Anyone else on a plateau too scared to up calories?

canary986

Hi Guys,

This may sound a bit warped but I've been doing MFP for almost 7 months now and lost 29lbs. I've been cycling around between the same 5lbs for about 8 weeks now. I'm 5ft 6" and my goal is to lose at least another 14lbs. I'm on 1350 calories a day and do an hours walk every morning which gives me an extra 217. I do a 40 minute cardio/strength workout 3 times a week and do a lot of extra walking.

I'm pretty good at sticking to my calories and I always eat back my exercise calories.

I've been told and I've read numerous posts about needing to up calories to break a plateau. I changed my goals to lose 1/2 lb a week which bumped my calories up to 1660. I didn't notice any change in the week that I tried to eat these and actually struggled to eat enough. I am actually worried about eating more as I've gotten so used to eating 1350 for the past 7 months. I switched back to my original calorie intake and I'm back on the plateau cycling around 11st 8lbs give or take 5lbs.

I know it's ridiculous but I'm convinced I'll gain all the weight I've worked so hard to lose by upping my calories.

Does anyone else have the fear?

cressievargo

I just upped mine and lost 2 lbs in a week. You may also try just one or two days of higher cals. Sometimes that's enough to trick the body into resetting.

ElizabethRoad

I highly doubt you could gain more than a couple of pounds without noticing it. What's to be scared of? You aren't going to wake up a week from now weighing 29 pounds more.

canary986

True, I realise I'm being slightly irrational, think it's just imprinted in my brain that seeing weight gain on the scales is bad.

Need to just do it!

ladyraven68

If you've only got 14lbs to go, switching to half a lb per week is recommended.

You are not going to gain fat as you will still be eating at a deficit from your maintenance calories.