Looking for advice re: upping calories...

denorios

I've been on MFP for about a year now. I started out at around 250lbs, I've lost 72 lbs in the last year, so I'm hovering around 172. I'm 5 foot 3, so I've still got a ways to go! In the last year I've been eating somewhere between 1200-1400 calories a day, and I exercise four times a week in the gym for about an hour at a time. I mostly don't eat my exercise calories back, but some days when I don't exercise I go over my calorie limit, so I figure it balances out. Most weeks I'm under my overall weekly average, sometimes by up to 100 calories on average.

So my issue is, my weight loss has slowed down. It's taken me about seven months to lose the most recent stone. I know things will slow down, especially after a year of dieting. But I'm also aware I'm still clinically obese, and I ought to be able to stand a 1200 calorie limit without going into starvation mode, right? But I'm wondering if perhaps my metabolism has slowed after such a long time dieting? I don't know if I should try upping my calories. I'm just worried that if I do that I'll start to put weight on.

Does anyone have any advice, or has anyone been in a similar situation? I still want to lose around 40-50 pounds, and at the rate I'm losing it'll take me another two years! I really need someway to kickstart my weight loss again, but I'm worried about gaining if I eat more, especially when I'm not entirely sure eating too little is the problem!

kellyscomeback

Try eating 1600-1800 calories on your workout days, 1200-1300 on your rest day(s) and adding a cheat meal in once a week.

That is my plan and it's worked well, I eat back 90% of my exercise calories, hover around 1200 on my rest day and indulge in a cheat meal (cheese burger, pizza, beer, etc.) once a week and I'm down nearly 60 lbs since May 2011 with an avg. of a 3 pound loss a week

Try eating back more exercise calories for a week, you may be surprised.