Success with UPPING your calories.

HoLLyZ82

Hi. I know a topic like this exists but I want to use my own stats and get peoples opinions ( thanks to those mfps that have already thrown out some advice).

SOOO...ive had a total calorie deficit of 17,980 in the last 5 weeks. thats an average of 513.7 cals per day and i have yet to see the scale really move. Is it time to change my calorie deficit to something smaller? perhaps 400 a day? grrrr..... p.s. I use a Body bugg and always subtract 10% off what it says i burn in a day for an error margin so my numbers are pretty spot on.

Have any of you been close to your goal weight and then just stopped losing? Did upping your cals actually help you to drop those last 10lbs? Did you actually gain weight before you started losing again? THANKS

melsinct

I posted on someone's thread about upping calories and plateaus earlier today, so forgive me for just copying and pasting my previous reply:

I had 30 pounds to lose total and plateaued at the half way point. However, I plateaued because I wasn't eating enough. I am 5'7" and was eating 1200 calories/day and dropped 15 pounds. I then got stuck for TWO MONTHS (grrr...) where I bounced from 159-162 until I realized I wasn't eating enough (thank you, MFP peeps for helping me realize that). I slowly kept raising my calories and didn't start losing again until I set MFP to lose 0.5 lbs/week, or 1600+ calories daily.

So what have I learned?

1. Aggressive weight loss (e.g. setting MFP to lose 1-2 pounds a week) doesn't work when you don't have that much to lose. Slow and steady really does work no matter how fast you want to drop those pounds.

2. Don't be afraid of eating more. As long as you are running a calorie deficit, that is eating UNDER your maintenance level, you will not and can not gain weight.

3. Don't be afraid to spike your calories once in a while. I don't do cheat days or even cheat meals, but I don't sweat it if once in a while I go over by a few hundred calories. In fact, usually when I do this it results in more weight loss, go figure.

4. Don't compare yourself to others. Some people never plateau, some people lose weight quickly all the way until their goal, and others take forever to get to goal. Also, some people do better with low carbs, some do better with the "everything in moderation" plan, and what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another.

5. Measure, measure, measure. I lost practically zero pounds in the month of September but went down one pants size. My weight may not have shifted but my body is getting leaner. Don't live and die by the scale, especially if you exercise!

Lesliecs

I posted on someone's thread about upping calories and plateaus earlier today, so forgive me for just copying and pasting my previous reply:

I had 30 pounds to lose total and plateaued at the half way point. However, I plateaued because I wasn't eating enough. I am 5'7" and was eating 1200 calories/day and dropped 15 pounds. I then got stuck for TWO MONTHS (grrr...) where I bounced from 159-162 until I realized I wasn't eating enough (thank you, MFP peeps for helping me realize that). I slowly kept raising my calories and didn't start losing again until I set MFP to lose 0.5 lbs/week, or 1600+ calories daily.

So what have I learned?

1. Aggressive weight loss (e.g. setting MFP to lose 1-2 pounds a week) doesn't work when you don't have that much to lose. Slow and steady really does work no matter how fast you want to drop those pounds.

2. Don't be afraid of eating more. As long as you are running a calorie deficit, that is eating UNDER your maintenance level, you will not and can not gain weight.

3. Don't be afraid to spike your calories once in a while. I don't do cheat days or even cheat meals, but I don't sweat it if once in a while I go over by a few hundred calories. In fact, usually when I do this it results in more weight loss, go figure.

4. Don't compare yourself to others. Some people never plateau, some people lose weight quickly all the way until their goal, and others take forever to get to goal. Also, some people do better with low carbs, some do better with the "everything in moderation" plan, and what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another.

5. Measure, measure, measure. I lost practically zero pounds in the month of September but went down one pants size. My weight may not have shifted but my body is getting leaner. Don't live and die by the scale, especially if you exercise!

