I'm not saying it doesn't work, but...
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Im hoping you got your answers! I have read through them and can understand a little more too. I had the same questions.
Congrats and good luck with pregnancy - i too am not sure how ppl are misunderstanding your question.
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To answer the OP's question -
Many people eat too FEW calories, especially those who workout a ton and don't eat back those calories. You need a calorie deficit to lose weight, but too much of a deficit is a bad thing. Your body expects a certain calorie level for general maintenance and daily activities. If you don't get it, your body starts adapting - it causes your body to lower it's metabolism rate. A lower metabolism means that you are burning fewer calories in your day to day activities, which makes it harder to lose weight.
When people are recommending for people to eat more, they are suggesting that people eat enough so that their body snaps out of this lower metabolism mode. You can't just keep upping calories and expect to lose weight - if you eat more than you burn you will gain, but it's also not healthy (or productive for long-term weight loss) to eat too FEW. The advice to increase calories is about finding that healthy range where you are still at a deficit, but not eating too few calories.
^^ THIS, definitely. And right on, rescueangel.
I was training for a 1/2 marathon, and there were times I plateaud for a loooooong time, and was stuck. When I looked back over my diary, every time I broke the loss plateau was when I ate about 200 extra calories a day (I even went that much over my calorie count for the day, including workout calories). My body wanted more FUEL if I was gonna work out that hard, and then it could let go of what it was storing. Kind of like your body saying "If you're gonna kill me like that TOMORROW, I'm gonna hold on to what you give me TODAY."
REST DAYS are also important. I recently had surgery, and had to take a month off my workouts. Suddenly I lost the last 3-4 lbs. my body had been holding onto for FIVE MONTHS.
It's all about finding your balance.0 -
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Oh man, I need to stop reading these threads...0
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I know that your question is a general one, butI hope that you have talked to a doctor about planning to not gain weight during your pregnancy. Even obese people are told to gain between 10-15. I know it is important to be fit and eat well, but I have an aunt who wouldn't allow herself to gain at ALL during her pregnancies (she weighed in the 160s at the time) and both of her boys have severe problems (like they will never leave her house and she has had to make plans for them to live in homes if anything happens to her and my uncle). Maybe you should work with your OB/GYN to eat healthy and gain on track for your weight with pregnancy.
My mother lost weight while she was pregnant with me. Her doctor said she was fine as long as she didn't lose more than 4 lbs per week. 4 lbs a week is pretty significant!! I turned out perfectly healthy.0 -
Eating a little more calories, while still keeping a deficit may convince your body to stop holding on to weight, if is that is the problem. But I suspect that most of these people who claim to eat thousands of calories and lose weight are simply omitting part of their story. Like they are hard core weight lifters, or marathon runners, or something like that.0
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I've never been a real believer in it myself, although saying that might generate some negative comments. Here's a site that debunks the starvation mode theory, which is what is often cited when people encourage others to eat more calories. If I had more time, I would try to find a more reliable source than the National Health Association (I have no idea who they are except that they believe in a plant based diet.)
http://www.healthscience.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=512:are-you-in-the-starvation-mode-or-starving-for-truth&catid=102:jeff-novicks-blog&Itemid=267
Personally, I hit plateaus in my weight loss and never found that eating more really helped. What DID help for me was changing up my exercise routine.
Just because something didn't work for you doesn't make it untrue or any kind of myth.
A lot of people (myself included) have lost weight or broke a plateau by eating more. I'm personally glad that I found articles and such that backed up eating more - otherwise I may have given up on losing more weight when I plateaued at 167lbs for MONTHS. I started eating more and went from 167lbs to 150lbs in about 5 weeks. Not everything works for everyone else - but it doesn't make it untrue simply because it didn't work for you (low carb doesn't work for me, but that doesn't mean people haven't had success on a low carb "diet" - it just doesn't work for ME).0 -
Congrats on your pregnancy. BTW....I lost weight in my last pregnancy (30 lbs) because I ate properly. I then gained 1/2 back and lost it again after birth.
My baby was 9lbs and at 3 yrs of age is in the 90%.
My doc said so long as I ate balanced meals....I was doing right by my son. And it is a heck of a lot better than the 100 lbs I gained during my first pregnancy.
That 6 old is perfect too,...0 -
I had just posted this on another reply a little bit ago...
