Why does eating more calories = losing more weight?
rltorlai
Posts: 12 Member
I registered to this site last week. It was recommended so I decided to give it a try. It took my profile and decided I needed to eat 1500 calories a day. Well doing that and I'm maintaining my present wt. 1200 a day and I lose. I know, I lost 40 pounds two years ago doing 1200 a day. Anything over it and I gain. So far, I lost 3 and now I'm maintaining my present wt....which isn't what the goal is. I have an additional 77 to go. So I changed the parameters this morning. 1200 cal a day which is enough for me. It also had me on 2800 mg.s of sodium. I won't do that at all. I'm no salt, no sugar....so this is going to be interesting for sure. I figure, if you don't put it in your mouth, it won't show up on the scale.
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Replies
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That's not how it works.
But my guess is that if you're not losing at 1500, you're eating way more than you think, with 77 pounds to lose.23 -
1. You started MFP last week.
2. Two years ago, you lost 40 pounds eating 1,200 calories per day and found if you ate more than that, you would gain weight.
3. Based on the information you provided about your size and activity level, MFP set your daily calorie goal at 1,500 calories per day.
4. Since joining MFP last week, you lost 3 pounds and are now maintaining.
5. You are concerned because 3 pounds per week isn't your goal and you have 77 additional pounds to go.
6. You reduced your calorie goal to 1,200 calories per day.
7. Your title suggests that you are concerned that eating more calories caused you to lose weight too quickly.
It has only been a week. The highest rate of weight loss for which MFP calculates a goal is 2 pounds per week. You have lost 3 this week, but that isn't unusual for the first week, especially when you are looking to lose around 80 pounds overall. It is most likely extra water weight that you lost, and your perception that you are now maintaining is your weight loss naturally slowing down closer to your 2 pounds per week goal.
Reducing your calorie intake to 1,200 calories per day will only increase your weight loss, causing you to lose even faster. Give your 1,500 calorie per day goal at least a month or so, evaluate your progress, and determine whether or not any changes are needed. A week really isn't long enough to assess the effectiveness of your calorie target.26 -
I have this issue aswell and ivw been on it for years lol. I have eat below a 1000 to see a loss or i gain it all back. No joke. Ive tried upping my calories like everyone keep saying on here and i gain back my 3lbs that i lose and regain...
Last 2 years i was living on salads for lile 6 months lunch and dinner. But this year i discovered joe wicks lean in 15.
I can keep myself below the 1000 calories by measuring out my food. And i only snack once a day. Its been working for me so far. This year i dont have the same goal insight to push myself for but i do half ou 30lbs left to lose.
Ive told myself now its gonna take as long as it take to shift it.
Dont get down about not losing anything this week it happens. Just keep pushing forward it will come off.
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I'm willing to bet that your eating more then you think.17
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There's salt and sugar in almost every food naturally. The only way to avoid them entirely is to stop eating, which leads to weight gain eventually because there are ice cream and cheeseburgers on the way home after stressful days. Do you have a food scale? Whether you stick with 1200 or 1500, I'd spend some time being super-hyper about logging - weigh or measure every ingredient in what you make for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Calculate the calories in the recipes you make. If you eat something that doesn't have an exact match in the food database, don't automatically take the lowest number you see. The calories creep up. (For example, I've found that I rarely get a piece of fish or half a chicken breast that's exactly four ounces; it's generally closer to five. I have to account for that.)2
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So you registered last week, ate 1500 calories, and lost 3 lbs. 3 lbs in the first week...how is that maintaining? I'm a little confused by what the problem is here, unless I'm misreading something. Were you expecting to see daily weight loss, OP? It sounds like maybe you need to readjust your expectations a bit.18
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No one mentions using a food scale at the low calories they are eating and are complaining here in this thread about not loosing weight. Not loosing weight = not in a calorie deficit.
Measuring cups, measuring spoons and eye balling keeps you out of your deficit!
There is absolutely no need to try and log 1000 calories or 1200 calories when the food that you consume is actually more than this. You can log it all day long, but if what you eat is more than what you log, the body does not care what you logged, it cares about what you consume!
