Tricking metabolism
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tammystarren
Posts: 32 Member
So i am just switching in to mfp from ww! I started ww at 270lbs and am now 212 so just about 60 down! But am at a bit of plateau and am not satisfied on ww anymore!
Mfp puts me at 1330 cals per day! What do you guys do ? Always hit your calories the same everyday ? Shouldnt we fluctuate it somehow to trick our metabolisms ?
What works for you ? Cheat meals here and there ?
Mfp puts me at 1330 cals per day! What do you guys do ? Always hit your calories the same everyday ? Shouldnt we fluctuate it somehow to trick our metabolisms ?
What works for you ? Cheat meals here and there ?
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Replies
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You can't trick your metabolism, that's just not a thing.
You can either look at your calories as a daily target, or as a weekly one, whatever works best for you. Some people like to eat a little less through the week so they have more calories at the weekend when they're more likely to be socialising, others prefer the structure of keeping them the same each day.
If by 'cheat meal' you mean having a meal where you just eat whatever and don't track it or try to fit it into your calorie allowance, really dumb idea imho. You can very easily wipe out your entire deficit for the week. If, on the other hand, you want to save some calories to have a more indulgent meal, or eat at maintenance for a day without saving calories and accept slightly slower weight loss, that's fine, but it's not cheating. Most people have unplanned 'screw it' days from time to time, life happens, the important thing there is to accept that it's just one day, and get straight back on the horse the next.27 -
Is tricking metabolism like confusing muscles?
Next up we have baffling your thyroid, bewildering your digestive system, perplexing your nerves and confounding your ligaments.45 -
I don't think there's such a thing as tricking the metabolism but you can increase it by being more active/ changing exercise routine.
As for calories, I don't eat the same every day, I go by weekly totals. Today I might only eat 1500, but other days I will eat 2200. As long as I don't go above 14000 calories in a week I maintain my weight nicely. Don't think the lower and higher days have ever affected/tricked my metabolism though!1 -
As people have said...not a thing.0
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bendyourkneekatie wrote: »Is tricking metabolism like confusing muscles?
Next up we have baffling your thyroid, bewildering your digestive system, perplexing your nerves and confounding your ligaments.
best response ever!3 -
As others have said, tricking your metabolism isn't a thing. Actually, it is... it's a scam to get you to buy diet books and the like.
Don't over complicate it.
Weight is like a bank account - put more in than you take out and it'll get bigger. Take out more than you put in and it'll get smaller. It doesn't matter if you put in dirty old pennies or crispy new dollar bills... the balance changes just the same. Nor does it matter if you put in/take out all at once, a little bit every day, or erratically over time... what goes out goes out, what comes in comes in.9 -
Congratulations on your loss! I left WW too about two years ago. I have lost over 85 lbs with mfp. It works really well for me and I try to stay below my calories with exercise included daily. For example (just remember I'm 60 years old) my daily calories are 1290 and my exercise will be around 140 so I will do my best to be below 1330 in a day. I'm still trying to lose the last 5 lbs so that's why my calories are so low. My maintenance should be around 1500. Having said that I have some days where I end with 10 calories in the bank and others where I have 200. As long as you have a deficit at the end of the week you should be good to lose. Don't try to lose it all at once though you will learn more if you take your time. Patience will be your friend and ally. I've learned so much in the last two years!5
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It's up to you whether you strive to hit that target every day or on average over time. I like to eat more on the weekends than during the week so I ate very light during the week so I could eat more on the weekends.3
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The closest real thing to what you're describing that I can think of is the idea of a diet break, which does seem to have some preliminary science behind it (https://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html/) but that's not about mixing things up day to day, but rather taking a week or two to eat at maintenance after a prolonged period of deficit. That said, I personally do not stick to a strict daily limit but prefer weekly and monthly goals instead, since that allows me more flexibility from day to day.
ETA: Like many others here, I dislike the idea of a cheat meal. Some days I want to eat more for various sorts of reasons, so I do. Since I also want to keep losing weight, I keep track of what I eat and adjust the rest of my week or month so that I stay in a deficit. I'm not looking to win a race and then sleep for a week here, I'm looking to live healthier for the rest of my life.5 -
You guys your body senses weight loss and when you are eating a reduced calorie diet to lose weight your metabolism slows down! Its a protective mechanism so yes you can trick it by not staying the same everyday. That way it helps your metabolism stay revved!
