Macros Question- Do you adjust your calorie limit?(Dr. Fung connundrum)

(Heather Meyer) #1

Hey all… well Ive survived the first 2 weeks woohoo!

Here is my question…

People calculate their macros via an online macro calculator(i use the ruled me one) and in the calculation it sets your calorie target. As you lose weight…are people lowering their calorie target through re-calculating their macros based on weight loss-say ever 20 lbs?? I am confused because Dr. Fung says,

“decreased energy input equals decreased energy output”.

In other words, if you eat less…your body down-regulates your metabolism and so you burn less too.

So if thats true…then should we ever be reducing our calories even though we have lost weight?

(Robert C) #2

When you are in Dr. Fung land - math does not work (logic does!).

In Dr. Fung land you should probably throw away calculators because they all work on one principle - “what to do daily”.

Here is an example to help explain:

Let’s say you neither gain nor lose weight at 14,000 calories per week (2,000 calories per day).

Let’s say you are tired of not losing weight and you want to lose 1 pound a week so you go down to 10,500 calories per week (1500 calories per day).

In Dr. Fung land he (rightly) points out that your metabolism will slow to meet that new level of input.

If you instead skip a day of eating and on another day just have a small dinner (so a week at 10,500 calories) then your metabolism will not slow to meet the decreased average per week and will instead (especially if already keto) pull from locally stored energy in a time of perceived famine - keeping the metabolism high to meet the ancient need to go out and find food in a time of famine.

(charlie3) #3

I can’t answer your question diirectly. People who claim they can are going on faith. I’m still learning so here’s what I’ve learned about me so far.

I carefully track calories consumed and burned with cronometer. It appears that my estimates of those calories are matching up with body weight. ((I’m also exercising and eating less often than the norms.) When I want to maintain weight I eat 300 excess calories 6 days a week and eat nothing one day a week where I consume about 1800 calories so everything zeros out. When I want to reduce body fat I eat maintenance calories for 6 days then nothing on one day so weight loss is may be 1/3 to 1/2 pound a week. Thatt’s a gentle rate of weight loss but I stay close to goal weight so there’s no rush to make a correction. Calories in and calories out seems to work when I do things this way.

I skip breakfast and never snack. I feel some hunger on those mornings but it’s not a bother any more. Oddly I feel little or no hunger on the day I eat nothing. Fewer eating times, lower carbs and exercise seem to work together for me. Things would be difficult without all three.

(Running from stupidity) #4

:metal::metal::metal::metal::metal: