If you are scared to increase calories

chrisb75

I want you to do TWO things if you are scared to increase your calories from your media indoctrinated 1200 calorie mentality.

1) Do an informal survey here. Go and read all of the topics where the subject is "my weight loss stalled", "worked 4 weeks haven't lost a pound", etc. and you will notice two things:

a. Their NET calorie goal will be under their BMR
b. They are working out 6-7 days a week.

2) Join the group: Eat More, Weigh Less and read the stickies.

You don't have to starve yourself to lose weight. Its not that hard. Go to fat2fitradio.com:
1) Run the Military Body Fat calculator
2) Run the goal weight calculator using the BF% from above
3) Run the BMR Calculator and eat at the proper TDEE for your GOAL weight and activity level.
4) Lift something heavy 3 days a week and walk five days a week.

You will have more energy, you will exercise harder, and you will NOT be hungry. You will keep the weight off once you start losing! Come on folks. Give it a try!

EDIT TO ADD:
Important point. If you follow the advice above DO NOT eat back your exercise calories. They are already included in your TDEE calculation in step 3.

yarwell

[q] They are working out 6-7 days a week. [/q]

yeah, exercise is so last century for weight loss.

chrisb75

[q] They are working out 6-7 days a week. [/q]

yeah, exercise is so last century for weight loss.

Lift something heavy 3 days a week and walk five days a week.

So is reading comprehension, obviously.

yarwell

Lift something heavy 3 days a week and walk five days a week.

so you prescription for someone exercising and not losing weight is.... exercise !

( beats typing "Bump" )

becoming_a_new_me

Hi! Hello there. Do me a favor and look at the bottom of my post here. See that? Yep, guess what? I eat more than 1200 calories a day. Yep, it works. Thank you for your time.

d2footballJRC

Another key point when you increase your calories at first you will see an increase in weight usually first week or two. This is your bodies insulin levels and hormones getting brought back into line. MFP had me set to 1900 cals and I was stuck in a plateau. I went and got BF% measured (water dip) and metabolism measured (breathing test). Learned to be losing I needed to actually be around 2.4-2.5k to be at my 750 a day deficit I was wanting. Doing that I've been dropping and leaning up. I plan on doing those tests every 6 months or so now. Upping my calories was a bit worrisome at first because I gained around 9 pounds that first week and the week after it started coming back off but it didn't stop coming off.

If you are having problems like I've said in the past.

Contact your local universities sports department. Most of them will for a small fee/donation let you come and they then let kids practice the bf % test and metabolism test on you. Teaches the kids and you get the results much cheaper then going to say an anti-aging or sports center to get them done!

heytherestephy

I think what they are trying to say is that people are exercising TOO much and not eating enough, add that to not giving their bodies/muscles a break and you have muscles/bodies that are under-fed and overworked and tired and that will halt your weightloss.

doesn't mean you can't go for a walk on your rest day though

chrisb75

Lift something heavy 3 days a week and walk five days a week.

so you prescription for someone exercising and not losing weight is.... exercise !

( beats typing "Bump" )

My prescription for someone who is exercising 6 days a week for an hour and half a day to cut it back to walking thirty minutes and weight lifting 3 days a week. Why is this so hard for you to understand, You said the SAME thing in another thread. Now if you have nothing else to add, politely go away.

susieq101178

Lift something heavy 3 days a week and walk five days a week.

so you prescription for someone exercising and not losing weight is.... exercise !

( beats typing "Bump" )

This is meant to be a helpful thread - no need make obnoxious comments. I think the intent was to specify the most beneficial TYPE of exercise one should be doing.

kiku76

I need to come back to this and do the calculators later (when I'm on my desktop). I have done it before without using the BF%.

sheilairis

Thanks! That's extremely helpful to me since I'm just starting my journey! I do worry about too many calories so it's nice to see what other people eat and how many calories they consume in a day!

yarwell

it was confused by "you will exercise harder" which seems to me the opposite of "cut it back".

Now I understand.

chrisb75

Thanks! That's extremely helpful to me since I'm just starting my journey! I do worry about too many calories so it's nice to see what other people eat and how many calories they consume in a day!

If you would have told me 3 months ago that I could be eating 2500 calories a day and still lose 3 inches off my waist I would have told you that you were full of something! Thanks to the many other people that I gained this information from, I am here to tell you it works. You will never have to "diet" again.

chrisb75

it was confused by "you will exercise harder" which seems to me the opposite of "cut it back".

Now I understand.

You will exercise more INTENSE. I feel stronger, lift stronger, when I eat more.

d2footballJRC

Lift something heavy 3 days a week and walk five days a week.

so you prescription for someone exercising and not losing weight is.... exercise !

( beats typing "Bump" )

My prescription for someone who is exercising 6 days a week for an hour and half a day to cut it back to walking thirty minutes and weight lifting 3 days a week. Why is this so hard for you to understand, You said the SAME thing in another thread. Now if you have nothing else to add, politely go away.

