READ! so I did a little experiment. [eat more, weigh less.. WHOO!]

so, if you've followed my weight loss journey at all, you'd know THIS:
For a whole year I weighed 150 pounds. That was my entire freshman year. I got by on no breakfast, Nutrageous bars, Dr. Peppers, horrible school food, blocks of cheese, and greasy home-cooked Mexican food. and like, no exercise whatsoever. ergh.
Around the end of my freshman year, I decided to do something about it. I KNEW I could be healthy, because I'd always been at a healthy weight before this new lifestyle. So, I decided to take up running. Before, a few years back, I could run a mile in 6 minutes. But when I started up again, I could barely run a quarter of a mile in 6 minutes! But, I kept it going, and from March to June, I lost 20 pounds and could run for at least 20 minutes at a time.

I went on like this, steadily losing, and by December 2006 I weighed 120 pounds. I decided to do something about my diet, and I took up calorie-counting. At first it was just being aware of what I was stuffing into my mouth, and then it got really obsessive--by February, I was eating no more than 700 calories a day. I had upped my workout, too, but I wasn't losing. I maintained 120 pounds. This went on until late April or so. It was one weekend when I went on a binge--I ate about 2000 calories, more than double what I usually ate! I was up two pounds the next day, but two days later, when I went to the doctor for allergies, I weighed 116 pounds. I'd LOST weight from the binge!

So, taking the advice of the folks from here, and my doctor, and my DAD, who convinced me I could eat more and still lose, I decided to up my calories. Throughout May I ate at least 1100 calories a day. Thankfully my metabolism wasn't totally screwed up, due to my regular exercise. By the first day of June [this month, yes] I'd lost 7 more pounds. I was 109.

Now, I was a bit skeptical of the whole thing, as anyone in my situation would be. So about 2 weeks ago I decided to do a little experiment to prove that I could eat more and lose. [Putting my body through crap for the good of weight-loss science!] I went three days eating like I had before--no more than 700 a day. I couldn't imagine how I'd done it before--I was sooooo hungry! Alas, I gained 2 pounds. But two days after I resumed eating 1100-1300 again, I lost the two pounds--plus one. I now stand before this screen weighing 108 pounds--and healthily!

And so, in conclusion, darlings, you can lose weight on 700 calories a day. But it's a lot more fun to lose weight eating more. And you CAN.

The end.
[thanks for reading--wtf that was long]

undertherainbow: Dr. Dean Adell always says: "Anyone can lose weight by eating LESS! You could be eating a diet of Snickers bars and lose weight if you stay under 2000 calories!"

It makes a difference to me,, too, undertherainbow - BUT, the weight I gain from junk does seem to go off faster+ when I eat healthy again... ...and my 'straying' hasn't been junk, but red meat or pork.

undertherainbow- that would be an awesome experiment, since I tend to disagree with the whole 'a calorie is a calorie' thing. lemme know how it goes ;D

The scale is a tool, what we eat effects the scale. 

Junkie types of food tend to be high in sugar and sodium, the only reason someone would lose "weight" slower than someone else eating 1200 calories is because of those factors, not because you are actually going to lose less fat.

The only way I think to test for this is to have Body fat % tests done every day on a group of people A and B, 1 eating healthy, 1 eating junk, Sedentary.

It's energy in energy out, calories just happen to be the energy.

Does what you eat effect how you feel? Absolutely, it would be extremely hard to stick to a new lifestyle if you only ate junk, you'd be hungry, and feel nasty, no energy, maybe sleep poorly.  It's a bad idea, but you can lose weight, or I should say "fat".

The reason why you see a fast weight gain from  eating junk food (and the associated easy loss afterward) is water. The high sodium snacks make you retain water. You then release the water when you eat more healthfully the next day.

It's interesting to hear about your experience. A few years back I lost 23lbs in 13 weeks, but I went to the gym for 2 hours a day six days a week plus did some aerobics classes and ate hardly anything - like 2 shakes a day and basically raw fruit/veg. Needless to say, as soon as I started to eat more food and could not keep up the exercise regime, I put all the weight back on. This time I am eating regularly and not starving myself and walking everyday and I have already lost 9lbs in just 4 weeks. Amazing! I am convinced that if I had done this a few years back, i.e. eaten more and not less, I would have lost more weight. I think my body went into panic mode and was hanging on to the fat for dear life itself. So, well done you for recognising where you went wrong and doing something about it. Keep going as you are and good luck!

I say eat a healthy diet and see what happens.  If you feel a need to loose weight then up the exercise even more. I am just starting this journey and go to the doctor regularly, so I am getting the encouragement I need from family, friends, and my doctor.

Good luck  and stay healthy!