What are those extra things aside from calorie intake and exercise that impact on weight loss?
LotusCass
Posts: 145 Member
So I'm talking here about what impacts the numbers on the scales. If you're in a calorie defect (weighing food) but the scales aren't showing it, what things are impacting on that? What causes water retention etc.? I've heard high sodium intake can, for girls time of the month can impact. What else?
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Replies
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How much you have sweated
How much sleep you have had
The macros of the foods eaten
The amount of fluids you've consumed
The list could go on and on, we are never truly one weight. We are a weight range of 0-4lbs.3 -
Hi!
When you start exercising you can experience water retention - which will up your weight temporarily - as your body retains this to assist your muscles in the healing process. You'll weigh more just after exercising too.
Water retention can also be caused by high sodium and carb intake, and as you said we can put on a bit during the 'time of the month'.
Of course, you can also put on weight from muscle building. However, you will notice that your body is still becoming smaller and 'tighter' whilst it does this, as you're burning the fat and building muscle instead.
You must also make sure you're eating at least 1000-1200 net calories, as any less than this can cause your body to go into 'starvation' mode and STORE fat rather than burning it.
I hope that helps!0 -
- Sodium lntake
- Hydration - Not getting enough fluids can cause the body to retain.
- Alcohol Intake - Cause dehydration (see above)
- Changes in Macronutrition - particularly changing carb intake
- Hormonal Changes (not just time of the month, throughout the cycle)
- Changes to Exercise - Higher Intensity or New Types
- Certain Medication
- Sleep Pattern
I am sure there are more things but these are the major reasons.8 -
Hi!
When you start exercising you can experience water retention - which will up your weight temporarily - as your body retains this to assist your muscles in the healing process. You'll weigh more just after exercising too
Water retention can also be caused by high sodium and carb intake, and as you said we can put on a but during the 'time of the month'.
Of course, you can also put on weight from muscle building. However, you will notice that your body is still becoming smaller and 'tighter' whilst it does this, as you're burning the fat and building muscle instead.
You must also make sure you're eating at least 1000-1200 net calories, as any less than this can cause your body to go into 'starvation' mode and STORE fat rather than burning it.
I hope that helps!
To the bolded part - this is a dieting myth, you will not store fat whilst eating in a deficit. Long-term dieting can cause adaptive thermogenesis but this is a slowing down of the metabolism not it stopping altogether, it will not cause you to store fat, just burn it far slower. Less than 1200 calories is not recommended for a woman for nutritional reasons, not because of "starvation mode".15 -
tinkerbellang83 wrote: »Hi!
When you start exercising you can experience water retention - which will up your weight temporarily - as your body retains this to assist your muscles in the healing process. You'll weigh more just after exercising too
Water retention can also be caused by high sodium and carb intake, and as you said we can put on a but during the 'time of the month'.
Of course, you can also put on weight from muscle building. However, you will notice that your body is still becoming smaller and 'tighter' whilst it does this, as you're burning the fat and building muscle instead.
You must also make sure you're eating at least 1000-1200 net calories, as any less than this can cause your body to go into 'starvation' mode and STORE fat rather than burning it.
I hope that helps!
To the bolded part - this is a dieting myth, you will not store fat whilst eating in a deficit. Long-term dieting can cause adaptive thermogenesis but this is a slowing down of the metabolism not it stopping altogether, it will not cause you to store fat, just burn it far slower. Less than 1200 calories is not recommended for a woman for nutritional reasons, not because of "starvation mode".
Even if the fat storing part is a myth, it's still VERY important to eat more than 1000 calories net... You should never promote eating less than 1000 calories net - it's bad for your weight loss and slows your metabolism.
1200 is the ideal, but for a lot of women that are smaller, 1000 net is the minimum and you can still get your nutrition this way - I often do.1 -
Thanks for all that! Why is so much about weight loss based on numbers on the scales when there are so many variables that impact it? I know it's about the downward trend rather than numbers week to week. I'm learning so much here. When I first started my weight loss journey 4 years ago (and 16 lbs lighter) I wish I'd known all this then. Every time I got on the scales and hadn't lost I got so disheartened not realising all the other things that impacted. Now I just know to stick to it and the downward trend over weeks and months is what counts, not the numbers each week.1
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Thanks for all that! Why is so much about weight loss based on numbers on the scales when there are so many variables that impact it? I know it's about the downward trend rather than numbers week to week. I'm learning so much here. When I first started my weight loss journey 4 years ago (and 16 lbs lighter) I wish I'd known all this then. Every time I got on the scales and hadn't lost I got so disheartened not realising all the other things that impacted. Now I just know to stick to it and the downward trend over weeks and months is what counts, not the numbers each week.