Our bodies are built to survive. There are processes in place to deal with different circumstances. If you are under-eating or over-exercising you body will try to compensate for any shortages by slowing down and trying to burn the least amount of fuel as possible. Storing as much as possible.
On the other hand, if you were to add more fuel by eating more calories or even slow down on the exercise, your body will respond by increasing these systems again. In turn, you will see your body working efficiently and doing what you expect.
Think of your body as a flashlight. When the batteries are low, the light dims. Recharge the betteries and the light shines bright again.0 -
That just doesn't happen. If you exercise and have low glycogen stores (bonk) then you KNOW IT! You don't just go along happily having a huge calorie deficit and exercising. If you ever bonk you won't do that again!
The eat more calories thing is a total myth. WHEN YOU ARE LOSING WEIGHT YOU ARE IN STARVATION MODE ALL THE TIME!
Sorry, but the experience of many people on MFP refute your explanation. I hate the term "Starvation Mode" - but what is commonly referred to as starvation mode is your body adapting to eating too few calories. Eating at a deficit does NOT equal "starvation mode" or whatever you want to call it. Someone who is eating at a deficit of 250 calories/day is much different than someone eating at a deficit of 2000 calories per day. The latter will not be eating enough to support basic body function, while the former will. It is that latter, when done *long term* that will cause your body to react negatively. "starvation mode" will not happen overnight - it requires long-term undereating at a deficit below what is reasonable for your weight - which varies for different people. Seriously obese people can support higher deficits for longer periods of tiem than people who only have 10-20 lbs to lose.0 -
Talking to my doctor, he suggested maintenance calories every 4-5 days
He explained that you need to find a spot where you are maintaining ... not gaining or losing ... to "reset" your body's metabolism. Your body will start holding onto calories if it is not getting enough to operate every day. And when we are trying to lose, we tend to go under for too long, which causes our bodies to adapt.
So, once or twice a week ... hit the maintenance calories in lieu of the minimum calories to keep your body from hitting a plateau ... and ALWAYS switch up the workout. When I stick to this plan, the weight loss is consistent. When I only hit the minimum for weeks, no matter what I do, the weight loss slows.
That is me ... and what I have found works for my system through trial and error.
PS In regards to pregnancy - Eating healthy and exercise is the most important thing ... I'm sure your doctor can talk to you about what you should be gaining, and what is safe for you and your child.0 -
Also, white anything is an empty calorie, so if you are wasting any of your daily calories with sugar, white rice, etc. you are not eating to lose.
This has to be the most uninformed, uneducated statement that I have EVER read in these threads!!
You my dear are ace! with everything you have said so far on this thread, infact I nearly wee'd with laughter! !!!0 -
BTW, here is a whole thread dedicated to the whole Eat more to lose more mentality. And the second link is a study I conducted with 88 MFP members to compare calories to body fat. People with lower body fats ate more. My theory is, if you want to look like an athlete, you should train and eat like one.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/395881-people-who-lost-weight-eating-more
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/395948-caloric-intake-results?hl=caloric+intake+results&page=1#posts-54252080 -
I tend to eat a big fat pizza to boost mine ;-) I wouldn't advise you all to do that though!0
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Also, white anything is an empty calorie, so if you are wasting any of your daily calories with sugar, white rice, etc. you are not eating to lose.
This has to be the most uninformed, uneducated statement that I have EVER read in these threads!!
So bring on the white rice, pasta, M&Ms and soda?
I mean, i've plateued....so I should have an extra pack of M&Ms then? :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
(and if you can't read the sarcasm...well....)0 -
Everything your body does metabolically uses calories to do it and calories are really just units of heat expenditure (reference the laws of thermodynamics? energy = heat, etc.) so, your body expends calories digesting food. There seems to be a sweet spot where you're eating just enough to keep the motor running and yet burn calories in adequate amounts to lose weight. This is probably related to "starvation mode", the idea that the body reaches a point where it begins to conserve calories/energy rather than just burning them in BMR. Your body will expend what energy is necessary to digest the few calories you give it, but little else.
Personally, having lost a hundred pounds more than once, I can attest to the fact that the body has a memory as well. I shift into conservation mode much more quickly than I did the first time I dieted and exercised. It's as though my cells were saying, "We're not falling for that trick again!"...So, I have to consume about 1600-1800 calories a day to keep them from thinking I am starving them.
