Upping your calories

WarmDontBurn

Does it feel weird...like you are cheating?

I started March out at 1200 calories. I read more and since I don't have a lot more to lose I upped it to 1320. Just recently after more reading I upped it again to 1560. It feels weird. Normally when I get home I really have to watch supper but since I upped it I find that I can be much more flexible. Since it is like gaining a whole meal when you have already had yours for the day.

No point here just wondered if others felt odd after a calorie change. I kind of like it though seems more sustainable now.

Pril2000

I am about 5 lbs away from my goal weight, so I have upped my calories to the "Lose 1/2 lbs per week" level. I have a wedding coming up and I'm not stressed about the last 5 lbs. It will feel weird. I definitely plan out every meal and then I usually have a small dinner and a snack at night. I changed my goals tonight and I see that I have many more calories. What do I do with them? I was thinking about jogging tonight, but I'm thinking that I wouldn't know what to eat after to make up the difference.

I'm sure after a little while you'll get used to it, and I will too.

Good luck!

TabiHerbalifeCoach

Upping calories is hard for a lot of people and even more so once you get to maintenance mode cause there you will be eating 1700-1800 calories a day, and more on your active days. but you'll get use to it, you'll see your body respond correctly.

afewmilesofnight

totally! i keep feeling like i'm going to gain weight! but i'm still losing, just slower. with only 2 more lbs to go, i'm wondering what its going to be like when i can eat 1710 calories a day!

rileysowner

Not really. I am down to my last 10-15 pounds and have increased my calories a couple of times now. The second time was at the same time I made major changes to my workout going to pretty much all Metabolic Resistance Training with all body weight exercises. Man my body hurt, and my weight went up for several days while the muscle pain was worst. Now that the muscle pain is decreasing the weight has come off showing that the weight increase was not calorie related, but due to my muscle soreness from the workout change as per this post http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/200544-why-do-you-sometimes-gain-weight-when-starting-a-new-exercis

As for feeling like I am cheating, since I know that maintenance mode is not that far away, hopefully in a month or two, I know I need to increase calories so I don't feel like I am cheating, I feel like I am within striking distance of my goal.

amysambora

I am struggling SO MUCH with this. I'm down to my last 5lbs too and I've been on a serious plateau for about 6 weeks. I was starting to feel light headed and dizzy so I've been gradually upping my calories as per my doctor's advice...it's so hard! I think it's a mental struggle more than anything. I've always had that notion of 'eating less = weighing less' firmly implanted in my head, so it feels like I'm undoing all my hard work! I know it's the right thing for me though. My body definitely couldn't cope with 1200 calories anymore!

Lyadeia

I felt like I was doing something stupid and totally insane when I upped my calories. I hated seeing my diary totals go above 1400, but now that I am consistently eating between 1450 and 1575 and have been for a couple of weeks now, and I am losing even more inches and the bloating is quite simply going away, I calmed down about it.

I think it's just because we have all been taught that to lose weight we must eat less calories...and when we do this, we tend to do it to a much deeper extreme than we need to or even should.

SHBoss1673

this whole topic makes me giddy with happiness! Great job everyone for believing in the system and showing how it can be done without putting your body in jeopardy!

FYI, it STILL, to this day, feels weird to me to eat my maintenance calories plus exercise. That's after about 3 years being on it. And my maintenance is just shy of 2700, so I find myself on occasion eating 3100 or 3200 calories.

But the proof is in the pudding for me, 3 years later and I still hover between 175 and 182 depending on the day.

taso42_DELETED

this whole topic makes me giddy with happiness! Great job everyone for believing in the system and showing how it can be done without putting your body in jeopardy!

I concur!

And to the original question. Yes it does feel odd sometimes. Often at night I find myself wondering whether I should just skip my last meal or snack. It takes a little faith to believe in the system.

NotAllWhoWanderAreLost

i just love it when people are being sensible Yay! --- i am going to be upping my calories (again) shortly when i officially move to 0.5 lbs a week goal

Lyadeia

FYI, it STILL, to this day, feels weird to me to eat my maintenance calories plus exercise. That's after about 3 years being on it. And my maintenance is just shy of 2700, so I find myself on occasion eating 3100 or 3200 calories.