Thanks for posting your experience! There are so many different views on this topic, but it's nice to see what someone ACTUALLY has done with success!

armymil

I generally think it is alright. There are going to be much hardcore dieters to comment, but I want to say there are two things I've realized.

1. Your body adjusts over time to the diet.
2. You lose weight and you require less calories.

So, I am a firm believer of having a good meal as the first replier said. I call it a free meal and have 2 a week. I generally go over my calories, but I believe it helps my body. As a result, I've seen a steady weight loss over the time I've been losing weight.

I'm not 100% on the rules of HCG, but I was told they take they drops and consume 500 calories at a point, then go back up to a level of calories, go back down, etc. They do a ritual pattern for a month at a time, then break, then go back. So, I believe the point with that diet system is that you go low, and before your body can say I'm hungry it goes back up to a good range again. I'm not really a supporter of diets though, but it does go along my belief system.

sister_bear

I posted on someone's thread about upping calories and plateaus earlier today, so forgive me for just copying and pasting my previous reply:

I had 30 pounds to lose total and plateaued at the half way point. However, I plateaued because I wasn't eating enough. I am 5'7" and was eating 1200 calories/day and dropped 15 pounds. I then got stuck for TWO MONTHS (grrr...) where I bounced from 159-162 until I realized I wasn't eating enough (thank you, MFP peeps for helping me realize that). I slowly kept raising my calories and didn't start losing again until I set MFP to lose 0.5 lbs/week, or 1600+ calories daily.

So what have I learned?

1. Aggressive weight loss (e.g. setting MFP to lose 1-2 pounds a week) doesn't work when you don't have that much to lose. Slow and steady really does work no matter how fast you want to drop those pounds.

2. Don't be afraid of eating more. As long as you are running a calorie deficit, that is eating UNDER your maintenance level, you will not and can not gain weight.

3. Don't be afraid to spike your calories once in a while. I don't do cheat days or even cheat meals, but I don't sweat it if once in a while I go over by a few hundred calories. In fact, usually when I do this it results in more weight loss, go figure.

4. Don't compare yourself to others. Some people never plateau, some people lose weight quickly all the way until their goal, and others take forever to get to goal. Also, some people do better with low carbs, some do better with the "everything in moderation" plan, and what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another.

5. Measure, measure, measure. I lost practically zero pounds in the month of September but went down one pants size. My weight may not have shifted but my body is getting leaner. Don't live and die by the scale, especially if you exercise!

Ditto. I increased my baseline calories per day to 1225 so on days I don't exercise I can go over 1200 calories without losing my 'went under' message and without getting the 'you're not eating enough' message. I eat back my exercise calories and if I plateau, I zig zag calories for a few days.

armymil

I posted on someone's thread about upping calories and plateaus earlier today, so forgive me for just copying and pasting my previous reply:

I had 30 pounds to lose total and plateaued at the half way point. However, I plateaued because I wasn't eating enough. I am 5'7" and was eating 1200 calories/day and dropped 15 pounds. I then got stuck for TWO MONTHS (grrr...) where I bounced from 159-162 until I realized I wasn't eating enough (thank you, MFP peeps for helping me realize that). I slowly kept raising my calories and didn't start losing again until I set MFP to lose 0.5 lbs/week, or 1600+ calories daily.

So what have I learned?

1. Aggressive weight loss (e.g. setting MFP to lose 1-2 pounds a week) doesn't work when you don't have that much to lose. Slow and steady really does work no matter how fast you want to drop those pounds.

2. Don't be afraid of eating more. As long as you are running a calorie deficit, that is eating UNDER your maintenance level, you will not and can not gain weight.

3. Don't be afraid to spike your calories once in a while. I don't do cheat days or even cheat meals, but I don't sweat it if once in a while I go over by a few hundred calories. In fact, usually when I do this it results in more weight loss, go figure.

4. Don't compare yourself to others. Some people never plateau, some people lose weight quickly all the way until their goal, and others take forever to get to goal. Also, some people do better with low carbs, some do better with the "everything in moderation" plan, and what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another.

