Increasing Calories To Maintenance After Large Deficit? Help!

janellep2014

Hight: 5' 7''
SW: 145
CW: 115

Hi,
I've lost 30 lbs in the past 6 months at 1200 cal/day. (I know, thats too low) I was doing cardio every day for the first few months but stopped cuz I got tired/weak to do it. I've hit plateau and only lost 2 lbs in the past month(even at 1200/day). Ive also been doing low-carb for the past few months. I know I need to increase my calories and I'd like to begin maintaining and pick up strength training to tone/tighten some areas. Im wondering if I should slowly increase (100 cal/week) or just quickly jump up my calories? I'm afraid to increase quickly if my metabolism has slowed down and I don't want to gain fat. BUT, I'm afraid if I slowly increase, my body will hold onto every calorie as fat because it thinks I'm still in starvation mode. What do you guys think? Also, how should I try to estimate my TDEE after such a large deficit? THANKS!

Spencersmom2

I tend to switch it up throughout the week. My weeks usually look like a parabola, going over some days and being under on others. Right now I have my calories set at about 1,800 calories/day. I think it would be beneficial to change up your caloric intake as well as to incorporate lots of different types of activity, as you mentioned. This is just my opinion, but I say ditch the scale for the most part and focus on how your body feels and your clothes fit. Your body goes through so many changes that the scale could never quantify.

(I am also in maintenance, 5'8", and CW 123 with SW 223)

bigislandgrrl

^ this x 2

alyssamiller77

From experience I can tell you that you'll want to take it slow and also be ready to adapt and adjust. When I was dropping weight, I started at 1200 cal/day, as I got closer to my goal I upped it to 1500/day then 1800/day and once I got to my goal I leveled off at my TDEE. However, what I found is that when I got to my TDEE I actually started to gain Body Fat and weight again. So I started not eating back as much of my exercise calories (perhaps I was over-estimating them) for a while and that helped. I was then slowly able to add them back in.

sijomial

I would say walk them up slowly. As you have been both at a big deficit and low carbing you should mentally prepare yourself for some pretty violent swings in weight that don't appear to match your calorie intake. Do not over-react and start cutting again, believe the numbers and not your emotions.

Just remember it cannot be fat if it goes on too rapidly out of all proportion to your calorie intake - water not fat.

You don't need to estimate TDEE, just walk up your calories until you maintain within a sensible range to allow for fluctuations. It can take a while to find and also it can change with time.

janellep2014

Thanks for the great responses, everyone! I increased to 1500 today and I think i'll stay there for a week, see what happens and then go from there.

middlehaitch

If you are doing a jump up to 1500 from 1200 be aware that you may put on a few pounds of water weight. If you spead it over 3 weeks you could have better results.
JMHO
Cheers, h.

paradi3s

I started "reverse dieting" and increased 100 cals per week until I reached my maintenance goal of 1,800 calories. It took around 5-6 weeks and no weight change whatsoever, even lost an inch around my waist :-)