Should I up my calories?

Tippy05

I started out with 1200 calories (based on MFP, no working out and sedentary lifestyle). I have a desk job 8-5 but once I'm home with my two boys sitting down is the LAST thing I can even think about doing. I've been losing weight pretty steadily, about a pound a week, but have stalled for the past few weeks.

I've been reading all the posts about how even people with desk jobs aren't really sedentary so I just this morning changed it to lightly active, which gives me about another 100 calories or so to play with. Also, I just really started working out this week and my plan is to lift 3 days a week and run 2 days a week with 2 rest days.

Am I right to make the change from sedentary to lightly active and should I still be eating back all my exercise calories? I wear a HRM so I'd like to think that's pretty accurate but I understand there is still a margin of error.

I'm partially wondering if I should just keep my calories where they are because changing my activity level AND increasing calories AND working out are too many changes all at once.

Thoughts? Thanks in advance.

DrJenO

1) Changing your setting to "lightly active" is probably the right call. I think few people are truly sedentary.

2) When you start exercising, you should eat back your exercise calories. Many on this forum recommend eating back 50-75% of the exercise calories, because the estimates that MFP gives you tend to be high. A HRM is good for steady state cardio (biking, walking/running, etc), and less accurate for other forms of exercise, so when using your HRM to estimate your calorie burns, adjust accordingly (i.e. can eat back all of your running calories but not all of your lifting calories).

3) When you change your exercise routine, your body will go through an adjustment period, where you will likely retain water/glycogen and "plateau" or even "gain". This is normal, and will come back off in 1-3 weeks. Just stick with the routine and trust the process.

4) Good for you for lifting. I think you will like the results.

Tippy05

1) Changing your setting to "lightly active" is probably the right call. I think few people are truly sedentary.

2) When you start exercising, you should eat back your exercise calories. Many on this forum recommend eating back 50-75% of the exercise calories, because the estimates that MFP gives you tend to be high. A HRM is good for steady state cardio (biking, walking/running, etc), and less accurate for other forms of exercise, so when using your HRM to estimate your calorie burns, adjust accordingly (i.e. can eat back all of your running calories but not all of your lifting calories).

3) When you change your exercise routine, your body will go through an adjustment period, where you will likely retain water/glycogen and "plateau" or even "gain". This is normal, and will come back off in 1-3 weeks. Just stick with the routine and trust the process.

4) Good for you for lifting. I think you will like the results.

Thanks!

# 3 makes me nervous. I've always been addicted to the number on the scale ("if it's not going down, whatever you're doing isn't working"). I understand that any potential weight gain is going to be temporary and isn't fat (assuming I stay within my calorie goals) but it's something I really do just need to work through.

I'm excited for lifting. Something new!

tibby531

3) When you change your exercise routine, your body will go through an adjustment period, where you will likely retain water/glycogen and "plateau" or even "gain". This is normal, and will come back off in 1-3 weeks. Just stick with the routine and trust the process.

THIS! it's taken me six months to up my calories from 1400 to 2500, but I'm feeling better than ever, and losing, again. don't give up, stick with it. you're worth the wait.