For the 500,000 time EATING MORE WORKS

ladyraven68

it's science and everyone is different.... I'd rather eat enough food to have my organs function the right way then deprive them because it sounds better if i eat 1000 calories... but thats common sense....

Nope - we are not different.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/you-are-not-different.html

gaia3rd

ok, but I don't understand it, the reason most of us are here is because we ate high calories.......so how is eating high calories supposed to make us lose? I am 5ft 51/2 and at my highest 174 now at 146 and want to be at 135.........I cannot seem to lose that last 10 lbs! I am at 1200 cal/day but I work out 4 days a week and burn anywhere from 400-800 each time. I am scared as all hell to increase cals, ive worked so hard to just get here ya know?

Most of us are here because we ate WAY higher calories (way over our maintenance level, which the body stores as fat). When you consider what we should be eating to fuel our bodies and lose weight in a healthy fashion, it helps to think in terms of the RIGHT amount of calories, rather than high calories - which, for the majority of people who exercise and want sustainable weight loss - is a lot more than the 1200 figure tossed about so often.

ejechols

Bump

fittiephd

So just to absolutely clarify...if I'm increasing my cals from 1290 to 1400 - I should be eating all my exercise calories back to achieve 1400 NET. This is correct yes?

My BMR is 1429 and my TDEE is 2,386. I exercise 5 times a week. I'm 5'6" and age 53

Would appreciate someone clarifying this for me. Thanks.

You should eat above 1429 and less than 2,386 NET. Try 1,886, net.

fittiephd

BMR is 1373 and I'm not sure what TDEE is? 1574?

your TDEE would be much higher than that as you are an active person, not sedentary. ( I am assuming that you are on your feet all day at work as a nurse)

1373 x 1.55 = 2128.

deduct 20% for fat loss gives you 1702.
or the flat calorie deduction of 500 calories for a lb = 2128 - 500 = 1628

Did you enter yourself as sedentary or active on MFP?

I did lightly active, but I'm sure I need to adjust it. So, I should be eating 1700 plus my exercise calories?

Yup! It's nuts, I know, but I've been at it for 10 days now and feel great!! It's rough the first few days but don't get discouraged, it gets easier, you'll stop feeling so full. Feel free to up it slowly, like up 100 cals every 3 days or so until you reach where you want to be.

Also if you're doing strength training I would go into MFP's custom goal settings and change your macros (carbs/fat/protein) to 40% carbs, 30% fat, 30% protein. It will help with your strength training. Feel free to add me if you have any questions, I've just upped my cals recently and just started weight training as well

Mskraizy

:huh: I'm still very confused.

So I guess based on my BMR thing I should be eating 1,722. My daily calorie intake is like 1630 a day so how is that helping? I just went to that fat2fit site someone posted and they said for someone with my lifestyle, I should start eating 2446 a day. Generally, I get to about 1300-1400 cals a day and I lose pretty steadily but since everyone is saying they're losing way more I was gonna try it but I'm so confuuuuused now! So what, i need to eat past my intake now?

Still don't get this, guess that's why I never got into it.:indifferent:

jennifeffer

I was set at 1350 and lost 11 pounds then i hit a plateau that lasted for over a month. I just upped to 1570 and changed my macros a bit so i'm eating more protein. I stopped eating processed carbs just to see what happened and i lost three pounds this first week of trying it. Guess we will see what happens next week......good luck to everyone!!

grinch031

For those who have success by increasing calories, do you notice any difference in your energy levels, physical activity, motivation to do activities, etc. or is the only thing that changes is additional weight loss?

ottawagirl613

ok, but I don't understand it, the reason most of us are here is because we ate high calories.......so how is eating high calories supposed to make us lose? I am 5ft 51/2 and at my highest 174 now at 146 and want to be at 135.........I cannot seem to lose that last 10 lbs! I am at 1200 cal/day but I work out 4 days a week and burn anywhere from 400-800 each time. I am scared as all hell to increase cals, ive worked so hard to just get here ya know?

this is just MY personal experience.. but as someone who is 5'5.5".. who hovered (for a year i might add) at 140-145 pounds.. i found adding calories to be the most helpful thing i did to finally meet (and then exceed) my weight loss goal of 135.. i was tired of eating 1200 calories a day and feeling guilty every time i found myself in a situation where i couldn't avoid extra calories or control the menu.. so i decided that i was in it for the long haul and changed my settings from 2lbs/week to 1lb/week.. that gave me a few more calories to work with.. and when my weight loss didnt completely stall (and actually continued at a steadier pace with fewer cravings and binges) i decided i could be patient and changed my settings to 1/2lb per week.. the last 10-12 pounds ended up taking me 3 months and despite my 1/2lb per week goal i actually averaged 1lb/week weight loss anyway..

