Question about effects of calorie restriction

[ashgallows]

Some background:

Over time I've tried just about everything there is. keto, paleo, atkins, Cico you name it, and have to come to the conclusion that my body just needs the macros it needs, i just need less calories in general. I tried cutting out all starchy carbs etc. but inevitably certain drives in me made me feel completely insane without them. Cico was the only thing that worked pretty well for a while, but ultimately was unsustainable due to the fact that all i did was think about food all day and it left me feeling hungry even when i ate non starchy foods. So I tried the opposite approach, I decided that unless my stomach was physically uncomfortable, i wouldn't eat or drink anything other than water. I was surprised how long i could go without food, and how little of it I needed to fill up with this mindset, especially since I technically had no food restrictions or counters. I ate healthy and unhealthy as my body saw fit.

The problem:

it worked too well, too quickly. I ended up feeling really lethargic and foggy headed after a week, but no hunger. The crazy thing was that I had to force myself to eat a bunch of calories to make it go away, even though it wasn't a real struggle to cut them in the first place.

The question:

Is there some trick you know of to sort of limit overdoing it like I did? Also, have any of you heard of anyone trying this?

[CommitmentRulz]

What happened to your last post in this thread that you posted less than a month ago?

https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showt...hp?t=175796231

you might be right. I'm interested in fat loss and looking good. Competitive bodybuilding, definitely not. maybe my choice of venue for my questions is the problem here. It just made sense to post to the site i get most of my information from. I realized what the problem was. I have always been one of those people that tries to go the extra mile if i am able to. So i set my calorie tracker to lose a pound a week. I then tried to leave at least 400 extra cals at the end of the day sometimes more. i was working out and not counting that. I've been having something like 2000-2500 cals left over at the end of the week that i didn't eat back. I lost 10lbs in the span of around 2- 3 weeks. i hit full burnout the other day and said screw it, something is really wrong. i had a cheat day and felt amazing. My new strategy is to set my counter to maintenance and continue that that way since i cant help but leave extra cals everyday.

[ashgallows]

[QUOTE=CommitmentRulz;1586002361]What happened to your last post in this thread that you posted less than a month ago?

Are you commenting on that saying, that I should continue to post to that thread? Or are you commenting that I should stay with Cico?

[CommitmentRulz]

[QUOTE=ashgallows;1586003481]

What happened to your last post in this thread that you posted less than a month ago?

Are you commenting on that saying, that I should continue to post to that thread? Or are you commenting that I should stay with Cico?

You appeared to have "your solution" but then went on and stopped eating... knowing that won't work.

[ashgallows]

[QUOTE=CommitmentRulz;1586006241]

You appeared to have "your solution" but then went on and stopped eating... knowing that won't work.

I feel like I explained in my post why I stopped cico. Are you here to give me constructive criticism? or are you here to call me dumb/uncommitted? Or am I reading this all wrong?

[CommitmentRulz]

[QUOTE=ashgallows;1586007441]

I feel like I explained in my post why I stopped cico. Are you here to give me constructive criticism? or are you here to call me dumb/uncommitted? Or am I reading this all wrong?

So, a controlled reduction in calories was too extreme because you purposely ate less than your noted goal. Your solution: eat even less. Then you're surprised that approach was unsustainable? What do you want someone to say to you?

Eat 500 calories less than your TDEE. At that rate you should be losing about a pound a week. You should be able to handle that from an energy standpoint. Good luck with your fitness goals.

[Tommy W.]

Some background:

Over time I've tried just about everything there is. keto, paleo, atkins, Cico you name it, and have to come to the conclusion that my body just needs the macros it needs, i just need less calories in general. I tried cutting out all starchy carbs etc. but inevitably certain drives in me made me feel completely insane without them. Cico was the only thing that worked pretty well for a while, but ultimately was unsustainable due to the fact that all i did was think about food all day and it left me feeling hungry even when i ate non starchy foods. So I tried the opposite approach, I decided that unless my stomach was physically uncomfortable, i wouldn't eat or drink anything other than water. I was surprised how long i could go without food, and how little of it I needed to fill up with this mindset, especially since I technically had no food restrictions or counters. I ate healthy and unhealthy as my body saw fit.

The problem:

it worked too well, too quickly. I ended up feeling really lethargic and foggy headed after a week, but no hunger. The crazy thing was that I had to force myself to eat a bunch of calories to make it go away, even though it wasn't a real struggle to cut them in the first place.

The question:

Is there some trick you know of to sort of limit overdoing it like I did? Also, have any of you heard of anyone trying this?

What is your height and weight and how many lbs were you losing in what timeframe? Without this info nobody can even begin to respond with any kind of correct info.

[ashgallows]

I'm saying that counting calories wasn't for me, I'm saying I definitely found a way to cut calories by adopting a different mindset. I ended up taking it too far, but it at least alleviated the problem of worrying about food for the majority of my day. I wasn't even hungry.

I didn't say I was surprised, I asked if anyone had tried this way and if they found a solution to what I was running into. You're solution to my problem was try something I already tried. If my question pisses you off, you don't have to answer.

[ashgallows]

I'm 5'11 with dieting i've fluctuated between 178 and 204. 204 being what i'm at now after plateauing with cico and eventually stopping. I was losing 1- 1 1/2 lbs back then. the newer approach didn't last very long since it took a toll on me after about a week so no data on that.

[Tommy W.]

I'm 5'11 with dieting i've fluctuated between 178 and 204. 204 being what i'm at now after plateauing with cico and eventually stopping. I was losing 1- 1 1/2 lbs back then. the newer approach didn't last very long since it took a toll on me after about a week so no data on that.

You take in too many calories. If you can't handle a calorie deficit you'll never lose the fat. At your weight you need to get aggressive. This will take you out of your comfort zone. If this isn't possible then you'll have to just be happy being overweight. Sorry for being blunt but it is what it is....

[clwhoops44]

"...counting calories wasn't for me"

Well, unfortunately for you, calorie deficit is THE ONLY way you lose weight. I don't care how you over-complicate the diet (keto, IF, whateverthe**** Cico is) a calorie deficit is the only way you can lose fat.

[Tucane]

Well, eat less calories without counting them. Something like healthy choices + portion control + regular weigh-ins?

Regardless, you are highly unlikely to be able to escape the discomfort of negative energy balance. Accept that you will be hungry as a part of your progress.

If you really want to, you'll figure out a way^^