Thinking of upping my calories... should I?

SolidGoaled

I am on week 8 or so of my program (started Feb 1) and I have lost 17 lbs. I have been eating between 1300 and 1500 cals per day. When I update my goals on MFP with my new weight and 2 lbs loss per week (I choose 2 lbs per week because I am still obese and everything I have read says that obese people can do 2 l bs per week safely) it is now recommending 1240 cals per day. That is difficult for me unless I exercise to add more. I am also trying to reduce my exercise because I feel like I've become too reliant on cardio for my calories and not concentrating my diet and composition of what I am eating.

So, I am thinking of upping my cals to 1500 - 1600 per day, reducing cardio to 4 times per week. (I've been doing 6 days per week since the beginning).

What do y'all think? I am 38 years old, female, current 230, goal of 165, 5' 9".

gooberr4

I was trying to lose 2lbs a week and it had me at 1240 also but was only eating between 1000 and 1200 and saw that my weight wasn't really dropping that much after a while. I decided to up my calories by about 300 and I'll know tomorrow if it has paid off (this is the first week i'm trying it). I feel alot better tho. As long as you're eating healthy foods and keeping up the exercise (4 days sounds perfect...you need a rest!), the extra calories should help.

give it a week and see what happens....everyone is different.

Nikstergirl

I'd say if you're losing 2 pounds per week you should stick to what you're doing... but that's just my opinion! If you are feeling like you need to change something because it's not working that's fine, but you're doing great!

Newfiedan

If I were you I would look at reducing the cardio and adding in weight training, the reason being that it will raise the overall metabolic rate without added exercise. If you do not want to spend 4-6 days a week in the gym then adding muscle is the way to go. I can do as little as 2 workouts a week for 1 hour and get just as much out of those 2 hours as someone who runs 6 times a week. The reason is I am adding weights with proper nutrition. I have experimented with it and lost more bodyfat weight training than with just cardio. Now I combine both into 1 workout doing metabolic resistance training with is a super effective workout that gets you both benefits. Now granted you may have a lot to shed and I think the current losses you have posted are fantastic but if you are struggling with the volume in your daily diet then you will have to go to a cleaner eating diet. Clean eating gets you lots of volume for few calories, lean proteins, good fats and will get you all the vitamins you need to maximize energy and get great results. As a last tidbit of info I recommend 1-2 cups of 1% chocolate milk 5 mins post workout for recovery, do not worry as this does not go to fat gain, it will get the muscles replenished quickly, get protein in there to build muscle and then if you were to follow that with a protein shake, well my results speak for themselves, its a knockout formula for muscle gain and recovery.
Just as food for thought rapid weight loss usually 2lb/week or more will signal the body to start slowing metabolic rate, so be careful with it as you are playing with a dangerous edge there.

ladyhawk00

If you don't feel you'll do well at that cal goal, go ahead and drop loss goal to 1.5 lbs per week. You still have a decent amount to lose, but 1.5 is a reasonable deficit for where you're at.

One thing you might do also is add weight training, in addition to cardio. It doesn't burn as many cals, but it's important for maintaining muscle mass (and keeping metabolism running hot.) Good luck with it!

nerdyandilikeit

don't be afraid to lose it slowly, either. i know the thought of dropping to a low number of calories so quickly is daunting so im thankful to be able to eat more now and work my way down. do what feels right for your body

SolidGoaled

Metabolic resistance training - could you elaborate on what that is, exactly? How is a workout like this designed?

I do TurboFire- does all that punching and kicking count at all towards "strength training"?

coderedcoderedjkjk

Eating that amount of calories shouldn't be that hard if you're making the right food choices and having correct portion sizes. Also having a third of the calories for breakfast helps keep you full, so you're really not hungry the rest of the day. I've been doing 1200 for a while and the best way is to have around 400 for breakfast, then like 350 for lunch and then i tend to munch the rest of the day on what I have left. Idk. I would keep doing a lot of cardio and also add strength training. But that's just me. I tend to be a little gym rat and health freak.

Newfiedan

in essence its cardio with weights, you can research the exercises but here is what I rotate with.
Tabata thrusts modified to use a single dumbell (I am more coordinated using one than 2)
Renegade rows
Dips
Pull ups
Plank to pushups
burpees
dumbbell snatches
dumbbell swings

Also look up kettlebell workouts. They use the same core ideas as mrt.

ajax03

I say try it - at least for a week. I'm doing something similar myself. I was losing steadily but found myself becoming hungrier after keeping to my calories at 1240 or so. I upped them to 1340 then did that for a month. Of course, I've been maintaining my exercise regimen and have grown even hungrier (wonder if there's a connection?) In any event, I decided to "change" my goals from losing 2lbs./wk to 1.5lbs. and changed my weight loss goal to 185 (temporarily; when I get to 185, I'll adjust it again). So, I've got about 1800 calories now to work with. It may be mind over matter w/ me but seeing that I have calories left vs. seeing red/negative numbers, works wonders for my mental focus! Long story short, only you know your body - some of this weight loss stuff is trial and error. Give it a week; compare notes then change your plan if need be.

My stats: 5'6
HW: 256
SW (w/ MFP): 238
CW: 215
GW: 185, then ultimately 165

Thriftyone

I definitely would not lower your exercise. You don't want sagging skin as you lose weight! I have lost about 80 lbs. but I did it very slowly. The first 52 lbs. took exactly one year. I am 63 and don't have the loose skin a lot of people get when they lose that much weight. Take it slow and exercise. You can up your calories, but don't eat your exercise calories. Good luck. Believe in yourself. You can do this.

jrt9999

I am on week 8 or so of my program (started Feb 1) and I have lost 17 lbs. I have been eating between 1300 and 1500 cals per day. When I update my goals on MFP with my new weight and 2 lbs loss per week (I choose 2 lbs per week because I am still obese and everything I have read says that obese people can do 2 l bs per week safely) it is now recommending 1240 cals per day. That is difficult for me unless I exercise to add more. I am also trying to reduce my exercise because I feel like I've become too reliant on cardio for my calories and not concentrating my diet and composition of what I am eating.

So, I am thinking of upping my cals to 1500 - 1600 per day, reducing cardio to 4 times per week. (I've been doing 6 days per week since the beginning).

What do y'all think? I am 38 years old, female, current 230, goal of 165, 5' 9".

My wife is 5' 6" and now at 206. She Started at 230. She has been eating 1,500 calories a day and looses 1 to 1.5 pounds a week. She is happy with the slower weight loss and definitely enjoys being able to eat this amount. She also does cardio 3 or 4 days a week and eats back all exercise calories.

So I would say at your height that sounds very doable. I know it would make it very difficult for me to only eat 1200 or 1300 calories a day.

SolidGoaled

How would I design my own metabolic resistance training regimen with handweights and a treadmill?

SolidGoaled

Thanks everyone - I think I may stick with 1500/day then, and eat back any exercise cals. Not sure what to do about the exercise yet - still pondering.

Newfiedan

start out light weight, trust me if you do it as intense as I did in my first workout after I pieced together a routine for week 1 I was hurting for 4 days after and that was after 2 months in the gym doing HIIT and weight training on opposing days.