EATING MORE to LOSE WEIGHT!?! Anyone else had this experience!?!?
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NewMEEE2016
Posts: 192 Member
EATING *MORE*- believe it or not- has worked for me!!! Has anyone else had this experience??? I am ASTOUNDED at how EASY it has been for me- at age 61 (almost 62) to 22 lbs so far- in the past 4 months!!! The weird part is, I eat MUCH MUCH MORE (in bulk as well as calories!) than I did when I was heavy! No joke- and this is NOT my imagination. When I was heavier, I used to go all day eating maybe a couple small yogurts and a reasonable dinner. Now I eat **constantly** every couple hours- usually until around 2 am! I have always eaten VERY healthy (no processed foods, no chemicals, almost all organic) but now I eat MUCH MORE- a minimum of 110 grams of protein per day- and I have stopped eating low fat dairy (it's highly processed!!) and have added FULL FAT dairy (yum!) I started on Jan 1, 2016- eating between 1000-1100 cals per day, then after about a month moved to 1200 cals per day and still lost at the same rate (about 2lbs per week). I'm currently eating 1400 cals a day (at 5' 4" and 165.2 lbs). I started going to a nutritionist a few weeks ago (my insurance pays for it, 100%) who tested my metabolism- and she thinks I should eat EVEN MORE- though seriously, that would be difficult. I could easily have kept eating 1200 cals- I was NEVER hungry and quite satisfied- but I started to worry that I would get saggy skin, so I have purposely slowed it down a bit- and am now losing about 1lb a week (I highly advise going to a nutritionist and getting your metabolism tested so you'll know *exactly* what your resting metabolic weight is.) Could it be that for decades, I was in "low level" starvation mode? Not enough to starve, but enough that my body thought it needed to hang on to every bit of fat in storage? It make sense to me that my body knows I'm going to feed it- CONSTANTLY- good quality actual FOOD and get some exercise (I swim at a very leisurely pace for about 40 min 3x per week- but I've always done that so that's not the variable that has changed). My focus now is going to be building muscle and losing slowly so that- hopefully- I end up w/a nice, toned shape. I want to lose about 20 lbs more, but even now I'm looking pretty good- and have gone from a size 14 pants to size 10 (and I can even get into size 8 sometimes!!) I'm bigger on top, but it's fun to be able to buy a regular "large" or "xl" top (before I was a 1x).
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Replies
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First, congratulations on your weight loss. I am glad you've found something that works for you.
That being said, I highly, highly doubt that you were eating "less" calorie wise before or your weight would have been lower before. You might not remember or "count" some snacks, or beverages with calories, etc. that you were eating before. A "reasonable" dinner could have easily been 1200 calories by itself. Or you might misremember the amounts. I know with different portions my husband can easily eat an extra 500-800 calories compared to me at the exact same meal.
Another contributing factor is this: the foods people consider "clean" and "unprocessed" tend to be less calorie dense. You can have a gigantic salad with a vinaigrette for 250 calories or a buttered roll. It is really, really hard to overdo calories with some food choices even if you eat a high volume of food.
All of this said, congrats on your 22lbs and good luck with the new exercises. Sounds like you've found a way to do this that you enjoy.14 -
@Kamikazeflutterby Thanks for the reply- BUT no, I'm not imagining it and I know what a calorie is. I've been counting cals all my life. Nutritionists I have spoken with confirm that they recommend MORE calories to many of their clients for weight loss- and that many people fail precisely b/c they do not eat *enough*. Obviously, if you exceed your maintenance cals you will GAIN- however I believe it's possible that some people (such as myself) were eating too FEW cals to be able to lose. I don't want to make this a philosophical argument- I really only want to hear here from people who have had the same experience I am describing.8
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No.
When I eat more, I gain weight.15 -
You have to eat LESS than your maintenance requirement. MORE than that will make you gain weight, obviously.4
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Low fat dairy isn't really anymore highly processed than full fat dairy.6
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https://chriskresser.com/still-think-low-fat-dairy-is-the-healthy-choice-think-again/cwolfman13 wrote: »Low fat dairy isn't really anymore highly processed than full fat dairy.0 -
NewMEEE2016 wrote: »
https://chriskresser.com/still-think-low-fat-dairy-is-the-healthy-choice-think-again/cwolfman13 wrote: »Low fat dairy isn't really anymore highly processed than full fat dairy.
All this is saying is that fat isn't the devil...which it is not. There are numerous studies which in general show that going low fat/no fat on the whole is counterproductive because dietary fat is essential to your health. I prefer to get my good fats from other sources to meet my fat requirements...it really doesn't matter where it's coming from...it matters that you get adequate dietary fat in your diet. I get most of my fat from avocados, nuts, nut butters, eggs, and good cooking oils.
This isn't saying anything about one being more processed than the other so I really don't see your point.4 -
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/oct/09/low-fat-whole-milk-usda-dietary-guidelinescwolfman13 wrote: »NewMEEE2016 wrote: »
https://chriskresser.com/still-think-low-fat-dairy-is-the-healthy-choice-think-again/cwolfman13 wrote: »Low fat dairy isn't really anymore highly processed than full fat dairy.