Try to only weigh yourself once a week too - if you do this daily, the fluctuations can be de-motivating when really it's just natural!0 -
tinkerbellang83 wrote: »Hi!
When you start exercising you can experience water retention - which will up your weight temporarily - as your body retains this to assist your muscles in the healing process. You'll weigh more just after exercising too
Water retention can also be caused by high sodium and carb intake, and as you said we can put on a but during the 'time of the month'.
Of course, you can also put on weight from muscle building. However, you will notice that your body is still becoming smaller and 'tighter' whilst it does this, as you're burning the fat and building muscle instead.
You must also make sure you're eating at least 1000-1200 net calories, as any less than this can cause your body to go into 'starvation' mode and STORE fat rather than burning it.
I hope that helps!
To the bolded part - this is a dieting myth, you will not store fat whilst eating in a deficit. Long-term dieting can cause adaptive thermogenesis but this is a slowing down of the metabolism not it stopping altogether, it will not cause you to store fat, just burn it far slower. Less than 1200 calories is not recommended for a woman for nutritional reasons, not because of "starvation mode".
Even if the fat storing part is a myth, it's still VERY important to eat more than 1000 calories net... You should never promote eating less than 1000 calories net - it's bad for your weight loss and slows your metabolism.
It's not healthy to eat 1000 calories every day. But people take this quite literally and freak out if they don't eat 1000 one day. Nothing bad is going to happen if you don't eat 1000 calories one day. The body is not a machine that needs exactly the same calories every single day.5 -
Ironandwine69 wrote: »tinkerbellang83 wrote: »Hi!
When you start exercising you can experience water retention - which will up your weight temporarily - as your body retains this to assist your muscles in the healing process. You'll weigh more just after exercising too
Water retention can also be caused by high sodium and carb intake, and as you said we can put on a but during the 'time of the month'.
Of course, you can also put on weight from muscle building. However, you will notice that your body is still becoming smaller and 'tighter' whilst it does this, as you're burning the fat and building muscle instead.
You must also make sure you're eating at least 1000-1200 net calories, as any less than this can cause your body to go into 'starvation' mode and STORE fat rather than burning it.
I hope that helps!
To the bolded part - this is a dieting myth, you will not store fat whilst eating in a deficit. Long-term dieting can cause adaptive thermogenesis but this is a slowing down of the metabolism not it stopping altogether, it will not cause you to store fat, just burn it far slower. Less than 1200 calories is not recommended for a woman for nutritional reasons, not because of "starvation mode".
Even if the fat storing part is a myth, it's still VERY important to eat more than 1000 calories net... You should never promote eating less than 1000 calories net - it's bad for your weight loss and slows your metabolism.
It's not healthy to eat 1000 calories every day. But people take this quite literally and freak out if they don't eat 1000 one day. Nothing bad is going to happen if you don't eat 1000 calories one day. The body is not a machine that needs exactly the same calories every single day.
Agreed! You need to make sure you're looking at net calories. If my goal is 1000-1200 calories per day (as close to 1200 as possible) and I go for a run that burns 300 calories, the goal has to be upped to 1300-1500 for that day.
I always make sure I eat at least 1000 as otherwise you can't log it on MFP - which is good, really!0 -
Try to only weigh yourself once a week too - if you do this daily, the fluctuations can be de-motivating when really it's just natural!
That's a personal prefence too, daily weighing can be very helpful in understanding the fluctuations and for some means they are less likely to freak out when the scale is up and down from day-to-day, particularly when using an app such as Happy Scale or Libra.Ironandwine69 wrote: »
It's not healthy to eat 1000 calories every day. But people take this quite literally and freak out if they don't eat 1000 one day. Nothing bad is going to happen if you don't eat 1000 calories one day. The body is not a machine that needs exactly the same calories every single day.
Agreed, those doing Intermittent Fasting don't eat 1000 calories net every day, it's the average over a week you should be aiming for.
