If you are scared to increase calories
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I bumped up to 1900-2000 a little over three weeks ago. Hadn't lost since I first joined and was on the assinine 1200 hampster wheel. I gained about 4 pounds at first, but since then I've dropped the four and another 1.8. Not bad for three weeks. The inches are going too. I feel amazing! I have strength and stamina! My hair and nails are even getting stronger and healthy. I'm not in a constant brain fog or constantly in a bad mood. We aren't meant to function on so little.
I need to copy and paste this on my FOREHEAD. I've increased (gained a smidge) decreased (maintained) increased (gain a tad) decreased (maintained) for months and months now. Every time I increase calories and gain an ounce, I get scared and bail. I have to find the courage to face a possible 4-5# gain and work through it. Thanks for posting.
I am certain one can lose weight on 1200 calories a day, buy why when you don't have to?
**Edit: I do know my F2F numbers range from 2127-2367, depending on what activity level I use. I have honestly never gotten that high for more than a day...yikes. Interestingly enough, I also had a hydrostatic BF test and BMR test done and know that the BRM on F2F for my age (1509) is low. My actual is 1613, so my TDEE with cut should actually be slightly higher than 2127-2367. For now I shall attempt 1900 and white knuckle it though the initial gain.0 -
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Ok I totally buy into the fat2fit philosophy of eat more to weigh less, I am struggling to eat the amount of calories. I always make sure I net above my BMR I know I need to prepare more meals ahead and the most of my problems is failing to prepare weekly for meals and such. Secondly I work long hours and I’m struggling to find time to get into a gym, although at this point I am content with the 30 day shred. I’m just wondering if you all have examples of the five to seven meals you eat a day and if you think that even though at this point I do not have access to a gym is body resistant training enough of a replacement for heavy lifting? Oh and I'm doing one of the couch to 5k apps. pretty much every other day.
I don't eat 5 to 7 meals a day. I eat three meals and usually an afternoon snack to keep me from getting too hungry and then overeating.
Do you have access to dumbbells or can you buy them? I've had noticeable results from doing squats, lunges, and dead lifts with only two 25 lb dumbbells. I highly recommend weight lifting. I know it sounds hard to believe but it truly makes a huge difference in your body. I lost most of my weight before I started weight lifting (ChaLean Extreme from Beach Body), yet I get way more comments/compliments in the last two months since I started lifting. I've only lost about 4 lbs since I started, but lost over 8 inches.0 -
I need to copy and paste this on my FOREHEAD. I've increased (gained a smidge) decreased (maintained) increased (gain a tad) decreased (maintained) for months and months now. Every time I increase calories and gain an ounce, I get scared and bail. I have to find the courage to face a possible 4-5# gain and work through it. Thanks for posting.
I am certain one can lose weight on 1200 calories a day, buy why when you don't have to?
**Edit: I do know my F2F numbers range from 2127-2367, depending on what activity level I use. I have honestly never gotten that high for more than a day...yikes. Interestingly enough, I also had a hydrostatic BF test and BMR test done and know that the BRM on F2F for my age (1509) is low. My actual is 1613, so my TDEE with cut should actually be slightly higher than 2127-2367. For now I shall attempt 1900 and white knuckle it though the initial gain.
You can do it! Trust that it will work and give yourself the time to let it do its things. I completely understand your fear. I had to force myself to keep going. I wasn't losing eating less at that point anyway so I figured I had nothing to lose. I feel so much better since I'm eating more. I gained 2.4 lbs at first, but it's come off plus some more pounds.0 -
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I also deal with hypothyroidism, but I would think that once we've stabled out our medication and have been taking it a while, it should no longer be much, if any, of a factor. Of course I'm no doctor and I'm just in the early stages of this lifestyle change, etc etc. I think I'll ask my Dr next time I go in.Hypothyroidism tends to make this theory invalid.
Hypothyroidism is often CAUSED and/or EXACERBATED by too few calories over an extended period of time. (Google this, so I don't have to repost here).
