Quote:
Originally Posted by Sunday
QuilterinVA, Rana, how does that work? Why would the body gain if calories are in deficit?
I'm not trying to be rude, I'm just interested in why that would happen.
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Because our bodies aren't machines. I mean, we can put numbers in a calculator and subtract or add whatever we want, but a calculator is a MACHINE, it's supposed to do that!
Our bodies aren't machines and it isn't black and white about calories in/calories out.
I'm an example of that. I have PCOS, with insulin resistance, and I have to eat less and exercise more than the normal woman in order to lose the same amount of weight. I used to get so frustrated that people seemed to lose 2 lbs a week and get to their goal weight in a year. I simply don't lose that much weight, regardless of what I do.
What I discovered is that my insulin resistance will turn refined carbs into fat and it won't let me lose at all. I can get thinner by eliminating all of that, eating very clean. The number of calories can stay the same, but I lose weight in one scenario and I gain weight or stay the same in the other.
So, I spend a lot of time tweaking what I'm doing and counting calories and figuring out what works. I'll spend WEEKS on a plateau and then I'll lose 0.5 lbs. Yes, that small. But it's a loss. Then, I'll spend another period of time on that plateau, maybe going up, maybe going down, and then eventually my body will drop a couple of pounds.
If you took my calories eaten (even assumed a 15% overage for bad counting) plus what I exercise, I should be losing weight faster. But my body just doesn't do it that way. Math is great in theory, but when applied to our bodies it's a little more complicated.