All this is saying is that fat isn't the devil...which it is not. There are numerous studies which in general show that going low fat/no fat on the whole is counterproductive because dietary fat is essential to your health. I prefer to get my fat from other sources to meet my fat requirements...it really doesn't matter where it's coming from...it matters that you get adequate dietary fat in your diet.
This isn't saying anything about one being more processed than the other so I really don't see your point.1 -
"Could it be that for decades, I was in "low level" starvation mode? Not enough to starve, but enough that my body thought it needed to hang on to every bit of fat in storage?" No and no. If you are not eating enough you will lose weight. Your body will not hang of to every bit of fat. I am 62 as well and eating around 1200 calories per day (weighed and measured as per everyone's recommendations on MFP). I bump it up some to account for exercise, not much however. I have shed 30 pounds in 4 months because of eating at a steady calorie deficit. Simple.7
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cwolfman13 wrote: »NewMEEE2016 wrote: »
https://chriskresser.com/still-think-low-fat-dairy-is-the-healthy-choice-think-again/cwolfman13 wrote: »Low fat dairy isn't really anymore highly processed than full fat dairy.
Personally, I trust cows more than chemists. Here is how the food industry creates skim milk: "Skim is more than just milk without fat. Skim is milk that’s fortified with synthetic vitamins to replace those lost in fat-removal, and milk solids to replace protein and calcium lost in processing. Skipping over the natural v. synthetic vitamin debate, consider how milk solids are made and what they contain.
Whole milk is separated in a centrifuge that outputs two streams, one cream and one fat-free milk. The fat-free milk is pasteurized then condensed in a vacuum evaporator to remove water and increase the concentration of solids. It’s then sent to a spray dryer, think industrial, high-pressure milk atomizer. The sprayer shoots a fine spray of milk into a warm, air-filled chamber that removes more moisture, turning the milk into powdery spherical particles, aka milk solids. They pop up in various low-fat and fat-free dairy products."2 -
NewMEEE2016 wrote: »
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/oct/09/low-fat-whole-milk-usda-dietary-guidelinescwolfman13 wrote: »NewMEEE2016 wrote: »
https://chriskresser.com/still-think-low-fat-dairy-is-the-healthy-choice-think-again/cwolfman13 wrote: »Low fat dairy isn't really anymore highly processed than full fat dairy.
All this is saying is that fat isn't the devil...which it is not. There are numerous studies which in general show that going low fat/no fat on the whole is counterproductive because dietary fat is essential to your health. I prefer to get my fat from other sources to meet my fat requirements...it really doesn't matter where it's coming from...it matters that you get adequate dietary fat in your diet.
This isn't saying anything about one being more processed than the other so I really don't see your point.NewMEEE2016 wrote: »
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/oct/09/low-fat-whole-milk-usda-dietary-guidelinescwolfman13 wrote: »NewMEEE2016 wrote: »
https://chriskresser.com/still-think-low-fat-dairy-is-the-healthy-choice-think-again/cwolfman13 wrote: »Low fat dairy isn't really anymore highly processed than full fat dairy.
All this is saying is that fat isn't the devil...which it is not. There are numerous studies which in general show that going low fat/no fat on the whole is counterproductive because dietary fat is essential to your health. I prefer to get my fat from other sources to meet my fat requirements...it really doesn't matter where it's coming from...it matters that you get adequate dietary fat in your diet.
This isn't saying anything about one being more processed than the other so I really don't see your point.
From the article:Skim, low-fat and whole milks are all processed similarly in the US. The cream is separated from the whey and then added back in – or not in the case of skim milk.
So once again...the contention that it is more highly processed is wrong outside of adding flavorings like chocolate and strawberry...and that's kind of a no *kitten* sherlock kind of thing. My 2% doesn't have added sugar....it has more lactose because of the skimming of the fat.
And again, there are tons of studies which indicate that it's fat intake as a whole that is important. Someone who is emphasizing skim milk is also likely not getting fat from other sources either...which is unhealthy3 -
Also from the article you linked....Consumers may decide what type of milk is best for them personally based on their preferred balance of calories to fat to protein to carbohydrates specific to their health history and their genetics. Either way, no one should be drinking enough milk for the type of that milk to make much of a difference on his or her health overall.2
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"Could it be that for decades, I was in "low level" starvation mode? Not enough to starve, but enough that my body thought it needed to hang on to every bit of fat in storage?" No and no. If you are not eating enough you will lose weight. Your body will not hang of to every bit of fat. I am 62 as well and eating around 1200 calories per day (weighed and measured as per everyone's recommendations on MFP). I bump it up some to account for exercise, not much however. I have shed 30 pounds in 4 months because of eating at a steady calorie deficit. Simple.