I have 4 female relatives with Hashimoto's disease, and I used to have it. Yes. Used to. As in "not anymore". I took thyroid meds, and was exhausted for 7 years (7 DAMN YEARS!). Much of that time I was on WW minimum points (about 1200 calories a day) and working my *kitten* off 6 days/week without eating my extra points. I actually slowly gained weight over 18 mos. while practically starving. I did not know then what I was doing to my body.
See the 3rd post here for the long story version:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/583996-is-it-true?hl=brownout#posts-8324862
Now that I eat properly, I lost all the weight I had gained over that 18 mos., and I have been off meds just over 2 years now. More importantly, NO more thyroid issues. Normal neck ultrasound, normal blood test results, no more hair loss, gray skin, brittle nails, or fatigue.
Something to think about.0 -
i don't really understand anything anymore. I was losing for few months, but now i have plateaued.
But I know someone on MFP that told me they eat 1200 calories a day, burn about 1000 every time they exercise and they hardly ever eat any exercise calories back. They've lost over 100lbs doing this for almost a year. I guess I just can't understand how anyone could survive on 200-300 net calories, and even if I do that I don't lose.
If I eat back calories, I don't lose...and if i don't eat them back, i don't lose.
When I exercise, I don't lose. When I don't exercise, I don't lose. This has been going on since april. It's very disheartening.
I am unemployed, set to lightly active, currently bouncing between 235 and 236lbs, 5'7 and I was consuming 1500 but they've dropped me down to 1480 for the last few weeks.
I feel like I was in a groove and now it just...well, died.
I've been taking my levothyroxin regularly, so I don't think I can attribute it to hashimoto's. blah0 -
LilacDreamer, this is for you:
Living With Obesity At 700 Calories Per Day!
By: David Greenwalt
I want you to consider a common female client. She's a woman about 5'5" and 185 pounds. A combination of a mostly sedentary lifestyle, quick-fix, processed foods and consistent excessively low calories has resulted in an incredibly stubborn fat loss scenario. Not only has it created a stubborn fat loss scenario but her ability to add body fat is remarkably strong.
Most would believe there is simply no possible way she could be 185 pounds eating mostly low calories. While it's true the average obese American created their own obesity by being a huge over consumer, a sedentary glutton if you will, many are able to maintain their level of obesity with the following formula in very precise ratios: starvation + binges + sedentary lifestyle.
An initial review of this woman's calories indicates she is just above starvation level in the 400-700 per day range. The food choices are mostly protein in this case (low-carb is all the rage you know) and there are virtually no vegetables or fruits to speak of.
Five or six days per week the calories remain low in this range, however, there are nighttime binges from time to time and weekend binges where carbs loaded with fat (doughnuts, rolls, cookies, pizza etc.) are consumed.
So while the calories are very low the majority of the time, there are one to two days per week where this isn't always the case. Even so, the nighttime binges and weekend slack offs don't amount to what you might presume would be thousands of extra calories, thus explaining the 185-pound body weight.
Very few foods are prepared from home. There are lots of fast foods being consumed. Convenience and taste rule.
I must say. Early on in my coaching and teaching career this woman was a real head scratcher for me. Isn't it calories in and calories out? Even if she's not active she's starving!
How in the heck does she stay at 185 eating an average, including all binges, of maybe 750 calories per day? She's frustrated beyond belief. She sees her friends and coworkers eating more and weighing less. Is she simply unlucky? Is everyone else blessed? And what in the world is she supposed to do to fix this, if it can be fixed?
Why Is She Not Losing Weight?
First, let me tell you why she's not losing weight. Then I'll tell you what she has to do to fix the situation. With a chronic (months and months) intake of less than 1000 calories per day and a 185-pound body weight her metabolism is suffering greatly. It's running cool, not hot. It's basically running at a snail's pace.
Think of it this way. Her metabolism has matched itself to her intake. She could, indeed, lose body fat but she's in that gray area where she is eating too few calories but not quite at the concentration-camp level yet.
