How to Increase Calories

clee1898
clee1898 Posts: 28 Member
edited December 2024 in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I'm maintaining on 1200 calories a day, and I know that isn't my maintenance calories because that shouldn't be anyone's maintenance calories. I want to eat more but I don't want to gain weight and I'm unsure of how much "weight gain" there is initially and how long it lasts.

Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    If you're maintaining on 1200 calories, then you aren't really eating 1200 calories and need to tighten up your logging.

    What are your stats? Are you looking to lose or maintain your weight?
  • clee1898
    clee1898 Posts: 28 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    If you're maintaining on 1200 calories, then you aren't really eating 1200 calories and need to tighten up your logging.

    What are your stats? Are you looking to lose or maintain your weight?

    I'm 5'3" and 97 ish lbs.
    I log very meticulously and I want to maintain my weight. Since I'm in college I walk around a lot and I workout 4 times a week.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    My suggestion is to reverse diet.

    Add 100 calories to your daily consumption. Usually adding another 100 the following week. With your low weight, you might be better off every two to three weeks.
    Let your body adjust and see what if any weight change happened.
    Slow and steady.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    clee1898 wrote: »
    malibu927 wrote: »
    If you're maintaining on 1200 calories, then you aren't really eating 1200 calories and need to tighten up your logging.

    What are your stats? Are you looking to lose or maintain your weight?

    I'm 5'3" and 97 ish lbs.
    I log very meticulously and I want to maintain my weight. Since I'm in college I walk around a lot and I workout 4 times a week.

    You're actually quite underweight, so upping your calories enough to gain weight (gradually, as @Chieflrg says) is your best option.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    If you are maintaining weight then you are eating at maintenance. As the others have said above; slowly add calories in and let weight stabilise before increasing them again.
  • jolive7
    jolive7 Posts: 283 Member
    Chieflrg wrote: »
    My suggestion is to reverse diet.

    Add 100 calories to your daily consumption. Usually adding another 100 the following week. With your low weight, you might be better off every two to three weeks.
    Let your body adjust and see what if any weight change happened.
    Slow and steady.

    This ^ you could even increase at 50 calories per week
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