Is "eating more and losing more" true?

Options
xoalyssaox
xoalyssaox Posts: 320
in Health and Weight Loss
I am only eating 1200 calories a day. I am sooo moody, my fiance doesn't even want to be around me. It kind of reminds me of how I acted when I was anorexic. :( I was SO mean back then because I was HUNGRY!

I have read on here a lot of people saying they eat more calories like 1400-1500 hundred and lose more then they did with 1200.

This is only my third day back on MFP, I failed many times, but only because I didn't give it my all..:(

Do you think I will feel better in a few days or am I doomed to be a psycho mean person while I am losing weight?
«1345

Replies

  • M1ssBehave
    M1ssBehave Posts: 33 Member
    Options
    yes, it is true, plus when you do have enough cals you aren't thinking to your best either. just make sure you are eating healthy calories. like whole foods.
  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
    Options
    Upping my calories worked for me.
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    Options
    It depends on your body. If you have a lot of weight to lose, then no. If you're close to your goal or already relatively small, then yes.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
    Options
    You may not lose eating more, but what you will notice is that a higher % of your weight loss will come from fat instead of lean muscle. So eating more may not lead to faster weight loss, but could lead to faster BF% decreases, which is really what it is all about.
  • MariaAlbina
    MariaAlbina Posts: 131 Member
    Options
    I think it's true, for the simple fact that when I was only eating 1200-1300 cals that I was extremely moody. Even my boss noticed it and would bring it up and that would just make me more miserable. Then after I lost ten pounds I was trying to lose 5 more but I ended up so hungry that I just gave up and gained all the weight back. Now I'm eating 1450cals and don't feel like I'm starving myself, so yes I think if you eat more you lose more.
  • kikokateyy
    kikokateyy Posts: 136 Member
    Options
    It depends on your body. If you have a lot of weight to lose, then no. If you're close to your goal or already relatively small, then yes.

    I have a lot of weight to loss and eating small amoutns did not work for me, I actually gained...
    I could just have the most messed up body ever tho haha
  • xoalyssaox
    xoalyssaox Posts: 320
    Options
    It depends on your body. If you have a lot of weight to lose, then no. If you're close to your goal or already relatively small, then yes.

    I need to lose 50. I would like to do it in 5 months before my wedding.. bahaha. Hey a girl could dream right?
  • nnylee
    nnylee Posts: 814 Member
    Options
    Upping my calories worked me. I was eating 1200 calories and then I plateaued. I upped my calories and started losing again.
  • skittles8810
    skittles8810 Posts: 67
    Options
    If you dont eat enough your body will store the fat thinking that its in starvation mode. So up your cals and see how that does. But like others said eat whole grain foods and leave out the empty cals and processed stuff.
  • SOONERborn80
    SOONERborn80 Posts: 5
    Options
    It is not really eating more that works its finding the right amount of calories that works for your metabolism.
  • ZugTheMegasaurus
    ZugTheMegasaurus Posts: 801 Member
    Options
    Whether "eating more=losing more" is true depends entirely on whether you're eating too little to begin with. It sounds like you're undoubtedly eating too little. You're seeing extreme behavioral changes (to the point your fiance doesn't even want to be near you) and you see a connection to the same thing happening as a result of anorexia. Stop focusing on the weight loss; it is not helping you. Focus on feeling good and being around those you love, not on dropping pounds.
  • UrbanRunner81
    UrbanRunner81 Posts: 1,207 Member
    Options
    You may not lose eating more, but what you will notice is that a higher % of your weight loss will come from fat instead of lean muscle. So eating more may not lead to faster weight loss, but could lead to faster BF% decreases, which is really what it is all about.

    ^^^ agree with that if you include some strength training, too.. I also think you face less plateaus and cravings. I am rather grumpy if I don't have enough to eat.
  • angie_sample
    angie_sample Posts: 190
    Options
    its true but it does depend on the person. I was only eating 1200 and i wasnt eating my calories back i burned and i stopped losing and i wasnt feeling good. Now i eat 1500-1600 cal a day and i feel SOOOO much better and my weight loss has sped up.
  • grinch031
    grinch031 Posts: 1,679
    Options
    If you're talking very short term progress (like 4 weeks or less), then upping your calories may simply cause you to drop water weight, making you believe that you actually burned more fat because of it. This is what I believe, as opposed to the possibility that a good sample of MFPers are not bound by the laws of physics.

    From leangains:
    The above makes me wonder if the myth of "starvation mode" is actually perpetuated by extreme dieters who find themselves not losing any weight on starvation-level caloric intake (due to severe water retention obscuring weight loss). While some metabolic slowdown occurs during any diet, it's never so profound that it completely negates a substantial calorie deficit. For example, during The Minnesota Experiment the researchers noted a 15-20% reduction in basal metabolic rate at the end of the study (it was actually 40% compared to the start of the study, but this was due to a higher body weight; a large percentage of the drop could be explained by the simple fact that they weighed less and not due to any hormonal impact).

    http://www.leangains.com/2010/01/how-to-deal-with-water-retention-part.html
  • barefoot76
    barefoot76 Posts: 314 Member
    Options
    I think it depends on a lot of factors. How tall are you? How much are you trying to lose? What is your % of body fat? Are you trying to gain muscle at the same time?

    I am under 5 feet tall, I run and lift weights weekly, and I'm trying to lose "the last ten pounds" while gaining muscle. My goal is to cycle my calories, spiking once a week, so my daily calorie intake should be between 900 and 1800 calories. When I tried upping my calories according to the fat2fit.com calculators (which suggested 1800 calories a day), I started gaining immediately.
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,522 Member
    Options
    That's what I do when I want to lose weight, start eating more.
  • MontagneGitane
    MontagneGitane Posts: 127 Member
    Options
    I plateaued very quickly at 1,200. I also wasn't paying attention to eating back any of my exercise calories. I upped my calorie intake to where I usually net between 1,300-1,500, and since then have been consistently losing a pound a week. Best part is that I don't feel like I'm starving anymore. I don't think there's some magic formula that works for everyone, but 1,200 seems to end up being problematic for a lot of people.
  • snowbab
    snowbab Posts: 192 Member
    Options
    Yes. I stopped losing and even gained a bit when on 1200-1300. Then I upped it to 1400-1500 but that didn't help much. After a plateau of 3.5 months I decided to try upping cals, my last choice, and it works! I now eat 1650-1700 NET a day and I'm losing 0.5-1 pound a week (v.close to goal weight so this is good!).

    Do it! 1200 is very unhealthy it's most likely under your BMR which you never eat less than. Good luck!
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    Options
    Even if you don't "lose more" isn't losing slower worth it to feel better and not piss off boyfriend? Also, you say you've failed before, again eating more will help you stick with it. Figure out your TDEE, eat 10-20% less than that.
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    Options
    This is only my third day back on MFP, I failed many times, but only because I didn't give it my all..:(

    Do you think I will feel better in a few days or am I doomed to be a psycho mean person while I am losing weight?

    I think you're a lot less likely to fail if you set your calories someplace where you aren't pissed off and ravenous.

    Who loses more weight in the long run? The person who loses at 1lb/week and sticks to their goal or the person who sets a goal of 2 lbs/week and quits after a month?

Categories