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I'm not understanding the question as it relates to the title. Are you asking why you were given a higher goal than before? Are you asking why you saw a rapid 3 lb loss? Are you asking why that loss stalled?
Eating more calories doesn't = losing more weight. In order to lose weight, you need to be in a calorie deficit. MFP calculates a calorie goal for you based on the stats you put in (height, weight, age, gender, activity level) and I he rate of loss you selected (1 lb/week, etc). If you selected 1 lb/week and got that 1500 cal goal then MFP estimates your maintenance calories without any exercise to be 2000/day and gave you a 500 cal deficit.
Often when people first start cutting their calories, especially if they change the foods they eat, they see a woosh of loss on the scale, probably what you saw with the 3 lb loss this week. That will likely level off. Weight loss is not linear, there are natural fluctuations due to hormones, water retention, muscle repair, etc that cause the scale to act unpredictably. You've been at it for one week. You need to log accurately and consistently for 6-8 weeks to determine if your goal is right for you.
That said, some people find more success when they set a higher calorie goal for themselves because although weight loss may be a bit slower, they find the goal easier to adhere to consistently. Rather than having days where they binge because they've restricted too heavily, of giving up because they find it too difficult, they are able to stick with the plan and see steady weight loss over a period of time. That's the approach I took and lost 30 lbs in about a year eating between 1600-1800 calories for most of it.
No salt and no sugar doesn't sound healthy to me, not to mention extremely restrictive, exactly the opposite of what I just described.Your body needs sodium and sugars are present in fruits, vegetables, dairy and a number of foods that help me reach my nutrition and overall goals.14 -
chrisssiex23x wrote: »I have this issue aswell and ivw been on it for years lol. I have eat below a 1000 to see a loss or i gain it all back. No joke. Ive tried upping my calories like everyone keep saying on here and i gain back my 3lbs that i lose and regain...
Last 2 years i was living on salads for lile 6 months lunch and dinner. But this year i discovered joe wicks lean in 15.
I can keep myself below the 1000 calories by measuring out my food. And i only snack once a day. Its been working for me so far. This year i dont have the same goal insight to push myself for but i do half ou 30lbs left to lose.
Ive told myself now its gonna take as long as it take to shift it.
Dont get down about not losing anything this week it happens. Just keep pushing forward it will come off.
That doesn't sound sustainable, enjoyable, or very healthy at all to eat less than 1000 cals for an extended period of time. When you log? Do you weigh your food with a food scale?
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The eat more to weight less theory is simply loosing weight slower, adapting the body to lesser calories in lower capacity. It much more sustainable long term.
If one is not loosing weight at low calories as stated, and are logging not using a food scale to do so, one is not in a calorie deficit.
Best advice one can be given especially when trying to eat such low calories, buy the food scale! Using measuring cups, spoons and eyeballing as I already mentioned are recipes for keeping one out of their deficit.
The MFP app and a food scale are tools. Choose to use them together and you will loose weight.3 -
Yes i weigh my food. And i use jugs too. I enjoy my food... i just dont go over a 100 cause i never loose. I gain back if i do. So i can relate to this thread. Im sure there is more people out thete having same issue but tl affaid to ask or comment. I eat at a deflict so i lose. But lately ive been struggling to stay at my deflict. Which i know im eating more than i should be why ingain back.. om like a yoyo
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As a male 1500 is the MINIMUM you should be eating. Hopefully you're eating more than you think.3
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Ready2Rock206 wrote: »As a male 1500 is the MINIMUM you should be eating. Hopefully you're eating more than you think.