@annabel92 Should be noted that I was in no way promoting eating less than minimum recommended amounts just correcting your information for lurkers. Starvation mode gets bandied about all over these forums as a reason that people aren't losing weight, when it's actually a load of bull.2 -
Other things that haven't been mentioned:
- How much food you've eaten, because food has weight and will be part of your weight until it's processed.
- Clothes you're wearing when you step on the scale, wearing different clothes can produce different results, especially during winter when you're dressed heavy.
- Stress, I always gain water weight when stressed.
- Going/not going to the bathroom, waste has weight.
- Weather, especially if you are prone to weather induced water body fluid regulation issues.
- Healing injuries, illnesses and bugs, and some health conditions.3 -
Thanks for all that! Why is so much about weight loss based on numbers on the scales when there are so many variables that impact it? I know it's about the downward trend rather than numbers week to week. I'm learning so much here. When I first started my weight loss journey 4 years ago (and 16 lbs lighter) I wish I'd known all this then. Every time I got on the scales and hadn't lost I got so disheartened not realising all the other things that impacted. Now I just know to stick to it and the downward trend over weeks and months is what counts, not the numbers each week.
Try to only weigh yourself once a week too - if you do this daily, the fluctuations can be de-motivating when really it's just natural!
No way would I not weigh in daily.
Weighing daily allows you to plot your trends and not care about the fluctuations.
13 -
Thanks for all that! Why is so much about weight loss based on numbers on the scales when there are so many variables that impact it? I know it's about the downward trend rather than numbers week to week. I'm learning so much here. When I first started my weight loss journey 4 years ago (and 16 lbs lighter) I wish I'd known all this then. Every time I got on the scales and hadn't lost I got so disheartened not realising all the other things that impacted. Now I just know to stick to it and the downward trend over weeks and months is what counts, not the numbers each week.
Sounds like your doing well and learning along the way
2 -
RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »Thanks for all that! Why is so much about weight loss based on numbers on the scales when there are so many variables that impact it? I know it's about the downward trend rather than numbers week to week. I'm learning so much here. When I first started my weight loss journey 4 years ago (and 16 lbs lighter) I wish I'd known all this then. Every time I got on the scales and hadn't lost I got so disheartened not realising all the other things that impacted. Now I just know to stick to it and the downward trend over weeks and months is what counts, not the numbers each week.
Try to only weigh yourself once a week too - if you do this daily, the fluctuations can be de-motivating when really it's just natural!
No way would I not weigh in daily.
Weighing daily allows you to plot your trends and not care about the fluctuations.
some people can't weigh daily for a variety of reasons. I don't and never did...
some people it causes stress others see ups and downs and freak.
the scale weight is just one number to take into consideration and if weighing daily is your thing great but again doesn't work for everyone.tinkerbellang83 wrote: »Hi!
When you start exercising you can experience water retention - which will up your weight temporarily - as your body retains this to assist your muscles in the healing process. You'll weigh more just after exercising too
Water retention can also be caused by high sodium and carb intake, and as you said we can put on a but during the 'time of the month'.
Of course, you can also put on weight from muscle building. However, you will notice that your body is still becoming smaller and 'tighter' whilst it does this, as you're burning the fat and building muscle instead.
You must also make sure you're eating at least 1000-1200 net calories, as any less than this can cause your body to go into 'starvation' mode and STORE fat rather than burning it.
I hope that helps!
To the bolded part - this is a dieting myth, you will not store fat whilst eating in a deficit. Long-term dieting can cause adaptive thermogenesis but this is a slowing down of the metabolism not it stopping altogether, it will not cause you to store fat, just burn it far slower. Less than 1200 calories is not recommended for a woman for nutritional reasons, not because of "starvation mode".
Even if the fat storing part is a myth, it's still VERY important to eat more than 1000 calories net... You should never promote eating less than 1000 calories net - it's bad for your weight loss and slows your metabolism.
1200 is the ideal, but for a lot of women that are smaller, 1000 net is the minimum and you can still get your nutrition this way - I often do.
and this well..you can't talk absolutes...like the word "NEVER"...if extremely obese yes doctors do say under 1k...net.
1200 is minimum for woman because that is the lowest amount of calories you can consume and still manage to get in RD intake of macros...1500 for men.