If she were to consume 100-300 calories per day her body would have virtually no choice but to begin liberating stored body fat. This is NOT the solution. It's unhealthy and, in fact, quite stupid.
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Not only has her metabolism matched her intake, her body has maximized production of enzymes that are designed to help store any additional calories as fat. Anytime additional, immediately-unnecessary calories are consumed the enzymes are there and waiting to store the additional calories as fat. Her body is starved nutritionally and it has one thing on its mind - survival.
Being mostly sedentary, her metabolism (hormones play a large role here) can do a pretty good job of keeping things slow enough so that the pathetically low calories she's consuming are just enough to maintain.
But since certain enzymes are elevated, waiting for more calories so more bodyfat can be stored, every nighttime binge or weekend mini-feast will contribute to fat stores.
So on the days she's not bingeing her body does not lose fat, or if it does, it's very little. And on the few days or times she does binge a bit her body is quite efficient at storing fat. So, while she may lose a smidge of fat from starving it is quickly replaced with every binge.
Remember, these binges aren't a gluttonous 4000-calorie feast. Oh no, a binge might be 4-5 cookies worth about 500-700 calories. Nevertheless, since the binge foods are mostly carbs and fat it's very easy for the enzymes to shuttle the dietary fat into stored body fat. It's what they were designed to do.
So, What's The Solution?
Well then, now that we presumably know some valid reasons why she's not seeing a scale change and definitely no body fat change how do we fix her? We have to do something she's going to freak out over.
We have to get her eating more. Not only do we have to get her eating more but more of the right, whole foods need to be eaten. Foods lower in fat that aren't as easily STORED as body fat have to be consumed. And we have to warn her.
A Discouraging Start
We have to warn her that since she's been sedentarily living on protein with binges of carbs and fats she is likely to see a weight gain right away. It's true.
Once we begin really feeding her body with nutritious carbohydrates so she can become more active, her glycogen-depleted body will hang on to some of those carbohydrates (in skeletal muscle and liver) so she has stored energy for activity.
When her body hangs on to those carbohydrates it has no choice but to hang on to more water too. For every gram of glycogen (stored carbs) she stores she'll hang on to three grams of water.
This is not a negative response by the body but it will be interpreted by her as quite negative when she steps on the scale.
It's quite likely she'll see a five to seven pound weight gain when she really starts eating properly again. This weight gain will remain for one to three weeks before it starts moving in the other direction.
For argument's sake let's assume my Calorie Calculator and Goal Setter at Club Lifestyle suggests a 1500-calorie per day average in week one for a one-pound loss per week. First, she is going to freak out about this many calories.
For months she's been eating less than 1000 and usually around 400-700 in one to three feedings total per day. To her 1500 calories is a ton of food. And if she even begins to eat less fast and packaged-foods it will be a ton of food.
There is no doubt whatsoever that she will resist the increase. This resistance may take one to three weeks to overcome. During this period no weight loss will occur. She is too fat already in her mind and believes it will only hurt her to increase her food intake.
I mean, after all, isn't that how she got fat to begin with? In her early stages of fat gain this was probably true. She overconsumed. But as I've said already, that's not why she's staying heavy.
In addition to a freaked-out mindset about adding more food to her already overfat body she will simply find that it's all but impossible to eat four or more times per day.
She's just not hungry at first. Makes sense when you think about it. Why would she be hungry three hours after eating a 300-calorie, balanced breakfast? Her body is used to 400-700 calories per day!
So, even though she gets a plan and begins using my nutrition analyzer to log foods and meals she finds after having a balanced breakfast of 250 calories she couldn't force herself to eat meal number two on time.
It'll take several more days of realizing what is going on and being one-hundred percent honest and diligent with her logging and planning before she begins to eat her meals as planned no matter what - even if she's not hungry.
By now two to four weeks have passed and the only thing she's seen on the scale is it going up--not very encouraging if I say so myself.
Raising The Grade
After the first two to four weeks have passed she's probably beginning to consume her meals as planned although not quite like an "A" student yet. That is coming. She feels better because she's working out and is more active.