5. Measure, measure, measure. I lost practically zero pounds in the month of September but went down one pants size. My weight may not have shifted but my body is getting leaner. Don't live and die by the scale, especially if you exercise!

I like this response too. It goes hand in hand with what I am saying. I really believe in #5 though. I also have a lot of weight to lose so it is easier for me to lose more weight than someone who is 180 trying to be 170.

margieward82

I've had great success with upping my calories and lifting heavier weights. I am stronger than ever, my BF% dropped about 4%, i lost inches off my waist, hips, thighs and upped the size of my arms (i was trying to do this! and it's muscle).
I have more energy, i'm less moody and I have fewer cravings. While this past week I've been really bad, in general sticking to it is not a problem with my new higher limits

Good luck! and hope that helps

HoLLyZ82

thanks everyone... im not much of a consistent eater. i fluctuate from anywhere with a zero calorie deficit to 800 calorie deficit...on average per week i will hit my 3500 calorie mark soooo i guess in a sense this is zig zagging my calories without really meaning to. I just really have NO idea on what I should change this to.

HoLLyZ82

I've had great success with upping my calories and lifting heavier weights. I am stronger than ever, my BF% dropped about 4%, i lost inches off my waist, hips, thighs and upped the size of my arms (i was trying to do this! and it's muscle).
I have more energy, i'm less moody and I have fewer cravings. While this past week I've been really bad, in general sticking to it is not a problem with my new higher limits

Good luck! and hope that helps

margie, what is your average calorie consumption? i have definitely notices the last couple weeks i feel like I can never get full.

rainbowbow

I think I'm going to try this. I've hit my plateau and only have about 10 pounds to lose. MFP says to lose 1 and 2 pounds per week I have to consume 1200 a day. I've done this for 5 weeks without any loss. I even tried netting my calories around 1100. Maybe I'm not consuming Enough! Well see!

lemonadem

Bump!

margieward82

I've had great success with upping my calories and lifting heavier weights. I am stronger than ever, my BF% dropped about 4%, i lost inches off my waist, hips, thighs and upped the size of my arms (i was trying to do this! and it's muscle).
I have more energy, i'm less moody and I have fewer cravings. While this past week I've been really bad, in general sticking to it is not a problem with my new higher limits

Good luck! and hope that helps

margie, what is your average calorie consumption? i have definitely notices the last couple weeks i feel like I can never get full.

I am at about 1500 a day... typically it's anywhere between 1450 and 1550. I just went back down because last week I was too liberal with the junk and need the re-focus mentally. But basically I shoot to be at about 1500. Also, I tapper off my carbs as the day goes on and my macros are at 40/30/30 c/p/f.

HoLLyZ82

I've had great success with upping my calories and lifting heavier weights. I am stronger than ever, my BF% dropped about 4%, i lost inches off my waist, hips, thighs and upped the size of my arms (i was trying to do this! and it's muscle).
I have more energy, i'm less moody and I have fewer cravings. While this past week I've been really bad, in general sticking to it is not a problem with my new higher limits

Good luck! and hope that helps

margie, what is your average calorie consumption? i have definitely notices the last couple weeks i feel like I can never get full.

I am at about 1500 a day... typically it's anywhere between 1450 and 1550. I just went back down because last week I was too liberal with the junk and need the re-focus mentally. But basically I shoot to be at about 1500. Also, I tapper off my carbs as the day goes on and my macros are at 40/30/30 c/p/f.

ok. im set at 1400 right now and im 45/40/15 p/c/f. i DO eat my exercise cals too so i really average anywhere from 1300-1800 a day.

cactus39

OMG, thank you so much for posting this. I am almost in the same boat as you were. I have lost 40lbs with another 20 to go and I have been fluctuating between 215-218 for almost 3 months. Im going to take your advice and up my calorie intake (eat all my calories per day) and possibly change my goal to 1lb a week instead of 2lbs.

margieward82

I've had great success with upping my calories and lifting heavier weights. I am stronger than ever, my BF% dropped about 4%, i lost inches off my waist, hips, thighs and upped the size of my arms (i was trying to do this! and it's muscle).
I have more energy, i'm less moody and I have fewer cravings. While this past week I've been really bad, in general sticking to it is not a problem with my new higher limits

Good luck! and hope that helps

margie, what is your average calorie consumption? i have definitely notices the last couple weeks i feel like I can never get full.

