Can I just start eating more?
Replies
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Vegplotter wrote: »Sorry to sound a bit !!!, but it sounds to me that you are indulging in a diet break now! If you need a rest then have a break, even eat more (though you will need to exercise more to work off those extra calories.)
If you want to continue to lose weight you'll have to eat less. People seem shocked and a bit frightened to discover that maintenance calories are so low. It just means your body has become far more efficient. Go with whatever you prefer. You know now that you can lose weight, so start again only when you have the mental energy.
But whatever you decide to do, I'd advise that you MUST keep counting calories, tracking your activity and monitoring your weight. If you stop now I'll guarantee you'll put all the weight back on again. (And some put back more.)
Good luck!
Is maybe one day a week eating 1500 calories considered a diet break? I'm seriously asking
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cerise_noir wrote: »
I'd like to know these as well.Why do you think you should be eating more? How long has it been since you lost weight? How are you measuring your calorie intake?
Are you using a food scale for everything that isn't a liquid, OP? That would be the first place I'd check before upping calories.
I use a food scale! I was still losing weight pretty steady through September, but when I hit October I hit 162 and sort of stalled. I haven't seen really any weight loss since the beginning of October
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I did the same as some mentioned here. I lost about 90 lbs at 1200 calories, then hit a long plateau. I upped it to 1450 calories eleven days ago and have dropped 6.5 lbs since doing that. I got the information to do this from the Eat More 2 Weigh Less group here on MFP. According to them, the stopping of loss on low calories has to do with the body going into starvation mode and becoming more efficient at NOT losing anything. Their method actually has me at closer to 2000 cals per day, but I don't have the nerve to raise it that high, plus I'm pretty happy with the sudden progress over the last 11 days.3
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I was able to successfully up my calories without gaining weight. 1200 was too big of a deficit for me. I'm maintaining at 1750 and plan to drop down to 1500 for the next weight loss round.
Research "reverse diet". I upped my calories slowly, but some are saying that there is new research saying you can hop right up to TDEE without the slow transition.
The only "problem" is the quick water woosh up when replenishing glycogen stores after being in a deficit for a long time . I personally don't like the feeling of sudden bloating, so I went slowly.2 -
trigden1991 wrote: »If you haven't lost weight for over 4 weeks then you are in not in a deficit. If less time then this could be a "plateau" on the scale.
I am definitely in deficit
How do you know if you're not losing weight?0 -
sarahsamandpete wrote: »I'll add my 2 cents. I was in a similar situation. I had lost 40 pounds over 2 years. Yes, it took me a while. But consistency, counting calories, and exercise are what did it. Then I stalled out. I could not seem to get over that slump-for months. I was eating 1500 calories per day and my TDEE was 3000. All the math said I should have been dropping weight, I had a huge deficit. A week ago, on the advice of my trainer, I started eating 1800. I have lost 5 pounds. I *kitten* you not! It's too early for me to make a solid conclusion on this. I still have a deficit of about 1000 per day but I am eating more and losing more. That's my story. I would advise eating more. Just give it two weeks and see what happens. I know everyone preaches it is all about CI/CO but sometimes when you are at such a huge deficit it is not that cut and dry. The larger the deficit does not always translate into greater pounds lost. At least not in my experience.
Thank you for sharing your experience! Did you just automatically kick up your calories to 1800? Or was it gradual?
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Did you read that article yet?1
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JulieSHelms wrote: »I did the same as some mentioned here. I lost about 90 lbs at 1200 calories, then hit a long plateau. I upped it to 1450 calories eleven days ago and have dropped 6.5 lbs since doing that. I got the information to do this from the Eat More 2 Weigh Less group here on MFP. According to them, the stopping of loss on low calories has to do with the body going into starvation mode and becoming more efficient at NOT losing anything. Their method actually has me at closer to 2000 cals per day, but I don't have the nerve to raise it that high, plus I'm pretty happy with the sudden progress over the last 11 days.
It's not "starvation mode", it's metabolic adaptation. You move less, become sluggish, and reach a standstill. You drastically deplete some key hormones.
Upping your calories replenishes those hormones which gets your metabolism functioning optimally again. It also gives you more energy, and you move more during the day which raises your TDEE.
That's how raising your calories works.
Starvation mode isn't a "thing" in the way people think it is.
So, OP, this may be happening to you. The best advice is to take a diet break because even if you don't feel like you need one, those depleted hormones do. After the diet break, up your calories, and try to consciously move a little more. The scale should start moving again.8 -
How do you feel? If you are feeling lethargic and lacking in sparkle you may need to increase your calories - but you'll need to increase your activity too.