And she feels like she has more energy throughout the day because she's feeding her body more calories and the right kinds of calories.
She has finally begun eating the right kinds of fast foods (low in fat, moderate in protein) and less packaged food overall. She is making more meals from home and taking them to work for lunch rather than always grabbing something quick from a vending machine or the break room that always has some treat another employee brought in.
After another two weeks or so she's moved from a "B" grade to more consistent "A"s. She's planning her days one day ahead in the Nutrition Analyzer; she's consuming fresh veggies and fruits on a daily basis.
Her calories are almost ALWAYS in line with what is recommended by my Lean Account and she has seen her first signs of the scale moving in the right direction.
She is now dropping from 190 pounds (her high after reintroducing food and carbohydrates again) to 189.3! "Progress at last!" she says. In actuality, the entire process was progress. But that's not how she saw it in the beginning.
With a total of two to four weeks of increased caloric intake behind her and eating more consistently the right kinds of foods her metabolism has truly begun to rebound.
She didn't kill it as she thought. She only wounded it. And since our metabolisms are like kids (they are quite resilient) and she doesn't have thyroid issues or diabetes or any known wrench that could be thrown into the spokes of fat loss, she will begin, for the first time in months or years, to see results that make sense and that one would expect of someone who is active (30-60 minutes five or more days per week) and consuming a caloric intake of 1300-1500 calories per day.
Butterfly Effect: The Basics Of The Thyroid - Part 1.
Avoiding Sabotage
This process is in no way easy. I think you can see a plethora of ways it could be screwed up, sabotaged, given up on too early and so forth.
A key to success for this very common woman (men too) is not giving up too soon, having faith in the fix, and moving sooner rather than later to the increased, quality food intake.
It's going to take effort to overcome the mental hurdles of eating more food as well as the increase in scale weight that is going to occur in weeks one to three or so. It's disheartening, however, to charge hard down the weight-loss field only to get to the one-yard line and decide it's time to quit.
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Many don't realize they only had one more yard to go and they'd have had a touchdown. You gotta hang in there with this plan. It's going to take some time for the glycogen levels to be replenished and level out. It's going to take some time for mental adjustments to occur.
It's going to take some time before hunger signals are restored to anything close to normal. It's going to take time for the metabolism to rebound and not be in its protective mode.
Giving A Stubborn Body The Message
In certain, very stubborn cases, it may be necessary to eat at a eucaloric (maintenance) or hypercaloric (over maintenance) level for a few weeks to ensure the metabolism does get the signal that everything is alright and you aren't going to kill the body.
Remember, your body could care less about your desire for fat loss. It just wants to survive.
Some Take-Home Points
The most common cause of obesity is Americans are sedentary overeaters/drinkers. Nothing in this article should be construed as to say that under eating is the root cause of obesity. It's not.
It IS common for many men and women to be under eating with sporadic binges as I described here. This creates a perfect environment for continued obesity even if total caloric intake is quite low on average.
Low-carb followers or "starvers" WILL see the scale go up when calories are consumed at reasonable levels again and carbohydrates are reintroduced. Live with it. Deal with it. It's going to happen. 98% of the gain will be water.
The time it takes for mental acceptance and other adjustments to occur will vary but one should expect a two to four week window for these things to take place. Being forewarned with an article like this may speed this process up some.
Once the right types of foods are consumed and the right caloric intake is consumed and the right ratios of carbohydrates, proteins and fats are consumed on a consistent basis, then, and only then, will metabolism begin to be restored and the key to fat loss be inserted into the lock with a noticeable drop in the scale resulting.
This may take an additional two to four weeks to occur. Your metabolism is never dead or broken for good. But it may take several weeks of proper eating and activity for it to be restored.
From day one, until the first, noticeable drop in the scale occurs may be four to six weeks--maybe one to two weeks longer. Those who give up on the one-yard line will never see the scale drop as will occur when intelligent persistence and consistency over time are adhered to.
