Current Events > If your total calories in per day averages to under 1800 will you lose weight?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Like let's even say it was 9 days of 1400 and 1 day of 5400 would over the 10 days you still overall lose weight?

EDIT: To be clear in this example your maintenance is over 2000 cal
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Yes

Depends how much you weigh to begin with, but you can calculate it on your own

Takes -3500calories to burn 1lb of fat approximately. Let's say your maintenance is 2000cal.

(9*-700) + (1*3400) = -2900

So yes, you'd lose a little less than 1lb in those 10 days

If you didn't binge that one day, you'd burn 10*-700 = -7000 and burn almost 2 lbs.

So binging has a huge effect
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Yes. IIRC, 3500 calories in either direction = 1 lb gained or lost.
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I think I have a problem since I eat under 1500 and can't eat anymore.
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mach25687 posted...

I think I have a problem since I eat under 1500 and can't eat anymore.

Just drink the rest? You can make a 1000cal protein shake with pb, whole milk, and protein powder
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Depends how active you are and what those calories consist of
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Solid Snake07 posted...

Depends how active you are and what those calories consist of

And if you intake too little your metabolism slows down to prevent starvation.
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VoightKent posted...

ffs just eat until you're not hungry, the moment you're not hungry anymore you stop eating. What is so tough to understand about that?

we've been doing that for hundreds of thousands of years, every other species for even longer. Ya think we had calorie counters and nutrition labels thousands of years ago?

Why even enter the discussion
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Colorahdo posted...

Depends how much you weigh to begin with, but you can calculate it on your own

Takes -3500calories to burn 1lb of fat approximately. Let's say your maintenance is 2000cal.

(9*-700) + (1*3400) = -2900

So yes, you'd lose a little less than 1lb in those 10 days

If you didn't binge that one day, you'd burn 10*-700 = -7000 and burn almost 2 lbs.

So binging has a huge effect

Sounds about right.

It's really bad for you to binge outrageously like you suggested in the OP, TC. Instead of doing 1400 for 9 days and 5400 1 day, you're much better off mentally doing 6 days 1600-1800, 1 day 2300, rinse and repeat. Knowing that the math is on your side when it comes to calories in, calories out, human error in not counting calories properly plays a big role, and things get fucked up when you fuck with your head by going to the extremes like undereating with a big caloric deficit for days on end and then mass binging on day. You just can't sustain living like that in the long term. Set yourself for progress by doing something that is mentally and physically healthy like having a less extreme deficit for 5-6 days, and having a cheat meal/cheat day where you don't go overboard once or twice a week.

It gets easier when you adapt a more consistent, happier lifestyle where you can maintain a positive mental outlook. Your appetite is going to shrink if you can keep it up for a month, and things will only get easier and easier the more you keep it up. This ease over time is impossible when you're living a roller coaster of starving and binging, starving and binging, where you're only going to feel like shit all the time and want to take a break where you'll get lazy and fat, and then try to start up the shitty diet again.
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VoightKent posted...

ffs just eat until you're not hungry, the moment you're not hungry anymore you stop eating. What is so tough to understand about that?

we've been doing that for hundreds of thousands of years, every other species for even longer. Ya think we had calorie counters and nutrition labels thousands of years ago?

i've posted many times here that the calorie in calorie out method doesnt work and i just get bashed here.

1,800 calories a day is good for a 5' 100 pound woman who barely does exercise. 1,800 calories for a 5'9 160 pound man will lose some fat at first if indeed there is excess fat and then if continued will slow metabolism and the weight will come back on quick while slowing down the thyroid.

eat whole food such as meat/fish/eggs and the body will regulate itself. continue eating food with lab made chemicals and the body will start to operate very differently.
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Awesome posted...

i've posted many times here that the calorie in calorie out method doesnt work

What about that method doesn't work? I mean... the quality of the calories you consume still matters. If you consume fewer calories, but all the calories you do take in come from sugar and alcohol... then yeah you're going to have a bad time. Is that what you mean?
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Calories in calories out works you just need to be smart about it and not eat 1600 calories of ice cream bars.

