If you are scared to increase calories

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  • ucsneakerz
    ucsneakerz Posts: 25 Member
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    If you only have 60 lbs to lose, I'm going to bet your BF is less than 53%... like the other girl said you might want to find out what it really is... and that will also affect your projected #'s.

    It looked off to me too, to be honest, but its a good starting point. I have 80 pounds to lose total but was picking a benchmark. I'm 5'5" 220 right now.
  • tiffanic83
    tiffanic83 Posts: 64
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    alright for giggles I just tried that army calculator and it says I'm 20!!! points higher than when I was actually tested. Again just numbers don''t say anything!
  • odusgolp
    odusgolp Posts: 10,477 Member
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    The more I read, the more confused I am. Bedtime :(
  • chrisb75
    chrisb75 Posts: 395 Member
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    alright for giggles I just tried that army calculator and it says I'm 20!!! points higher than when I was actually tested. Again just numbers don''t say anything!
    Make sure you measuring your waist at the most narrow point, not at the navel.
  • toysbigkid
    toysbigkid Posts: 545 Member
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    bump
  • Danielle_2013
    Danielle_2013 Posts: 806 Member
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    I am so in love with the almond butter I get to eat now that I've learned to up my calories... so much better than feeling like I wanted to chew off my own arm and not losing any weight to boot!
    Now I can actually eat a few nice things without the instant weight gain.. in fact I'm losing.

    Sweet nutty happiness..
  • aimeeinohio
    aimeeinohio Posts: 301 Member
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    I have to say, that after reading all this stuff about the BMR, etc, I was totally confused, but I went to two different calculators and they both gave me the same calorie amount, so I came back to MFP and changed stuff so that the MFP calorie count came close to what the other calculators were telling me.

    I did this 4 weeks ago. When I changed it, going from 1200 cal a day to a little over 1500, I was jogging & walking every other day. A week after the switch, I got VERY sick, and was down for 2 weeks. Guess what- I STILL lost a pound in that two weeks, and my jeans are looser fitting. This week, after having been sick and miserable for 2 weeks, and being done with the school semester, I have had a flat-out LAZY week, and I've been enjoying it :) And, I have lost a pound this week.

    While I don't care about the WEIGHT so much, I want to be smaller and healthier. My jeans are loose, and last summer's tank top that I tried on 2 months ago and COULD NOT WEAR without scaring the neighbors, yesterday fit the way it should.

    I'm a happy camper.
  • Healthy_4_Life2
    Healthy_4_Life2 Posts: 595 Member
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    I have always been one to refuse to increase my calories for fear of gaining. However, when I finally stalled, I decided to do so. I went from 1200 to about 1900. I did it somewhat gradually at first, but eventually went to 1900 and some days I eat more if I workout alot. This is amazing as I have started losing again. I know alot of people are so afraid to try increase their calories, but if you are not losing weight, why not give it a try. You might be pleasantly surprised.
  • dare2love81
    dare2love81 Posts: 928 Member
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    bump
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
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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.

    a grown man eating like a chihuahua. always amazes me
  • Brianabomb
    Brianabomb Posts: 87 Member
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    Ok- I have read everyone's post and I just want to confirm for myself:

    If My BF% is 46.8% that makes my goal weight 139 (which is lower that what I was shooting for but no biggie)

    the Katch-McArdle says my BMR is 1391

    The chart I get for lightly active says I need to eat 1939 calories a day

    So, I keep doing what I'm doing exercise wise and DON'T eat my exercise calories back? Just stick with the 1939 total?

    Is the 1939 my tdee? If so, than if I'm eating this but burning lets say 300 cals, then my deficit is 300 cals a day? Which in turn make it a 2100 deficit per week? Which is not even a pound?

    Oh golly! I've been on a plateau for 5 wks now and I really want to get this right.
  • ucsneakerz
    ucsneakerz Posts: 25 Member
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    Ok, one last question, because this is rocking my weight loss world!

    Ironman kind of hit on this, but what are some easy ways to increase calorie intake? Protein shakes? Anyone have specific protein shake recommendations?

    I'm trying to make sure I increase effectively but not with junk food and an overabundance of things like pasta and bread (which will be my taste buds inkling...)

