If you are scared to increase calories

bulka76

Hi There
Please somebody clarify it to me I'm a bit confused. MFP allows me 1200kal my BMR is 1480kal, I'm not exercising therefore I am in sedentary category.
My question is- Should I eat 1200kal which MFP allows me or eat my BMR instead??


thank u

willismack2

I agree with the idea of eating the proper amount of calories based off BMR/TDEE. But something in the calculator at fat2fitradio.com does not add up when selecting your activity level; at least for me. I think you need to be careful when estimating how many calories you are actually burning in exercise and then setting an average daily calorie goal, instead of logging exercise.

For example if I set my current weight and goal weight the same, it should give me the number of calories for maintenance.

Sedentary: 2000
Light(1-3 workouts/wk) 2300

Now assume I really only workout once a week for 30 minutes and burn 300 calories. That is fine to eat 2300 calories on that day, but every other day of the week I would be overeating by 300 calories. I would eventually gain pounds, not maintain. The calculator is assuming I am burning an extra 2100 calories per week from exercise when just changing from sedentary to light activity. I didn't check all the other possibilities.

Raynn1

I'm starting to have this issue too, some good suggestions I've seen on here are:

Regular Cheese
Peanut butter or other nut butters
regular cottage cheese
Avocados
regular yogurt

I know at the beginning, I was getting lower fat of all these things, but now I'm putting them back one by one

Regular Everything.. Get rid of all fat free or light products in your house.
Greek yogurt
NUTS!
More meat in your serving
Protein Powder/Shakes/Bars
Beans and Lentils
Cheese

Raynn1

Hi There
Please somebody clarify it to me I'm a bit confused. MFP allows me 1200kal my BMR is 1480kal, I'm not exercising therefore I am in sedentary category.
My question is- Should I eat 1200kal which MFP allows me or eat my BMR instead??


thank u

Ignore the amount MFP gives you. Its wrong. You ned to eat ABOVE your BMR. your BMR is the absolute minimum amount of cals your body needs just to breathe and function.. That is if you were in a vegetative state in the hospital, the Docs would give you 1480 cals in an IV line to make sure your organs work. The second you get out of bed in the morning, you start burning more than your BMR.

YOu need to find your TDEE amount.. That will tell you how much cals you need to MAINTAIN your current weight.. take that number and subtract 15% (a healyth Cut value for weight loss).. THAT number you eat daily.

Raynn1

I agree with the idea of eating the proper amount of calories based off BMR/TDEE. But something in the calculator at fat2fitradio.com does not add up when selecting your activity level; at least for me. I think you need to be careful when estimating how many calories you are actually burning in exercise and then setting an average daily calorie goal, instead of logging exercise.

For example if I set my current weight and goal weight the same, it should give me the number of calories for maintenance.

Sedentary: 2000
Light(1-3 workouts/wk) 2300

Now assume I really only workout once a week for 30 minutes and burn 300 calories. That is fine to eat 2300 calories on that day, but every other day of the week I would be overeating by 300 calories. I would eventually gain pounds, not maintain. The calculator is assuming I am burning an extra 2100 calories per week from exercise when just changing from sedentary to light activity. I didn't check all the other possibilities.

If you were honestly only ever working out 1 day a week, then yes, you would be better going with Sedentary.. The vast majority of people in a weight loss mode are actually in the Moderately active category.

Try this calculator instead if you are worried about it. This one takes in the actual amount of HOURS you spend doing activity to calculate your value.. http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

willismack2

I think a lot of people may choose Light if they workout 1-3/days per week - because that is what the instructions suggest. I would have to burn at least 700 calories X 3 to meet the goal that that calculator provides. Not an average workout for me.

I log exercise so it doesn't matter. I just want to point out the flaws in the calculator that was provided in the OP and questioned by some who were wondering if they should really eat that much. Maybe yes, but Maybe No.

Raynn1

I tried this a week ago, and after one day, I was so full from all the food that it freaked me out. I don't know if I have the guts to keep it up. It seems like so much food. It's 1,000 more calories PER DAY, than I eat now. Geez. But, maybe that is why I can't shave off the last bit that I'd like to lose. I went through the calculator on the site and found my body fat %. Maybe I'll give it a shot. Its kinda scary.