I am at about 1500 a day... typically it's anywhere between 1450 and 1550. I just went back down because last week I was too liberal with the junk and need the re-focus mentally. But basically I shoot to be at about 1500. Also, I tapper off my carbs as the day goes on and my macros are at 40/30/30 c/p/f.

ok. im set at 1400 right now and im 45/40/15 p/c/f. i DO eat my exercise cals too so i really average anywhere from 1300-1800 a day.

I'd say you might need nore fat in your diet. ANd just as a side note, most days I don't eat my exercisae calories. I don't use a HRM but I just put in the basic what MFP tells me I've burned. If I'm super hungry on a tough workout day, I might eat an extra 100 to 200 cals. And I know this is a hot topic around here, and I'm not trying to debate the should's or shoudn'ts, just sharing what has worked for me
Also, I am 5'4" and 95 lbs, so you might need more food than me...

beaner1st

Bump

mikeyml

Hi. I know a topic like this exists but I want to use my own stats and get peoples opinions ( thanks to those mfps that have already thrown out some advice).

SOOO...ive had a total calorie deficit of 17,980 in the last 5 weeks. thats an average of 513.7 cals per day and i have yet to see the scale really move. Is it time to change my calorie deficit to something smaller? perhaps 400 a day? grrrr..... p.s. I use a Body bugg and always subtract 10% off what it says i burn in a day for an error margin so my numbers are pretty spot on.

Have any of you been close to your goal weight and then just stopped losing? Did upping your cals actually help you to drop those last 10lbs? Did you actually gain weight before you started losing again? THANKS

When you're down to your 10 last pounds you probably should strive for .5 pounds a week instead of 1. That would change your deficit to ~ 250 a day instead of 500. It will be a slow process but it works.

I joined MFP in January and from Jan - May I was losing 2 lbs per week pretty consistently by keeping a 1,000 calorie deficit. However when I started working out my weight loss plateaued big time. I didn't lose any weight between May and August. I started tinkering with my deficit in July and within about 2 weeks I saw the losses resume. I'm not losing 2 lbs per week anymore but I am averaging 3-4 lbs per month. If you would have told me a year ago that I could lose weight by eating 2100 - 2400 calories a day I would have said you're crazy. But I'm doing it and I feel great.

Just remember, it will take 2-3 weeks to see any changes after tinkering with your deficit. I know it's scary and it goes against our intuition to lose weight. But you can eat more and lose weight. Good luck!

loombeav

The weight management plan I'm on rotates your calorie guidelines. The 1st week is a 1200 calorie intake then you go up to 1500calories for 3 weeks and then up to 2000-2500 for a minimum for 2 weeks. The start over at the 1200 calories and you do this till you reach your goal weight at which time you'll go to the 2000-2500 calorie intake an drop to 1200 calorie for a day or so if you gain more than 3lbs above goal.
I'm currently on my 1st time of the 3rd phase (2000) I have continued to lose each time I've upped my calories and my trainer told me she wants me to stay at the 2000 until my weight loss slows to less then 1lb a week. Yesterday was my 2nd week on this phase and I lost 2.8lbs.

LilLolo22

I just upped my calories. I used this other site to calculate what I should be eating based on my body fat %, so now I'm eating about 1850 a day. I guess, that would translate into about 1300-1400 base + exercise calories. I have been on a three MONTH plateau and so afraid of upping the calories. So far, it's been a week and I haven't gained anything...but I feel WORLDS better. I'm not nearly as moody and never feeling hungry, so I'm going to ride this out for a while and see what happens.

