Upping calories – feeling anxious – support needed....

lucycaz

Hi All

Firstly let me fill in the background.... I started this journey in may last year and since then have lost 101 lbs this is 31% of my total starting body weight and 66% of the total weight I want to lose. I am 42 years old and am currently the lightest I have been my entire adult life.

I have done this on 1200 cals a day (I am not fanatical and have days off – for special reasons and days I go over when I am hungry from exercise) I have learned to not beat myself up over food and it was this psychological journey that has been key.. I have also been working with a fantastic Personal Trainer (Ben) and currently exercise 5 to 6 times a week a mixture of cardio, strength and resistance training.

I have gone through so many changes both physical and psychological it has been an amazing year. One of the biggest changes is that although weight is still important getting fitter and healthier has taken over I have entered a warrior dash in June and am aiming for a triathlon later this year or early next.

Well since Christmas I have hit that dreaded plateau – I have only lost 10lbs in the past 2 months. I know all about starvation mode (so no lectures please) and I knew this day would come both from my research, the boards on here and Ben. I have also noticed that although my strength is improving I have hit a wall with my running in terms of endurance. So now I have to change things round.

I have decided that from today I am going to increase my calories to 1500 a day (keeping my micro’s the same (40% Protein, 40% Carbs, 20% Fats) I am aiming to do this in a healthy way not just adding cals for the sake of it (i.e. eating a chocolate bar) but am finding the concept as well as the actuality of eating more a little scary as currently I am rarely hungry even on 1200. I have also decided as a bit of a mental battle not to weigh myself for a month....

I am looking for advice from people who have been in the same boat as well as some support to get through this change...

Thanks

Lucy

beccyleigh

Olive Oil when cooking, nut butters on ricecakes, cut out anything "light" so use real mayo, real butter etc, pesto as a coating on meat & fish & avocados in salads or as a side dish. these are all healthy higher calories ways I increased my calories whilst cutting out the crappy stuff. Good luck with it & if you struggle then just increase by 50-100cals per day for a week or two then add another 100 cals & so on till you reach your higher target.

MarinaPacheco

And remember, if it isn't working for you, you can always go back to your previous strategy. I had a real mental block for a while and worried about eating more calories and gaining weight, and it did happen a couple of times, but I've realised that I can tweak and change things endlessly, I might not loose for a week or two but ultimately I will. I'm not running a race to loose weight, I'm trying to come up with a strategy that will work for the rest of my life. For the moment TEE is working for me and I'm eating 1500 Cals every day irrespective of exercise but I'll keep monitoring this and if it seems it isn't working then I'll try out something else. I do like what I am doing at the moment though and it prevents me from exercising just so I can eat more, which was a real problem for me. So I guess what I'm saying is don't worry, you're a strong woman, you'll work out what's best for you and nothing is irreversible!

paleojamie

Almonds are good too

CharlieBarleyMom

Lucy - as you know, I've been on this quest for roughly the same time as you... I have chosen to go the opposite route from you. I started with my calories more than 1800... and I have slowly dropped them along the way as I lost weight. At one point I was below 1600 calories each day (I generally eat all of my exercise calories) and I was at a plateau... only lost about 3 pounds in an 8 week period. At that time I upped my calories by 100+ and I lost 5 pounds the next week.

I don't know the truth behind starvation mode, but I know what worked for me. I LOVE TO EAT so keeping my calories up has never been a problem. Anytime you want to look at my diary to see what foods I'm eating at higher calories (because my meals are about 400-500 calories each) just do it.

Anytime you want support or if you need the specifics from a recipe of mine, just let me know.

Breathe. Relax. Don't sweat the small stuff. If you can't quite "stuff" yourself the first few days of 1500 just do what you can. There is good advice from some of the posters here... use olive oil when cooking. Use full fat versions of spreads and creamers. You won't end up eating too much more but you will get the benefits of the calories.

Aerohead21

I had the exact same thing happen to me only I had only lost 30 of my total 120 so I was really worried! I thought, how could this happen so soon?!? But it did, and I tried upping my calories just as you are. I lost nothing the first week, then 4 the next, and it keeps coming off So follow through! It sounds like exactly what you need from what you are describing. And if it doesn't work, strategize with your trainer. Maybe see a nutritionist or your doctor for ideas. You'll do great you've already come a long way!