Eating less than 1k on a day is not a horrible thing and no it doesn't slow metabolism...
as mentioned adaptive thermogenisis happens with weight loss but can be countered with extra exercise and building muscle.0 -
RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »Thanks for all that! Why is so much about weight loss based on numbers on the scales when there are so many variables that impact it? I know it's about the downward trend rather than numbers week to week. I'm learning so much here. When I first started my weight loss journey 4 years ago (and 16 lbs lighter) I wish I'd known all this then. Every time I got on the scales and hadn't lost I got so disheartened not realising all the other things that impacted. Now I just know to stick to it and the downward trend over weeks and months is what counts, not the numbers each week.
Try to only weigh yourself once a week too - if you do this daily, the fluctuations can be de-motivating when really it's just natural!
No way would I not weigh in daily.
Weighing daily allows you to plot your trends and not care about the fluctuations.
some people can't weigh daily for a variety of reasons. I don't and never did...
some people it causes stress others see ups and downs and freak.
the scale weight is just one number to take into consideration and if weighing daily is your thing great but again doesn't work for everyone.tinkerbellang83 wrote: »Hi!
When you start exercising you can experience water retention - which will up your weight temporarily - as your body retains this to assist your muscles in the healing process. You'll weigh more just after exercising too
Water retention can also be caused by high sodium and carb intake, and as you said we can put on a but during the 'time of the month'.
Of course, you can also put on weight from muscle building. However, you will notice that your body is still becoming smaller and 'tighter' whilst it does this, as you're burning the fat and building muscle instead.
You must also make sure you're eating at least 1000-1200 net calories, as any less than this can cause your body to go into 'starvation' mode and STORE fat rather than burning it.
I hope that helps!
To the bolded part - this is a dieting myth, you will not store fat whilst eating in a deficit. Long-term dieting can cause adaptive thermogenesis but this is a slowing down of the metabolism not it stopping altogether, it will not cause you to store fat, just burn it far slower. Less than 1200 calories is not recommended for a woman for nutritional reasons, not because of "starvation mode".
Even if the fat storing part is a myth, it's still VERY important to eat more than 1000 calories net... You should never promote eating less than 1000 calories net - it's bad for your weight loss and slows your metabolism.
1200 is the ideal, but for a lot of women that are smaller, 1000 net is the minimum and you can still get your nutrition this way - I often do.
and this well..you can't talk absolutes...like the word "NEVER"...if extremely obese yes doctors do say under 1k...net.
1200 is minimum for woman because that is the lowest amount of calories you can consume and still manage to get in RD intake of macros...1500 for men.
Eating less than 1k on a day is not a horrible thing and no it doesn't slow metabolism...
as mentioned adaptive thermogenisis happens with weight loss but can be countered with extra exercise and building muscle.
Actually very low calorie intake does slow metabolism independent of the general weight loss adaptive thermogenesis, people just lose less per calorie restricted. This has been documented several times and happens both for long term restriction by muscle catabolism and for shorter term restriction periods due to rationing energy. but no, that kind of slow down is not permanent and no, it does not cause fat storage.1 -
Hormones, too much sugar, too much salt, or too much alcohol make me retain water.1
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Agreed! You need to make sure you're looking at net calories. If my goal is 1000-1200 calories per day (as close to 1200 as possible) and I go for a run that burns 300 calories, the goal has to be upped to 1300-1500 for that day.
I always make sure I eat at least 1000 as otherwise you can't log it on MFP - which is good, really!
That's generally true, but the occasional exception won't hurt. There was one day when I had about -1000 net calories for the day: I had eaten just over 3,000 but I had gone for a 111-mile bike ride with nearly 9,000 feet of climbing, and burned an estimated 4,220 calories. There's only so much food you can physically digest when riding, and afterwards I wasn't terribly hungry. But I had carb-loaded before the event and then made up the deficit over the next few days.
That was an exception; most of the time I hit at least 1,000 even on days when I've exercised for 4+ hours.2 -
Found fizzy drinks (even within my calorie goal) limit my loss somehow?
Then obviously if you're weight training you'll be gaining muscle so you can lose weight and gain muscle and it would show as no change of weight gone up0 -
amusedmonkey wrote: »RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »Thanks for all that! Why is so much about weight loss based on numbers on the scales when there are so many variables that impact it? I know it's about the downward trend rather than numbers week to week. I'm learning so much here. When I first started my weight loss journey 4 years ago (and 16 lbs lighter) I wish I'd known all this then. Every time I got on the scales and hadn't lost I got so disheartened not realising all the other things that impacted. Now I just know to stick to it and the downward trend over weeks and months is what counts, not the numbers each week.
