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Should I push my calories higher?

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  • ibtmas
    ibtmas Posts: 111 Member
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    @Firefly0606 well i gradually increased my calories and was puffed like a chicken increasing them but then gradually i started feeling hungry and was happy to be at 2k. even though i gained weight my inches reamined the same till 6kgs+ but after reaching 2300+ i've started gaining inches too and i'm a total 10kgs above my starting weight. i've too read alot and will wait this week and see. then i plan to - 100 cals and see if the weight stabilizes.
    u r doing great with your numbers. All the best to you and your motivation!!
  • Firefly0606
    Firefly0606 Posts: 366 Member
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    @ibtmas I think time needs to be a factor too. If you were actually at TDEE 100 calories ago, then it should have taken a bit over 2 months to gain 1kg. From what I'm reading (and more than happy to be corrected here!) if the 4kgs you have gained happened over less than 8 months then it might not be because of eating too many calories. I'd hold steady, not back off. If you're 100 cals over TDEE this week (7days), you would only gain about 100g. So if you gain 100g this week coming, you might be right and you really are over TDEE by 100.

    It's like the math didn't add up for me whenever I was on a low calorie diet. For example, I would sneak in a piece of cheesecake worth 500 calories, but the scale would increase by a whole kg the next day. But a kg is worth about 7000 cal? Now I'm finding the opposite - the math actuall IS adding up! If I eat the cheesecake in addition to my calories today, the scale seems to move in proportion - so up about 100g.
  • Raynn1
    Raynn1 Posts: 1,164 Member
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    @Firefly0606 You are on a roll this week:)

    Yes finding TDEE can be a long process, especially 100 cals at a time, but the end result is what you are looking for. Going slowly up can keep gains to a minimum. I did it the "easy" way, which was jumping immediately to TDEE and the gains were insane. I cried for years..I think in the end, I would have been better to go slowly, and maybe it wouldnt have taken me so long to find my actual TDEE that way.

    I was happy at 2400 when I hit it.
    I was happy at 2800 when I hit that. I couldnt possibly handle 3000. But slowly you realize its not that hard to hit.. and now I hit 3200 consistently, and have no issues going upwards of 3600 on hungry days. I fear cutting, when I have to lose cals again.. It makes me sad.. (And to be honest, that is when you are in fact ready to cut.. when you cant possibly think you can cut because of the missing cals) If you spend your time wishing for that cut to happen, wanting to cut NOW NOW NOW!!! You are truly not ready for it. Time is all you got and its important to use the time in the correct way. Rushing through a process will add more time in the long run. Most of us suffered that by having to reset more than once.

    Kelly
    EM2WL Ambassador and Moderator
  • ibtmas
    ibtmas Posts: 111 Member
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    @Firefly0606 you are absolutely right. i know i have not eaten 2000 above maintenance but i was not sure that how much should i wait and watch. after reading some more tdee threads at the em2wl forums i got to know that one should wait 4 to 5 weeks to see the trends if its not leveling out. so i'll give it two more weeks and see where it would take me. Thankyou so much for your responce :)
  • Firefly0606
    Firefly0606 Posts: 366 Member
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    So encouraged by the fact you are going to wait 2 more weeks to see what happens.
  • cosmonew
    cosmonew Posts: 514 Member
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    I was on the fence about raising my calories, but after reading this, I'm gonna do it...just 100 more. Thanks for posting your thoughts and results.
  • ibtmas
    ibtmas Posts: 111 Member
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    Firefly0606 wrote: »
    So encouraged by the fact you are going to wait 2 more weeks to see what happens.

    Oh Yess! I Will!
  • empressichel
    empressichel Posts: 730 Member
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    cosmonew wrote: »
    I was on the fence about raising my calories, but after reading this, I'm gonna do it...just 100 more. Thanks for posting your thoughts and results.

    Fantastic! This is what community is all about!
    Ichel
    EM2WL ambassador and moderator
  • Firefly0606
    Firefly0606 Posts: 366 Member
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    Time to check in. I have been unwell with some sort of virus over the past week and didn't log at all. It's the first time in a long, long time that I didn't log all my food and also didn't freak out about it. Liberating really - not worrying about every morsel I was putting in my mouth. I am looking forward to this part of my life, down this track where I can learn to eat intuitively. I read about others doing it, and it occurs to me that it is stupid saying "I don't know how to eat"...but I've forgotten this basic essential for a healthy life and I want to learn it back.

    So, definitely low on calories, who'd know on macros?, no workouts. Weight is down from 111.3 to 110.6kg. Probably will bounce back to 111.

    I have a very busy 2 weeks in the lead up to Christmas. My daughter is running at a State athletics carnival this weekend which we need to travel for, then back home for 4 days to get ready for holidays for 3 weeks at the coast. I'm back to counting and lifting for the next 2 weeks when I can, then for holidays I'm going to just let everything be. I need the rest more than I need to watch my weight graph. I can't wait. Back to normal tracking and workouts when I get back in January. Looking forward to a cut around March or April.

