Does eating more really work?

When people say they are eating more, do they mean gross or net? And in terms of people saying do not eat less than your BMR...is that gross or net?

Net. Always net.

Log everything.

When people say they are eating more, do they mean gross or net? And in terms of people saying do not eat less than your BMR...is that gross or net?

For me, it's gross/total calories. I completely ignore net calories (shock/horror)--sorry I don't know my BMR and I don't really care. I just eat 6-7 times a day, average about 2000 total cals, and workout a lot (lifting and cardio). I like to keep it simple....and it's working like a charm for me. I also have a "cheat/splurge/refeed/whatever" day every few weeks where I eat 3000-3500 cals. I don't want my metabolism to adjust to surviving on 1200 cals...I want to have a supercharged metabolism that can get me to my goals while I EAT! It's totally possible.

if i was you i'd eat at least 1600-1700 calories a day, if not more like 1700-1800 calories minimum, you're eating way too low for the calories you're burning.

I'm 32, 5'11" and 175 lb with a goal weight probably around 165...but honestly I care more about being strong, fit and fitting into a size 8 than I do about the scale. My TDEE is around 2600 and BMR around 1600. I workout 6 days a week including heavy lifting, HIIT cardio, and pilates.

I was eating about 1700 calories a day for about a month and had zero loss. Then I tried the 'eating back calories' which meant eating at maintenance around 2500/2600 calories and had no loss. Then I started eating 2200 calories (more than BMR, less than TDEE) and I am consistently losing weight at ~0.5-1 lb per week for the last 3 weeks. The biggest thing I noticed is that I am NEVER hungry.

Experiment and find what works for you. Good luck!

I would say yes! I hit a three month stall while working out 4-5 days a week & on a 1200 calorie diet. On April 1st I decided I need to change it up, so I researched info on my BMR & TDEE. I lost 12.8pounds last month. My profile pic show the results. I lost huge in my belly region!

I'm consuming about 1600+ calories a day, working out 5-6 days a week & eating clean during the week. I'm doing the south beach diet, which has lowered my carb intake to around 60-75g per day and raised my protien to about 125-150g. I do "cheat" on the weekends and eat a LOT of carbs, but haven't had any addtional weight gain.

So in short, I believe that eating more will help you lose weight. Plus with the stats you gave you certainly should be consuming way more than 1200 calories. Don't worry about it seeming like too much, I thought the same at first. However, after doing research I found foods that fit into my diet that gave me the calories and nutrition I needed.

Feel free to check out my diary & good luck!

I am 53 and started a diet and exercise program in January. I've lost 19 pounds and exercise 5-6 times per week (40-50 minutes cardio and strength). I weigh 136 and would like to lose 6 more pounds. I currently eat 1300 calories a day and have stalled out in losing any more. I calculated my TDEE (2003) and BMR (1292), but don't really understand the concept. I eat lots of fruit, vegetables and lean meat (I'm a protein type) and little to no processed sugar. I'm honestly skeptical about adding more calories - please help! Does it work?

I've been eating much more than before (but maintain a healthy balance and don't eat any white stuff if I can avoid it), and I eat back all my exercise calories. I've been losing weight steadily for the past 6 weeks! It's almost too good to be true! I'm sure my loss will slow down some in the near future, but then I will make another adjustment e.g. increase strength work to build lean muscle (up until now I've really been struggling adding strength exercises to my cardio exercises), but in time I will also be able to do that!

So, in my case, it works to eat more! For the moment! To the OP, it's a bit short notice to fix things by Friday, but I hope that you find a healthy balance that works for you in future.

I'm 5"4 & as of last weigh in am 184lbs.

My TDEE is 1977 & my BMR is 1647.

I have my net calories set at 1200 - I try and use this as more of a guideline than a strict regime. I was a bit silly when I first joined here; only netting at around 800-900 calories a day.. Obviously I found that I was pretty lethargic & constantly hungry.

I started to make sure I eat at least the 1200 or there abouts.. I've been constantly losing 2lbs a week since Feb. I know a lot of people will say the whole 1200 isn't enough..etc etc. But I honestly feel full following this plan. & days that I want to eat more I do. Also at the weekends I eat around 2000 with no exercise; so my body doesn't get used to a certain way of eating..

On days I do exercise I gross 2000 calories & net between 1200 & 1400.

Obviously if I stop seeing results with what I'm doing now; then I will up the calories to around 1600 and try that. Like another poster said each persons daily calorie needs are different & what might work for some won't work for others.

I'm trying this now and so far I have gained a couple lbs and now I'm stalled, not losing anymore despite working out 5-6 days a week, which is very discouraging. I am very skeptical of it because I do not believe there is a one size fits all to the minimum amount of calories a person needs. If I don't lose any weight after doing this after 2 weeks, I'm going back down to 1200.