Quote:
Originally Posted by llwhiteoutll
Requiring less calories to maintain a lower weight is pretty straight forward. If you start of needing 3,000 calories a day to maintain and then lose a bunch of weight, you're clearly going to need less. You just have to adjust your intake of food and realize that the days of burning through a large pizza and a six pack are over.
It is also possible to feel full on the lower calorie amounts, just as it is possible to feel like your starving on a high calorie intake. It boils down to what you are eating.
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You're assuming that eating at maintenance feels the same for everyone, but it doesn't. A person who has been at a healthy weight their entire life usually has no problem feeling full while eating at maintenance as long as they eat reasonably well. But for a person who has been obese their whole life, it's going to feel like they're starving even when they're getting enough energy for their body.
I'm lucky enough to be able to adjust my food intake to match my needs with little hardship or will power needed. If I'm dropping a few pounds I just eat a little less. If I'm gaining weight I eat a bit more and stop when I get to my goal. But I also realize that if it was that simple for everyone, then no one would be obese. If someone told me I had to live off 1000 calories a day for the rest of my life to maintain my weight, I doubt I could do it. But that's likely what it feels like for some people who've been obese their whole lives to eat a 2000 calorie a day diet (or whatever their maintenance level is).
It's been mentioned before in this thread, but children are really where the energy should be focused. If you grow up at a healthy weight and eating good food, then it's far, far easier to maintain your weight as an adult. On the other hand, if you go through childhood and early adulthood being overweight or obese, you're likely going to be in a lifelong struggle to keep your weight down at a healthy level.