Eating by hunger definitely works but if you've been eating like a pig all your life and your baseline of feeling normal is actually being unhealthy and sedentary, being told to just eat less until you're not hungry just does not work. People have horrible diets and eating habits due to convenience, lack of guidance, and laziness. You do not simply tell someone stop eating so much and you're golden, even if that's true in paper. The reality is that we're humans that make human error all the time.

Tracking calories allows one to realize the proper amount of food they're supposed to intake, without being swayed by appetite and mood. You count the calories and stop when you reach your daily limit.

This is why I suggested before that one shouldn't go on extreme caloric deficits for long (or any length really) periods of time and then binge. It simply isn't sustainable for long periods of time for either physical or mental health. But if you use calorie counting as a tool to defeat appetite and naughty urges, you can start to build a proper understanding of your own body's true nutritional needs and eventually stop counting calories and instead just eat until you're not hungry, and never until you're full (asides on cheat days).
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Holy_Pumpkin posted...

Calories in calories out works you just need to be smart about it and not eat 1600 calories of ice cream bars.

Eating by hunger definitely works but if you've been eating like a pig all your life and your baseline of feeling normal is actually being unhealthy and sedentary, being told to just eat less until you're not hungry just does not work. People have horrible diets and eating habits due to convenience, lack of guidance, and laziness. You do not simply tell someone stop eating so much and you're golden, even if that's true in paper. The reality is that we're humans that make human error all the time.

Tracking calories allows one to realize the proper amount of food they're supposed to intake, without being swayed by appetite and mood. You count the calories and stop when you reach your daily limit.

This is why I suggested before that one shouldn't go on extreme caloric deficits for long (or any length really) periods of time and then binge. It simply isn't sustainable for long periods of time for either physical or mental health. But if you use calorie counting as a tool to defeat appetite and naughty urges, you can start to build a proper understanding of your own body's true nutritional needs and eventually stop counting calories and instead just eat until you're not hungry, and never until you're full (asides on cheat days).

Sustainability aside weight loss all comes down to av calories in being less than maintenance calories, even if some days are much more, yes?
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joe40001 posted...

Holy_Pumpkin posted...

Calories in calories out works you just need to be smart about it and not eat 1600 calories of ice cream bars.

Eating by hunger definitely works but if you've been eating like a pig all your life and your baseline of feeling normal is actually being unhealthy and sedentary, being told to just eat less until you're not hungry just does not work. People have horrible diets and eating habits due to convenience, lack of guidance, and laziness. You do not simply tell someone stop eating so much and you're golden, even if that's true in paper. The reality is that we're humans that make human error all the time.

Tracking calories allows one to realize the proper amount of food they're supposed to intake, without being swayed by appetite and mood. You count the calories and stop when you reach your daily limit.

This is why I suggested before that one shouldn't go on extreme caloric deficits for long (or any length really) periods of time and then binge. It simply isn't sustainable for long periods of time for either physical or mental health. But if you use calorie counting as a tool to defeat appetite and naughty urges, you can start to build a proper understanding of your own body's true nutritional needs and eventually stop counting calories and instead just eat until you're not hungry, and never until you're full (asides on cheat days).

Sustainability aside weight loss all comes down to av calories in being less than maintenance calories, even if some days are much more, yes?