Add me if you want

debbiequack

Big support, here!

I haven't exactly been in the same boat as you, but as you know, I'm plateaued and am trying all kinds of things. I think that, when you started watching your calories you were quite overweight, and your body has changed dramatically (as has mine). I think this is a wise decision and if you want to post your thoughts/feelings as you are doing it, use MFP!

I do up my calories quite a bit for various reasons including being realistic on vacation, or when I'm just plain sick of it (to maintenance cals).

You have my support.

Debbie

anfmusicgrl

The worst that can happen is you would remain on a plateau, right?? Unless you were eating above your TDEE, upping your calories would not cause you to start gaining any fat.

Give it a few weeks, not just a day or two before you would see if it will work for you. By simply increasing the weight of food, you would maybe see a small increase in weight. (SMALL)

I was doing so well, I found myself eating towards the bottom of what is recommended too often..then my weight loss slowed. Despite how I doubted it would work, and was very scared it would "slow" my weight loss progression..I upped
my calories back up. For the first few days, nothing...but after a week...I had had a HUGE whoosh in my weight- 5 lbs in one week!! It was amazing!! I'd lost just 4 lbs in 2.5 weeks at the lower calories.

I even decreased cardio from 6 days/week to 5 days/week...and my body is loving me for it! I think my body is not feeling as stressed, therefore cortisol is not affecting my fat loss...as well as my muslces aren't holding on to so much water because of so much stress on them from no breaks from working out.

Not everyone will have the same experience, I can only speak from my experiences.

However, there is nothing to lose by changing your calories. Like all things, it's always a trial and error...However, I do think our bodies are much more willing to "let go" of that fat reserve when they are getting enough fuel, and nutrients. What is the purpose of fat reserves anyways?? It all dates back to the beginning of time...when food was not as readily available.. It was a survival mechanism. It gave our bodies a way to survive and have stored fuel/energy for times when our body could not get more food.

As Marina said, if it doesn't work, then you can go back. Do you exercise? You can always look into doing some changes there too, if you are a little reluctant to UP Calories. Perhaps, up your calories by 100-200 per day? Then take 1 extra day off of working out..Which would burn a little less calories...so your "overall" calories would be up for the week... there are all sorts of ways to change things up! Go for it! See what happens!!

turkeytrotter

I lost 30 pounds 2 years ago (over 9 months). I've been right around 136 (plus or minus 3 pounds) since then. I exercise a lot too. I have been my target calories are 1400 and I rarely feel really hungry and don't go over much. I've been told by my coach that I'm not eating enough protein and that's why I'm not losing weight, so I've made some change to my diet in the past week. I have dropped from 138 to 135 this week. My goal weight is 128 by this summer as I plan to do 3 triathlons.

I would like to friend you since I think we have a lot in common. I am not upping my calories, but making a big change

cmriverside

What a great plan you have! You obviously have thought this through and have great support.

I think increasing your calories is a really good idea, you sound like you need them. I'm sure your running will be easier, and your strength work outs will be stronger.

I don't know about the one month weigh-in, though. That's going to be tough to do! Especially if you are training for Warrior. I would think once a week might be better.

Either way, congratulations on a stellar performance thus far! You, my dear, are a Rock Star!!

lucycaz

Hi

The month weigh in thing is a bit of a psychological check for myself.... Losing weight (although important) stopped being my main goal around November as I started to love the way my body was feeling the fitter I got.

I have struggled in the past to only weigh once a week but have stuck with this, my concern is that with upping my calories my weight could initially increase which would make me want to quit and go back to 1200 immediately. I am going to trust how my body feels and not what the scales are telling me for a bit....

Thanks for the support

Lucy

Babieseverywhere

Well, I think you deserve a big pat on the back for everything you have achieved to date, both in terms of weight loss and increase in fitness.

Sounds like you have a well thought out plan to move forward, I hope it works as expected. All the best on your Warrier Dash, that sure looks fun and hard.