I couldn't afford your grocery bill. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

ambie35

since were on the subject-hope I'm not butting in on the initial questions.
I am at 1260 calories,set to lose 1 lb a week. I have lost 10 pounds in the past 9 weeks. I have less then 10 pounds left to lose. Should I considering "upping" my calories and changing my goals to 1/2 a pound a week?

5grn9

How much do you recommend upping calories? I'm at 1200/day, I have 14 more pounds to lose. I have been stuck at the same week for 3 weeks, I've only lost five pounds total (so not a whole lot to begin with). I work out just about every day- burn I would say lately an average of about 300 calories and I do try and eat back most. Should I up my calories? I don't know what else I could do to see the weight go down? thanks for any input. Today I looked at what my BMR is and its 1280.

Lyadeia

since were on the subject-hope I'm not butting in on the initial questions.
I am at 1260 calories,set to lose 1 lb a week. I have lost 10 pounds in the past 9 weeks. I have less then 10 pounds left to lose. Should I considering "upping" my calories and changing my goals to 1/2 a pound a week?

Yes, definitely. Someone with only 10 pounds to lose should not be aiming for such a high rate of loss because even if you do achieve it, will not be all fat. You will most likely be losing important muscle mass.

The last 10 pounds are the hardest to lose, but by changing our thinking about it and lowering the goal you will see that you have better success because you are hanging on to your muscle which will help you burn more fat at rest. I would try upping the calories a little but continue to exercise to keep up muscle...maybe 3 days or so a week of resistance training, about 40 minutes a day or so. And if you are doing exercise anyway, then you most likely are not eating enough anyway if you are keeping your calories at 1260. :flowerforyou:

ambie35

since were on the subject-hope I'm not butting in on the initial questions.
I am at 1260 calories,set to lose 1 lb a week. I have lost 10 pounds in the past 9 weeks. I have less then 10 pounds left to lose. Should I considering "upping" my calories and changing my goals to 1/2 a pound a week?

Yes, definitely. Someone with only 10 pounds to lose should not be aiming for such a high rate of loss because even if you do achieve it, will not be all fat. You will most likely be losing important muscle mass.

The last 10 pounds are the hardest to lose, but by changing our thinking about it and lowering the goal you will see that you have better success because you are hanging on to your muscle which will help you burn more fat at rest. I would try upping the calories a little but continue to exercise to keep up muscle...maybe 3 days or so a week of resistance training, about 40 minutes a day or so. And if you are doing exercise anyway, then you most likely are not eating enough anyway if you are keeping your calories at 1260. :flowerforyou:

I try to exercise as much as I can,but I haven't done any strength training in about two weeks. Also,I generally eat at least half of my exercise calories back. Thanks for the advice,since at this point it is more about muscle definition vs scale numbers.

NotAllWhoWanderAreLost

i would say, pretty much to anyone who only had 10 more pound to lose to get to goal that they should be set at 0.5lbs a week for your goal and let MFP calculate your calorie goal for you (since that will vary based on your height, gender, age, activity level, etc)

anubis609

A-effin'-men. It does feel weird, and I don't think it will ever stop feeling weird. But damned if it doesn't work. Yet, it does.

WarmDontBurn

Yes I adjusted mine to .5lbs a week and let MFP guide me....they have done me no harm this far
It is hard to look at that number and be like wow that is crazy that I can still eat another meal or snack. I took a much need break today from exercise and still have a few left over calories. I will get back to work tomorrow but it was nice to relax and have a little more food and not work too hard.

I am happy to be a member and once the next 10lbs are gone I will be yet another MFP success. I feel so much better about myself and it shows.

Thanks MFP!

