Noob needing advice

2113PrayForUsAll

First of all, I would like to say Hi to everyone. I have been using MFP for quite sometime now, but I never knew there was a forum to go with it. I'm 31 with a wonderful wife and two kids. I have been dieting and exercising for the past 2 months. I am down to 276 from 313! However, I have hit a week long plateau of -37 lbs. I haven't done anything different from what I normally do. I have had a lot people tell me to up my calories, have a cheat day, or vary up my workout. I was only taking in around 1100-1200 calories per day in food. I exercise by walking 4 miles in under a hour...which translates in anywhere from 750-800 calories each morning. Diagnosis....my body has know fuel to burn. Does that sound accurate? I have upped my calories to around 1800-2000, but will this help trigger my body back into weight loss? I am a noob, so all this is foreign to me right now. Any advice would be much appreciated.

I will add that I haven't cheated or missed my 6 days of exercise in these last 2 months.

JenMc14

1 week of not losing is not a plateau. Weight loss is not linear, even if the "numbers" add up. I am a 36 year old 5'4.75" female who weighs around 133 pounds, and I eat more than 1200 calories on a daily basis. When I was heavier and losing the bulk of my weight, I hovered between 1300-1400 most days. I maintained under 120 at around 1600-ish, I believe. (Obviously, I gained some back with crappy eating habits.) If you are a 276 pound male, you can/should definitely be eating more than 1200 calories. Up them gradually, ditch the scale for a few weeks (it may go up, and that can be discouraging, but it's a "fake" gain) and go from there.

dieselbyte

1 week of not losing is not a plateau. Weight loss is not linear, even if the "numbers" add up. I am a 36 year old 5'4.75" female who weighs around 133 pounds, and I eat more than 1200 calories on a daily basis. When I was heavier and losing the bulk of my weight, I hovered between 1300-1400 most days. I maintained under 120 at around 1600-ish, I believe. (Obviously, I gained some back with crappy eating habits.) If you are a 276 pound male, you can/should definitely be eating more than 1200 calories. Up them gradually, ditch the scale for a few weeks (it may go up, and that can be discouraging, but it's a "fake" gain) and go from there.

This. Also, increasing your calories from 1200 to 2000 may be too much of a jump, and could have an unwanted effect on your weight loss (i.e. weight/fat gain). Like the previous poster said, you can definitely eat more and still lose, but don't drastically increase your calorie intake. Start with a 100 calorie increase for the week and see how you respond. 1 week isn't a plateau by any means, so don't stress too much.

2113PrayForUsAll

Thanks for the advice