Oh man, I should have noticed this. Yes OP - you should not be setting your goal at 1200 and 1500 may be too low as well. I'm a 5'2 female and lose weight eating b/w 1600-1800 cals/day.7 -
chrisssiex23x wrote: »Yes i weigh my food. And i use jugs too. I enjoy my food... i just dont go over a 100 cause i never loose. I gain back if i do. So i can relate to this thread. Im sure there is more people out thete having same issue but tl affaid to ask or comment. I eat at a deflict so i lose. But lately ive been struggling to stay at my deflict. Which i know im eating more than i should be why ingain back.. om like a yoyo
Not to derail this thread but if you are logging accurately and have to eat less than 1000 cals in order to lose weight then there is something wrong and you should speak with your doctor.13 -
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WinoGelato wrote: »chrisssiex23x wrote: »Yes i weigh my food. And i use jugs too. I enjoy my food... i just dont go over a 100 cause i never loose. I gain back if i do. So i can relate to this thread. Im sure there is more people out thete having same issue but tl affaid to ask or comment. I eat at a deflict so i lose. But lately ive been struggling to stay at my deflict. Which i know im eating more than i should be why ingain back.. om like a yoyo
Not to derail this thread but if you are logging accurately and have to eat less than 1000 cals in order to lose weight then there is something wrong and you should speak with your doctor.
This, although i doubt very seriously this is accurate. I'm a 5'4 female whose very light (burns less calories) and with hypothyroidism. Even i can lose weight on more than that.5 -
Well, so far I'm down 7 pounds so far. The 1200 calories a day works. Not doing salt of sugar, or anything that is white. Eating a ton of fresh veggies as I am growing them so it makes it easy to just eat them. I'm kayaking now and riding my bike when I can, in between long hours at the organ and on the road working part time. My motto here: If it doesn't go in my mouth, it doesn't go on my waist.
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Well, so far I'm down 7 pounds so far. The 1200 calories a day works. Not doing salt of sugar, or anything that is white. Eating a ton of fresh veggies as I am growing them so it makes it easy to just eat them. I'm kayaking now and riding my bike when I can, in between long hours at the organ and on the road working part time. My motto here: If it doesn't go in my mouth, it doesn't go on my waist.
So you either didn't read any of the previous replies or just chose to ignore them?
As a male, the minimum you should be eating is 1500 calories per day. That is 1500 calories actually weighed out on a scale. If you continue eating 1200 calories you eventually won't have the energy to kayak or ride a bike. As a female I could choose to eat the minimum 1200 calories per day but I'd rather stick with what MFP gives me, over 1600 without exercise, so that I can still enjoy eating while I lose weight and so that when I need to switch to maintenance I won't have such a hard time adjusting to eating "normally" again. Eating just barely enough to survive so that you can lose weight fast is not the goal. Eating as much as you can while losing at a reasonable and healthy 0.5 to 2 lbs. per week is the goal.5 -
I will never understand why people deliberately choose to eat less than MFP recommends. What's the point in signing up if you assume you know better than MFP's research and science-backed algorithms?
Sure, you'll lose weight on 1200 calories. But are those losses safe? Healthy? Sustainable? At some point you'll need to start eating more, and in my experience every time someone starts increasing their calories after doing a low calorie diet, they overindulge and gain it all back because they never changed their relationship with food.9 -
Welcome to muscle loss and a more difficult time maintaining your weight loss once you reach your goal. Honestly, you'd think people would learn after a lifetime of losing, and regaining weight that crash dieting doesn't work for the long haul.Well, so far I'm down 7 pounds so far. The 1200 calories a day works. Not doing salt of sugar, or anything that is white. Eating a ton of fresh veggies as I am growing them so it makes it easy to just eat them. I'm kayaking now and riding my bike when I can, in between long hours at the organ and on the road working part time. My motto here: If it doesn't go in my mouth, it doesn't go on my waist.
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If you force yourself to eat as little as 1200 calories a day you will lose weight and that weight loss will come from both fat AND your muscle. Your muscle helps your athleticism, your general health and muscle even when inactive burns calories. As you lose more and more muscle your body burns less and less calories and eventually you plateau and when it becomes to difficult to continue eating so little and you start eating more you will start to gain fat but not muscle because muscle takes work and you are too tired from such a low calorie diet to exercise regularly. That is why 1200 calorie diets are a bad idea.
You are much much better off eating 2000 calories and going for long walks, maybe doing a little light lifting with some light dumbells to start. Maybe you don't lose weight for the first year but you will be putting on a bit of muscle that will make you healthier and allow you to lose weight from losing just the fat in the future.