But it's important that these are efficient calories, good calories, not cake and soda pop.
Add to this that I am older now than I was the first time I lost weight and my metabolism has slowed as a necessary byproduct of the fact and I have a loooong row to hoe indeed. Sad.
The moral of the story is this: once you lose it, do not gain it back, it's harder to get rid of.0 -
Also, white anything is an empty calorie, so if you are wasting any of your daily calories with sugar, white rice, etc. you are not eating to lose.
This has to be the most uninformed, uneducated statement that I have EVER read in these threads!!
So bring on the white rice, pasta, M&Ms and soda? I mean, i've plateued....so I should have an extra pack of M&Ms then? :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
(and if you can't read the sarcasm...well....)
Only if they are peanut M&M's! You need the added protein. :smokin:
And BTW... stay out of my diary!! :grumble:0 -
Really? I am getting blasted for suggesting that you should limit your intake of refined sugars and refined flour? And that is not supported by evidence? I'm not saying don't eat carbs, I'm saying that refined sugar is an empty calorie. If you only have 1200 calories in a day and you are using 400 on refined sugar than you are probably short changing yourself on needed nutrients (probably not definitely).
See here:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/27460-list-refined-foods/
or here: http://www.southfloridagaynews.com/life-and-style/health/5306-the-fitness-guy-new-years-resolutions-and-weight-loss-.html0 -
To answer the OP's question -
Many people eat too FEW calories, especially those who workout a ton and don't eat back those calories. You need a calorie deficit to lose weight, but too much of a deficit is a bad thing. Your body expects a certain calorie level for general maintenance and daily activities. If you don't get it, your body starts adapting - it causes your body to lower it's metabolism rate. A lower metabolism means that you are burning fewer calories in your day to day activities, which makes it harder to lose weight.
When people are recommending for people to eat more, they are suggesting that people eat enough so that their body snaps out of this lower metabolism mode. You can't just keep upping calories and expect to lose weight - if you eat more than you burn you will gain, but it's also not healthy (or productive for long-term weight loss) to eat too FEW. The advice to increase calories is about finding that healthy range where you are still at a deficit, but not eating too few calories.
That just doesn't happen. If you exercise and have low glycogen stores (bonk) then you KNOW IT! You don't just go along happily having a huge calorie deficit and exercising. If you ever bonk you won't do that again!
The eat more calories thing is a total myth. WHEN YOU ARE LOSING WEIGHT YOU ARE IN STARVATION MODE ALL THE TIME!
The reason it is good to eat more calories some times is to give your body a break from starving.
Also it is nearly impossible to gain muscle on a calorie deficit. If muscle is your goal, you have to eat more.
The reason to lift weights on a calorie deficit is to maintain your muscles.
This0 -
Often times a plateau has to do with water retention, where fat is being lost SLOWLY, but it doesn't show on the scale because water rentention is masking it. Eating more can do stuff to reset your leptin levels and also cause your body to drop water weight (aka the whoosh).
However, most of the time, plateaus are simply the person is eating more than they think they are thus eating at maintenance calorie levels. Study after study have been done and most people underestimate their intake by some margin. That margin of error is likely the difference between losing weight and maintaining weight if you have a razor thin margin to begin with.
So in short... Eating more is a trick to get your body to drop water weight and resetting your leptin levels.0 -
i am unsure of the answer to your question, but just a few things :
1. congrats on the pregnancy
2. i LOVE your ticker. the baby is too cute
3. that is all. have a great day!
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There's a couple of reasons (maybe even more), the first is like other have said it, one needs more calories to have the body prevent it from thinking it's in starvation mode, IF you are consuming too few of calories.
The second reason, is that human bodies are incredibly adaptable. If you kept you calories at the same constaint rate, the body become more efficient and adapts to the lower calories. Just like when you do work outs, it's recommended sometimes to shake things up a bit, this is the same thing in food.
Think of it when you're doing a new task or job, at first you're using a lot of effort to figure things out, and it takes a while for you to get it right. After you've been doing the job for a while, you become quite proficient and you're using less effort or energy to do it. That effort you use when you're learning something vs doing something well know is like your body burning calories. Once, you're in a routine, and someone or something shakes up your routine, it will 'wake' you up, and get you taking more effort.0
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