I was asking how you guys do this but sounds like you stay the same.30 -
tammystarren wrote: »You guys your body senses weight loss and when you are eating a reduced calorie diet to lose weight your metabolism slows down! Its a protective mechanism so yes you can trick it by not staying the same everyday. That way it helps your metabolism stay revved!
I was asking how you guys do this but sounds like you stay the same.
My metabolism slows down as I lose weight as I'm lighter and have less mass to sustain...6 -
Muscleflex79 wrote: »bendyourkneekatie wrote: »Is tricking metabolism like confusing muscles?
Next up we have baffling your thyroid, bewildering your digestive system, perplexing your nerves and confounding your ligaments.
best response ever!
Not really! Just trying to be funny and its not. If you look up how metabolism works during weight loss you would know what I mean ! Read the book the obesity code.
Your body tries to maintain thats why our metabolism changes..slower and faster! If you always eat at 1300 cals for example your metab will slow down and so will your weight loss along with other involved factors. By varied eating you can keep your metabolism more revved up. Its a way to fool your system rather than it being at a consistent rate.39 -
tammystarren wrote: »Muscleflex79 wrote: »bendyourkneekatie wrote: »Is tricking metabolism like confusing muscles?
Next up we have baffling your thyroid, bewildering your digestive system, perplexing your nerves and confounding your ligaments.
best response ever!
Not really! Just trying to be funny and its not. If you look up how metabolism works during weight loss you would know what I mean ! Read the book the obesity code.
Your body tries to maintain thats why our metabolism changes..slower and faster! If you always eat at 1300 cals for example your metab will slow down and so will your weight loss along with other involved factors. By varied eating you can keep your metabolism more revved up. Its a way to fool your system rather than it being at a consistent rate.
I would recommend against using "The Obesity Code" as an authority on weight loss.
You can't "trick" your body.15 -
tammystarren wrote: »You guys your body senses weight loss and when you are eating a reduced calorie diet to lose weight your metabolism slows down! Its a protective mechanism so yes you can trick it by not staying the same everyday. That way it helps your metabolism stay revved!
I was asking how you guys do this but sounds like you stay the same.
Am I missing something? I thought you were the one who came in with questions. If you find that The Obesity Code is helping you, go for it. We should all do what brings us success as individuals. But it's not for the reasons you think.11 -
Oh Honey ...10
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Its just an interesting book.
Its a fact that eating less calories slows your metabolism. Extreme dieters will majorly screw themselves over and gain all their weight back and then some. They end up bigger than when they started because of what they have done to their metabolism! Thats why slow and steady weight loss wins the race. Its more sustaining
Ever wonder why some people come to a complete stall even with a logged calorie deficit ? Then they go off plan then back again and get a new jump at it! Your body fights you by adjusting things internally to slow everything down as it loses weight!
Can we prevent these stalls or plateaus by not being so consistent every day ?? Is it better to eat within a range of calories vs being same every day ?21 -
Read more than one book.15
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PaulaWallaDingDong wrote: »tammystarren wrote: »You guys your body senses weight loss and when you are eating a reduced calorie diet to lose weight your metabolism slows down! Its a protective mechanism so yes you can trick it by not staying the same everyday. That way it helps your metabolism stay revved!
I was asking how you guys do this but sounds like you stay the same.
Am I missing something? I thought you were the one who came in with questions. If you find that The Obesity Code is helping you, go for it. We should all do what brings us success as individuals. But it's not for the reasons you think.
Yes you are missing something! Going back to my original question....mfp sets your daily calories to eat every day .... do you guys fluctuate from that to try and work better with your metabolism (since you dont like the word tricked) ? Or do you consistently go by your daily calories as set on mfp ?
I am switching over from ww which obviously does things differently! We are given a range to eat in!11 -
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tammystarren wrote: »PaulaWallaDingDong wrote: »tammystarren wrote: »You guys your body senses weight loss and when you are eating a reduced calorie diet to lose weight your metabolism slows down! Its a protective mechanism so yes you can trick it by not staying the same everyday. That way it helps your metabolism stay revved!
I was asking how you guys do this but sounds like you stay the same.
Am I missing something? I thought you were the one who came in with questions. If you find that The Obesity Code is helping you, go for it. We should all do what brings us success as individuals. But it's not for the reasons you think.
Yes you are missing something! Going back to my original question....mfp sets your daily calories to eat every day .... do you guys fluctuate from that to try and work better with your metabolism (since you dont like the word tricked) ? Or do you consistently go by your daily calories as set on mfp ?
I am switching over from ww which obviously does things differently! We are given a range to eat in!
Your metabolism cannot be manipulated, tricked, scared into submission, etc. etc.12
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