Am i eating too LITTLE? page 2

[Gorbag]

In my experience, eating too few calories leads to stalled weight loss.

Sound like magical thinking to me, or a urban myth as a poster stated above, because if you reduce your food below what the body needs for energy it is impossible not to lose weight! According to your "logic" not eating at all should also make you stall then? What happens sometimes though is that the body retain water due to the stress of dieting. When emptying the fatcells for triglycerides, the body pump in water in the empty fatcells and this appears as fat and the water also have a higher density(weight) than fat. The so called "stall" is often that the body "masks" its fatloss with retaining water, and if changing the diet to more calories and carbs, the miracle often happens overnight, that you suddenly lose several pounds, and also look much leaner. Personally I have experienced this happen more than once, weightloss is seldom a liniar prosess...

[Catrin]

According to my doctor and more than one sports nutritionist I've visited, at least women's bodies, will turn everything possible into fat if it thinks lean times are coming. I've had long periods of time where I operated on quite restricted calories (900-1,000 calories a day), exercised my heart out 4 days a week, and not only did I not lose weight but my body fat percentage increased. This wasn't "my" logic - it never did make sense to me when my doctor, coach, and sports nutritionist all insisted the real problem wasn't enough calories and that my body wouldn't give up anything until I gave it more. It worked.

It is certainly possible that what was really going on was the process you described - the bod pod machine used to measure my composition will interpret everything that isn't lean muscle mass as fat - at least that is my understanding. My weight loss that came when I increased my caloric intake was not fast but took place over a 3-4 month period.

[Gorbag]

According to my doctor and more than one sports nutritionist I've visited, at least women's bodies, will turn everything possible into fat if it thinks lean times are coming. I've had long periods of time where I operated on quite restricted calories (900-1,000 calories a day), exercised my heart out 4 days a week, and not only did I not lose weight but my body fat percentage increased. This wasn't "my" logic - it never did make sense to me when my doctor, coach, and sports nutritionist all insisted the real problem wasn't enough calories and that my body wouldn't give up anything until I gave it more. It worked.

Well, either your doctor is plain out wrong or you misunderstood him. And even IF it was correct that the body "(...) turn everything possible into fat if it thinks lean times are coming.", you would lose weight even faster, because converting protein and glucose into fat is very energy demanding, and what really matter is wether you are in a energy deficit or not. In other words, the body need the energy to cover it's demands and will burn whatever available to do just that! The energy balance still counts!

It is certainly possible that what was really going on was the process you described - the bod pod machine used to measure my composition will interpret everything that isn't lean muscle mass as fat - at least that is my understanding. My weight loss that came when I increased my caloric intake was not fast but took place over a 3-4 month period.

Then it is possible that you spent more calories on training or moving around, nobody can lose weight by eating more if other parameters are kept the same...

[teach2183]

Sound like magical thinking to me, or a urban myth as a poster stated above, because if you reduce your food below what the body needs for energy it is impossible not to lose weight! According to your "logic" not eating at all should also make you stall then? What happens sometimes though is that the body retain water due to the stress of dieting. When emptying the fatcells for triglycerides, the body pump in water in the empty fatcells and this appears as fat and the water also have a higher density(weight) than fat. The so called "stall" is often that the body "masks" its fatloss with retaining water, and if changing the diet to more calories and carbs, the miracle often happens overnight, that you suddenly lose several pounds, and also look much leaner. Personally I have experienced this happen more than once, weightloss is seldom a liniar prosess...

I have to agree with Catrin. While I agree that weightloss is linear, it is very possible to not eat enough to lose weight. I have experienced this time and again while trying to lose weight. Just because it doesn't make sense on paper, doesn't mean it isn't true. It is not as simple as CICO because the body has several other mechanisms working. I have actually gained weight when not eating enough, and lost weight when I made sure I was eating enough.

[Gorbag]

I have to agree with Catrin. While I agree that weightloss is linear, it is very possible to not eat enough to lose weight. I have experienced this time and again while trying to lose weight. Just because it doesn't make sense on paper, doesn't mean it isn't true.

It doesen't make sense, and it is'nt true either, because if so were the case, then we had to add food to lose weight instead of reducing the food intake, which would be more than absurd! But if eating less food make you move less around or train less intense, well that may be possible after all! On the other hand if the body burn energy equivalent to 2000 kcal and you only ingest food equivalent to 1000 kcal, then the difference of 1000 kcal must be taken from energy stored in the body, there is no way to bypass that...

[Drumroll]

In my opinion Gorbag and teach2183 are BOTH right actually.

I see it like this:

Eat too much and your body says, "I can't use all this energy!" So what does it do? It turns the excess into fat.

Eat too little? Then your body will say "this is not enough energy and I need to store it all as fat so I can use it when I really need it, who knows when I will get more of it!"

Eat just the right amount that creates a resonable caloric deficit (either through diet, exercise, or both) that still provides for all energy needs, but does not deprive (or overcompensate for) the body's needs? Weightloss ensues.

[mavo]

If reducing calories leads to fat gain, how can people starve? Do they eat "just right" for too long and just should have ate less in order to survive the famine?

[mavo]

"Marasmus is a disease of caloric restriction, but you most likely don't have it. Your metabolic rate can definitely slow down during weight loss, but it will never slow to the point where it causes you to gain weight; in this sense, starvation mode is a myth."

Source: How do I stay out of "starvation mode?" | Examine.com FAQ

[Damiana]

You'd have to eat 500 or less calories a day for weeks before your body goes into starvation mode. It happens but not unless you are depriving your body continually.

[Catrin]

I have to agree with Catrin. While I agree that weightloss is linear, it is very possible to not eat enough to lose weight. I have experienced this time and again while trying to lose weight. Just because it doesn't make sense on paper, doesn't mean it isn't true. It is not as simple as CICO because the body has several other mechanisms working. I have actually gained weight when not eating enough, and lost weight when I made sure I was eating enough.

This is my experience exactly. It may not make sense on paper, but it happens. I also argued with my doctor and sports nutritionist over this as it didn't make sense to me either. I won't argue with those here who say it isn't possible, but it does happen. My doctor thinks that women are far more prone to this process than men.