David Greenwalt0 -
Great Article sleepytexan. I also recommend Lyle Mcdonald's Training the Obese Beginner for those with more than 50lbs to lose. Its a little more technical but its chock full of good info. Its in 7 parts.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/training-the-obese-beginner.html0 -
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Great Article sleepytexan. I also recommend Lyle Mcdonald's Training the Obese Beginner for those with more than 50lbs to lose. Its a little more technical but its chock full of good info. Its in 7 parts.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/training-the-obese-beginner.html
Agreed - both very good articles, thank you for posting!0 -
I totally agree with you, OP. I had been stuck in the brainwashed fog of thinking 1200 calories was what I needed to do to lose weight. I did it all the time over the years, and lost weight, but it always came back once I started eating like a human being again. Now, I eat about 1500 to 1700 calories a day and only exercise maybe 3 days a week, and I am losing. I also eat back whatever exercise calories I earn on my workout days.0
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bumpp0
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Using this advice:
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.
Would it be acceptible to use your sedentary TDEE as your daily calorie goal on MFP, and then eat back your exercise calories? (To make MFP entries easier)0 -
Would it be acceptible to use your sedentary TDEE as your daily calorie goal on MFP, and then eat back your exercise calories? (To make MFP entries easier)
Yes, that is fine. It is what I do. Due to my family's schedule I can't count on working out so I have my calorie goal set to 1550 (a bit above my BMR) and eat back most of my exercise calories.0 -
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.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.
Agreed! I want to meet someone who works out and eats 2,000 cals a day and actuall gains.... Doubtful! Why would someone want to create a crappy metabolism that can't handle anything. I eat and I can't imagine ever doing 1,200 cals a day, just stupid when as a nurse practitioner I can say BMR is a real factor that u should never eat below!0 -
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.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.
Agreed! I want to meet someone who works out and eats 2,000 cals a day and actuall gains.... Doubtful! Why would someone want to create a crappy metabolism that can't handle anything. I eat and I can't imagine ever doing 1,200 cals a day, just stupid when as a nurse practitioner I can say BMR is a real factor that u should never eat below!
^this based on the fact I can eat over that and not gain.0 -
I've been eating my upped calories for 2 weeks now...I'm 5 weeks into Ripped in 30 (I finished the first 30 days on 5/14 and decided to go for a second round) and just started using 8lb dumbbells this week during the workout instead of the 2 & 5lb ones I was using the first 4 weeks. Earlier in the week the scale dropped 2lbs. and I was thrilled...now it's back up those 2lbs.
I just need to reinforcement from people that have done this that I HAVE to stick with it! I know it can take 3 weeks before I start to see it working. Plus I'm thinking I'm retaining more water than normal with the extra weight I've added into my workouts.
I have to say that I can't fathom eating any less than I am now. Two weeks ago I totally freaked at trying to get anywhere close to 1800 cals a day...and now I'm happily consuming right around 2000.
I feel a lot better but I just want that darn scale to move!! I know I need to measure to and I plan to do that at the end of my 30 days.0 -
I've been eating my upped calories for 2 weeks now...I'm 5 weeks into Ripped in 30 (I finished the first 30 days on 5/14 and decided to go for a second round) and just started using 8lb dumbbells this week during the workout instead of the 2 & 5lb ones I was using the first 4 weeks. Earlier in the week the scale dropped 2lbs. and I was thrilled...now it's back up those 2lbs.
I just need to reinforcement from people that have done this that I HAVE to stick with it! I know it can take 3 weeks before I start to see it working. Plus I'm thinking I'm retaining more water than normal with the extra weight I've added into my workouts.
I have to say that I can't fathom eating any less than I am now. Two weeks ago I totally freaked at trying to get anywhere close to 1800 cals a day...and now I'm happily consuming right around 2000.
I feel a lot better but I just want that darn scale to move!! I know I need to measure to and I plan to do that at the end of my 30 days.
Do NOT give up! You have to stick with it to give your body time to adjust.
