For the 500,000 time EATING MORE WORKS

kwest_4_fitness

I applaud those who have found what works for them and are losing weight. Me? I eat between 1200 and 1300 calories a day and burn approximately 3000 to 3500 calories exercising per week. I have muscle tone and eat high nutrient foods coupled with a good multi-vitamin and omega-3 supplement. I've lost 72.4 lbs since last April, right after I quit smoking. I don't go hungry, I have dessert every night and eat three meals a day plus snacks. This works for me, but may not work for someone else. But then again, it might. Cheers! :drinker:

ili_s

Yep. I've been listening to www.fat2fitradio.com where I was first introduced to this apparent ludicrous notion of eating more to weigh less. And how a plateau is a sign that you are undereating.

I've been following the eat more philosophy for two weeks now and experiencing a steady weightloss of a pound a week where as even just a month ago I was having real trouble with steady weight loss.

This way works for EVERYBODY. Because it is the very basics of calories in vs calories out and the fact that your body needs fuel to survive.
Never eat below your BMR.
Eat 20% above your BMR (times BMR by 1.2) and even if you aren't very active this will be sufficient and will stop your body from starving and holding onto the fat storage.

But if you want to be stupid and starve yourself on 1200 cals or lower be my guest. It's your own punishment.
The rest of us will be happy and full all the time and still losing weight

mabennett

i soooo agree on upping the cals. i did weight watchers at the beginning of the year. lost 6 lbs initially and then started gaining!! couldn't figure it out. well now i know!! my points were WAY too low for the amount i was exercising! gave up weight watchers. then found this group. upped my cals immediately and lost a lb the first week. ILL TAKE IT!!!

mom2mozart

how do I calculate the amount of calories I need having TDEE and BMR?

www.fat2fitradio.com/tools - use the Military Bodyfat and then the BMR/Cal Calculators

Congratulations OP

thanks!!!

I did this and it says some crazy number like 2000 cals for me, I would gain weight for sure on that many cals!

Then you should be eating at least 1,500 calories per day. MFP sets our calories at 500 less than our TDEE so you are in a deficit, but not enough to damage your body or make it think you are trying to starve it.

SoBodyMazing

Yep very true. I was at a plateau for a month. Then I upped my calorie intake and I've lost 1.8 in week!

TourThePast

1 week ago I took advice from another thread and found out my BMR and TDEE measurements and increased my calories to 1500
and this week lost 1.5 pounds....

So for those of you who "Can't stay under 1200 cals" it's really not necessary

Well done you. It must be amazing to lose weight at 1500 a day. 1200 might not be necessary for you, but it is for me. At 1200 a day, I lose about a pound every two to three weeks.

Unfortunately, for someone of my height and weight, 1500 calories is MORE than TDEE.

I'm heartily sick of seeing this type of "one size fits all" advice, it's bad enough having such a low BMR, without having people's higher intakes rammed down my throat all the time on here.

YES for someone of average height, who is overweight, they can eat more. That doesn't apply to everyone!

BarbWhite09

I know there are a million and one topics out there about this
But I feel there needs to be one more confirmation for those ppl struggling at 1200 calories and not losing
Here is my story of how increasing calories worked

I've been on this site 100 days and lost maybe 4 pounds in the first 40 days while struggling to only eat 1200 calories
after that nothing.....for 60 days I just stayed the same
1 week ago I took advice from another thread and found out my BMR and TDEE measurements and increased my calories to 1500
and this week lost 1.5 pounds....

So for those of you who "Can't stay under 1200 cals" it's really not necessary
Just thought I would share my success

Works for YOU. Congratulations on YOUR success. Not everyone is the same. You can jump off that high horse now

^ ahaha, this

nz_deevaa

I never understood why people say they feel like they are starving on 1200 calories. I feel completely satisfied, eat every 2 hours, and always stay within my calorie range. PLUS, I've lost 68 pounds doing this for 5 months. I guess this just goes to show you that really everyone is different!

