Does eating more calories really work?

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  • benitocereno
    benitocereno Posts: 101 Member
    For anyone else who's interested, I think this is a very interesting article for those looking at 'plateaus':

    http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-instinct-diet/200903/plateaus-why-they-happen-and-how-get-through-them

    As all of us know... weight loss is as hard mentally as it is physically. Lots of times you just need to stick with what you're doing and push through it. It's all about sticking with it, your body will not hold the weight forever, especially if you're being honest with your recording and exercise. Good luck!
  • CombatVet_Armywife
    CombatVet_Armywife Posts: 300 Member
    I am always amazed at the direction some forum posts will take. Just wow.

    ANYways....responding to the OP....

    I have been stuck at a plateau for 2 months, fighting with the same few lbs. I got my weight down to 168.4, then fluctuated with those few lbs for an entire 2 months. My workouts/eating/water consumption were never an issue for me...but about 3 weeks ago I started a new program (P90X) since I knew changing my exercise routine would help with my plateau.

    I also decided to follow the advice I'd heard MANY times before, but NEVER wanted to follow because I was afraid it wouldn't work and I would GAIN. In the last couple of weeks I went from eating 1250-1350 calories to 1550-1700, depending on what I burned from exercise. I was also told that we should aim for reaching 1200 for our Net calories, so I have been watching that more closely lately too.

    I am not updating my new weight yet, since I'm still cautious, thinking I haven't really broken my plateau....BUT.....in the last 2-2 1/2 weeks, the scale shows me down by 4 lbs from the last time I weighed in! It is now showing me at 167.2.....for 2 MONTHS I fought to get that scale under 168, so I am very pleased. I just hope by upping my calorie intake, I REALLY HAVE broken this plateau!!

    Just thought I'd share my own discoveries with you, it may be what will help you as well. Good luck!! :flowerforyou:
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
    #1) You won't go into "starvation mode" after just a few days of too few calories. You might feel like crap, but you aren't in "starvation mode".

    #2) Starvation mode doesn't mean you won't lose weight....you will, but it won't be all fat. You'll lose hard earned muscle too.

    I prefer the term, nutritional deprivation. If you eat too little, you are not fueling your body. Your organs, including your mind, do not work as efficiently. You are tired (because you body doesn't have the fuel to keep you moving, so the body wants to shut down...ie: sleep) and your mood isn't pleasant. As you lose muscle, and your body becomes used to having so few calories, your metabolism slows down to compensate. If/when you ever eat normally again, you will most likely put on weight since your body has been deprived for too long.

    Honestly, if you can lose weight eating 20% less than maintenance, why on earth would you deprive yourself??

    To the OP, try eating more! If it works, then great. If not, try exercising more or changing your workouts or tighter controls on your food intake. And good luck!!
  • staceyb_2003
    staceyb_2003 Posts: 396 Member
    bump
  • susu5
    susu5 Posts: 122
    I agree!
  • Healthymom0000
    Healthymom0000 Posts: 14 Member
    This is so interesting to me because I have been working out like crazy and eating approx. 1300 calories per day and the scale will not budge! It is so difficult to think adding food will help but I am going to try it. I feel like some of the posts on this thread have convinced me. I will let you know the results!!!! :)
  • bionic909
    bionic909 Posts: 1 Member
    have you tried cutting down on carbs?
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
    I agree it's largely a myth. Yes your metabolism might drop a little bit, but the calorie defecit is still big enough to continue fat loss. Most of this starvation mode stuff grew out of a study done in the 40s where men were put on 50% of their maintenance calories for 6 MONTHS, not a day or two. Yes their metabolism slowed but they didn't stop losing fat until their body fat % went down to minimal levels of 5-7%! So I don't think a bit of calorie cycling is going to cause damage to one's metabolism.
    Also remember that a lighter body will automatically mean a lowered metabolism because a lighter body will by definition require less calories to function (your BMR).
    The problem with the people that do calorie restriction, lose weight, and then eat "normally" is they go back to eating the way they were when they were bigger. So of course they'll gain, they start eating too much.
  • archeangeluriel
    archeangeluriel Posts: 2
    I think that it is weird that someone would try to tell someone who is earnestly attempting to lose weight that there does not exist a starvation mode. Does everyone hit starvation mode? Certainly not, but many do. Much of it has to do with sugars and insulin levels. The goal is to eat the right amount of healthy natural sugars to put your body in the prime fat burning zone. Water is an awesome idea. Cutting back sodium as well of course because once more it is associated with hydration. I think some individuals need to start re educating themselves. Yes you can starve yourself into anorexia. You can shrivel up to bones with persistence. Still, yes if you are not paying attention to the foods that you consume that directly convert to sugar you are going to probably hit a plateau pretty quick. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK22414/ use this link. It will explain to you about glucose and insulin. If you are having trouble losing weight after a while take a look at tips from physicians instructions to diabetics who are almost always in starvation mode. These ladies are giving you good advice, but you need to trust the professionals.
  • archeangeluriel
    archeangeluriel Posts: 2
    oh and if you want to get over the plateau keep up the good work and slap that workout into overdrive. Cardio is awesome, but try building some muscle. Muscle burns calories so much faster. Mix it up a little. Watch sugars. Drink half your body weight in water. Release some stress. Smile.
  • suziecue66
    suziecue66 Posts: 1,312 Member
    I'm afraid i've reached a bit of a plateau as I have been battling with the same 2 pounds for about 3 weeks. I lose the 2 pounds and then all of a sudden it goes back up again. On average I eat about 1000 - 1300 calories a day but i'm afraid if I try eating more than that i'm just going to put the 'Christmas weight' back on. I'm still waiting for the 30 day shred video to arrive which i'm hoping will confuse my body a bit.
    I'm just really worried that i'll be stuck here now.

    Change up your exercise, increase the intensity. 30 day shred is on you tube so start now.
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