I weigh and measure very carefully too. We have lost a similar amount of weight in a similar time frame (I've actually lost 28 lbs since Jan 1st- mistyped original msg.) Anyway- I am stating a fact- what has worked for me in my own experience.0 -
OP- Congratulations on your weight loss! I have experienced a similar phenomenon in the past.. I was doing insanity for the first time and eating between 12-1500 kcal per day. When I got to month 2, when the workouts became more demanding, I stopped losing weight eating at that same ratio. I decided to say screw it for a weekend and ate at 2100 kcal for 2 days. Dropped 3 lbs after that 48 hours and jump started my loss again. Keep up the great work!
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I think it's pretty common when someone increases their calorie goals and starts losing weight faster, that it has more to do with how well they were actually sticking to the goal to begin with...
Example being, if I eat 1700 calories, I tend to be hungry, sneak things I don't log, and have "cheat days" more often, whereas if I eat 2000, I have an easier time sticking to my budget because I am much more satisfied. Am I losing faster because I am eating more? No. I'm losing faster because I am not over eating. I may think that I was eating less on the "lower calories", but after all the other things I wasn't taking into account I actually was eating more.
Not pointing fingers, but this is my experience with losing because I started "eating more."24 -
there's actually a group on here called "eat more 2 weigh less". i joined it and watched the videos. once you watch and understand, it makes total sense. it talks about what your body needs just to exist and how we've ruined our metabolisms by yo yo dieting and such. it also talks about resetting your metabolism which is kind of a lengthy process....one that i'm too scared to take at this point bc it initially requires you to gain. i would love to be brave enough to do it bc in all honesty...i would LOVE to eat more!!! Lol. kudos to you for finding out what works best for you!!! keep up the great work!! and eat on!!!8
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gandssmith wrote: »there's actually a group on here called "eat more 2 weigh less". i joined it and watched the videos. once you watch and understand, it makes total sense. it talks about what your body needs just to exist and how we've ruined our metabolisms by yo yo dieting and such. it also talks about resetting your metabolism which is kind of a lengthy process....one that i'm too scared to take at this point bc it initially requires you to gain. i would love to be brave enough to do it bc in all honesty...i would LOVE to eat more!!! Lol. kudos to you for finding out what works best for you!!! keep up the great work!! and eat on!!!
Thank you so much, @gandssmith! I know it SOUNDS nuts to those used to depriving themselves- but if you don't believe me, ask a professional nutritionist.
I am rather an obsessive type once I get into something. I don't "forget" to log food or have "cheat" days. [Those days only "cheat" yourself. And why would I want to "cheat", anyway? I am spending ALL day eating, eating, eating. I have to FORCE myself to eat more to get even my 1400 cals in- which is 200 more than MFP says I should eat- and now my nutritionist says I should be eating 1700 calories a day!! The only thing "hard" about this eating program is that it takes so much TIME to prepare & eat all this food!!! (sigh- tough problem to have, right?) ]
Don't get me wrong: You MUST create a calorie deficit to lose weight. However, for many of us, our resting metabolic rates may be much higher that we think. If you want to know for sure- get tested.
Thanks again, @gandssmith I will watch those videos. It makes perfect sense to me that when my body understands it will be getting a *constant* supply of high quality food, it has no reason to hold on to its fat stores.
(I eat **nothing** processed by humans except organic oats and organic FULL FAT DAIRY- otherwise I eat only organic fruits, vegetables & the highest quality fish/poulty I can get: pastured eggs, pastured chicken, wild caught fish). I don't feel at all "deprived". The food I eat is incredibly delicious and I have no desire to eat anything else.
If you think about the obesity epidemic in the USA, it coincides with the onset of the processed garbage that is sold as "food" but is nothing but chemicals deliberately manufactured and carefully tweeked by chemists in laboratories to get consumers addicted. Most of it has zero REAL nutritional value- and our poor bodies don't know what to do w/it.
Best to all
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I have found eatting alot more smaller meals throughout the day helps keep my metabolism up. When i start to see a decline in metabolism (feeling hungrier, workouts not as good) I do a "refeed"2
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My mom is an eating disorder therapist - and yes this makes total sense to me. She talks about this kind of thing with her clients all the time.
Also, I have a manager at work who is extremely hard working and dedicated. She says she comes in without breakfast, she drinks coffee (with sugar, but still) maybe twice during the day and goes home very late. She may binge at home, it's very possible- but from what I've seen of her, and what I know from my mom's work, I've wondered for a long time what would happen to her obese physique if she ate a breakfast bar in the morning and actually stopped working long enough to sit down and eat lunch at some point during the day.
It's not so much EAT MORE TO LOOSE WEIGHT, it's more like EATING TOO LITTLE CAN CONTRIBUTE TO WEIGHT GAIN so like...stop, so your body can bring itself back down to set.2 -
I find typing in CAPITALS LETTERS makes me lose weight.
Glad you have found something that works for you. Personally I find adherence to a calorie deficit much easier by having a mixture of maintenance days and lower calorie days. Added bonus is that gym/cycling performance is much better for me rather than an every day deficit.
PS - I much prefer skimmed milk by the way. I simply don't like cream unless it's ice cream.16
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