Upping your calories

hollyb9871

I have been stuck at the same weight for a little over 2 weeks as well. I changed my goal from 2 lb. a week to 1 lb. a week. I think I'll shift again to .5 and see what happens. I exercise 5-6 days a week doing cardio and alternating lifting different groups 4 days. I am also starting a new exercise class in 2 weeks that should be challenging and meets 3 days a week so having the extra calories might really be beneficial.

Great post, thanks!

Holly

SHBoss1673

You guys with BMI in the 20 to 23 range. Be very careful. IMHO, most people in that range should be looking to stay the same weight, maybe by losing some fat then gaining back some muscle, but at that level, the fat loss will be extremely slow (in the range of 1/4 lb per week if you're pretty strict about your nutrients), and the quality of the food you eat should be your main focus.

Just MHO.

Elle408

You guys with BMI in the 20 to 23 range. Be very careful. IMHO, most people in that range should be looking to stay the same weight, maybe by losing some fat then gaining back some muscle, but at that level, the fat loss will be extremely slow (in the range of 1/4 lb per week if you're pretty strict about your nutrients), and the quality of the food you eat should be your main focus.

Just MHO.

How do you go about doing this? Is it just maintaining weight and exercising? I'd be quite happy to stay at my current weight but still have huge thighs that have masses of fat on them and I don't see how it will go without losing weight? I'm trying really hard to get fit and toned and feel like my wobbly thighs are holding me back! Of course the first thing I jump to is losing MORE weight when I probably don't need to.

SHBoss1673

How do you go about doing this? Is it just maintaining weight and exercising? I'd be quite happy to stay at my current weight but still have huge thighs that have masses of fat on them and I don't see how it will go without losing weight? I'm trying really hard to get fit and toned and feel like my wobbly thighs are holding me back! Of course the first thing I jump to is losing MORE weight when I probably don't need to.

I'll tell ya, but you're probably not going to like it, nobody does. Patience. The way to lose fat with little weight loss is to train your body by doing relatively intense exerises (multiply types, resistance, HIIT, cardio...etc.), eating healthy, and eating consistently. This takes time. Basically, when your body is receiving all the nutrients it requires in the right amounts, it will store fat the way it's designed to.

You can help it along with a very modest calorie deficit, and mixing up your workout routines, but in reality, it takes a long time to remove the last few pockets of fat.

Now, there's nothing wrong with dropping some more weight to get rid of that fat a little faster, as long as it's done with the understanding that you probably should be adding a few lbs of muscle afterward, which also takes time, and requires eating at a small calorie surplus; and should be done in a healthy manner (I.E. with a small deficit and good quality nutrients). This is obviously my take on things, others may have different takes, but really, the last few lbs of fat that you want to get rid of are the worst, they're usually very stubborn.

Black_Swan

You guys with BMI in the 20 to 23 range. Be very careful. IMHO, most people in that range should be looking to stay the same weight, maybe by losing some fat then gaining back some muscle, but at that level, the fat loss will be extremely slow (in the range of 1/4 lb per week if you're pretty strict about your nutrients), and the quality of the food you eat should be your main focus.

Just MHO.

Thank you, I understand this. I started recently (about a month ago) doing cardio and weight training. I want my body to look firmer and I my first goal is to look better, not to be lighter. I am eating really healthy and I feel good about myself and my small successes in the gym:)

M_lifts

this thread makes a lot of sense. i am thinking of going for 0.5lbs a week now as i only have another 3lbs to go, and tbh im not bothered about how long it takes as im pretty happy with what i see in the mirror. Id like to build some muscle but i dont want to look too beefed up if that makes sense.

I like the shred dvd for this reason as ive been a lot leaner since ive been doing it and use 3lbs.

ladyhawk00

Bump cause I like this one :happy:

SHBoss1673

this thread makes a lot of sense. i am thinking of going for 0.5lbs a week now as i only have another 3lbs to go, and tbh im not bothered about how long it takes as im pretty happy with what i see in the mirror. Id like to build some muscle but i dont want to look too beefed up if that makes sense.

