S/O S/O - why does eating 1000 calories mean you'll gain it back? Q about cal counting
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Anonymous
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I'm doing a 6 week challenge and have been following a pretty strict eating plan that averages about 1300 cals/day of food. It also has 5x/week HIIT classes that burn ~300-500 cals. Does that mean my body thinks it's only getting 800-1000 calories per day? Or does my body recognize that I'm really eating 1300? (I'm curious if the body thinks it's being restricted if you eat enough, but burn so you're still in a deficit?)
Another Q: I've got just over a week left, and will end with about a 20 lb weight loss. I still have an obscene amount to lose though, and want to continue. Would it be best to "take a couple weeks off" where I eat enough to maintain, not lose, then start back up? Or should I just continue what I'm doing? The eating plan is strict as in 6 meals, each must consist of x gram carbs, fat, protein etc., but I never feel deprived or hungry so I don't worry that I can't continue. It's actually taught me a lot about portions. It's just boring. thank you for any advice! |
Anonymous
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From my understanding calorie restriction makes your body to get into starvation mode and makes your body decrease your metabolism.
This makes it easy to regain weight when calories are increased. According to Dr. Jason Fung fasting is preferred as the human body knows how to use stored fat. Listen to him on YouTube. |
Anonymous
| It's hard to maintain this over a long period. It can work for fast weight loss, but you have to stick with it to keep it off. Might want to consider a slower approach, that you can maintain as a lifestyle and not just a fix. I've been doing this, and while I lose about .5 to 1 lb about every week or every other week, it doesn't feel restrictive, and I'm not increasing my weight at all. |
Anonymous
| Any weight loss is hard to maintain. There's research indicating that rapid weight loss is actually good because it motivates people to keep going. It was certainly true for me. Lost 33 lbs (first month ~1000 cal but zero exercise) and have kept them off for 3 years now. |
Anonymous
But is calorie restriction just having a deficit? What if I ate 2500 calories - not a restriction at all - but worked out like a fiend and burned 1800 (ha!). Did I restrict calories because my net was only 700? Or did I not restrict because I truly ingested 2500 calories. (Very exaggerated example, I know, but curious what constitutes restriction.) |
Anonymous
Dr Fung knows what he knows but that's about it. He's a nephrologist who sees too many overweight/obese diabetics with CKD or ESRD that could be well served by the Newcastle diet/bariatric surgery/weight loss and better diabetes management. |
Anonymous
That works too. And is also difficult to sustain. Weight loss is hard to do and hard to maintain. |
Anonymous
There is no such thing as starvation mode. As you lose weight your body naturally needs fewer calories to maintain the weight you are at and if you lose weight too fast or by being too restrictive you will also lose muscle which further decreases your metabolism. But there is no point where you body says "oh I am in starvation mode. I will no longer let this 300 lb person lose weight on 1000 cal/day." If our bodies really hit a point where "starvation mode" kicked in the people would never be capable of starving to death. |
Anonymous
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Here's a nice nontechnical overview of metabolism:
https://www.vox.com/2018/9/4/17486110/metabolism-diet-fast-weight-loss Yes, on average, when you try to lose weight your metabolism slows a bit. The change is generally small compared to the changes in diet and exercise you've made. But it varies a lot by individual, and even small changes can add up over time. But really, you already know what to do: "When I look back at what helped me lose weight, there was never a magic bullet — a special diet, exercise regimen, or supplement — that worked. Through plodding trial and error, I discovered habits and routines I could stick with to help me eat less and move more." |
Anonymous
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OP here, and I thank you all for the answers. I will happily read the link info after work today, thank you!
I wanted to mention, I'm being very careful about not losing muscle. I'm having in body scans done every 2 weeks and have done very well in losing no muscle mass, only fat mass. I'm attributing this to - 1) I didn't have a ton of muscle to begin with  2) The eating plan is very detailed with a focus on fat burning and 3) I'm doing extra strength training. (I joined my gym 4 weeks prior to starting the challenge and have a beginning scan, so a total of 3 so far. Will have another next week.) Have no idea if this relevant but wanted to mention it as the no such thing as starvation mode post made me think of it.
Again, I appreciate the time you all took to reply and hope to learn more as I digest your responses. |
Anonymous
In addition listen to Dr Berg on YouTube. |
Anonymous
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OP, that's great! Twenty pounds 6 weeks and not feeling hungry, way to go. It sounds like you can continue this for a while.
Does your program also have a maintenance diet, when you're ready to stop losing weight? |
Anonymous
Not 100% sure, but I think so based on comments from other members. The gym's nutritionist is the one providing the info for this 6 week fat loss challenge. I joined the challenge because I hadn't been losing weight during my first month of workouts (in fact, I gained weight, but not fat). I mostly wanted to kick myself into gear, as I keep reading here that diet is like 90% of the battle. They offer an ongoing nutrition program one may join (for a fee, of course), but I'm still undecided whether I'll join or not. A friend is doing the ongoing program, which has a little more variety in foods but hasn't reach maintenance level yet. The kicker of this whole story is my daughter is a dietician. The info she gives me (bless her heart because I know it kills her) is much more doom and gloom and disagrees with the gym's approach. But I've noticed the same here, as well... people who insist metabolism slows way down with restrictive diets and dieting is never successful vs the other side. I wish I understood more about how metabolism works (still need to watch the link), to decide if I'm messing myself up even more, or on a path to success. Thank you for your encouragement! |
Anonymous
| Jason Fung is a quack who thinks that calorie counting doesn't matter. If you are that overweight that you want to keep going, I doubt you will start storing that quickly if you eat a bit more. |
Anonymous
Here is a thought - it might not be starvation mode per se, but hold on to your fat the winter is coming mode. If you diet often, limit amount of food significantly, your body will cling to every once of fat, store every extra calorie because it does somehow sense the deprivation. The only solution to that - eat, regularly (5-6 times) during the day, significant amount. Give your body a rest at night - stop eating at 5-6, but start as soon as you wake up. Chose your food carefully - high volume (veggies), minimally processed, no additives/non-fat crap, plenty of protein. Train your body to believe that you're not going to starve it, and simultaneously speed up your metabolism. Calories are secondary here, you just won't overeat if your diet mostly consist of vegetables and lean protein. |