around the block makes it sound like I'm a kid or something. But thanks

    You are a kid! I know I was when I was 19!
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
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    Don't diet, change your lifestyle. Eat at a deficit but don't go to low. Exercise helps but is not required. I am a little kooky on this but when I am eating at a deficit to lose weight I try to snack between meals. An apple between breakfast & lunch. Some tree nuts in the afternoon. I "believe" that by not allowing much time between calorie intake, my body doesn't try to conserve the calories. May have no scientific basis but seems to work for me. I also do a lot of cardio when in weight loss mode so I really need the fuel.
  • LBeet
    LBeet Posts: 12 Member
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    I was half way through a BSc degree at age 19. This person is old enough to go road tripping with friends. I know you're just joking around but it's a little insulting to say that someone who is old enough to legally vote, drive, and buy alcohol in most of the world is just a child and only needs to "run around the block a few times" to lose weight. It's dismissive and unhelpful.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
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    Not old enough to buy alcohol here.
  • LBeet
    LBeet Posts: 12 Member
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    What's your point? I said in most of the world. Only a few countries in the world have a drinking age above 19.
  • martinel2099
    martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
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    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Time to throw away everything you think you know about dieting because I'm afraid it's mainly tabloid nonsense or dieting marketing bull

    Simply eat fewer calories than you burn, a moderate defecit say 500 per day to hit an average pound a week weight a loss

    This++


  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    uniqueresonance wrote: »
    malibu927 wrote: »
    Your body doesn't adapt to the calorie intake. However, as you lose, your TDEE drops as there is less energy needed to run your body, therefore you'll want to adjust your intake every 5-10 pounds lost.

    I see... but I thought our body turns on the "survival" mode when we are in deficit? I remembered talking to a nutritionist and a trainer about this when I was eating way too low that she said if I keep doing that, my body's gonna adapt to it and in order to lose weight means I have to eat EVEN lower.
    But yeah I'll try to adjust if I do lose the pounds. (hopefully)

    The idea here is that if your deficit is too aggressive it may lead to more metabolic adaptation than you will otherwise have and it may take longer to rebound afterwards. There's a study that shows that people avoid this best with a moderate deficit (like the 500 calories that people are recommending) and when they lose through a combination of moderate cut back in calorie plus some additional activity.

    Cutting really low is also counterproductive between lots of people tend to unconsciously reduce their overall activity as a result and of course it's not uncommon to feel really deprived and then lose it on a cheat day or binge and end up eating more overall.

    So although there's no such thing as "starvation mode" where your body holds onto fat, your nutritionist's advice to not cut too low was good.

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