It is scary for sure. But it works. I was you 9 weeks ago.. I went from 1400 cals a day to 2400 cals.. The first few days it was hard to figure out how to get in 1000 more cals a day, but once you get in it, you realize just how much your body needs it. It took about 3 days and then I found I was waking up in the morning absolutely starving! I sign my metabolism was saying "FEED ME!!!"

In the first few weeks, Yes I gained a few pounds, And yes that is hard to accept, especially when you are desperately trying to lose it.. but remember, unless you actually ate an additional 3500 cals , there is no way you actually gained a pound. Water retention is a big one.. also your body is thinking you are in a "binge" cycle, so its holding on for dear life, not knowing if you are going to starve it again (ie: eating under BMR)... so it will hold on to it for a bit..
But eventually your body starts to trust you again, and realizes this is normal, so it starts to shed the pounds again.. This time FAT pounds.. not MUSCLE pounds, as you normally lose in a low cal diet.

It is frustrating in the beginning. I had many days where I was desperate to go back down to 1400 cals again just to see the scale move. But I would rather EAT and be happy and healthy than starve and be miserable. On another note, over this past 9 weeks, I sleep better, My hair stopped falling out, my skin feels smoother, Im not so tired and ragged, I dont yell and get cranky at my kids as often....

Over the 9 weeks I have dropped about 4 pounds, and it is going down.. and if I can LOSE WEIGHT that eating as much as I am, Why in the heck would I EVER go back to eating 1400???

Take the leap... put the scale away for a good 4-6 weeks. Take your measurements and dive in. You will thank yourself in time:)

Raynn1

I think a lot of people may choose Light if they workout 1-3/days per week - because that is what the instructions suggest. I would have to burn at least 700 calories X 3 to meet the goal that that calculator provides. Not an average workout for me.

I log exercise so it doesn't matter. I just want to point out the flaws in the calculator that was provided in the OP and questioned by some who were wondering if they should really eat that much. Maybe yes, but Maybe No.

Fair enough. I think thats why I liked the other calculator better since it goes by the time actually spent in a week working out, rather than a daily amount..

bulka76

TY for help

sleepytexan

Based on what I am reading here, it sounds like I might see weight gain in the first couple of weeks, but then I should start seeing a downward trend. Is this correct?

Has anyone consistently increased weight doing this, and what adjustments did you make to get it to go the other way?

Let's just say that I am very skeptical about this. And, I know when I get on the scale and see my weight increase, I am going to be angry. If after a month, it's still going up, then what?

Didn't you already say that what you're doing isn't working? Then why would you keep doing it? Insanity = doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

Yes, there is often an initial gain. If you don't keep at it, your body can't adjust. No one can tell how long it will take for your body to adjust.

However, you can either try something new, that many, many, people are telling your works (both here on this thread and in the group Eat More to Weigh Less), or you can keep underfeeding and stay the same weight.

Seriously, do you think we are all on here lying to you? That we have set up all these false formulas to trick you into getting fat?

Dude. come on. It works.

blessings.

sleepytexan

The numbers are starting to make more sense for me now.
I had my cal set at 1300. I would eat an extra 300 for breastfeeding an older baby, and burn about 200-300 a day.
So really, it's about the same if I set it at 1800 (my TDEE and allotted cal are about 2000)

BINGO.

sleepytexan

I checked my numbers on Fat2fitradio and my BMR is 1254 and TDEE (assuming that's the number if I use their "How many calories should I eat" calculator) is 1493.
I entered that I was sedentary since I have a desk job and I am a sporadic exerciser. Should I eat 1493 and eat back my exercise calories on workout days? Will I lose weight with that number of calories or should I reduce it slightly?

Sporadic exercisers should go with BMR + exercise calories.

sleepytexan

I agree with the idea of eating the proper amount of calories based off BMR/TDEE. But something in the calculator at fat2fitradio.com does not add up when selecting your activity level; at least for me. I think you need to be careful when estimating how many calories you are actually burning in exercise and then setting an average daily calorie goal, instead of logging exercise.

