Are we not the perfect scientific study against the idea of calorie/fat burning?

[chunkyloverlovesyou 197]

A lb of fat is 3500 kcal, you need to have a deficit of that to lose a pound. I call total bs on that. I can eat several months of under a thousand calories and barely lose a pound a week. If I eat 800 cals of crap, I gain. 800 cals of disgusting Protein, well there is the winner. I see the same stories all over this website. It's what you eat, not the calorie content of it

[Miss Mac 6,262]

My body definitely responds differently to carbs than any other kind of food. If I dare to eat any kind of bread, Pasta, potato.......my weight is up the next day, even if I have had a little as 600 calories.

[B-52 7,113]

I'm old school, and do not try to over think it.....

I'm (you're) too fat because you eat too much.....you want to loose weight? Don't eat so much.!

And work off, burn away, what you have stored away for those days of famine....

Simple mantra, but it worked for me...my problem was I could not eat less on my own . No discipline. So WLS (band in my case) took care of that for me.

And if I hit one of those "Stalls", I ate even less, and worked out more....it worked wonders.

BTW, I stopped counting calories, stopped with the Fit Bit obsession, 4 months after surgery....it was liberating to eat normal, just a lot less.....

[MichiganChic 3,262]

I agree, there is a lot to be learned about obesity and weight loss with us. Because you don't have malabsorption with the sleeve, you really do a get clear picture of what it truly takes to lose weight. I find it fascinating (not in a good way) how the known, accepted, scientific math does not hold up - at least for me. It doesn't even matter if I ate too much Protein - I'd still gain. Carbs definitely make it worse, but I need a steady deficit (about 800-900 calories/day) to lose, and only a slight increase to gain. It sure explains why I was so fat.

It's true - I was obese because I ate more calories than I burned. And while I'll never say I didn't eat much or ate so healthy, I couldn't lose weight on a 1400 calorie diet. At 325 pounds, that's absurd. The sleeve helped me eat under 900 calories a day, which is why I finally could lose. The amount we can eat and lose or maintain is unique to each of us. It was a real eye opener for me.

[LipstickLady 25,682]

Mmmmmm..... I don't agree.

Disclaimer. I am not a doctor, a nutritionist nor do I have any formal training in what I am about to say. This is my opinion only.

I have a REALLY hard time with the idea that some people hit 200+, 300+, 400+ pounds eating "normal" sized portions of good choices. I see that claim here all the time and I personally can't wrap my head around it. I am not saying that they aren't correct, but it is my opinion that they may be (MAY BE!) in a bit of denial on what they are eating, how much they are eating or what a "normal" portion is. I also wonder how many calories they are drinking. I do agree that 800 calories worth of doughnuts is going to affect you differently than 800 calories worth of lean chicken breast as far as building muscle, clogging your arteries, affecting your organs, etc. but as far as weight ...

What I do NOT understand is how a surgery like the sleeve or band will help someone who is already eating a calorie deficit, yet we hear that here all the time. On more than one occasion I've seen people write that they never ate more than 1200 calories a day and they gained massive amounts of weight for (insert reason here), yet now that they are sleeved and eating 1200 calories a day, they are losing. How is that possible?

I can see it if they have had bypass as that is malabsorbative, but the sleeve/band is only restrictive. I could easily (well, not easily but I could) eat 4000+ calories a day with my very tight sleeve if I ate crap all day without stopping. My ability to eat large portions has been reduced drastically. If I overeat, even by a bite, I am miserable. I am forced to slow down, eat smaller bites and chew they heck out of my food or I will slime and vomit.

I think quality of food does affect us, but I think the overall science of calories in/calories out is on point.

[Djmohr 6,965]

@@LipstickLady, I completely agree with your points. I was one of those people who was in a state of denial about how much or how bad I ate. I really did not eat big portion of food and I did all my own cooking.

Problem was, I always ate my starch's and carbs first because I was not much of a meat eater. I would eat a small portion of meat. If we were eating Pasta which happened 4 out of 7 nights a week, I would go back for a second helping.

Oh, and I had a sweet tooth so I had to have something sweet after each meal. Ice cream, candy, pastries, (pie was my absolute favorite)

Even if it was non Pasta night and I really only ate a small portion, I made up the difference in crap.

I know exactly how I became to weight 310lbs and I also know now what a correct portion is.

My husband, bless his heart had been gaining a lot while I have been drastically losing. About two weeks ago, he said if you can live on 1000 calories, so can I! He has not had WLS but needs it if he cannot get it together, he has a heart condition and must lose weight before it is too late.

