General Diet Plans and Questions General diet questions, support for various diet plans other than those listed below.

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Old 03-11-2010, 11:17 PM   #1  
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Default How important is it to eat ALL your calories?

Ok, so I have been tracking my calories closer than usual (as in actually keeping a log, but I always know how much I am eating...just wanted to make sure) and I noticed that I always come in under my calorie target of 1600 daily (and that is the lower end of the target according to the research I have done).
I have not eaten more than 1510 calories on any given day this week, and 2 were 1400ish. The thing that worries me even more is that this is me making a concerted effort to eat more (get all my snacks in etc.) And I am eating more bc it is TOM. So, how important is eating all your recommended calories everyday? And do you think that regularly eating 1300 cals/day when I am supposed to be having 1600 could be the major contributing factor to my stalls/snail losses? Thanks in advance! ~Sara
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Old 03-12-2010, 04:59 AM   #2  
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Hi Sara,

In my experience, the body is a bit tricky when it comes to calorie deficits maintained for a longer period of time.

It's sort of a 'burden' from the time that we were still 'cavemen' and 'cavewomen' that despite ages of evolution is still programmed in the body.

Back then, of course, we didn't have the huge food supplies that we have now.

So the body had to ensure survival during periods of famine. In order to sustain itself, it just needs to be sure there's sufficient energy available.

We all know that a calorie surplus is stored in fat. You can see it like some reserve energy that's reserved for a rainy day (or a period of famine).

Anyway, in simple terms: here's the sort of thinking that occurs in the body at a calorie surplus:

- Awesome, there's plenty of food available. Let's save some energy for when there's not so much. (i.e. let's store fat)

And here's what the body thinks with an energy deficit:

- Hmm, I don't have enough energy to sustain myself... Let's apply some of my fat stores to make up for the deficit.

So that's all fine and dandy and the desirable result if you want to lose fat of course.

But here's the problem:

- If this energy (calorie) deficit is there for long, the body starts to think:

- Goodness, I've got to put up with famine here. Over time, that's an immediate threat to my survival. I'd better make sure I need LESS energy to begin with, or I'll run out of energy eventually.

- So then it starts to look for the least efficient tissue when it comes to survival and energy expenditure. And that tissue is muscle tissue.

So at a prolonged energy deficit, your body starts to break down muscle tissue. Muscle tissue uses far more energy than fat tissue (which doesn't use energy at all, because it IS energy), and so if that's broken down, your body will need less energy in general.

In other words, your base metabolic rate has decreased, so you can do on less calories.

The tricky thing is that because muscle mass has a higher weight density compared to fat tissue, you may still think you're losing *weight*, but it's not *fat*... it's lean tissue that you're losing.

Now here's why that's what you DON'T want when you want to keep losing fat for longer periods of time (i.e. until you're satisfied):

If you're base metabolic rate has decreased, that means that you'll be in energy (calorie) surplus much more quickly.

So the same diet and calorie levels that may have worked for a while, are not working anymore because your body has adjusted its metabolic rate to the lower level of energy input.

To many, the lack of results is frustrating, so they get less strict.

Meanwhile, the body is in 'starvation mode' because it thinks it needs to deal with a period of famine. With the metabolic rate adjusted, it's inclined to store as much as possible as fat, because it thinks it's going to need those energy reserves to survive the famine.

And so you're basically programming your body to store fat rather than burn it.

So, with all that background, here's how I thought that's relevant to your question:

- Of course you should aim for calorie deficits, or your body will never apply its fat stores.

- However, you shouldn't stretch the calorie deficits for too long, or your body will start adjusting... which is what you don't want, because you want it to keep burning calories if you want to keep losing fat.

So the trick for me is to do a couple of days in energy deficit, and then a day at 'maintenance' level or even calorie surplus.

For example 3 days deficit, 1 day surplus. Or 5 days deficit, 2 days surplus.

That doesn't mean I completely indulge on the surplus day, although occasionally I do.

Of course it's always best to have good, whole food choices.

But in your case, in general, I'd say it's okay to do 1300 a day regularly, as long as you plan some 'higher' days in between as well to keep your metabolism high.

And of course exercise contributes as well... Those are all just extra calories you'll burn. And if you do some sort of resistance training, you'll also keep your muscle mass, which also keeps your energy expenditure at the level you want.

Plus you'll look 'tighter', which is worth something too (and for me actually a major goal).

And of course you need to spread your meals through the day, so you don't trigger that starvation mode but always give your body the impression that there's plenty enough to eat.

That's the trick... creating an energy deficit while making your body think there's a surplus on food.

Anyway, hope that made sense...

- Hannah
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Old 03-12-2010, 01:45 PM   #3  
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Thank you very much Hannah, I did understand that. And I thought what I needed were one or two higher calorie days per week...but I was cautioned against that. I think that's what I'll try. I also just discovered this week that I had been working out too much (cardio for hours a day, plus weights). I think I just found the right balance with HIIT for 30-45 min 5X a week. Thanks for chatting with me!
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