eat more cals to lose weight. PLEASE explain.

xomendyrox
xomendyrox Posts: 1
edited December 18 in Fitness and Exercise
i keep reading over and over that i should eat more to lose more.
i have a really hard time accepting this since eating more is what made me gain weight in the first place.
i've seen all of the silly calculations on bmr etc. i calculated on http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/ that i should be eating 2004 cals a day with moderate exercise to lose weight. HUH????? i'm pretty sure if i had mexican for lunch everyday and drank to my heart's content that i would indeed gain weight. so obviously there is more to it than "just eat more, and you'll lose weight."
can anyone explain:

1. why do i need to eat more to lose more?

2. what exactly am i supposed to be eating more of to lose weight?

i'm so sick of hearing this, but since eating below my calculated MyFitnessPal calories and working out every day is not working, i'm open to suggestions. please be kind.

Replies

  • lizard053
    lizard053 Posts: 2,344 Member
    Eat more HEALTHY calories to lose weight. Avoid processed foods, and high sugar content foods.

    I was netting 800-1000 calories a day and only gaining, believe it or not. I've gone up to netting 1300 calories and losing again. Figure that one out!

    It turns out that your body will start shutting down functions, slowing brain power, and so on if you don't give it enough fuel. Even if you have body fat to lose, it will hold on to that for as long as possible while continuing to shut down. It will convert muscle to fat too, it's easier to extract energy from fat over the long term, but muscle is what keeps your metabolism ramped up for you to lose weight easier. So, by excessively limiting calories you can end up very, very sick and have nothing to work with in the future.
    But when you properly fuel your body, and eat enough healthy food, your body will continue to work up to maximum capacity, it will maintain muscle mass and cut fat away. You will have more energy and feel more alive. How can you argue that?
  • ClassicPearl
    ClassicPearl Posts: 141 Member
    Thanks for the explanation! This really hit home for me:

    "Eat more HEALTHY calories to lose weight. Avoid processed foods, and high sugar content foods."

    :)
  • CDaug
    CDaug Posts: 2
    If you do not eat the min calories per day you should eat then you body will not loose weight - it will store the calories in order to keep your body functioning. Eat healthy choices, eat your min cal per day. To lose 1 lb per wk leave 500 calories on the table from your total intake. You must exercise to do this b/c you still have to eat your min amt of calories.
  • pandasmama3
    pandasmama3 Posts: 114 Member
    So what is "netting"? I'm confused
  • juicemoogan
    juicemoogan Posts: 994 Member
    Join this group read the threads: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less

    Great read on plateauing http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/501511-great-read-on-plateau-ing?page=8#posts-7150335

    Excellent information on why not eating enough works against you... http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

    Proof that there are many eating and losing weight successfully http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/506349-women-who-eat-more-than-1800-calories-a-day
  • jaysonhijinx
    jaysonhijinx Posts: 663 Member
    Netting/Net Calories = Total calories consumed - calories burned through exercise.
  • Polly758
    Polly758 Posts: 623 Member
    To put it simply, there is not a direct correlation to calories and weight. There are other factors. Yes, eating too much (what is too much??) will make you gain weight, but eating too little (again this amount is different for everybody) does not always make you lose weight.

    Evolution gave some our survival mechanisms, and while we spent a lot of time running from sabertooth tigers and eating roots and berries, this is not so much a part of modern life. But my point is that the body does weird things to keep itself alive. Not logical. But it works.
  • MaryDreamer
    MaryDreamer Posts: 439
    I think the idea comes from the book The New Rules of Lifting for Women. I belong to the MFP group called Eat More to Weigh Less and they are having great success with this! Yes you still have to eat the same kinds of clean healthy foods as if you were only eating 1200 cals a day. You still have to keep your Macronutrients (Carbs, Fat and Protein) in the GREEN. Still keep your sugar low and your fiber high. I'm just starting this process myself and it took me a while to get up the nerve. But I'm going for it, it works for too many others!
  • mmartinz
    mmartinz Posts: 3
    When I first started my journey of losing weight back in August 2011, I would have never accepted the statement of “Eat more to lose more” weight. For my first 20 pounds of weight lost, I stayed within my calorie intake per MVP which happened to match the advice of my dietician. My food choices where still unhealthy (i.e., fast food and restaurants) but I cut-down on the extra condiments, portions and went from sodas or sweet tea to un-sweet tea, water or Diet Lipton Green Tea. This also included exercising 3 times a week. When I lost twenty pounds I plateau and my appetite started to soar. I chalked it up to higher metabolism rate. I talked to my dietician about it and she recommended bringing in more fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grain, fiberOne bars, and leaner meats to my diet (she identified the good and the bad). When I did this, my calorie intake went from 1810 a day to 2200 calories. I still was stuck with my weight, but since I was taking in more fiber, I increased by water intake to 6 – 8 cups a day (not including my green tea intake). Well, it helped, I started to lose more weight. So, I am a believer of eat more to lose more weight, just increase your vegetables & fruits (the good ones). If you are not a vegetable eater, finely chop it and add it to your meats or pasta to blend it in. It doesn’t take much to get your daily value intake. Wishing you much success in your achieving your goals!
  • LovelyNFit
    LovelyNFit Posts: 92 Member
    I am new to this -
    By "eat your minimum calories" do you mean what it says your "GOAL" calories on the MY HOME page? 1200 calories is my goal.
    But when I add exercise, the FOOD tab says I have "earned" more calories and the counting adds those extra calories to the 1200 calories. Need explanation. Thank you.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Don't think of it as eating MORE. Think of it as eating RIGHT.

    I blogged about it here: http://www.isthisbliss.com/eating-more-to-lose-weight-why-it-works/
  • 12by311
    12by311 Posts: 1,716 Member
    if you have a huge mexican meal and drank till your heart's content, you would be consuming more than 2004 calories.

    2004 calories is truly NOT a huge amount.

    So, to lose weight you still need a deficit from what your body is burning during the day and your BMR is way your body would need if you just laid in bed. So obviously, getting up, showering, eating breakfast, walking to your car, walking to school/work, working during the day, walking to the restroom, etc is going to burn some more calories.
  • UrbanRunner81
    UrbanRunner81 Posts: 1,207 Member
    If you eat below your BMR then you are most likely losing muscle, not fat. You want to keep your muscle and build it because it burns fat. If you aren't weight lifting (heavy weights!), start!

    2004 isn't huge amount. I eat over 2000 calories a day (2200ish).
This discussion has been closed.

Categories