For example if I set my current weight and goal weight the same, it should give me the number of calories for maintenance.

Sedentary: 2000
Light(1-3 workouts/wk) 2300

Now assume I really only workout once a week for 30 minutes and burn 300 calories. That is fine to eat 2300 calories on that day, but every other day of the week I would be overeating by 300 calories. I would eventually gain pounds, not maintain. The calculator is assuming I am burning an extra 2100 calories per week from exercise when just changing from sedentary to light activity. I didn't check all the other possibilities.

If you are a sporadic exerciser, go with BMR + exercise calories.

Daniloveshockey94

I got 2171?! It that too much or good for mod. Active?? Help????

Daniloveshockey94

Bump!!

ironanimal

I got 2171?! It that too much or good for mod. Active?? Help????

You're young, so it sounds good to me.

AnotherJenn

I made a good honest effort to this approach and gained 4 pounds over 4 months. My trainer insisted I keep it up and it will work but I couldn't handle gaining one more pound so I dropped my calories. It's taken me 6 weeks to lose 2 of the 4 I gained. I do believe this can work since I've seen it but it's just not for everyone :-(

ironanimal

I made a good honest effort to this approach and gained 4 pounds over 4 months. My trainer insisted I keep it up and it will work but I couldn't handle gaining one more pound so I dropped my calories. It's taken me 6 weeks to lose 2 of the 4 I gained. I do believe this can work since I've seen it but it's just not for everyone :-(

It's possible if you've dieted before or have undiagnosed hormonal imbalances that your BMR is lower than average. I personally would've suggested recalculating your intake with your BMR 100 lower than it actually came out, or by having your BMR professionally tested.

mbrowder30

I'm so purturbed! I've had MFP to lose .5 pounds a week for about 5 months now so that I can build up slowly to a permanent happy healthy weight, and every time I let MFP recalculate when I reach my goal weight (132-134 pounds), I eat that way for a week, and end up GAINING! It's happened like 3 times now, this past week I gained +3 pounds back! I'm so annoyed and now nearly back to my original weight. Am I doomed to have to eat 1500 calories a day every week forever to maintain!? UGH!

ironanimal

I'm so purturbed! I've had MFP to lose .5 pounds a week for about 5 months now so that I can build up slowly to a permanent happy healthy weight, and every time I let MFP recalculate when I reach my goal weight (132-134 pounds), I eat that way for a week, and end up GAINING! It's happened like 3 times now, this past week I gained +3 pounds back! I'm so annoyed and now nearly back to my original weight. Am I doomed to have to eat 1500 calories a day every week forever to maintain!? UGH!

Increasing your cals refills your glycogen stores and you store water - the hormonal rebalance takes time, but remember that unless you're eating an extra 3.5k cals and your clothes are getting tighter you haven't gained a pound.

kiku76

The numbers are starting to make more sense for me now.
I had my cal set at 1300. I would eat an extra 300 for breastfeeding an older baby, and burn about 200-300 a day.
So really, it's about the same if I set it at 1800 (my TDEE and allotted cal are about 2000)

BINGO.

Awesome! I have mine set at 1300 now. I plan to add breastfeeding into my diary, giving me an extra 300, and eat most of my calories, bringing me to about 1800-1900 total.

fergie137

bump

nicolehatter

Ok, I've read through a lot of these, and it seems I may need to increase calories. I'm going to state my issues and see if any one can help.

Staring weight was 195 December 15, 2011 and now I weight 155, I'm only ten pounds from my goal! I might lose another 10 after. I've hit my plateau and hard! no weight lose or inch lose in almost a month! my calorie goal per day is 1200 and sometimes I'm under other times I'm over , and once every couple of weeks I'm way over. it's how I've always eaten, be diligent but with days of "it's ok to splurge" and it has worked really well up until now. if any one has any suggestions or has delt with this themselves any advice would be helpful really. Thank you so Much

sleepytexan

Ok, I've read through a lot of these, and it seems I may need to increase calories. I'm going to state my issues and see if any one can help.