im currently eating at maintenance levels and eating all my exercise calories back and im still losing weight.. so ill likely be changing my activity level in the next few weeks to eat even more and hopefully level off.. as long as you're not underestimating your food or overestimating your exercise (which a lot of people do) i really think a slower pace and a fuller stomach is the way to go.. when i think back to net-ing 1200 calories my stomach growls..

i know 1200 calories WORKS for some people.. and if its working who am i to say do otherwise.. but for some people (like me) it wasn't really working anymore.. and there are other options that MAY work better for you.. good luck everyone

zyxst

I'm still waiting for negative results. I know it takes time.

cressievargo

So just to absolutely clarify...if I'm increasing my cals from 1290 to 1400 - I should be eating all my exercise calories back to achieve 1400 NET. This is correct yes?

My BMR is 1429 and my TDEE is 2,386. I exercise 5 times a week. I'm 5'6" and age 53

Would appreciate someone clarifying this for me. Thanks.

You should NOT eat below your BMR.

Vanilladays

For those that are "doubting" the eating process...it's not HOW much you eat.....it's WHAT you eat to reach those calorie goals!!

It means add another cup or two of veggies, or increase your protein by 100 cals....NOT by adding MORE of a different item to what you are already eating.

Think of your body as a car with a gas tank....as you are "driving" your metabolism gauge goes to "low gas" and needs to be refueled every 2 to 3 hrs (any longer then that will trigger poor food choices because your blood sugar levels will be off whack) ...good snack choices are low fat cheese slice with apple slices, almonds(12 to 15) and an orange, or the best are pistachios because you can have close to 50 of them I think., yogurt with real fruit (not the yogurt with the fruit in it...they tend to have additional sugar), veggies and a low cal dressing, sweet potato....the list goes on...

If your car ran out of gas, you wouldn't choose the first liquid you see to put in it and expect it to run properly would you? No...you head to the gas station because you know it's what makes it run properly....the same needs to go for our bodies

Schedule your eating times so that they aren't when you are hungry...I have found that in doing that it prevents me from making poor eating choices...plus I keep my snacks handy..apples and oranges are out on the counter in pretty bowls....my almonds are pre-measured so I don't take too much...
I obviously can go on and on...it just drives me bonkers when I read on here that people can't hit the 1200 cal....I would love to see your food menus then!! I bet they have pizza slices, chips and crackers on them....how about putting fish, salad, yogurt, almonds, fruit...on it instead...REAL FOOD HAS REAL CALORIES.

Some good advise

SilviCor

bump

Ittybitty22

i i agree wit brooke penne

cmeade20

I had a complex about eating more but I finally got over it and gave it a shot. I don't always lose pounds but I do always lose half an inch + off my waist and quarter of an inch + on my hips

bilzprincess

Shld my net cals always be my BMR? Is that the way to do this? Sometimes I work out 500 cals, sometimes 1000, but believe me, 500 wld be a lot easier to fit in my sched.

coconutbuNZ

it's soooooooooooo good to know that we can't eat more if we want to

natashamcn

I hit a month long plateau, upped my calories and BAM! lost an inch on my waist and thighs in 6 days. I'm a believer

Pfauxmeh

When I first came here, I was eating 1200, sometimes less. I felt AWFUL. Then I quit.

I came back, adjusted my goals and have a comfortable 1600. I've been here almost 6 weeks and at first, the scales wouldn't budge. I was in tears and beyond frustrated. I quit my job and started getting more sleep (I worked wee morning hours). After four and a half weeks of nothing, I started OWNING the scale. I suspect at least another pound loss by the end of the week (fingers crossed, anyway)!

I feel better than I ever have...and I don't deprive myself of anything. I just choose healthier choices for what I crave. I try to eat LESS processed and sodium-filled foods and prepare as MUCH at home as possible. But...I still go out for fast food on occasion and drink a lot of water.

I look back on the girl that was eating 1200 and wonder how I could EVER have survived on that.

CharlieBarleyMom

A couple of my friends on here need to do this... and yes, I've begged them to up their calories but everyone is so afraid of gaining weight. Like a few people have said... all I can do is preach it and hope they see from my experience that it works.

stormyjo59

I agree with what you said I could loose at 1200 took my cal up to 1500 and now I am loosing every day. Your body needs food to loose good food type it and you may find a big difference.