Rae6503

When close to your goal, I've seen a lot of information that states you should have only a half pound a week deficit, so only 250 calories a day.

HoLLyZ82

When close to your goal, I've seen a lot of information that states you should have only a half pound a week deficit, so only 250 calories a day.

as ridiculous as this sounds, it scares me to crap to increase my intake 250 cals. i think i just have to do it...i might just weasle my way into it...

mikeyml

When close to your goal, I've seen a lot of information that states you should have only a half pound a week deficit, so only 250 calories a day.

as ridiculous as this sounds, it scares me to crap to increase my intake 250 cals. i think i just have to do it...i might just weasle my way into it...

It's definitely scary, it goes against our intuitions. Try adding 100 a week so that it's gradual and it won't be as scary.

maidentl

Well, it's only been a week so I can't speak to long-term success but last week I both upped my calories and zigzagged them and had a four pound loss. We'll see how this week goes.

Rae6503

Don't be afraid. You know exactly what you are burning, so as long as you don't go over that you won't gain, right?

Oh and I checked out your profile. I don't really know that you have 12 more pounds to lose...

GreenGettingLean

Just a small dose of shameless self promoting / I don't want to write the same thing all over again, but here is a link to a forum post I wrote a few months back:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/313543-i-was-scared-to-up-my-calories-too-until?hl=I+was+scared+to+up+my+calories+too

I was in a very similar situation to you, and upping my calories helped a lot! Not only with losing weight, but with restoring my sanity as I felt less like I was "dieting." Hopefully this and others' comments on it will help you out. Feel free to add me if you need a supporter who's been in that position. good luck! :flowerforyou:

fteale

How tall are you?

LorinaLynn

Don't be afraid. You know exactly what you are burning, so as long as you don't go over that you won't gain, right?

Oh and I checked out your profile. I don't really know that you have 12 more pounds to lose...

Yes, this! You're gorgeous and slender (did I mention gorgeous?) already. 115 might look too thin.

I'm coming to the realization that *this* is about as small as I'm going to get without venturing into the bony territory. My skeletal structure dictates the width of my hips and chest and waist.

I'm able to wear some of the same clothes I wore in high school, but I'm about 20 pounds more than I was then. As we get older and pack on more lean muscle mass, reaching a very light weight isn't practical anymore. Heck, in high school, I weighed about 107 pounds. My lean muscle mass alone is about 104 pounds now.

To weigh 115 pounds, I'd either have to lose a lot of muscle, or only have about 10% body fat, which is way too low for a women, unless she's a professional bodybuilder and even then, that's only during a competition, not during everyday life.

HoLLyZ82

How tall are you?

see my siggy oops thought it was in there lol. 5'4"

HoLLyZ82

Don't be afraid. You know exactly what you are burning, so as long as you don't go over that you won't gain, right?

Oh and I checked out your profile. I don't really know that you have 12 more pounds to lose...

Yes, this! You're gorgeous and slender (did I mention gorgeous?) already. 115 might look too thin.

I'm coming to the realization that *this* is about as small as I'm going to get without venturing into the bony territory. My skeletal structure dictates the width of my hips and chest and waist.

I'm able to wear some of the same clothes I wore in high school, but I'm about 20 pounds more than I was then. As we get older and pack on more lean muscle mass, reaching a very light weight isn't practical anymore. Heck, in high school, I weighed about 107 pounds. My lean muscle mass alone is about 104 pounds now.

To weigh 115 pounds, I'd either have to lose a lot of muscle, or only have about 10% body fat, which is way too low for a women, unless she's a professional bodybuilder and even then, that's only during a competition, not during everyday life.

thank you. i havent decided if i want to be at 115 yet...i just know i still have some to lose being around 130. i might see myself at 120 and get grossed out...but maybe not

Yori1

Bump for later.