Terrified of Increasing Calories

KaterinaTerese

Two years ago I lost 60 lbs on a very low calorie diet (as in, I was lucky if I even broke 1,000 most days) over the course of 9 months. I've bounced around a little, but have settled +5lbs higher and stayed there for over a year. I finally decided in August it was time to continue and really get fit. So I've been going to the gym 4-5 times a week for two months now, and two weeks ago I began lifting weights (not very heavy yet, but building up!) for 35 minute sessions, three days a week.

So I know my metabolism is screwed up a little, but since I maintained between 1,200 - 1,700 a day on average, I might be okay after a poor diet...? My new diet was initially set at 1,300 calories a day, but I have not lost any weight ; zip, zero, nadda. I've gained a little muscle definition in my legs, but not enough to make a whit of difference in my clothes.

When I joined MFP, I kept hearing that I should check my TDEE, BMR etc., and eat accordingly.
Accordingly meaning:
TDEE - 2,100
BMR - 1,519

IIFYM Calculator suggests eating 1,700 for fat loss (I'm not trying to lose very quickly, just steadily)

My question is: this is much, much higher than I think healthful for me. I feel like a fat slob and bloat when I eat so much food (I log almost every mouthful, 7 days a week).

Are there any women who had REAL success with this method? I don't work out heavily, so should I just wait to increase calories until I'm working with heavier weights? I'm just really frightened to gain weight again, since I worked so hard to get here, and really don't want to go buy a whole new "fat" wardrobe!

Height: 5'5"
Weight: 154
Body Fat: approx. 23% (and looking to drop to 20%)

I'd be glad to hear what people have to say!

I_Will_End_You

Yes, I've had success. I eat more than 1700 (closer to 2000) and lose weight. Slowly, but I feel like I'm preserving LBM.

shadow2soul

I'm 5'4.5" and eat 1500 to 2500 calories depending on how active I am. I average around 1886 calories per day and my average weekly loss is 1.74lbs. I'm 168lbs right now and still losing.

zichab

If you are nervous about it, then add 200 calories at a time, give it 2 weeks and see what happens. I am down to my last 20 pounds and I was scared to death to move off 1200 net, but I decided I could always go back to 1200 if I started to gain and what actually happened? I continued to lose 1 pound a week! So, if you gain, you can always go back, but if you can eat more and still lose, you need to for your LBM. Hope this helps because I know it is scary!

prettyface55

Bump

AmyRhubarb

Yes, I've had my absolute best success since eating according to the TDEE method, which for me (45 yrs old, 5'8", currently 137lbs) is 1800-2000 cals a day. I workout 5-6 days a week, about an hour or less each day, three days with dumbbells/body weight exercises, and three days running 3-5 miles on average.

If you feel like you're eating a lot of food, try adding calorie dense foods to your day, like nuts, nut butters, avocados, use olive and coconut oils in cooking and dressings, cheese, whole eggs, etc. Good cals packed in small packages, getting you closer to goal without a higher quantity of food.

KaterinaTerese

Great advice! I'll give it a two weeks and see if my body reacts well to the change, lol!

nelinelineli

Increasing slowly is great advice. Just keep in mind 2 weeks is not really enough to set a baseline, especially for women. So if you happen to seem to be gaining weight slightly after 2 weeks, just maintain the same level for another 2. Don't go crashing back down.
Patience is key here. And don't worry about your "metabolism" that much. There's a lot of nonsense regarding the topic. You're very likely to be perfectly healthy and normal.
And if you're not hungry, don't force yourself to eat. Appetite will come in time and you'll be happy to be able to increase your calories while still staying within limits set.

LindaEmrys

Agreeing with nelinelineli