Why does eating more calories = losing more weight?
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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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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.
You can also get very sick and, you know, die.5 -
I would also be very worried about muscle loss. At your age, and I don't mean that in a bad way, purely a medical standpoint, eating at such a low level, I doubt very much you're getting the amount of protein you would need to maintain what muscle you have. You're going to put yourself at risk for weakness, bone loss and potential falls. You need to be very careful with this because when you eat that low you don't lose only fat.2
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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.
I can guarantee you whatever medical issues you may have, someone else here will also have it. You are like all of us here, the same rules of weightloss apply and if you crash diet you will lose muscle mass.2 -
Something else to keep in mind, your heart is a muscle and with you having heart issues as it is you are definitely not doing yourself any favors.3
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How much have you lost since you have been on MFP?0
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It's possible to have a low bmr depending on weight/height/age, though it's also very likely you have a metabolic issue if you're really gaining at 1500 calories. Try to see if you can schedule both a thyroid panel and a RMR test. Hypothyroidism can cause weight gain at low calorie intake, and the RMR test should give an accurate BMR value [the bare minimum number of calories you need to just keep your body going].2
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I think it's best to walk away from this train wreck...any doctor who gives advice to a man that 1000 calories is enough should NOT be in the medical field...690 is not sustainable and not healthy. If you want to lose the weight AND keep it off without inflicting long term damage on your body: listen to those who have chimed in. Best of luck to you...6
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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.
You still haven't answered if you use a food scale to determine how many calories you are eating.0 -
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.
Yes, that's a big old myth. I think you've got this, except you might be off on your calories and have been eating more than you realize:) I would suggest weighing your food and logging everything you eat. You might be surprised, and able to eat the 1500 without gaining.
Also, because of your heart issues, I suggest talking to your doctor about your weight loss goals, and possibly get a referral to a registered dietician.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.
Chrissy, unless you have some medical issue that needs immediate attention or you're super short/super tiny, what you describe cannot be accurate. You say you measure your food-do you actually weigh it? There's a big difference in calories between weighing and using measuring cups/spoons. Do you eat back you exercise calories? if so, which type of exercise and where do you get your calorie burns from?0 -
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