Has Increasing your Calories help break a Plateau?

ValenciaJudokova
ValenciaJudokova Posts: 21 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello Everyone,
Wanting to read experiences of people who have gone from low calorie diets (1200+) to increasing there calories to break a plateau?

My Stats: SW: 220 Pounds (Jan 20th 2014) CW: 176 GW: 135
6 ft, 19 Female- Being quite tall you might think that 135 is a bit low but I am quite thin naturally (under all the fat lol), quite lanky so I think 135 would be achievable.

Started at 1200 (as silly as I was)+ excercise calories (usually 300-500) worked until about a month ago and have been plateauing since. keep hovering between 176-178.

Questions:
01.How many calories should I increasing weekly to get to my TDEE of 2100?
02. How long after I reach my TDEE should I eat at this for?
03. After a period of time do I drop my calories again? ( Set as losing 1 Pounds per week)


Could this be what happened last year?
So I was on a weight loss journey last year in July started at 240 - 5 Days a week of working out + eating low calories. Stuck with this for about 2 months (lost 20 Pounds), was enjoying myself but broke my ankle so went down the crapper. Stopped working out and started eating crappy foods (probably still with a deficit) anyway so I stopped dieting all together and started again this year in Jan. I stepped on the scale thinking I would have gained all the weight I have lost if not more but to my surprise I had lost about 2 pounds.
I'm thinking that a break+increasing my calories what worked for me then? So should I do it again?

Sorry for the long story but you get the drift.

Thank you Loves



P.S I hope to lose the last 45 Pounds before this Christmas as I am going Back to Russia to see my family whom I haven't seen in about 2 years. I want to surprise them :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • ValenciaJudokova
    ValenciaJudokova Posts: 21 Member
    Bump
  • Supertact
    Supertact Posts: 466 Member
    If you're not losing weight at your current calories, in which parallel universe would adding more cause you to lose weight.:ohwell:
  • ValenciaJudokova
    ValenciaJudokova Posts: 21 Member
    Well Obviously my Metabolism isn't as efficient as burning calories as It was in the begging so maybe increasing my calories fora period of time may speed up the process once more. Have you not seen the many success stories of people increasing there calories on here? I suppose I just want to hear about more Success Stories before I myself try it.
  • Supertact
    Supertact Posts: 466 Member
    Well Obviously my Metabolism isn't as efficient as burning calories as It was in the begging so maybe increasing my calories fora period of time may speed up the process once more. Have you not seen the many success stories of people increasing there calories on here? I suppose I just want to hear about more Success Stories before I myself try it.

    No i haven't and I don't believe it.

    A calorie deficit will always cause weight loss.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    Why not double your calories and really speed up your weight loss?

    If your metabolism slows 25% you'll just lose weight more slowly unless that puts you at maintenance. If so, fewer calories or more exercise will create a deficit. More calories won't.
  • stillnot2late
    stillnot2late Posts: 385 Member
    If you're not losing weight at your current calories, in which parallel universe would adding more cause you to lose weight.:ohwell:

    I've been reading, on here only, to increase calories to break a plateau. Each time I did it I gained weight instead of maintained. So I just don't understand. Not looking for explanations cause sometimes when people explain things, they talk to you like you're stupid, but increasing calories did not work for me. It may work for some, and that's great if it does.
  • ValenciaJudokova
    ValenciaJudokova Posts: 21 Member
    I know a ''deficit'' will cause weight loss - What I would like to do is eat at maintenance for a a while to give my body a break then drop my calories again, And please I am looking for people who have had success with Increasing there calories not a debate whether it's a myth or not.
  • Supertact
    Supertact Posts: 466 Member
    Do you weigh and measure all your food?
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    I'm looking for people who have had success hunting dragons, not a debate whether they are a myth or not.