I started a new phase of my workout program and gained 1 lb on the scale overnight. Did you eat enough calories to gain 2 lbs in a few days? At 2000 cals there is no way you did. It is just your body holding on to water. It will let it go as you adjust to the heavier weights.
It's great that you are feeling better. Enjoy that feeling and hang tough! Your body will catch on. It just needs some more time.0 -
I've been eating my upped calories for 2 weeks now...I'm 5 weeks into Ripped in 30 (I finished the first 30 days on 5/14 and decided to go for a second round) and just started using 8lb dumbbells this week during the workout instead of the 2 & 5lb ones I was using the first 4 weeks. Earlier in the week the scale dropped 2lbs. and I was thrilled...now it's back up those 2lbs.
I just need to reinforcement from people that have done this that I HAVE to stick with it! I know it can take 3 weeks before I start to see it working. Plus I'm thinking I'm retaining more water than normal with the extra weight I've added into my workouts.
I have to say that I can't fathom eating any less than I am now. Two weeks ago I totally freaked at trying to get anywhere close to 1800 cals a day...and now I'm happily consuming right around 2000.
I feel a lot better but I just want that darn scale to move!! I know I need to measure to and I plan to do that at the end of my 30 days.
Do NOT give up! You have to stick with it to give your body time to adjust.
I started a new phase of my workout program and gained 1 lb on the scale overnight. Did you eat enough calories to gain 2 lbs in a few days? At 2000 cals there is no way you did. It is just your body holding on to water. It will let it go as you adjust to the heavier weights.
It's great that you are feeling better. Enjoy that feeling and hang tough! Your body will catch on. It just needs some more time.
THANK YOU kincar! :flowerforyou:
That was definitely the kind of motivation I was looking for. Sometimes it's so hard to be logical about this...but you're definitely right. I have not eaten enough to actually gain. I know I'm at a deficit between the amount I'm eating and the amount I'm burning.
How does everyone treat their rest days? Do you eat the same amount, more or less? I always find myself more hungry than normal on my rest day so I'm not sure if I should try and stick to my allotment, go a little below or just say what the hell and enjoy a couple hundred extra cals.0 -
I've been eating my upped calories for 2 weeks now...I'm 5 weeks into Ripped in 30 (I finished the first 30 days on 5/14 and decided to go for a second round) and just started using 8lb dumbbells this week during the workout instead of the 2 & 5lb ones I was using the first 4 weeks. Earlier in the week the scale dropped 2lbs. and I was thrilled...now it's back up those 2lbs.
I just need to reinforcement from people that have done this that I HAVE to stick with it! I know it can take 3 weeks before I start to see it working. Plus I'm thinking I'm retaining more water than normal with the extra weight I've added into my workouts.
I have to say that I can't fathom eating any less than I am now. Two weeks ago I totally freaked at trying to get anywhere close to 1800 cals a day...and now I'm happily consuming right around 2000.
I feel a lot better but I just want that darn scale to move!! I know I need to measure to and I plan to do that at the end of my 30 days.
Do NOT give up! You have to stick with it to give your body time to adjust.
I started a new phase of my workout program and gained 1 lb on the scale overnight. Did you eat enough calories to gain 2 lbs in a few days? At 2000 cals there is no way you did. It is just your body holding on to water. It will let it go as you adjust to the heavier weights.
It's great that you are feeling better. Enjoy that feeling and hang tough! Your body will catch on. It just needs some more time.
THANK YOU kincar! :flowerforyou:
That was definitely the kind of motivation I was looking for. Sometimes it's so hard to be logical about this...but you're definitely right. I have not eaten enough to actually gain. I know I'm at a deficit between the amount I'm eating and the amount I'm burning.
How does everyone treat their rest days? Do you eat the same amount, more or less? I always find myself more hungry than normal on my rest day so I'm not sure if I should try and stick to my allotment, go a little below or just say what the hell and enjoy a couple hundred extra cals.
I'm really curious about this too......Sunday is my rest day and honestly I'm not usually that hungry when I havent worked out.0 -
THANK YOU kincar! :flowerforyou:
That was definitely the kind of motivation I was looking for. Sometimes it's so hard to be logical about this...but you're definitely right. I have not eaten enough to actually gain. I know I'm at a deficit between the amount I'm eating and the amount I'm burning.
