Bumping up calorie intake

askandtheanswer

Hi everyone!

Happy to say that after a couple months of unhealthy eating (i.e. averaging around 600-800kcal a day) I'm trying to bump my calories up for something a bit more sustainable/healthy. 800kcal wasn't horrific for me (I'm 19, around 4'11-5'0, and around 43kg, exercising for around 30mins 4 days a week) but I've been noticing I've been more tired lately, etc. Basically I've realised I was being a bit stupid! So I was wondering, as I'm trying to up my intake slowly (1000kcal perhaps, I reckon that should be okay for my height!) will I see a weight gain at first, due to the increase in my calories? Or will I just see a slower rate of weight loss?

Thank you in advance for any help!

Liftng4Lis

Just rip the bandage off and up it to 1200. You may notice some water retention the first week, but it will dissipate. Great job making a healthy decision.

malibu927

You're already on the borderline of being underweight, so I wouldn't even think about losing weight. Go up 100 or so per week until you hit maintenance, then either stay and work on body recomposition or aim for a bit of a gain with heavy lifting.

joeboland

Agreed

Liftng4Lis wrote: »

Just rip the bandage off and up it to 1200. You may notice some water retention the first week, but it will dissipate. Great job making a healthy decision.

Agreed. There should never be any reason, short of at the advice of a healthcare professional, to drop below 1200 calories per day.

askandtheanswer

@Liftng4Lis ah okay, thank you for the help!

@malibu927 you might be right, I think my issue is mainly with the common 'problem areas' like excess fat around the thighs, so maybe body recomp might be a good idea!

Thank you both, I really appreciate it

lemonlionheart

At your height and weight, your maintenance calorie intake should be around 1350 at sendentary (source: iifym.com). Eat that, at least. Are you exercising?

bpetrosky

Ok, this is going to be a little blunt.

At your measurements (95 lbs, 4'11"), you are approaching an underweight BMI (19.2, underweight is 18.5). You do not need to lose any weight, and you need to reconsider your goals before you seriously damage your health.

At your activity level, your TDEE is ~1500 cals/day. That is your maintenance level. That's what you need to stay at the same weight. Anything you are doing now is more than likely eating into your lean body mass.

At best, you can look into doing a body recomp, but that will also require you eating significantly more than you are now.

Please take a hard look at what your plans and goals are here, and seek appropriate professional help if needed. I wish you well.

askandtheanswer

bpetrosky wrote: »

Ok, this is going to be a little blunt.

At your measurements (95 lbs, 4'11"), you are approaching an underweight BMI (19.2, underweight is 18.5). You do not need to lose any weight, and you need to reconsider your goals before you seriously damage your health.

At your activity level, your TDEE is ~1500 cals/day. That is your maintenance level. That's what you need to stay at the same weight. Anything you are doing now is more than likely eating into your lean body mass.

At best, you can look into doing a body recomp, but that will also require you eating significantly more than you are now.

Please take a hard look at what your plans and goals are here, and seek appropriate professional help if needed. I wish you well.

No that's fine, I appreciate the advice. I know my approach to food has been a bit unhealthy recently, I like to think I'm getting back on the right track, but you're absolutely right - I do need to reconsider my approach/motivation I think!

Thank you for the advice, and for your concern!

bpetrosky

askandtheanswer wrote: »

bpetrosky wrote: »

Ok, this is going to be a little blunt.

At your measurements (95 lbs, 4'11"), you are approaching an underweight BMI (19.2, underweight is 18.5). You do not need to lose any weight, and you need to reconsider your goals before you seriously damage your health.

At your activity level, your TDEE is ~1500 cals/day. That is your maintenance level. That's what you need to stay at the same weight. Anything you are doing now is more than likely eating into your lean body mass.

At best, you can look into doing a body recomp, but that will also require you eating significantly more than you are now.

Please take a hard look at what your plans and goals are here, and seek appropriate professional help if needed. I wish you well.

No that's fine, I appreciate the advice. I know my approach to food has been a bit unhealthy recently, I like to think I'm getting back on the right track, but you're absolutely right - I do need to reconsider my approach/motivation I think!

Thank you for the advice, and for your concern!

Glad to hear it. There's some great people here who can give some sound advice on your goals. @rabbitjb and @Liftng4Lis have a good handle on that. Be well.

askandtheanswer

lemonlionheart wrote: »

At your height and weight, your maintenance calorie intake should be around 1350 at sendentary (source: iifym.com). Eat that, at least. Are you exercising?

Ah sorry @lemonlionheart, I completely missed this! I try to exercise (and by that, I mean use a fitnessblender video, level 3 usually 4) at least 4 times a week for around 30 mins.