Eating more calories is making me nervous!!! Tell me I'm doi

tellybelle

ok I admit so I admit over the course of the past few months I have been one of those 1000 calorie per day or less people. I went from 127 to my current weight of 110 fairly easily with tracking my calories and doing a good bit of cardio. Well I recently found MFP and have learned so much about eating more to lose more and nit putting my body in starvation mode. I really want to trim down to 105. So since I feel I have hit somewhat if a plateau and am having a harder time getting the last 5 pounds off, I thought I'd do what so many have recommended here and increase my cals AND eat some of my exercise cals back. I NEVER used to do that either so I am freaked out about eating into the 1300's or more the past few days. Please tell me I am doing the right thing. I just drank a huge protein shake and ate 100 cal popcorn to fill in calories and now I feel guilty even though it is what I am "supposed" to do

UcallMeJay

you should take in at least 1200 cals a day. Eating less can actually make you gain weight because your body will start storing fat because it thinks you are starving.

namrettik

You may see an initial gain, but after a few weeks, your body will be able to sort out the healthy amount of calories into where they're supposed to go - your muscles! That weight loss, sad to say, may have been mostly muscle mass, as that's the first place the body goes to get the energy you're not putting into it.

If it makes you feel any better, I've just upped my calories and am waiting to see how my body handles it, too.

__flexylexi

If you have been eating less than 1000 calories, your body is prob already in starvation mode. You might gain a couple pounds cause your body will now want to hold on to all the fat it can, but you just have to keep it at least 1200. You will start to lose weight again once you do it right, and you wont gain it all back the minute you stop- as long as you are always giving your body what it needs

mapnerd2005

You should listen to your body. If you are zapped of all energy, grumpy, dizzy, just feeling blah, then eat more. If I don't eat my 1200 plus at least 1/2 of my exercise calories my scale will stop cold. But you are a tiny person, and I don't know how that affects how many calories you need at your basil metabolic rate (BMR). You might want to calculate that. I don't believe there is a "magic number" of calories that fits everyone, just as no size/weight fits everyone equally. Not everybody's temperature is 98.6, either. It's all about averages. Listen to your body. It knows what to do.

dcjulian

It is scary at first but you will get used to it. Just eat healthy calories! I hit a plateau and in order to get more calories I ate more healthy fats such as peanut butter, almonds, etc. my body responded to that better and I lost. Don't know if it was the extra calories or the healthy fats but it worked.

ShellyMacchi

i read this blog today and it made such an impression i've bookmarked it for myself for when i hit a plateau *S*

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/00trayn/view/how-to-bust-a-3-month-plateau-87677

ladyhawk00

Yes, you are. If you haven't read these threads yet, I'd recommend them.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/175241-a-personal-view-on-exercise-cals-and-underfeeding

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/9433-expectations

SheilaSisco

You are absolutely doing the right thing! Eating less than 1200 calories is really not healthy for you, so just keep it up. Like a few ppl said already, you might gain a little at first, but don't let that freak you out and KEEP EATING that NET 1200 a day! It WILL work!!! You just gotta believe us and keep reminding yourself that it really IS good for you!!!

ShellyMacchi

Yes, you are. If you haven't read these threads yet, I'd recommend them.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/175241-a-personal-view-on-exercise-cals-and-underfeeding

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/9433-expectations

Ladyhawke... your one on mfp basics is the other blog i have bookmarked for myself cause it is so helpful! and i find i post that link at least once a day for someone on the threads *L*

ladyhawk00

Yes, you are. If you haven't read these threads yet, I'd recommend them.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/175241-a-personal-view-on-exercise-cals-and-underfeeding

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/9433-expectations

Ladyhawke... your one on mfp basics is the other blog i have bookmarked for myself cause it is so helpful! and i find i post that link at least once a day for someone on the threads *L*

Thanks Shelly...always glad to hear that. :bigsmile:

javamonster

I can kind of relate - I did 1200 cals (and always ate back my exercise cals, pretty much) till I hit my initial goal, then upped it to 1350 and was worried. I also haven't been able to workout as often as I was due to craziness with my business, so there have been a few days this week I've gone over that 1350 on days when I haven't exercised, and I've still been losing a pound a week. You've gotten good advice with making sure you check what your basal metabolic rate is, and eating healthy calories. And if you're not doing strength/weight training, incorporate that with the cardio. I think it's important to keep your body guessing!