Try to only weigh yourself once a week too - if you do this daily, the fluctuations can be de-motivating when really it's just natural!
No way would I not weigh in daily.
Weighing daily allows you to plot your trends and not care about the fluctuations.
some people can't weigh daily for a variety of reasons. I don't and never did...
some people it causes stress others see ups and downs and freak.
the scale weight is just one number to take into consideration and if weighing daily is your thing great but again doesn't work for everyone.tinkerbellang83 wrote: »Hi!
When you start exercising you can experience water retention - which will up your weight temporarily - as your body retains this to assist your muscles in the healing process. You'll weigh more just after exercising too
Water retention can also be caused by high sodium and carb intake, and as you said we can put on a but during the 'time of the month'.
Of course, you can also put on weight from muscle building. However, you will notice that your body is still becoming smaller and 'tighter' whilst it does this, as you're burning the fat and building muscle instead.
You must also make sure you're eating at least 1000-1200 net calories, as any less than this can cause your body to go into 'starvation' mode and STORE fat rather than burning it.
I hope that helps!
To the bolded part - this is a dieting myth, you will not store fat whilst eating in a deficit. Long-term dieting can cause adaptive thermogenesis but this is a slowing down of the metabolism not it stopping altogether, it will not cause you to store fat, just burn it far slower. Less than 1200 calories is not recommended for a woman for nutritional reasons, not because of "starvation mode".
Even if the fat storing part is a myth, it's still VERY important to eat more than 1000 calories net... You should never promote eating less than 1000 calories net - it's bad for your weight loss and slows your metabolism.
1200 is the ideal, but for a lot of women that are smaller, 1000 net is the minimum and you can still get your nutrition this way - I often do.
and this well..you can't talk absolutes...like the word "NEVER"...if extremely obese yes doctors do say under 1k...net.
1200 is minimum for woman because that is the lowest amount of calories you can consume and still manage to get in RD intake of macros...1500 for men.
Eating less than 1k on a day is not a horrible thing and no it doesn't slow metabolism...
as mentioned adaptive thermogenisis happens with weight loss but can be countered with extra exercise and building muscle.
Actually very low calorie intake does slow metabolism independent of the general weight loss adaptive thermogenesis, people just lose less per calorie restricted. This has been documented several times and happens both for long term restriction by muscle catabolism and for shorter term restriction periods due to rationing energy. but no, that kind of slow down is not permanent and no, it does not cause fat storage.
only if consistent but IF and maybe an off day or even being ill is not going to cause a slowed metabolism...
it has to be a pattern over a period of time.
I was actually reading a new study that said fast weight loss wasn't as bad as previously thought as well so low calories can't be either.0 -
tinkerbellang83 wrote: »Hi!
When you start exercising you can experience water retention - which will up your weight temporarily - as your body retains this to assist your muscles in the healing process. You'll weigh more just after exercising too
Water retention can also be caused by high sodium and carb intake, and as you said we can put on a but during the 'time of the month'.
Of course, you can also put on weight from muscle building. However, you will notice that your body is still becoming smaller and 'tighter' whilst it does this, as you're burning the fat and building muscle instead.
You must also make sure you're eating at least 1000-1200 net calories, as any less than this can cause your body to go into 'starvation' mode and STORE fat rather than burning it.
I hope that helps!
To the bolded part - this is a dieting myth, you will not store fat whilst eating in a deficit. Long-term dieting can cause adaptive thermogenesis but this is a slowing down of the metabolism not it stopping altogether, it will not cause you to store fat, just burn it far slower. Less than 1200 calories is not recommended for a woman for nutritional reasons, not because of "starvation mode".
Even if the fat storing part is a myth, it's still VERY important to eat more than 1000 calories net... You should never promote eating less than 1000 calories net - it's bad for your weight loss and slows your metabolism.
1200 is the ideal, but for a lot of women that are smaller, 1000 net is the minimum and you can still get your nutrition this way - I often do.