Depending on your goal 3 days a week lifting may not be enough. Also depends on how you are lifting. My schedule goes like this:

Day A:
Full Body Lift A
Day B:
Full Body Lifts B
Day C:
HIIT Cardio
Day
Rest day if muscles are sore, if not FULL BODY LIFT A
DAY E:
Either Lift A or Lift B day.
DAY F:
Either lift B day or HIIT Cardio

The key is don't look at it days of a week. As our end goal isn't a weekly goal it's a life time goal.

There are also other factors, remember protein based foods you are going to spend about 30% value of the protein calories in digesting it. On top of the benefits it gets for your recovery and body when it breaks down in Amino Acids and starts repairing your body.

d2footballJRC

it was confused by "you will exercise harder" which seems to me the opposite of "cut it back".

Now I understand.

You will exercise more INTENSE. I feel stronger, lift stronger, when I eat more.

That is because your glucogen stores in your muscles are full. Also more protein if you are eating more results in better recovery.

yarwell

Do me a favor and look at the bottom of my post here. See that? Yep, guess what? I eat more than 1200 calories a day.

and I eat less than 1200, ditto. But I am starting from a radically different place, so your context is different.

katscoots

Interesting. I am at goal and i am scared to increase calories, but I'm not losing anymore either. I do feel "hungry", weak and kinda shaky every few hours, which to me says i'm probably not eating enough at my "meals". I've never had to think this hard about maintaining a healthy body and menu before....SIGH!!!

ironanimal

Do me a favor and look at the bottom of my post here. See that? Yep, guess what? I eat more than 1200 calories a day.

and I eat less than 1200, ditto. But I am starting from a radically different place, so your context is different.

You're male so your intake is dangerously low. Your 'advice' is always confrontational and obnoxious and largely wrong. Please stop turning every thread you happen across into your personal soapbox.

tracypk

I have been afraid of increasing my cals, but I'm going to do it! Who doesn't want to eat more? With everything I've read I really feel this is what is going to get me to start losing weight again. Thanks for the encouragement.:flowerforyou:

d2footballJRC

I have been afraid of increasing my cals, but I'm going to do it! Who doesn't want to eat more? With everything I've read I really feel this is what is going to get me to start losing weight again. Thanks for the encouragement.:flowerforyou:

Remember give it over a week and don't be scared of initial numbers, that initial hit shocked me. If after two weeks you are still gaining cut your cals down 100-200 and see what its like the next week and etc..etc..

mbvan

Thank you

ucsneakerz

I followed all of your steps but it has nothing about exercise... just tells me I should eat 1732 calories a day based on my current weight and my goal weight...

I have my goals set at 1200, I lost 8 pounds in the first 2 weeks and have hit a wall and haven't lost this week at all. I upped my exercise calorie burn off goal to 500 and I'm keeping my calorie goal at 1200 and I'm hoping that works.... any other suggestions?

chrisb75

I followed all of your steps but it has nothing about exercise... just tells me I should eat 1732 calories a day based on my current weight and my goal weight...

What activity level did you pull that from?

ironanimal

I followed all of your steps but it has nothing about exercise... just tells me I should eat 1732 calories a day based on my current weight and my goal weight...

You should account for your exercise in your activity level, and then just do what you're expecting to do.

d2footballJRC

Do me a favor and look at the bottom of my post here. See that? Yep, guess what? I eat more than 1200 calories a day.

and I eat less than 1200, ditto. But I am starting from a radically different place, so your context is different.

Eating less will lose fast, the only downfall is you lose a lot more muscle mass that route. You also risk having to drop your cals more often, and you have to be more disciplined once you stop cutting or you'll rebound easier.

chrisb75

I followed all of your steps but it has nothing about exercise... just tells me I should eat 1732 calories a day based on my current weight and my goal weight...

You should account for your exercise in your activity level, and then just do what you're expecting to do.

Another important point. Don't eat back exercise calories if you are doing this method. They are already included in your TDEE

mtaylor1980

WOW!!!!!

Hi! Hello there. Do me a favor and look at the bottom of my post here. See that? Yep, guess what? I eat more than 1200 calories a day. Yep, it works. Thank you for your time.

ucsneakerz

Sedentary.

Though I do work out...

Check above for my details, I edited my post.

chrisb75

Sedentary.

Though I do work out...

Check above for my details, I edited my post.

If you work out you should set your goal calories between lightly and moderately active. Then don't eat exercise calories back.

yarwell

You're male so your intake is dangerously low.

No it isn't. How would you know, Mr Self Appointed.

I have a nutritionally complete diet, supplementing with Vit D until the **** sun finally decides to come out.

There isn't one size that fits everyone, if I don't want to flog away at exercise and choose to restrict calories I eat that's a valid choice. A deficit is a deficit at the end of the day. It may not fit with something you dreamt up, but I'm sure we'll all get over that.

If I thought you had looked at all my posts I would take your other comment seriously. I may be on a different soapbox to the OP but we're all on soapboxes. Other opinions are available.