How does everyone treat their rest days? Do you eat the same amount, more or less? I always find myself more hungry than normal on my rest day so I'm not sure if I should try and stick to my allotment, go a little below or just say what the hell and enjoy a couple hundred extra cals.
I'm glad I could help. I was in your shoes not long ago. I'd put on 2.4 lbs. I had to keep telling myself I hadn't eaten enough calories to gain. I held on to that until that weight plus more came off.
You are eating a cut from your TDEE, right? Then you eat the same amount every day.
You can splurge on a couple hundred extra calories now and then. I usually have one day every week or two when I eat a little more with no ill affects.
Remember: Hang tough!0 -
THANK YOU kincar! :flowerforyou:
That was definitely the kind of motivation I was looking for. Sometimes it's so hard to be logical about this...but you're definitely right. I have not eaten enough to actually gain. I know I'm at a deficit between the amount I'm eating and the amount I'm burning.
How does everyone treat their rest days? Do you eat the same amount, more or less? I always find myself more hungry than normal on my rest day so I'm not sure if I should try and stick to my allotment, go a little below or just say what the hell and enjoy a couple hundred extra cals.
I'm glad I could help. I was in your shoes not long ago. I'd put on 2.4 lbs. I had to keep telling myself I hadn't eaten enough calories to gain. I held on to that until that weight plus more came off.
You are eating a cut from your TDEE, right? Then you eat the same amount every day.
You can splurge on a couple hundred extra calories now and then. I usually have one day every week or two when I eat a little more with no ill affects.
Remember: Hang tough!
Yes, I'm doing 20% off of my TDEE right now since I've got a bit to drop. Thanks again for the support. I can't wait to be one of the people that comes back and is a success story!0 -
wow i went to the fat2fitradio.com site and was pretty surprised at the calories...I mean, they look like normal calories for maintenance for what I want, but not for losing. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm. It's interesting. Check it out, if you haven't. Oh, and for activity level it factors in exercise cals, just fyi0
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Thank you so much for posting this! I was one of those people who stuck to a 1200 calorie diet, and would only eat back very little of my exercise calories. I have upped my intake to 1600 and will stay with this for a while and see how it goes!0
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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.
When are you going to be happy to do whatever it is you do and stop yapping like a little lapdog about what works for YOU, and how everybody should eat less than 1200 calories.... Go eat something, it might give you something constructive to do.....0 -
I think everybody is wayyy to focused on how many calories they should be eating and if they should eat their exercise calories back. I've been guilty of this too. We need to listen to our bodies. Our bodies know best. If you haven't eaten back your exercise calories and feel satisfied at the end of the day, then no need to eat. If you eat 1,200 calories for the day and aren't hungry at the end of the day, then you don't have to eat. It goes the other way too. If you are still hungry at the end of the day, then eat.0
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I think everybody is wayyy to focused on how many calories they should be eating and if they should eat their exercise calories back. I've been guilty of this too. We need to listen to our bodies. Our bodies know best. If you haven't eaten back your exercise calories and feel satisfied at the end of the day, then no need to eat. If you eat 1,200 calories for the day and aren't hungry at the end of the day, then you don't have to eat. It goes the other way too. If you are still hungry at the end of the day, then eat.
"Listening to your body" is what gets people fat and keeps them fat. It is VERY important to pay attention to how many calories you eat IF you would like to reach goal and maintain a healthy weight. Your body gets used to how much you eat. That is not necessarily a good thing if you are eating too few or too many calories.
Take a look at the "Living with Obesity at 700 calories a day". Even if you are not obese, you can see how eating too few calories can actually keep you overweight.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/core_march_8.htm
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing0 -
I am eating what I normally eat during the day and with my exercising I am not getting my full 1200 calorie intake. and sometimes even without the exercises.. Do I need to go back to eating some red meat?0
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