I'd Just like to say, that your weight loss may stall, that's when you should up your calories, not lower it. I lost 20kg at 1,200 plus my exercise calories, then my weight loss stalled... I started lifting heavy weights and upped my calories (to 1,700 plus exercise) and I'm losing again.

Every one is different, but if your weight loss stalls, give it a go. Not for just one week though, you might put on in the first week.... Do it for at least a month.

ByrdMessy

I'm not gonna put up a fight--I will do better to eat back my exercise calories. Know any high-calorie, low-fat/sodium foods for a pescetarian? Would that be mostly carbs?

unsalted nuts are healthy fats and proteins. you can mix them into lots of things or eat them plain. shell fish too.

I had problems eating back my cals when I got a lot of exercise in too
but even things like nuts and dipping apples and celery in peanut butter
definitely your nuts and seeds
fruits have high calorie counts alone
avacados are good fats and high in calories
ummm hummus and vegetables,

Thanks. I'm doing all of that now, except the shell-fish--I think I'm allergic. Maybe some more meat substitutes more often will be good or just bigger portions. I usually have no problem eating too much! Can I keep my deficit at an average for the week? Example: Lose 700 for exercise in a day, so eat 100 extra each day that week instead of 700 that same day. I'm also told MFP is generous with exercise calories, so I haven't been that worried about high deficit numbers from exercise. I've been blaming lack of weight loss on insomnia. Balance, balance, balance. I'm sure a combination of doing better to eat back exercise calories and sleeping more will help. One day, this will not be so obsessive, but for now, control is huge.

bademasi

bump for later

nz_deevaa

1 week ago I took advice from another thread and found out my BMR and TDEE measurements and increased my calories to 1500
and this week lost 1.5 pounds....

So for those of you who "Can't stay under 1200 cals" it's really not necessary

Well done you. It must be amazing to lose weight at 1500 a day. 1200 might not be necessary for you, but it is for me. At 1200 a day, I lose about a pound every two to three weeks.

Unfortunately, for someone of my height and weight, 1500 calories is MORE than TDEE.

I'm heartily sick of seeing this type of "one size fits all" advice, it's bad enough having such a low BMR, without having people's higher intakes rammed down my throat all the time on here.

YES for someone of average height, who is overweight, they can eat more. That doesn't apply to everyone!

No one is saying one size fits all, I think everyone who has put their calories up has done it after finding out their TDEE/BMR.

samntha14

I strength train and had to increase my calories by 300 a day and eat back EVERY exercise calorie. I eat on average 1700-2000 a day. I have lost 12 lbs and 4 inches/2 pant sizes over 8 weeks.

ImaHancock

wow.....

ironanimal

1 week ago I took advice from another thread and found out my BMR and TDEE measurements and increased my calories to 1500
and this week lost 1.5 pounds....

So for those of you who "Can't stay under 1200 cals" it's really not necessary

Well done you. It must be amazing to lose weight at 1500 a day. 1200 might not be necessary for you, but it is for me. At 1200 a day, I lose about a pound every two to three weeks.

Unfortunately, for someone of my height and weight, 1500 calories is MORE than TDEE.

I'm heartily sick of seeing this type of "one size fits all" advice, it's bad enough having such a low BMR, without having people's higher intakes rammed down my throat all the time on here.

YES for someone of average height, who is overweight, they can eat more. That doesn't apply to everyone!

No one is saying one size fits all, I think everyone who has put their calories up has done it after finding out their TDEE/BMR.

Beat me to it. No need to get upset by what is in general a healthy message. You may be in the minority, but believe it or not, for the majority of people, this is good advice.

This advice DOES fit everyone. You need to work out your own numbers. There are no special snowflakes - 'everyone is different' only applies if you have underlying health issues.

Changinghabits68

Well I'm willing to give it a try. My calculations work out to 1867 per day based on a light activity of 1 to 3 times per week of exercise. My problem is mentally convincing myself this is ok to do. I have come to realize I subconsciously eat less and I have to really pin myself down to eat more.