Yes in paper, as long as you're under the total amount of maintenance calories needed. I would highly suggest not throwing caution to the wind though. You need to be smart about it, and there will be factors involved that may allow you to believe you're under maintenance when you're really not. To be totally fool proof, you would want to weigh all of the food you're consuming in a day, calculate all the macro nutrients of all the food you're consuming, and made sure the total grams of macro nutrients you're consuming equals a caloric intake that is less than you're caloric maintenance, and do THAT daily and make sure you're remaining under your caloric maintenance in whatever time span you wish. You will be GUARANTEED to lose weight, but NOT guaranteed to be any healthier than you were previously. Health, which despite being correlated to proper weight and caloric intake methods, is what matters most, and hundreds if factors come into play. Dieting to lose weight can still be horrible for your health if the method you're using is unhealthy. Starve-binging is unhealthy even if you have the iron will to pull it off... and if you DO have the iron will to pull it off, you must have the potential to apply that dedication to proper healthy eating and living.

This is all coming from an ex fatty who had been fat all throughout my obese childhood and decided to make a health change in 2009. Went from 185 to 150 as a 5'10" 15 year old using counting calories and became a proficient long distance runner. Skinny and little muscle but I had felt better than ever in my entire life. Fast forward 2017 I'd become 235lb due to pure lifting and lots of beer but put lots of muscle on my frame. Also stopped running. Skip to present day and I'm now 195lb and the strongest I've ever been. Still skimp out on cardio but plan to incorporate it into my life again soon.. Didn't count calories from 235 to 195, but relied on not eating as much and cutting back on beer. I wouldn't have had the ability to lose weight by knowing how to eat less without learning through counting calorie all the way back in 2009.
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Depends on how many calories you burn.

Back when I playing football and boxing training simultaneously, I could eat junk all day and still lose weight. Habitual 5000+ calorie days and having issues dropping out of my weight class.
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Holy_Pumpkin posted...

joe40001 posted...

Holy_Pumpkin posted...

Calories in calories out works you just need to be smart about it and not eat 1600 calories of ice cream bars.

Eating by hunger definitely works but if you've been eating like a pig all your life and your baseline of feeling normal is actually being unhealthy and sedentary, being told to just eat less until you're not hungry just does not work. People have horrible diets and eating habits due to convenience, lack of guidance, and laziness. You do not simply tell someone stop eating so much and you're golden, even if that's true in paper. The reality is that we're humans that make human error all the time.

Tracking calories allows one to realize the proper amount of food they're supposed to intake, without being swayed by appetite and mood. You count the calories and stop when you reach your daily limit.

This is why I suggested before that one shouldn't go on extreme caloric deficits for long (or any length really) periods of time and then binge. It simply isn't sustainable for long periods of time for either physical or mental health. But if you use calorie counting as a tool to defeat appetite and naughty urges, you can start to build a proper understanding of your own body's true nutritional needs and eventually stop counting calories and instead just eat until you're not hungry, and never until you're full (asides on cheat days).

Sustainability aside weight loss all comes down to av calories in being less than maintenance calories, even if some days are much more, yes?

Yes in paper, as long as you're under the total amount of maintenance calories needed. I would highly suggest not throwing caution to the wind though. You need to be smart about it, and there will be factors involved that may allow you to believe you're under maintenance when you're really not. To be totally fool proof, you would want to weigh all of the food you're consuming in a day, calculate all the macro nutrients of all the food you're consuming, and made sure the total grams of macro nutrients you're consuming equals a caloric intake that is less than you're caloric maintenance, and do THAT daily and make sure you're remaining under your caloric maintenance in whatever time span you wish. You will be GUARANTEED to lose weight, but NOT guaranteed to be any healthier than you were previously. Health, which despite being correlated to proper weight and caloric intake methods, is what matters most, and hundreds if factors come into play. Dieting to lose weight can still be horrible for your health if the method you're using is unhealthy. Starve-binging is unhealthy even if you have the iron will to pull it off... and if you DO have the iron will to pull it off, you must have the potential to apply that dedication to proper healthy eating and living.