Just wanted to add that this was the post that made me really look at my goals and re-evaluate it all:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/12250-1000-calorie-deficit-not-for-people-with-healthy-bmi

Nigel99

I am very close to my goal now, so I'm going to maintenance mode very soon. Going to 2400ish calories by itself doesn't seem all that bad to me - it will be the days that I exercise a lot that will scare me. 3000 calories is a lot to absorb! The tough part is trying to eat the calories, but go about it in a healthy manner. It is a little bit more challenging to pile on the calories, but still be doing it the right way. It can be done, however!

bizco

since were on the subject-hope I'm not butting in on the initial questions.
I am at 1260 calories,set to lose 1 lb a week. I have lost 10 pounds in the past 9 weeks. I have less then 10 pounds left to lose. Should I considering "upping" my calories and changing my goals to 1/2 a pound a week?

Personally, I waited until I was 5 lbs. away from reaching my goal before changing it to 1/2 lb. per week. But it's a personal choice. If you reach a sustained plateau (3 weeks) then I would consider upping your calories.

katschi

Mine is set at 1350 but I frequently eat 1600 calories even on days I don't exercise. I also go way over my limit several times per month.
I didn't trust it at first and was afraid that I'd gain weight but lo and behold, I'm losing fabulously!

I love MFP!

jrt9999

I have 15 pounds to go and upped mine to 1 pound per week. Tomorrow i am starting a serious weight training regimen and am thinking of going to .5 pounds per week. Now i need to just figure out how many additional calories I will need after my weight training. Using my HRM during cardio is easy but not so sure on the lifting weights part yet.

tamanella

I've been struggling soooo hard this past week so I decided to up my calories to losing 1lb a week instead of 2lbs and I feel much more happier with it. I have a little more room to experiment with. Also finding it easier to stick too.

droppin_lbs

Hmmm....maybe I need to increase as well, will read over when I can see straight - it's sooo late!

droppin_lbs

Hmmm....maybe I need to increase as well, will read over when I can see straight - it's sooo late!

Amandac6772

I've ben toying with this idea for a few weeks since I'm only 6 lbs for goals. I .always eat all my calories plus some. I think we need to remember to not use this as an excuse to eat junk (still struggle with eating clean myself). Great post and great responses.

Elle408

I'm still struggling with this.... the 1400 isn't too bad, it's the days when I exercise and end on 1700-1800 that feels crazy to me! I do feel like it's justified as I feel weak and lethargic if I don't, so it's not like I feel full or i'm bingeing, but it's just the mentality of telling myself it's ok to eat 1800 cals and I won't get fat.

The thing i'm struggling with most is eating healthy food with the extra calories, I plan my healthy meals and snacks and then when I have to add an extra 400 for exercise it's hard to find things that aren't chocolate and cake! Yesterday I ended up eating a piece of cheese and peanut butter on toast! lol

sunshine79

I posted this very same thing yesterday. I have only 9lbs to lose and have lost nothing in about 6 weeks!!!!!!

After the advice of lots of wonderful people on here I have upped my calories - as of today and I am believing that it will work. It feels so strange but considering the fact that what I was doing before wasn't working I had to try something different. I can't wait to see the results.

Keep us posted on your progress with this

Lynn1315

WOW.. I guess I have been doing everything wrong. I have been maintaining 1200 calories, even though I run abough 4-5 times a week and am training for my 2nd half-marathon. This must be why I'm so tired and stuck at the same weight. I'm new to MFP, and have about 15 pounds to lose. I previously lost 20 pounds on the Jillian Michaels plan, where she recommended 1200-1400 calories for me. So when MFP said 1200 calories, I went with it. I'm going to adjust my goals and see what happens. It certainly would be nice to eat more than 1200 cals a day.

jknops2

Ok, I will try 0.5lb a week too. My BMI is now 22.5 – 23 now and I have not lost any weight in the last 4 weeks.

But another question what do you base your final goal on?

Black_Swan

My BMI is 20.6. Im shooting for 55kg but I dont really know why. The more I look at myself in the mirror, the more I think its kind of stupid idea. I think a healthy 57kg (5lb less than now) will be really nice. I have not been loosing for 2 weeks now, so I decided to also slow it down to 0,5lb/week and see what happens!