Yes, the fat storing is NONSENSE. Also, I believe the "calories net" thing is irrelevant. BY that logic, if one were to eat 1400 calories in a day and burn 500 in exercise, they would not be getting proper nutrition, but the same person, eating the same 1400 calories, and sleeping on the sofa all day is. Exercise doesn't *remove nutrients* from your body. And if you are counting the exercise calories as some sort of bank to eat more, you are probably overestimating.
http://lluniversity.com/why-net-calories-suck-and-your-my-fitness-pal-app-is-failing-you/0 -
fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »tinkerbellang83 wrote: »Hi!
When you start exercising you can experience water retention - which will up your weight temporarily - as your body retains this to assist your muscles in the healing process. You'll weigh more just after exercising too
Water retention can also be caused by high sodium and carb intake, and as you said we can put on a but during the 'time of the month'.
Of course, you can also put on weight from muscle building. However, you will notice that your body is still becoming smaller and 'tighter' whilst it does this, as you're burning the fat and building muscle instead.
You must also make sure you're eating at least 1000-1200 net calories, as any less than this can cause your body to go into 'starvation' mode and STORE fat rather than burning it.
I hope that helps!
To the bolded part - this is a dieting myth, you will not store fat whilst eating in a deficit. Long-term dieting can cause adaptive thermogenesis but this is a slowing down of the metabolism not it stopping altogether, it will not cause you to store fat, just burn it far slower. Less than 1200 calories is not recommended for a woman for nutritional reasons, not because of "starvation mode".
Even if the fat storing part is a myth, it's still VERY important to eat more than 1000 calories net... You should never promote eating less than 1000 calories net - it's bad for your weight loss and slows your metabolism.
1200 is the ideal, but for a lot of women that are smaller, 1000 net is the minimum and you can still get your nutrition this way - I often do.
Yes, the fat storing is NONSENSE. Also, I believe the "calories net" thing is irrelevant. BY that logic, if one were to eat 1400 calories in a day and burn 500 in exercise, they would not be getting proper nutrition, but the same person, eating the same 1400 calories, and sleeping on the sofa all day is. Exercise doesn't *remove nutrients* from your body. And if you are counting the exercise calories as some sort of bank to eat more, you are probably overestimating.
http://lluniversity.com/why-net-calories-suck-and-your-my-fitness-pal-app-is-failing-you/
what makes you think the net calories is about nutrition?
it's about fuel for working out...and living etc....it's all about calories.
ETA and the link you provided has taken what is logged on MFP and taken it to the extreme. Very rarely do people actually log folding laundry or house cleaning...and if they do they find they aren't losing and have a choice.
The link you provided is written to get people to pay for a course where they could come here and get the education for free...lol...pretty sad actually.7 -
fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »tinkerbellang83 wrote: »Hi!
When you start exercising you can experience water retention - which will up your weight temporarily - as your body retains this to assist your muscles in the healing process. You'll weigh more just after exercising too
Water retention can also be caused by high sodium and carb intake, and as you said we can put on a but during the 'time of the month'.
Of course, you can also put on weight from muscle building. However, you will notice that your body is still becoming smaller and 'tighter' whilst it does this, as you're burning the fat and building muscle instead.
You must also make sure you're eating at least 1000-1200 net calories, as any less than this can cause your body to go into 'starvation' mode and STORE fat rather than burning it.
I hope that helps!
To the bolded part - this is a dieting myth, you will not store fat whilst eating in a deficit. Long-term dieting can cause adaptive thermogenesis but this is a slowing down of the metabolism not it stopping altogether, it will not cause you to store fat, just burn it far slower. Less than 1200 calories is not recommended for a woman for nutritional reasons, not because of "starvation mode".
Even if the fat storing part is a myth, it's still VERY important to eat more than 1000 calories net... You should never promote eating less than 1000 calories net - it's bad for your weight loss and slows your metabolism.
1200 is the ideal, but for a lot of women that are smaller, 1000 net is the minimum and you can still get your nutrition this way - I often do.
Yes, the fat storing is NONSENSE. Also, I believe the "calories net" thing is irrelevant. BY that logic, if one were to eat 1400 calories in a day and burn 500 in exercise, they would not be getting proper nutrition, but the same person, eating the same 1400 calories, and sleeping on the sofa all day is. Exercise doesn't *remove nutrients* from your body. And if you are counting the exercise calories as some sort of bank to eat more, you are probably overestimating.
http://lluniversity.com/why-net-calories-suck-and-your-my-fitness-pal-app-is-failing-you/
That's a silly article. Most people who know how to work with net calories are highly successful bar unrelated behavioral issues, and most people who don't know how to work with net calories have the mental capacity to understand when explained to them. I would argue that the vast majority of newbies have the exact opposite issue: they go for the default 1200 and don't eat exercise back. The article makes it sound like the majority does it the other way around, which isn't true.
