Why do I see body builders eating less than me?
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So it's a near certainty that one would know people at opposite extremes.Examine has a pretty good write up about the question of metabolism varying between two different people.
Essentially, no, there aren't huge differences in basal metabolic rate, even for people of differing heights and masses. There are rare outliers with some kind of condition, but chances are low the difference in BMR between two people explains differences in outcome.
http://examine.com/faq/does-metabolism-vary-between-two-people/One study[1] noted that one standard deviation of variance for resting metabolic rate (how many calories are burnt by living) was 5-8%; meaning 1 standard deviation of the population (68%) was within 6-8% of the average metabolic rate. Extending this, 2 standard deviations of the population (96%) was within 10-16% of the population average.[1]
Extending this into practical terms and assuming an average expenditure of 2000kcal a day, 68% of the population falls into the range of 1840-2160kcal daily while 96% of the population is in the range of 1680-2320kcal daily. Comparing somebody at or below the 5th percentile with somebody at or above the 95th percentile would yield a difference of possibly 600kcal daily, and the chance of this occurring (comparing the self to a friend) is 0.50%, assuming two completely random persons.
Comparing somebody at or below the 5th percentile with somebody at or above the 95th percentile would yield a difference of possibly 600kcal daily, and the chance of this occurring (comparing the self to a friend) is 0.50%, assuming two completely random persons.0 -
The longer you've been dieting the more your body is accustomed to it. I can't eat the same amount a year ago today as I do today and still expect to lose weight (at the same height weight just 1 year older)0
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That's how I learned it as well. The net is 36 ATP with 2 being used up during the process. Have they revised the Kreb cycle?
No, mitochondria performing cellular respiration makes 38 ATP per molecule of glucose, in practice some gets lost, but that isn't something that really varies based on mitochondria in a person.Noreenmarie1234 wrote: »(Just a random thought: When you think of the science behind it. Doesn't it really matter how efficiently your cells can make energy from glucose via cellular respiration? There is a huge variation in how many ATP a cell can make from glucose, and the rest of the energy is lost by heat. I think it is possible some peoples cells are less efficient than others (leading to a higher BMR).)
Just consider, if some people had hyperefficient mitochondria during human evolution, other than the most recent 100 years or so, wouldn't they have a huge survival rate advantage being able to live off less food?
Human ancestors initially started walking upright over a savings of around 4 calories per km walking on two legs versus chimp style 4 limbed gaits. Evolution is pretty cut throat on these metabolic issues.
Errrrrrrr! I had to go back and read old notes from school. For some reason I have 36 or 38 ATP written down and of course this was many years ago so I can't remember why. This might drive me crazy for the next few hours
Eukaryotic cells expend about 2 ATP moving things into the mitochondria (pyruvate for example). So 36 instead of 38.
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Sorry about your brother. Individual BMR may not vary much from normal, but a lot of untrackable behaviors get lumped into TDEE. Nervous ticks like shuffling your feet while you are sitting, tossing around a lot in your sleep, a job where you have to sit down and get up a lot, a lot of stairs in your house, etc, are all somewhat invisible activity that goes towards your TDEE. My son can't sit still for 5 minutes with getting up to randomly jump up and down or run around in circles.
A lot of people log inaccurately too because they don't have a food scale or just because there are so many bad entries in the database.0 -
Noreenmarie1234 wrote: »There is a body builder I saw on here who looks incredible with huge muscles and she has an open diary and is only eating 1500 a day as far back as you go?? )
I haven't done it recently with the "new mfp" but in the past whenever I changed calorie goals, it changed across my entire diary history. I can go back to a period where I know my goal was 1400 calories and it raised my new calorie goal. Stupid, it makes it hard for me to track where I was actually meeting goals and not going over or under.
So while her goal may say 1500 now, that might not have always been the case.