Mskraizy

Okay, I think I'm beginning to understand this more now. Soo is this based on calorie intake in general or the netting aspect? And how do I judge my BMR. It said that mine should be 1,722, so should I eat up to that amount everyday? My daily intake is only 1630.

allie5426

I feel the same exact way. Please let me know how this works out for you. My way has been working, but I want to do this the right way this time. Well good luck to you. You can do this girl!

Alissa

juliesummers

bump.

joeyt1959

Bump

Devin182

now im confused.... the fat2fitradio.com website says my bmr is 1529 and for my activity level (sedentary) it recommends 1931 calories.

but i just upped my calories on mfp to 1700 from 1420. so how many calories should I be eating?


sorry for being repetitive I just dont understand which one to follow

lind3400

WHY ....does everyone keep commenting that I'm trying to RAM MY WAYS down their throats??
If you don't believe that eating more helps u lose weight then don't comment leave this thread and continue with your own diet.... I am in no way a nutritionist or a health professional in any way
I was making a general thread stating MY succes in eating more calories if you are doing fine eating 1200 cals a day then that is totally ok keep doing it
I am just trying to provide a little support for those people out there struggling to lose and maintain their weight at 1200 cals NOT the people who have already achieved success with a lower cals
stop trying to make me seem like I'm an all-knowing high-horsed individual...cuz I'm not

cammm87

If the TDEE include the fact that you are exercising for example 3-5 times/week, then the calories burned from exercise is already include in the TDEE.. For example my TDEE is 2300 and I want a 500 cal. deficit/day so I have to eat 1800 cal. But like I said if the TDEE include the calories burned from exercise I Should not eat back my calories burned from exercise..?

Phoenix59

now im confused.... the fat2fitradio.com website says my bmr is 1529 and for my activity level (sedentary) it recommends 1931 calories.

but i just upped my calories on mfp to 1700 from 1420. so how many calories should I be eating?


sorry for being repetitive I just dont understand which one to follow

Your BMR is 1529 and your TDEE is 1931, so 1700 is what you should be eating. Don't eat below your BMR or above you TDEE and you should be fine.

Mskraizy

Your BMR is 1529 and your TDEE is 1931, so 1700 is what you should be eating. Don't eat below your BMR or above you TDEE and you should be fine.

It wasn't directed towards me but I think I get it now. Thank you.

foxggren

This was my problem for so long. I wasn't eating enough.. Now I'm focusing on eating more and reaching my calorie goal and I already lost 2lbs.

marbly

Your BMR is 1529 and your TDEE is 1931, so 1700 is what you should be eating. Don't eat below your BMR or above you TDEE and you should be fine.

It wasn't directed towards me but I think I get it now. Thank you.

Actually, taking this as an example, F2F Radio already calculates the 20% deficit for you from your TDEE. This means that if you eat at 1931 (assuming that this is the number shown on the site itself and you did not change the number), you would still lose weight.

Devin182

oh ok - thanks for clarifying it

Phoenix59

Your BMR is 1529 and your TDEE is 1931, so 1700 is what you should be eating. Don't eat below your BMR or above you TDEE and you should be fine.

It wasn't directed towards me but I think I get it now. Thank you.

Ah! Should've double checked if 1931 was her TDEE or the deficit.:blushing:

Actually, taking this as an example, F2F Radio already calculates the 20% deficit for you from your TDEE. This means that if you eat at 1931 (assuming that this is the number shown on the site itself and you did not change the number), you would still lose weight.

Mskraizy

Your BMR is 1529 and your TDEE is 1931, so 1700 is what you should be eating. Don't eat below your BMR or above you TDEE and you should be fine.

It wasn't directed towards me but I think I get it now. Thank you.

Actually, taking this as an example, F2F Radio already calculates the 20% deficit for you from your TDEE. This means that if you eat at 1931 (assuming that this is the number shown on the site itself and you did not change the number), you would still lose weight.

It already calculates it? Okay, my mfp intake is 1630. My BMR rate said it was 1722. Soooo, am I already at a steady eating pace? Out of my intakes, I average about 1400 usually....so what I'm wondering is do I need to actually up mine to 1722. That's all I've been asking.

Devin182

soo is 1700 ok? or is it to low?