tellybelle

Thanks so much for all of your informative and encouraging replies. I really feel so much better knowing I am doing things the right way rather than just watching a number of calories (made up of any foods, etc) to make the scale go down. This feels Healthy and more of a lifestyle. I guess I wanted that immediate gratification and when it worked so quickly I thought wow! this is all I have to do.
I am nervous but hope in the long run this will work out best. I will need some encouragement though!
Strength training is definitely in the plan for the near future. Recovering from surgery so I still have to take it easy but I am slowly getting back into it. It is crazy how freaked out I am tonight! I ate 1671 and still have a net of only 1137. I am going crazy thinking of how many more calories I consumed than my "normal"

Thanks again!

hsnider29

I think you explained this perfectly! A lot of people on here make a huge deal about someone eating 1200 calories and I agree that everyone is different and there is no magic number. I'm 5 foot and I think my BMR is around 1250. I agree with eating healthy and moderate exercise but someone of my stature isn't going to go into starvation mode for eating 1100 calories.

tellybelle

Yes, you are. If you haven't read these threads yet, I'd recommend them.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/175241-a-personal-view-on-exercise-cals-and-underfeeding

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/9433-expectations

Ladyhawke... your one on mfp basics is the other blog i have bookmarked for myself cause it is so helpful! and i find i post that link at least once a day for someone on the threads *L*

Thanks Shelly...always glad to hear that. :bigsmile:

Just read the MFP basics....great info! Thanks!

ladyhawk00

Just read the MFP basics....great info! Thanks!

Glad you're feeling better about it! I know it's counter-intuitive after all the bad info we get from diet companies (weight loss = starvation) but eating well and maintaining a moderate deficit really is key if you want to be healthy when you get to your goals. Good luck with it and stay strong!

tellybelle

Thanks a bunch! I read the other threads too and it really does make so much sense. I am going to do it right!

aeckels616

I just posted a topic about this, I hope you'll respond to it and let me know how it goes for you.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/207602-did-raising-your-calories-help-you-break-a-plateau

But by the way, 1200 calories is not a magic number and going below it will not necessarily put you into starvation mode. At 110 lbs, I'm guessing you can easily stay below 1200 without starving yourself. Just make sure you're getting enough nutrition in your day's worth of calories and not using them up on things like bread.

tellybelle

I just posted a topic about this, I hope you'll respond to it and let me know how it goes for you.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/207602-did-raising-your-calories-help-you-break-a-plateau

But by the way, 1200 calories is not a magic number and going below it will not necessarily put you into starvation mode. At 110 lbs, I'm guessing you can easily stay below 1200 without starving yourself. Just make sure you're getting enough nutrition in your day's worth of calories and not using them up on things like bread.

I just took a look at the thread! Thanks so much! I will definitely be watching it
I am really wanting to pay more attention to quality calories as well, so good point about the nutrition. I am scared but am going to see how it turns out! Thanks again!!

utah_angel1971

lol ok so this is gospel according to me LOL not that its worth much . When i first started on here i was keeping close to exactly what my goal was on here. i was working out 60 min a day, plus i walk around alot at work. I was losing about a lb a day *thanks to some medications* i was doing GREAT. But then my personal trainer told me and everyone else said i was taking in WAY too many calories. I needed to cut my calories WAY down to about 1100. So i did. *Cries* lol i stopped gaining, like a train on a track that just pulled the emergency break. i was still working out the 60-70 min a day but i was just hit a brick wall.
I have a disorder called PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) and i have low thyroid. Both are disorders that make it impossible to lose weight. And the PCOS makes you GAIN weight, but wont let you take it off. Because of this i hae struggled with weight forever, so i almost developed a fear of eating. "If i eat, i'll gain" So when i cut my calories down, or just on my own my calories would be like 900, i'd look at it and think wow look at all that food i ate though.
But once i started keeping to my calorie intake allowance on here, and ate it in 6 small meals? i just started dropping again.
I know its a fear to eat the calories, because in our minds we've come to accept calories=weight. But i, in my opinion, think i do better when i eat the calories.