This is all coming from an ex fatty who had been fat all throughout my obese childhood and decided to make a health change in 2009. Went from 185 to 150 as a 5'10" 15 year old using counting calories and became a proficient long distance runner. Skinny and little muscle but I had felt better than ever in my entire life. Fast forward 2017 I'd become 235lb due to pure lifting and lots of beer but put lots of muscle on my frame. Also stopped running. Skip to present day and I'm now 195lb and the strongest I've ever been. Still skimp out on cardio but plan to incorporate it into my life again soon.. Didn't count calories from 235 to 195, but relied on not eating as much and cutting back on beer. I wouldn't have had the ability to lose weight by knowing how to eat less without learning through counting calorie all the way back in 2009.

While I appreciate the effort I was really only asking the question posed in the op and not asking for advice.
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Literally

Literally

Every body is different. We dont know you age/sex/haight or activity level.

Such a misinformed topic from the beginning
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No prob TC, I figure if I help at least one lurker who wants to make a health change it's worth the excessive info dump :P
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If you want to lose raw weight than Calories in<Calories out definitely works. If you want to be healthy, keep as much muscle as possible while losing fat and overall look better naked then it gets more complicated. Lift, maybe cardio, count calories, eat proper macros.
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Holy_Pumpkin posted...

No prob TC, I figure if I help at least one lurker who wants to make a health change it's worth the excessive info dump :P

*thumbs up*

burritosatan posted...

Literally

Literally

Every body is different. We dont know you age/sex/haight or activity level.

Such a misinformed topic from the beginning

I clarified that the maintenance calories was more than that, that should be enough information. Besides this topic isn't asking advice it is asking a specific question.
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VoightKent posted...

ffs just eat until you're not hungry, the moment you're not hungry anymore you stop eating. What is so tough to understand about that?

we've been doing that for hundreds of thousands of years, every other species for even longer. Ya think we had calorie counters and nutrition labels thousands of years ago?

We have easier access to high calorie diets than at any point in human history. Food is so dense to the point that it can be hard to not overeat. We are also more sedentary than ever before. There's a eason new generations are more knowledgeable about nutrition than any other.
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joe40001 posted...

Holy_Pumpkin posted...

No prob TC, I figure if I help at least one lurker who wants to make a health change it's worth the excessive info dump :P

*thumbs up*

burritosatan posted...

Literally

Literally

Every body is different. We dont know you age/sex/haight or activity level.

Such a misinformed topic from the beginning

I clarified that the maintenance calories was more than that, that should be enough information. Besides this topic isn't asking advice it is asking a specific question.

If you already know your maintenance calories are more why did you need to ask if eating less makes you lose weight
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i lose weight if i just avoid carbs

i could eat 3000 calories of meat and veggies and still lose weight
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burritosatan posted...

joe40001 posted...

Holy_Pumpkin posted...

No prob TC, I figure if I help at least one lurker who wants to make a health change it's worth the excessive info dump :P

*thumbs up*

burritosatan posted...

Literally

Literally

Every body is different. We dont know you age/sex/haight or activity level.

Such a misinformed topic from the beginning

I clarified that the maintenance calories was more than that, that should be enough information. Besides this topic isn't asking advice it is asking a specific question.

If you already know your maintenance calories are more why did you need to ask if eating less makes you lose weight

Because I didn't know if doing what I suggested (meaning one day ends up being WAAAAY over) still would end up having the same effect with weight loss. Both math and the body can be funny so I don't know if perhaps it's some more exponential or multiplicative effect.

9000 calories 1 day and then 4 days of 0 calories is different than 1800 calories for 5 days so I didn't know if they'd be the same when it comes specifically to weight loss.
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joe40001 posted...

burritosatan posted...

joe40001 posted...

Holy_Pumpkin posted...

No prob TC, I figure if I help at least one lurker who wants to make a health change it's worth the excessive info dump :P

*thumbs up*

burritosatan posted...

Literally

Literally

Every body is different. We dont know you age/sex/haight or activity level.

Such a misinformed topic from the beginning

I clarified that the maintenance calories was more than that, that should be enough information. Besides this topic isn't asking advice it is asking a specific question.