Deficit has more to it than simply getting nutrients, otherwise one would argue you could simply drink a couple of protein shakes and take a multivitamin and expect your body to behave the same as it would on a moderate deficit. Not the case. Energy availability (net calories) greatly affects all kinds of hormones, including sex hormones, hunger hormones, and hormones that regulate brain chemistry. People on large deficits are much more likely to lose muscle both because of low energy availability and greater cortisol secretion, and also get less weight loss bang for their dieting buck due to larger slowdown on extended high deficit and that's without even mentioning exercise performance if someone is interested in that. There is also the psychological effect of losing weight while still having greater freedom with food choices.
In general, people with higher activity do tolerate higher deficits a little bit better, but up to a point before hormones start to get scrambled.3 -
fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »tinkerbellang83 wrote: »Hi!
When you start exercising you can experience water retention - which will up your weight temporarily - as your body retains this to assist your muscles in the healing process. You'll weigh more just after exercising too
Water retention can also be caused by high sodium and carb intake, and as you said we can put on a but during the 'time of the month'.
Of course, you can also put on weight from muscle building. However, you will notice that your body is still becoming smaller and 'tighter' whilst it does this, as you're burning the fat and building muscle instead.
You must also make sure you're eating at least 1000-1200 net calories, as any less than this can cause your body to go into 'starvation' mode and STORE fat rather than burning it.
I hope that helps!
To the bolded part - this is a dieting myth, you will not store fat whilst eating in a deficit. Long-term dieting can cause adaptive thermogenesis but this is a slowing down of the metabolism not it stopping altogether, it will not cause you to store fat, just burn it far slower. Less than 1200 calories is not recommended for a woman for nutritional reasons, not because of "starvation mode".
Even if the fat storing part is a myth, it's still VERY important to eat more than 1000 calories net... You should never promote eating less than 1000 calories net - it's bad for your weight loss and slows your metabolism.
1200 is the ideal, but for a lot of women that are smaller, 1000 net is the minimum and you can still get your nutrition this way - I often do.
Yes, the fat storing is NONSENSE. Also, I believe the "calories net" thing is irrelevant. BY that logic, if one were to eat 1400 calories in a day and burn 500 in exercise, they would not be getting proper nutrition, but the same person, eating the same 1400 calories, and sleeping on the sofa all day is. Exercise doesn't *remove nutrients* from your body. And if you are counting the exercise calories as some sort of bank to eat more, you are probably overestimating.
http://lluniversity.com/why-net-calories-suck-and-your-my-fitness-pal-app-is-failing-you/
I know you're a strong proponent of VLCDs (in the context of "VLCD" being defined as consistent net calorie intake significantly below the MFP recommended minimums), but put nutrition aside and you're still discounting the long-term effect of not adequately fueling your workouts and not adequately fueling recovery. While minimum nutrition needs may be technically met by a 900 calorie per day net intake, I think it's disingenuous to advocate that to users as a viable long-term practice - especially those who actually are working out vigorously enough to truly burn 500 calories/day in exercise. You're also completely ignoring the effects of hormones such as cortisol. http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html/
With that said, I do agree that "starvation mode", as it's thrown about these boards, is a complete myth.7 -
Found fizzy drinks (even within my calorie goal) limit my loss somehow?
Then obviously if you're weight training you'll be gaining muscle so you can lose weight and gain muscle and it would show as no change of weight gone up
By what mechanism can someone gain/not lose weight whilst eating in a deficit? There needs to be a surplus of energy to build muscle (exception being recomp but that's another discussion), nobody is building enough to simultaneously cancel fat gains or not see a loss on the scale.
Fizzy drinks don't limit losses. Whatever you are observing is unrelated to what you are eating/drinking in terms of fat loss and eating within ones calories.2 -
So I'm talking here about what impacts the numbers on the scales. If you're in a calorie defect (weighing food) but the scales aren't showing it, what things are impacting on that? What causes water retention etc.? I've heard high sodium intake can, for girls time of the month can impact. What else?
Water retention can be caused by things like ...
