calculating calorie needs

[awepertoon6]

so i have been calculating how many calories i need per day using online calculators and apps. it comes out to 2600 calories for maintenance. so i have been eating in a 500 calorie defict everyday. the first week i lost a pound but now 3 weeks later i have actually gained 4 pounds lol. what is going on? i thought eating in a deficit causes weight loss?

 

[SteveMobsterG]

Are you on any meds?

 

[stevesmi]

if you actually read weight watchers legal disclaimer they actually admit that when you eat in these silly calorie deficit diets daily you will initially lose weight (which they charge you for btw) and then you will gain it all back in the long run. they ADMIT THIS!! calorie deficit are never to be ran long term for weight loss. nor should a fat person follow this horrible idea. it will work on a skinny carrot with abs who eats poptarts who has skinny genetics but not on anyone else.

what is happening is simple. your body is like a furnace. so when you eat in a deficit everyday you turn down the heat on your body and slow your metabolism. so you probably will lose some weight at first but over time you will gain it back and more.

counting calories and eating in deficits/surpluses is a stupid idea for 99% of people out there for this reason. it only works for those competing who need short term results ahead of a show or something like that. but for the rest of us you are best never doing these silly calorie counting diets. they do more harm than good. besides a calorie isn't a calorie anyway. a cup of almonds isn't going to cause your body to store fat like 2 slices of pizza and a diet coke will even though they are both 500 calories lol common sense people,

and another fun fact about this. weight watchers used to not include diet soda as points since it was 0 calories. then they noticed their members going nowhere so now diet soda does count as points. "but steve it has zero calories!" if i have to explain to you why you won't lose weight drinking diet soda even though it was zero calories then i would recommend you read a nutrition book and stop paying attention to idiots on youtube or instagram giving diet advice. if you still can't figure it out after reading nutrition books then PM me for a 1 on 1 consultation and i will explain how different foods and drinks partition differently and how the body actually stores and burns fat.

 

[MasonicBodybuilder]

Any app is really just an estimate. You may think you are in a deficit but actually not. It also depends on what foods you are eating.

 

[P0N]

As Stevesmi said you can't run a perpetual deficit since your body will react by slowing your metabolism. Try mixing it up or intermittent fasting.

 

[RickRock13]

so i have been calculating how many calories i need per day using online calculators and apps. it comes out to 2600 calories for maintenance. so i have been eating in a 500 calorie defict everyday. the first week i lost a pound but now 3 weeks later i have actually gained 4 pounds lol. what is going on? i thought eating in a deficit causes weight loss?

How accurately are you tracking? Are you measuring and weighing your foods?

 

[cbbram]

you're not calculating properly or you need to take a big shit.

 

[Tazz]

how are you tracking these 2100 calories?