I like the shred dvd for this reason as ive been a lot leaner since ive been doing it and use 3lbs.

you wont' "look to beefed up", it takes a very concerted effort for a woman to put on lots of muscle mass. I mean a REALLY concerted effort. You ladies can do a lot of things that we can't do, but one thing you really can't do is match our testosterone output, sorry but you need testies for that one. And testosterone is what builds large mass. 2 ways to do it for women, eat SUPER clean, get on a really kick *kitten* (and time consuming) weight training program, eat at a calorie surplus with relatively high protein levels (say 30 to 35%) and wait a LOOONG time (usually a few years for body builder type results). If you aren't doing this, then you don't need to worry about putting on to much bulk. The other way is to take steroids, and if you're doing that, you know it (no matter what Barry Bonds says!).

lmk224

Bump, great thread!

M_lifts

this thread makes a lot of sense. i am thinking of going for 0.5lbs a week now as i only have another 3lbs to go, and tbh im not bothered about how long it takes as im pretty happy with what i see in the mirror. Id like to build some muscle but i dont want to look too beefed up if that makes sense.

I like the shred dvd for this reason as ive been a lot leaner since ive been doing it and use 3lbs.

you wont' "look to beefed up", it takes a very concerted effort for a woman to put on lots of muscle mass. I mean a REALLY concerted effort. You ladies can do a lot of things that we can't do, but one thing you really can't do is match our testosterone output, sorry but you need testies for that one. And testosterone is what builds large mass. 2 ways to do it for women, eat SUPER clean, get on a really kick *kitten* (and time consuming) weight training program, eat at a calorie surplus with relatively high protein levels (say 30 to 35%) and wait a LOOONG time (usually a few years for body builder type results). If you aren't doing this, then you don't need to worry about putting on to much bulk. The other way is to take steroids, and if you're doing that, you know it (no matter what Barry Bonds says!).

ok no steroids here and def no testosterone so im safe! lol!

anyhoo, i upped my cals and boy do i feel more energetic! so def right move for me!

ChristineMiller2

I agree it felt weird. I'm about 8 lbs away from my goal weight and I switched my calorie intake to "substain" my weight because I think I was burning more with my workouts that I was logging AND I think because I wasn't eating very much my body was holding on to the weight. I have an amazing amount of freedom now with food and its taken A LOT of stress off which I believe will result in these last few pounds coming off faster this route than the smaller calorie count

WarmDontBurn

So when I posted this I was 139.3lbs and I am NOT complaining but weighed today and I am 137.1! How is that possible...again not a complaint On March 22nd I upped my calories and changed my goal to .5lbs a week. When I go to my weight loss for the last 7 days it says I lost 2.2lbs. I guess I am still averaging 1lb a week even if I am still set to .5lbs.

namrettik

For a couple months, I was trying to get 1000 net (I knew it was too low, but I just couldn't eat that much!). For about a month, I went up to 1200 net. This week, I'm around 1350 net, and I think I found the happy number - my scale is moving again.

jknops2

OK, I had not lost any weight in a month with calorie set at losing 1lb per week. Changed to 0.5lb per week two weeks ago and have lost 3lb since then. So, yes eating a bit more seems to help when you are in the normal BMI range.

WarmDontBurn

So when I posted this I was 139.3lbs and I am NOT complaining but weighed today and I am 137.1! How is that possible...again not a complaint On March 22nd I upped my calories and changed my goal to .5lbs a week. When I go to my weight loss for the last 7 days it says I lost 2.2lbs. I guess I am still averaging 1lb a week even if I am still set to .5lbs.

I am now down to 136.2lbs! I a guessing the upping of calories is working a lot better. I only have 6.2lbs to go! Very, very excited!

ladyhawk00

So when I posted this I was 139.3lbs and I am NOT complaining but weighed today and I am 137.1! How is that possible...again not a complaint On March 22nd I upped my calories and changed my goal to .5lbs a week. When I go to my weight loss for the last 7 days it says I lost 2.2lbs. I guess I am still averaging 1lb a week even if I am still set to .5lbs.

I am now down to 136.2lbs! I a guessing the upping of calories is working a lot better. I only have 6.2lbs to go! Very, very excited!

That's awesome! Great progress