If you already know your maintenance calories are more why did you need to ask if eating less makes you lose weight

Because I didn't know if doing what I suggested (meaning one day ends up being WAAAAY over) still would end up having the same effect with weight loss. Both math and the body can be funny so I don't know if perhaps it's some more exponential or multiplicative effect.

9000 calories 1 day and then 4 days of 0 calories is different than 1800 calories for 5 days so I didn't know if they'd be the same when it comes specifically to weight loss.

It's actually not different though. You'll hold and lose water weight / sodium levels and carbs holding water at a weird pace but if you have a level week after this its still CICO at the end of the day. 9000 calories over 5 days is the same whether its 3 meals a day or 1 meal at the end of day 5
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burritosatan posted...

joe40001 posted...

burritosatan posted...

joe40001 posted...

Holy_Pumpkin posted...

No prob TC, I figure if I help at least one lurker who wants to make a health change it's worth the excessive info dump :P

*thumbs up*

burritosatan posted...

Literally

Literally

Every body is different. We dont know you age/sex/haight or activity level.

Such a misinformed topic from the beginning

I clarified that the maintenance calories was more than that, that should be enough information. Besides this topic isn't asking advice it is asking a specific question.

If you already know your maintenance calories are more why did you need to ask if eating less makes you lose weight

Because I didn't know if doing what I suggested (meaning one day ends up being WAAAAY over) still would end up having the same effect with weight loss. Both math and the body can be funny so I don't know if perhaps it's some more exponential or multiplicative effect.

9000 calories 1 day and then 4 days of 0 calories is different than 1800 calories for 5 days so I didn't know if they'd be the same when it comes specifically to weight loss.

It's actually not different though. You'll hold and lose water weight / sodium levels and carbs holding water at a weird pace but if you have a level week after this its still CICO at the end of the day. 9000 calories over 5 days is the same whether its 3 meals a day or 1 meal at the end of day 5

Thank you! This completely answers my question.
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joe40001 posted...

burritosatan posted...

joe40001 posted...

burritosatan posted...

joe40001 posted...

Holy_Pumpkin posted...

No prob TC, I figure if I help at least one lurker who wants to make a health change it's worth the excessive info dump :P

*thumbs up*

burritosatan posted...

Literally

Literally

Every body is different. We dont know you age/sex/haight or activity level.

Such a misinformed topic from the beginning

I clarified that the maintenance calories was more than that, that should be enough information. Besides this topic isn't asking advice it is asking a specific question.

If you already know your maintenance calories are more why did you need to ask if eating less makes you lose weight

Because I didn't know if doing what I suggested (meaning one day ends up being WAAAAY over) still would end up having the same effect with weight loss. Both math and the body can be funny so I don't know if perhaps it's some more exponential or multiplicative effect.

9000 calories 1 day and then 4 days of 0 calories is different than 1800 calories for 5 days so I didn't know if they'd be the same when it comes specifically to weight loss.

It's actually not different though. You'll hold and lose water weight / sodium levels and carbs holding water at a weird pace but if you have a level week after this its still CICO at the end of the day. 9000 calories over 5 days is the same whether its 3 meals a day or 1 meal at the end of day 5

Thank you! This completely answers my question.

It's how most professional eaters are all in good shape. They work out a lot, but a 20000 calorie cheat day sure the next few days they are bloated and have massive water weight but they offset it. They'll then follow something like a 1200 calorie a day diet for the next 2 weeks straight as well as doing light cardio and in the end they don't gain body fat.
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VoightKent posted...

ffs just eat until you're not hungry, the moment you're not hungry anymore you stop eating. What is so tough to understand about that?

we've been doing that for hundreds of thousands of years, every other species for even longer. Ya think we had calorie counters and nutrition labels thousands of years ago?

If i did that I would eat less than 1000 calories a day.
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I don't. I have to drop below 1,000 to lose weight.

(I'm 5'4" and weigh about 140 now.)
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