Getting healthy isn't done by starving yourself. Getting healthy is done by exercise and fueling that exercise which I believe is what MFP is trying to encourage you to do.9 -
I'm glad you're eating better and exercising. It looks like you're getting excited about things and feeling motivated.
The best piece of advice I can give you is to be honest with yourself about your situation. Several people have concerns about your calorie deficit being too severe. That is definitely something to be aware of and monitor. However, if you're shedding pounds and enjoying your kayaking, bicycling, gardening and the like, keep doing what you're doing.
If you start to feel weak and unable to continue on, remember it's ok to revisit your plan and make adjustments.
I wish you the best of luck.6 -
Eating more calories and losing weight is not the answer you think. It's not some magic metabolism number, it's a mind game.
Let's say you set your goal to 1200. You're trucking along fine, and then you fall off the wagon a few times, binge eat cause you're starving and doing way more activity you planned. Let's say this happens:
M - 1,200
T - 1,200
W - 2,100
Th - 1,200
F - 1,900
Sa - 2,600
Total - 10,200
Goal - 7,200
Avg for week - 1700
You're not thinking "I ate an average of 1700" you're thinking "Well, I went over a few days, but I'm eating 1,200!! Why am I not losing weight faster?"
Then you finally give in and bump it up to maybe 1500 a day and manage to keep on target. You end up eating about 1,200 less than your 1,200 "goal" cause you aren't hungry and don't binge and the you see progress. Then you think "How odd, I'm eating more but losing weight!"
These numbers are not the perfect scenerio or example, but that's pretty much what happens. You set a really low goal, go over cause you're hungry, maybe even forget to log or fudge the numbers, then you aren't losing. Raise it to something realistic, can keep at it, and you lose weight. You're not really eating anymore than with the lower goal, it just looks like it on paper.
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First of all, my dr. told me I could get by on 1000 calories a day. Yesterday I managed 690. I'm not a big eater, I'm 68 years old, and have very bad knees. I don't exercise because of it. I can ride my bike, except it cripples me for days...but I ride it anyway. I kayak and swim in the summer. I have plenty of energy.....at 1200 calories a day.... I practice (organ) for 3-4 hours per day....I cut split and stack wood by hand and brought home 3 truck loads last Saturday. You are worried about my energy levels and muscle mass or loss of them? I'm not. Then again, I'm not like any of you here. Let's take the testosterone away from the men and see how you function, where your weight goes.....which is one of my reasons for being a bit BLUBBERISH in the first place. Add to it drugs that drag your energy level through the mud, but you're expected to continue to function even though they've slowed you down to a snail's crawl.....and I still get up and get out. 1200 is enough really, really it is....I'm not starving, half of the time I'm not even hungry. My breakfast is my most important meal, followed by a good lunch and a light supper. When I lost 40, that's what I did, and I didn't gain it back either. I'm just trying to do it again, but its more difficult now. Hopefully better heart health and knee health will put me back on skis in the winter (cross country) and I'll be fine.
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BTW.... I don't binge eat either. AND because of a new health issue I'll need to eat a little bit all day long to see if that works....if not, I'll be cutting the 1200 down as well.
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You are , what you eat. Remember that quote? If it doesn't go in your mouth, it won't go on your *kitten*? My wife had her teeth out recently and dropped from 156 to 112 pounds in as little as 4 months. When you can't take in nourishment.....you lose.0
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I'm a bit confused as to why you posted here in the first place. This forum is for general diet and weight loss help from the MFP community. But you seem to not be wanting any help and are on the contrary very content with what you have decided to do.11
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For lasting, steady and safe results, you eat well but in a deficit.
And you take it slow.
Too often people over-reach with low calorie crash diets that work great for a season then crater your results and stifle your metabolism. This is why most people regain lost weight.
If you decide to be a part of that herd, fine!
Consider it a learning experience.
Come back when you're ready to get real success with weight loss, general health and overall physical fitness.0 -
You're "not a big eater" but you have 77 pounds left to lose.
Ok.20 -
I'm not crash dieting. I've changed the way I eat. I've slowed down. My metabolism is slower , thanks in part to cardiac drugs. I don't know why I'm here either....everyone is telling me what to do...to gain. Sorry for the inconvenience.0
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