    It you want to eat at maintenance for a while and go back to a deficit, that's what you should do. Just don't expect an increase in calories to result in more weight loss.
  • ValenciaJudokova
    ValenciaJudokova Posts: 21 Member
    Everyone's different so I guess you have to try different things to see what works for you. I am scared to increase my calories, But willing to give it a try because it seems to have worked for a lot of people. It's a matter of maneuvering until you get results.
  • ValenciaJudokova
    ValenciaJudokova Posts: 21 Member
    What's with the sarcasm? I am looking for serious answers. the community here on MFP can be really discouraging sometimes. Thank you for your advice though ''DeguelloTex''. Obviously I know eating at maintenance wont cause weight loss.
  • ValenciaJudokova
    ValenciaJudokova Posts: 21 Member
    Yes, I measure everything accurately.
  • Supertact
    Supertact Posts: 466 Member
    Yes, I measure everything accurately.

    Go for it than, raise your calories and see what happens.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    Everyone's different so I guess you have to try different things to see what works for you. I am scared to increase my calories, But willing to give it a try because it seems to have worked for a lot of people. It's a matter of maneuvering until you get results.
    Sometimes their plateau would've broken anyway. Sometimes they loosen their calorie noose and suddenly their tracking gets better. Or they feel like working out more. Or not bingeing anymore.
  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
    If you're not losing weight at your current calories, in which parallel universe would adding more cause you to lose weight.:ohwell:

    I've been reading, on here only, to increase calories to break a plateau. Each time I did it I gained weight instead of maintained. So I just don't understand. Not looking for explanations cause sometimes when people explain things, they talk to you like you're stupid, but increasing calories did not work for me. It may work for some, and that's great if it does.

    I think it might be tied to the type of exercise you do. The 'eat more to weigh less' group (do a search, I'm sure you'll find them) probably has a lot more usable information for both you and the OP. :drinker:
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    There is value in taking periodic diet breaks. I took a one week break, to eat at maintenence, in May. I was not plateauing but my weight loss had slowed considerably (<4 lbs in 6 weeks.) The next week I started using TDEE-20%, which was about 100-150 calories more per day, and my weight loss picked back up to average 1.5-2 lbs a week. I took another break last week because I was starting to feel hungry a lot, which is unusual for me. I'll probably stick with breaks every 6-8 weeks now.

    Articles:

    http://strengthunbound.com/when-to-take-a-diet-break/

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html
  • louisekerry86
    louisekerry86 Posts: 58
    I think its just different for everybody. I recently increased my calories (I didn't know how many I was supposed to be having) to 1,800-2,000 depending on how much exercise I get that day. (I exercise 6 days a week) and I've lost 2lb. I was having 1400-1500 before and the scale wasn't moving. *shrug*
  • ValenciaJudokova
    ValenciaJudokova Posts: 21 Member
    Thank you for sharing :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
  • firebloom
    firebloom Posts: 109 Member
    I have no personal experience with this as I'm yet to plateau, however I've heard of other people having success from redistributing their weekly calories. For example, if someone is eating 1300 calories per day, that's 9100 per week. Rather than having 1300 per day, they might eat 1000 calories 3 days a week and 1525 calories 4 days per week, switching up the pattern occasionally. I haven't tried it myself mind you and I'm not sure how healthy it is. You could also try changing the type of exercising that you are doing. So if you are running, switch to swimming or something else.
  • OANHderful
    OANHderful Posts: 2
    I did! I was eating about 700kcals/day doing the same routine at gym, lost weight in beginning then I started plateauing for 2 weeks. Couldn't figure out what was wrong, thought I was doing everything correctly. Googled and it was recommended that I change my work out routine and increase calories intake. I did both. Now I alternate between treadmill and stairmaster along with weights, TRX, Zumba and since have increased my calorie intake to 1200, even more on weekends and it's been about 10 days and have lost almost 2lbs. My scale isn't stuck on the same number anymore.
  • jtm4210
    jtm4210 Posts: 108 Member
    I had a short-ish plateau of 3 weeks a month or so ago. I had been eating around 1400-1500 cals net give or take and only doing cardio and low-weight high-rep lifting. I had planned to start heavy lifting anyway so I upped my calories to 1700 net and started NROLFW, and I've since lost 4lb. Not sure though if this was due to the calories and/or the lifting, or if was just one of those things.
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    Check the accuracy of your logging. If your not losing weight you're eating at maintenance. 99% of the populations metabolism is within normal bounds and doesn't suddenly get more efficient.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide

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