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Tedebearduff wrote: »The longer you've been dieting the more your body is accustomed to it. I can't eat the same amount a year ago today as I do today and still expect to lose weight (at the same height weight just 1 year older)
Why not? (Please don't read as sarcasm - I'm really interested to know why...) I've read over and over in the forums that a calorie is a calorie and 3500 kcal is a lb. So unless your BMR changes, or something drastically affects your TDEE over the course of a year, why wouldn't eating the same amount yield the same results at the same height and weight? I would assume if you are the same weight, and you are maintaining the same activity level, your TDEE would be the same - wouldn't it? And as long as you are eating below your TDEE, you should lose weight.
I've also read that as you lose weight, you have to adjust calories down because you don't burn as many calories through exercise the less you weigh and the fitter you get. But I would think maybe your BMR would go up a little the fitter you get, wouldn't it? Will it not go up enough to offset the burn lost during exercise due to weighing less? How many lbs do you have to lose before you need to adjust calories down?
OP - my son has the exact same problem as you. He has difficulty gaining weight because he just gets 'tired' of the taste of stuff before he's eaten a lot of it and quits eating. He's a little over 6' tall and only 127 lbs! Are you able to do anything to increase your appetite perhaps? I was considering buying him protein powder or those 'bulking' shakes that have tons of calories packed into a fairly small volume...0 -
kristinels wrote: »Tedebearduff wrote: »The longer you've been dieting the more your body is accustomed to it. I can't eat the same amount a year ago today as I do today and still expect to lose weight (at the same height weight just 1 year older)
Why not? (Please don't read as sarcasm - I'm really interested to know why...) I've read over and over in the forums that a calorie is a calorie and 3500 kcal is a lb. So unless your BMR changes, or something drastically affects your TDEE over the course of a year, why wouldn't eating the same amount yield the same results at the same height and weight? I would assume if you are the same weight, and you are maintaining the same activity level, your TDEE would be the same - wouldn't it? And as long as you are eating below your TDEE, you should lose weight.
Adaptive thermogenesis (aka metabolic adaptation): BMR can decrease to become more efficient in response to prolonged calorie deficit or aggressive deficit0 -
Are you REALLY trying to gain weight eating ONLY 2000 calories and working out 5 hours a week ?0
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Noreenmarie1234 wrote: »I am very underweight right now. I lost my brother 6 months ago and lost weight. I am not about 20lbs underweight and have been trying to gain for a few months. I have been eating 1900-2100 a day. (1900 on days I just am not hungry at all) Yes I am using a food scale and I weight and measure everything accurately.
I eat about 110-130g protein a day and not much carbs. I only exercise 5 days a week for an hour either on the elliptical or yoga.
I see all these people 20-60lbs heavier than me eating only 1500 to maintain. There is a body builder I saw on here who looks incredible with huge muscles and she has an open diary and is only eating 1500 a day as far back as you go?? How can this be? How can one person at a higher weight maintain and gain lean muscle on 1500 when I cannot even gain on 2000? It makes me question whether metabolisms REALLY are the same for each person (of same body mass, height, etc). I should not be able to maintain 20lbs underweight on this level. If I were to eat what others eat or what the calculators say are my maintenance I would lose weight. I lost to this weight by eating 1300 following the same exercise regime. I see others on 1500 calorie diets for longer than I was and they don't end up as sickly thin as me?! It is just frustrating because I want to eat more but have trouble because I hate eating when I'm not hungry because food doesn't taste good.
What do you guys think about differences in metabolism? Do you believe there can be from person to person, or do you think it follows a strict formula?
(Just a random thought: When you think of the science behind it. Doesn't it really matter how efficiently your cells can make energy from glucose via cellular respiration? There is a huge variation in how many ATP a cell can make from glucose, and the rest of the energy is lost by heat. I think it is possible some peoples cells are less efficient than others (leading to a higher BMR).)
I am so sorry about the loss of your brother.
You just perceive these other people are eating a certain calorie goal unless you are with them 24/7 and see every single thing they eat.
If you are trying to gain weight, I suggest you eat a whole lot more and cut your exercise down a bit (half hour a day, maybe).0 -
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Adaptive thermogenesis (aka metabolic adaptation): BMR can decrease to become more efficient in response to prolonged calorie deficit or aggressive deficit
Stupid metabolism! Lol! Okay - so if one ends the prolonged calorie deficit and starts eating at maintenance, does the adaptive thermogenesis become reversed and will the BMR adjust again?