Staring weight was 195 December 15, 2011 and now I weight 155, I'm only ten pounds from my goal! I might lose another 10 after. I've hit my plateau and hard! no weight lose or inch lose in almost a month! my calorie goal per day is 1200 and sometimes I'm under other times I'm over , and once every couple of weeks I'm way over. it's how I've always eaten, be diligent but with days of "it's ok to splurge" and it has worked really well up until now. if any one has any suggestions or has delt with this themselves any advice would be helpful really. Thank you so Much

Your body gets used to how much you eat. This is not necessarily a good thing when you are eating too little.

WHY 1200 CALORIES (or fewer) MIGHT BE A BAD IDEA:

You lose weight for a while and maybe you will make it to goal (the bigger you are, the longer this will work, however most people can't get those last 10-20 lbs off at 1200 calories).

The longer you do this, the longer your metabolism has to adjust downward and get used to 1200 calories. Assuming you make it to goal, you want to maintain, right? What do you think is going to happen when/if you get there and it's time to maintain, when you start trying to eat "maintenance" calories? You'll gain. Welcome back to the yo-yo.


WHY EATING AT THE TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) OF YOUR GOAL WEIGHT MIGHT BE A BETTER IDEA:

Eat now, like the thin you at maintenance. Fat2Ftiradio.com can help you find the TDEE of your ideal weight: Choose ALL CALCULATORS, MILITARY BODY FAT%, then get your bodyfat estimate. Now calculate your BMR, and look in the chart below to see the TDEE of your goal weight -- that is how much the thin you will eat at maintenance.

Eating at maintenance for your ideal weight is a great idea because you will eat THIS SAME AMOUNT of calories for life. Your metabolism will not slow down to match too little fuel (1200 calories), and consequently stall on the way to goal, or cause you to gain when you try to increase calories later to maintain.

BTW, if you have been eating below your BMR for an extended period of time, and especially if you have been stalled/plateaued for an extended period of time, you may experience a slight gain for some weeks after you increase to the proper amount of calories. However, at the point where your body adjusts to the proper amount of fuel based on your dally activities, you will begin to lose again and break through the plateau.

Blessings.

Mommy_Time

this is a great thread and i need to go back and find out my numbers

nicolehatter

Thank you so much, sleepytexan

So according to the website, my BMI is 35.9% and my current BMR is 1494 but my TDEE is supposed to be (lightly active) 1935 or (moderately active) 2181. I pretty sure that's right. I will admit the thought of weight gain for the next little bit while my body adjusts is going to be hard to swallow. but when you think about it, it seems to make sense.

Mommy_Time

OK my numbers are as follows.

Harris-Benedict Formula BMR is 1616..........Katch-McArdle Formula BMR is 1411..........sedentary is 1726.....light is 1977.....moderately is 2229......very is 2481......and extremely is 2732

I am a mom to 5 and never get time to sit down and will be starting insanity in about 5 days. Is it best me do the lowest which is 1411 since mine is 1200 now and just eat back my calories burned when I start Insanity?

sleepytexan

OK my numbers are as follows.

Harris-Benedict Formula BMR is 1616..........Katch-McArdle Formula BMR is 1411..........sedentary is 1726.....light is 1977.....moderately is 2229......very is 2481......and extremely is 2732

I am a mom to 5 and never get time to sit down and will be starting insanity in about 5 days. Is it best me do the lowest which is 1411 since mine is 1200 now and just eat back my calories burned when I start Insanity?

If you are inconsistent with your exercise, then choose BMR + exercise.

blessings

kbendert

bump to read later!

ermickel

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.

Ok....I am very curious about this because I have been stuck! According to these charts I am actually eating about 1000 calories to little (900-1300 per day) Here is my problem. I am not hungry so at the end of the day when I am sitting at 1000 calories I feel like what the heck should I eat to have more calories that aren't just empty. I am working out 5 days a week doing the 30 day shred right now. When I AM hungry I eat. I eat alot of protein so I stay satisfied. Thoughts?!? Feel free to friend me so you can see my logs !!

Thanks,
Beth