But you say you are doing loads of exercise - so my guess is that you've just eaten a bit too much. No one but you can tell which feels right for you.
There is no magic number of maintenance calories for your height and weight. Some people find they are eating tiny portions once they slim down. The only way you'll work it out is by experimenting.
When you lose weight your metabolism goes down. It becomes more efficient. This is tremendously healthy and is associated with greater longevity, lower heart rate and reduced risk of many diseases. So don't be frightened of a more efficient metabolism. I wouldn't call it starvation mode - it's athletes mode! As far as I understand it, you only start getting symptoms of starvation (as defined by doctors/nutritionists) when your BMI drops below 19. If it does you should definitely not be dieting.
Experiment and tell us what happens.1 -
How tall are you? I'm 5'4", female, 29yo and set at sedentary I maintain 124# at 1600 calories. if your stats are anything close to mine you will lose at 1400. Move a little more and eat a little more. It could be after such strict adherence you are starting to slip a little in exercise intensity and logging accurately.
Give yourself a little more food and make sure you're dead on accurate in your log. You'll lose1 -
trigden1991 wrote: »trigden1991 wrote: »If you haven't lost weight for over 4 weeks then you are in not in a deficit. If less time then this could be a "plateau" on the scale.
I am definitely in deficit
How do you know if you're not losing weight?
Because I eat about 1200-1300 calories a day, my calorie goal is set to 1320, and I excercise and don't eat back those calories, so I am at a deficit
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How tall are you? I'm 5'4", female, 29yo and set at sedentary I maintain 124# at 1600 calories. if your stats are anything close to mine you will lose at 1400. Move a little more and eat a little more. It could be after such strict adherence you are starting to slip a little in exercise intensity and logging accurately.
Give yourself a little more food and make sure you're dead on accurate in your log. You'll lose
I'm 5'3, so we're close in height0 -
If I do choose to diet break, should I eat at maintaince? Or lower or higher? Should I still excercise?0
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Vegplotter wrote: »How do you feel? If you are feeling lethargic and lacking in sparkle you may need to increase your calories - but you'll need to increase your activity too.
But you say you are doing loads of exercise - so my guess is that you've just eaten a bit too much. No one but you can tell which feels right for you.
There is no magic number of maintenance calories for your height and weight. Some people find they are eating tiny portions once they slim down. The only way you'll work it out is by experimenting.
When you lose weight your metabolism goes down. It becomes more efficient. This is tremendously healthy and is associated with greater longevity, lower heart rate and reduced risk of many diseases. So don't be frightened of a more efficient metabolism. I wouldn't call it starvation mode - it's athletes mode! As far as I understand it, you only start getting symptoms of starvation (as defined by doctors/nutritionists) when your BMI drops below 19. If it does you should definitely not be dieting.
Experiment and tell us what happens.
I'm really no more lethargic than usual lol
And by that I mean, I haven't had a change in energy levels.0 -
Also is it normal to be a little scared of a diet break? I don't want to lose momentum or motivation and have a hard time getting back into it0
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JulieSHelms wrote: »I did the same as some mentioned here. I lost about 90 lbs at 1200 calories, then hit a long plateau. I upped it to 1450 calories eleven days ago and have dropped 6.5 lbs since doing that. I got the information to do this from the Eat More 2 Weigh Less group here on MFP. According to them, the stopping of loss on low calories has to do with the body going into starvation mode and becoming more efficient at NOT losing anything. Their method actually has me at closer to 2000 cals per day, but I don't have the nerve to raise it that high, plus I'm pretty happy with the sudden progress over the last 11 days.
So you just started eating 1450? Were you exercising before, and if so did you keep exercising?0 -
courtneyfabulous wrote: »Did you read that article yet?
I did! And I found it interesting! It seems like everyone is saying similar things. I don't know if I need to eat at maintenance for 2-3 weeks. Maybe a week would do the trick?0 -
Also is it normal to be a little scared of a diet break? I don't want to lose momentum or motivation and have a hard time getting back into it
Yes, it's normal to be afraid of a diet break. I know I felt that way, but I got over it. Eat at maintenance. If it makes you more comfortable, fudge on eating back your exercise calories and make sure you're only eating back half or so.1 -
courtneyfabulous wrote: »Did you read that article yet?
I did! And I found it interesting! It seems like everyone is saying similar things. I don't know if I need to eat at maintenance for 2-3 weeks. Maybe a week would do the trick?
Do 2-3. Seriously, the holidays are coming up, why not just take a diet break during them?1 -
If you're not losing weight over a long period of time, you are not in a deficit. It doesn't matter what calculators or MFP show you should be losing at.4
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