Birder150

Average daily cal. intake Sun - Sat (today) was 2265.
My weight loss for the week was 3.6 lbs.

Charlie175

Bumping for info later. Think I'm gonna try upping things for a while, been stuck and need a boost. What could it hurt anyway?!

ShrinkRapt451

A LOT of people, including myself, are scared ****less of the thought of eating more but there are too many sucess stories out there claiming it works, so after a long struggle of my own, I have decided to give it a try, and if it works for me, I shall be shouting it from the rooftops!!!

Well done on your sucess!

Same here! I started trying it today, might I say VERY RELUCTANTLY .... I really hope it works for me! Day 1 was a challenge!

I understand why people are scared, but that's letting emotion drive the train. If you are eating mostly healthy foods, and IF YOU ARE EATING FEWER CALORIES THAN IT TAKES TO MAINTAIN YOUR PRESENT WEIGHT, you'll lose. Maybe not 3 lbs per week (or even 2), but you will. I typically eat 1600-1900 (my BMR is just over 1600 and my TDEE is just over 2000). When I exercise, I eat more, and I keep track of my daily and weekly calorie deficit (weekly deficit averages 5000 calories, which is between 1-2 lbs/week). I have yet to hit a plateau, and I'm not hungry, most days.

If you've been undereating for a long time, you won't see results immediately because you've reset your basal metabolic rate (BMR) to a number that's too low for your weight/height/age/gender. (You might even gain a few pounds at first.) Your body has been forced to keep itself alive and do all your activities on too few calories, and your body is so amazing that it can do that without using your reserves of fat. (It may cannibalize protein from your muscles, mind you.) However, if you bump your calories up to your theoretical BMR (the number that a calculator gives you when you input your weight/height/age/gender), your metabolism will crank up and you'll start losing. If that's a 400-600 calorie jump, you might want to do it in 100 calorie increments each week, to keep from feeling like you're stuffing yourself. But give it a month at the new level before calling it a failure.

Also, a poster above made a good point. Lack of sleep is as bad for weight loss as eating at or above your TDEE. Gotta get your Z's and manage your stress, to be most successful.

amen025

I'm eating 1600 net- 2000-2200 calories when I work out. I lost 3 lbs this week. The closer I get to my goal, the more I have to eat! And I feel great. You have to trust that it works and then you have to give it time. I changed my weight loss goal to 1/2 lb a week and didn't lose for the first 2 weeks. Then I started losing! It took my body a few weeks to adjust. And I was scared. But if you don't give it time, you'll never be able to see the results!

I have to completely agree with you on this. Increasing your calorie intake slowly, while maintaining physical activity does help you lose weight faster. As long as those calories are coming from proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables. Also eating every 2-3 hours increases your metabolism, so it helps your body burn calories more efficiently. I am feeling pumped today coz i just came back from a 1 hour jog and I am basking in the endorphin rush right now. Its pretty hard being the only girl running around a track when there are heaps of rugby players around, but I just put on my music and go for it!!!

PamRow55

It seems to me that on the days you work out and burn 400 cals over and above a no work out day is the time that you can have an extra 400 cals in food. It evens out the days cals back to 1200. On the days that you don't work out then only 1200 cals. If you don't make up the cals you burn in a work out, then that day you would only have given your body 800 cals to function. That would not be good. Hopes this helps to make sense of this calorie game.

kendra0224

I tried raising the number of calories I eat, and was burning 300+ calories a day 5-6 days a week, and my weight loss came to a complete stop. So I get what you are saying, but everyone is different so eating more may be right for some and not for others.

angelcop74

MFP had my daily goal set at 1500 cals, even though i work on my feet all day long (hair stylist) and work out 3-4 times/wk.. i have been terrified to eat more even though i havent lost ANY weight in the last 4 weeks. I looked up my RMR which is about 1500, which def seems like i havent been eating enough and explains why my stomach is always growling.. I just looked up my TDEE on a couple different websites and it says 2200.
So i think im gonna settle on somewhere between the two, closer to 2000, and see what happens. Weighing myself now so i can track it. And i guess if it doesnt work, im no worse off. haha
Thanks guys

Keeshaja

I agree I am so scared to eat more I have to keep telling myself its ok

Pepper2185

When I started MFP I ate 1200 per day.

Now I eat more than 1600. I'm NEVER going back to 1200.

I wish I would've eaten 1600 from the beginning, I totally would have lost weight faster, and built better muscle.

EATING MORE WORKS!!!