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kristinels wrote: »Adaptive thermogenesis (aka metabolic adaptation): BMR can decrease to become more efficient in response to prolonged calorie deficit or aggressive deficit
Stupid metabolism! Lol! Okay - so if one ends the prolonged calorie deficit and starts eating at maintenance, does the adaptive thermogenesis become reversed and will the BMR adjust again?
Yes. It is good to take a couple of weeks break at maintenance every few months or follow a short reverse dieting protocol: http://rippedbody.jp/diet-break/0 -
kristinels wrote: »Adaptive thermogenesis (aka metabolic adaptation): BMR can decrease to become more efficient in response to prolonged calorie deficit or aggressive deficit
Stupid metabolism! Lol! Okay - so if one ends the prolonged calorie deficit and starts eating at maintenance, does the adaptive thermogenesis become reversed and will the BMR adjust again?
I did 4 months of straight dieting, took 3 months off when I just couldn't seem to lose anymore, now I'm following a macro plan put together by my coach and losing inches at a greater pace on more calories than I was when I was following my own dieting. Only one extra day of exercise added.0 -
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Eating 110-130 protein would equate to around 440 to 520 calories of her total 1900 to 2100 calories. I highly doubt there is a "low carb" equation in these calories...
This sparked my curiosity as well..
Ah you guys are right. I just went through my reports and my averages have been 160 protein, 53 fat, 325 carbs. I guess I do eat quite a bit of carbs lol. It doesn't feel like it though because most of them come from vegetables.0 -
kristinels wrote: »Tedebearduff wrote: »
OP - my son has the exact same problem as you. He has difficulty gaining weight because he just gets 'tired' of the taste of stuff before he's eaten a lot of it and quits eating. He's a little over 6' tall and only 127 lbs! Are you able to do anything to increase your appetite perhaps? I was considering buying him protein powder or those 'bulking' shakes that have tons of calories packed into a fairly small volume...
Thank you for the tips. I think maybe whats bringing me down is my 2 days a week at 1900-2000 when I am just not hungry for anything. (All the other days I hit 2100, I don't let myself do it for more than 2 a week). I just hate forcing myself to eat when I am not hungry because it just doesn't taste good. I will try to buy protein powder and try that, just hate so expensive! But I am willing to spend the money if it helps.0 -
I am so sorry about the loss of your brother.
You just perceive these other people are eating a certain calorie goal unless you are with them 24/7 and see every single thing they eat.
If you are trying to gain weight, I suggest you eat a whole lot more and cut your exercise down a bit (half hour a day, maybe).
Thank you very much, I appreciate your kind words. Yeah thats true, I just was basing it off what people "tell me" and "say" on these forums and in real life but it's very true that I cant really trust what people say out in the real world because they are most likely eating more (and not using a food scale). I will try to cut back on my exercise, it is just hard because it makes me feel so happy. Maybe I will try to incorporate more weights instead.0 -
Eat more fat perhaps. Fat doesn't make you fat, or kill you. You could get more calories in if you add an avocado, some dark chocolate or some butter to your veg.0
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1) in order to gain weight you need to be eating 2500+ calories. Why'? Because 2500 is on the low end for those who need to gain weight, I've seen people eat over 8000 calories to try and gain.
2) There is no number 2 because it's not rocket science, you stated you eat 1900-2000 calories a day ONTOP of working out. Simply eat more until you start to gain weight. Unless you have a freak metabolism then I would suggest seeing a doctor and a nutritionist.
Also a lot of bodybuilders go low cal when they cut.0 -
orchidee1987 wrote: »Are you REALLY trying to gain weight eating ONLY 2000 calories and working out 5 hours a week ?
I could be trying harder, but I did that for about a week and was miserable and sick to my stomach and was having a hard time working because I felt too full. I guess I thought that being so underweight I should gain easily on this amount. Then when it stopped I'd have to eventually eat more.0
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