-- sodium
-- heat, like being out in the heat all day
-- sunburn
-- extra exercise
-- flights
-- surgery
-- TOM
If you weigh yourself every day, you can see these fluctuations and you'll know the reasons why the fluctuations are there.
Lack of sleep can also be a problem. Personally, I find that when I'm really tired I want more calories. Plus if I'm up late working on homework, and I'm only sleeping maybe 5 hours a night, there's 19 hours during the day when I want to eat. But if I can get a good solid 6.5 hours of sleep or more, there is less time during the day to be hungry and I am less hungry in general.1 -
some people can't weigh daily for a variety of reasons. I don't and never did...
some people it causes stress others see ups and downs and freak.
The same happens with weekly weighing, though. If one week you weigh on a day when your weight is slightly down, and the next week you weigh on a day when your weight is slightly up, it's going to look like you've gained weight. Even more so with TOM!
If you weigh daily, you gain an understanding of the extent of your weight fluctuations and what can cause them, you stop freaking when you're a pound up after a few days without a bowel movement, and even if you do freak you're only panicking for a couple of days, not the entire week.
Either way, what matters is the trend, not the individual data point. And I think it's easier to remember that with daily weighing.1 -
some people can't weigh daily for a variety of reasons. I don't and never did...
some people it causes stress others see ups and downs and freak.
The same happens with weekly weighing, though. If one week you weigh on a day when your weight is slightly down, and the next week you weigh on a day when your weight is slightly up, it's going to look like you've gained weight. Even more so with TOM!
If you weigh daily, you gain an understanding of the extent of your weight fluctuations and what can cause them, you stop freaking when you're a pound up after a few days without a bowel movement, and even if you do freak you're only panicking for a couple of days, not the entire week.
Either way, what matters is the trend, not the individual data point. And I think it's easier to remember that with daily weighing.
that may work for you but not everyone...
I don't like weighing daily...heck I am lucky if I get on the scale monthly...
I am confident in a few things. Those being
1. I am logging pretty accurately
2. if I gain my clothing will let me know (not a large difference between a size 4 and 6...about 5lbs)
3. scale weight is just a number and just one thing used to track
4. scale weight is bull crap anyway...due to the exactly what you are giving as reasons to weigh daily...sodium, TOM, poop, exercise all make it look like you weigh more...
smh.
and if the scale weight is that important that you have to weigh daily (unless a data geek) you need to get some perspective on what is really important in losing weight...that is gaining life and health not a new lower number on a piece of machinery.0 -
some people can't weigh daily for a variety of reasons. I don't and never did...
some people it causes stress others see ups and downs and freak.
The same happens with weekly weighing, though. If one week you weigh on a day when your weight is slightly down, and the next week you weigh on a day when your weight is slightly up, it's going to look like you've gained weight. Even more so with TOM!
If you weigh daily, you gain an understanding of the extent of your weight fluctuations and what can cause them, you stop freaking when you're a pound up after a few days without a bowel movement, and even if you do freak you're only panicking for a couple of days, not the entire week.
Either way, what matters is the trend, not the individual data point. And I think it's easier to remember that with daily weighing.
that may work for you but not everyone...
I don't like weighing daily...heck I am lucky if I get on the scale monthly...
I am confident in a few things. Those being
1. I am logging pretty accurately
2. if I gain my clothing will let me know (not a large difference between a size 4 and 6...about 5lbs)
3. scale weight is just a number and just one thing used to track
4. scale weight is bull crap anyway...due to the exactly what you are giving as reasons to weigh daily...sodium, TOM, poop, exercise all make it look like you weigh more...
smh.
and if the scale weight is that important that you have to weigh daily (unless a data geek) you need to get some perspective on what is really important in losing weight...that is gaining life and health not a new lower number on a piece of machinery.
Why can't you have it all? Life, health and a new lower number on a piece of machinery.
2 -
Oh my can we not hijack the OPs post and turn it into a battle of what is the best way to weigh, everyone has their own preference and reasons to weigh daily/weekly/monthly/not at all.3
-
4. scale weight is bull crap anyway...due to the exactly what you are giving as reasons to weigh daily...sodium, TOM, poop, exercise all make it look like you weigh more....
...and weighing daily leads to understanding and recognising those factors in a way that weekly weighing can't. Which I believe I already said.2
This discussion has been closed.
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