    The only thing I have a little concern about is that I think I know my TDEE when I'm working my desk job and lifting 3 x per week. I have no idea what it is when I'm on holidays and not lifting but an more active than usual with swimming, walking, biking etc. SO who knows what's going to happen as I eat intuitively over the next few weeks? How do you handle holidays?
  • Raynn1
    Raynn1 Posts: 1,164 Member
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    I would continue at your current TDEE while on holidays. For the little bit of time there might be a difference, it wont hurt either way, whether tdee should be lower or higher. Its just a lot easier to keep the course the same and just relax:)

    For me, I enjoy the holidays by sitting at TDEE and just enjoying time with my family. Its not worth the stress or hassle to get too involved in things:) A lot of times I dont even track for the few days around Christmas, just too many things going on. I work on getting in my protein over anything else, and let things fall where they shall. If I know Im having meals that are more carb heavy, I will make sure to have an extra protein shake or bar to help round it out.
    After spending too many holidays fretting over tracking and scale watching and such, I let the stress go last year and just stop during the holidays.. :)

    Sounds like you have some great plans in place!!

    Kelly
    EM2WL Ambassador and Moderator
  • empressichel
    empressichel Posts: 730 Member
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    Your plans sound spot on.
    I agree with @Raynn1 to just keep going with TDEE as is. If you are a lot more active, chances are that your body will let you know you need more food by being hungrier and that's fine to eat more then. Recognising that hunger will give you practice for intuitive eating down the line.
    I try to start the day with a protein shake and maybe have 1 as a snack in the afternoon too.
    That offsets my carb extras pretty well.
    Although today was a cupcake and chocolate kind of a day, and I guess my carbs will be around 50%.
    But that's fine. It's not every day. It's just life. A very tasty cupcake life :-)
    Ichel
    EM2WL ambassador and moderator
  • Firefly0606
    Firefly0606 Posts: 366 Member
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    You ladies are just the best! :)
    Thank you so much for your words of wisdom and encouragement.
    Yes there are lots of great plans in place for the next month. My daughter is nervous about the athletics carnival, I know she'll do fine once she is there. It's a big event and a big deal for her so the mother hen in me knows I'm going to be focused on getting her on that track, making sure she eats because she won't want to.
    Then off to the coast for some beach time over Christmas. A white (sand) Christmas for us this year :) Can't wait.
  • zanyzana
    zanyzana Posts: 248 Member
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    Wow, it's so lovely to read your excitement about here and now and the future. I've read in other EM2WL parts of the Internet that it might be a good idea to start the cut on 10%, see what happens for a month or so and the increase to 15% if there's no movement... it kinda gives you wiggle room. Are you on Facebook? There's a lovely EM2WL group on there called "Crushing the Diet Mentality" that is really helpful. And there will be emails sent out about a 6 week workshop that EM2WL is running if you register interest. I'm sure Tereza will post web address for how to register when her part of the world wakes up!
  • Raynn1
    Raynn1 Posts: 1,164 Member
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    www.crushthediet.com :)

    Im so glad to hear you had a good vacation. Its amazing what some time away will do for the mind and soul. It sounds like you have a nice solid plan in place and I can;t wait to see how things go for you. I will also reiterate, maybe taking a 10% cut to start. You can always cut further, but its not as easy to cut lower.. so start with a smaller cut, keeping your food intake up higher.. then there is more room down at the end as your cuts progress.. 5% doesnt seem like much when you are over 3000 cals.. but it CAN be a lot when you are at 2000:)

    Kelly
    Team EM2WL
  • Firefly0606
    Firefly0606 Posts: 366 Member
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    Thanks again ladies. Will start at 10%
  • empressichel
    empressichel Posts: 730 Member
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    Loved reading this!
    Your patience in walking the path is wonderful.
    And yes, taking pictures is SO important. Many times when there are no changes in scale, measurements, clothes fit etc, it's the subtle differences we see in the pictures that keep us going.
    Can't wait to hear how your cut goes. You rock!
    Ichel
    Team EM2WL
  • Firefly0606
    Firefly0606 Posts: 366 Member
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    So two questions now...how long should I cut for? Are there any signs that it's been long enough?

    Also, say I lost 5lbs on a cut, TDEE is going to be a bit lower than before my cut. How do you guesstimate what TDEE is at that point? Calculators haven't been accurate for me so far.

    A cut isn't very much fun is it? I'm not starving, but am certainly missing the extra calories.
  • ibtmas
    ibtmas Posts: 111 Member
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    empressichel wrote: »
    Loved reading this!
    Your patience in walking the path is wonderful.
    And yes, taking pictures is SO important. Many times when there are no changes in scale, measurements, clothes fit etc, it's the subtle differences we see in the pictures that keep us going.
    Can't wait to hear how your cut goes. You rock!
    Ichel
    Team EM2WL

    Yes! thats true! i cant see much change in my
    scale ,measurement and clothes during my first cut but something is getting me not to stop.what i see in the mirror is alot different than while i was increasing cals but the numbers r the same.Strange!
    I've also taken pictures in the same shirt and pictures show that the fat at the sides of my tummy has loosen the shirt fr there, the face n neck are less swollen too.
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
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    Firefly0606 wrote: »
    Also, say I lost 5lbs on a cut, TDEE is going to be a bit lower than before my cut. How do you guesstimate what TDEE is at that point? Calculators haven't been accurate for me so far.

    I'd start with a guesstimate of 10 calories lower per pound lost and adjust from there based on what your weight actually does.

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