Anyway, he is now following the same food plan I use. I make his dinner and lunch portions a little larger but he is doing fantastic! He is down 16lbs in two weeks.nwe track his food on myfitness pal and it holds him accountable. I am hoping this approach lasts with him cause he his doing great.

This is all about both how much one eats and the quality of what they are consuming. When you are obese you have built very bad habits and you tend to make excuses about other critical factors like exercise too. I know because that was me and my husband was an enabler.

[JamieLogical 8,708]

Metabolism, metabolism, metabolism. A deficit of 3500 calories causes you to lose a pound and a surplus of 3500 calories causes you to gain a pound. The thing that makes some people gain/lose at different rates is their basal metabolic rate. There are all sorts of calculators and estimators to determine your metabolism, but unless you have a true metabolic study done, there is no way you can know exactly how many calories you are burning from day to day, and therefor it is impossible for you to determine how much of a deficit or surplus you have.

"3500 calories = 1 pound" is NOT BS.

Having no way to know how many calories you are truly burning each day is what causes the confusion.

[Babbs 14,681]

Here's a question I've been pondering as I'm going through yet another one of my countless stalls while eating 1000-1200 calories a day and running 2 miles day on the treadmill along with weights.

Can WLS destroy our metabolism? Can eating SO low calorie for so long actually counteract it and now we can only lose on a very low calorie diet? Is that why we see WLS patients gain weight so easily once they slack off just a little?

What are your guys' thoughts?

[Cleo's Mom 257]

@@JamieLogical

That is a part of the equation many leave out. Your metabolism is affected by how active your are, how old you are, how much you weigh, by how many years of yo-yo dieting you engaged in as well as genetics.

[onmywaytobeingfound 163]

@@Babbs my nutritionist told me that at first we will lose like crazy but as we get smaller our metabolism will decrease so losing will be harder. That's all I have to offer on that :-)

Edited April 13, 2015 by onmywaytobeingfound

[JamieLogical 8,708]

@@Babbs Absolutely. A restricted calorie diet will reduce your metabolism. Also, having been obese for large periods of your life causes problems with metabolism. I have heard reference to studies in the past where it's been proven that people who have previously been obese have to restrict their calories more and do more activity to maintain their weight than people who have never been obese. It's one of the reasons keeping active and doing a lot of exercise as you lose is so important. It can help keep your metabolism at a higher level than if you did it with diet alone.

[Babbs 14,681]

@@onmywaytobeingfound

Here's an example. My sister, who is older than me and has been doing Weight Watchers for the last 3 months and is now the same weight as I am, has lost more weight than I have (I figure about 12 lbs more) in the same amount of time. She does strictly cardio (elliptical), and has consistently lost 1-3lbs per week with no stalls.

I'm honestly not whining. Just perplexed.

[onmywaytobeingfound 163]

@@Babbs I don't think you're whining at all! I can relate. In the past, 10 years ago to be exact, I lost 80 lbs in a matter of months. I'd think that with the surgery helping me this time around I'd lose way more. But it's not been like that for me. I am happy and ever so grateful that I am slowly losing! I agree with jamielogical. I'm thinking it has to be the years of yo-yo dieting and our age. **looked back at post, it was cleos's mom, I agree with jamielogical too though :-)***

My mom keeps telling me that I look great and if I don't lose more that I shouldn't be disappointed. But I will be! I didn't go through what I have to still be fat.

Edited April 13, 2015 by onmywaytobeingfound

[Rogofulm 2,440]

I'm finding something different, and odd. Now that I'm below goal and solidly in the "normal" BMI, my weight loss should slow down or stop if I eat more calories, right? But because I still avoid the slippery slope of starches, my weight continues to decrease, ever so slowly. I exercise moderately and still eat mostly Protein, but I've added a whole lot more nuts and cheese to my diet. In fact, after dinner the other night, I was making microwaved cheese chips, and just kept making them until the block of cheese was done. When I checked the label, I discovered that I'd just consumed 800 calories as an evening snack! But it had no effect whatsoever on my weight. Sometimes I'll have 3-4 handfuls of nuts during the evening. Again, that's probably 500-100 calories. And still, my weight continues to creep downwards. I'll confess that, at least for now, I'm thrilled with that. But like some others on this thread, I don't understand how that can happen in a "3500 calories = 1 pound" world. My only guess is that remaining in a constant state of ketosis may change the math. Anyone know if that's possible? Thanks!

[Babbs 14,681]

@@onmywaytobeingfound

Oh BELIEVE ME, I have whined about my slow weight loss plenty on here

I've honestly accepted it and just keep living my healthy lifestyle, and if I lose the weight along with it, just icing on the cake I'm happy with my results.