    Thanks!
  • moerketid
    moerketid Posts: 12 Member
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    Just a quick question here...I admit I'm one of the very low calorie eaters. I'm terrified to increase because I seem to gain weight so extremely easily, and I also don't have a huge appetite anyway, so I find it difficult to eat so much.

    But more than that, I have a disability which makes strenuous workouts difficult. Most of the time I can walk every day for at least 30 minutes (though occasionally will have a couple of weeks where I'm feeling less well and am more inactive). Will this kind of thing work for me? The Fat2Fit site thinks I can eat 2030 calories (!!!) at sedentary and the mere idea makes me panic!

    What's the catch here? >_>
  • chrisb75
    chrisb75 Posts: 395 Member
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    Ok, one last question, because this is rocking my weight loss world!

    Ironman kind of hit on this, but what are some easy ways to increase calorie intake? Protein shakes? Anyone have specific protein shake recommendations?

    I'm trying to make sure I increase effectively but not with junk food and an overabundance of things like pasta and bread (which will be my taste buds inkling...)

    Thanks!

    Switch to full fat versions of yogurt, cottage cheese, eat nuts, protein shakes
  • fairestthings
    fairestthings Posts: 335 Member
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    I'm 5'0" even and it's telling me to eat 2046 O_O. That seems so... off. I exercise 5-6 days a week and eat healthy regularly. Due to the fact im not obese and only need to lose 20-30# weight comes off very slowly for me anyways. I'm really concerned about upping to 2,000!!!

    I'm just confused now >.>
  • regmcc
    regmcc Posts: 81 Member
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    I have a scale tha tells me my body fat %, anyone have any info how acurate this would be? Also I have recently upped my calories to close to what fat2fit gave me in their calculations, I haven't lost anything in 3 weeks but have jumped back and forth by about 3 lbs. I am getting a little discouraged but am going to stick it out for another week. I suspect that it's is the increase in calories as well as what I've been eating, I find it hard to get the extra calories and I'm afraid it has been with treats, cookies and chips! The extra calories I know should come from a green smoothy or something like that.

    If you are truly running a deficit, eating some bad food here and there won't hurt your effort. Try eating more calorie dense food like whole fat versions of milk/cottage cheese/yougurt, nuts, and seeds. I perscribe to the 80/20 plan. If 80% of your calories come from good sources the 20% won't matter, AS LONG AS YOU ARE IN A DEFICIT or maintenance.



    Thanks that makes sense. Anyone have any thoughts on my scale and how accurate it may or may not be?
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
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    Just a quick question here...I admit I'm one of the very low calorie eaters. I'm terrified to increase because I seem to gain weight so extremely easily, and I also don't have a huge appetite anyway, so I find it difficult to eat so much.

    But more than that, I have a disability which makes strenuous workouts difficult. Most of the time I can walk every day for at least 30 minutes (though occasionally will have a couple of weeks where I'm feeling less well and am more inactive). Will this kind of thing work for me? The Fat2Fit site thinks I can eat 2030 calories (!!!) at sedentary and the mere idea makes me panic!

    What's the catch here? >_>

    2030 sounds about right. The only catch is that you have to start believing that starving yourself is not the optimal approach.
  • tinam76
    tinam76 Posts: 59 Member
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    okay so i am new at this and i am always reading eat back don't eat back increase don't increase so very confused ! here i am . i have been on for three weeks first week lost pounds second week 2 pounds this week 1 pound. i am a stay at home mom everything gives me different numbers(scale, mfp, and treadmill) i listing my activity as sedetary when i started because a wasn't "setting time aside time for exercise" just the normal cooking and cleaning. so i been walking at least 4 days a week average 40 minutes. i also do crunches , and bicep curls 5 lbs weight. wanting to get to gym 3 days a week but really only making it one to 2 days i do weights there. should i raise my calories? somedays i am so hungry having to exercise in order to eat more than 1200 calories, some days not even eating 1200. should i wait until i have no weight loss to change my activity or should i increase now. kind of scared that i will increase and then have slow days and not burn enough calories to be eating more. i don't want to undo the nine pounds i have already lost? please tell me what you think. oh fyi was thinking 2 things one i lost 6 the first week because the extra activity was a shock to the body 2nd thing is and maybe tmi sorry if it is but i think we are all grown today i started cycle and i know they say a week prior we start to bloat so can that explain the 1 pound loss this week my weigh in day was thursday. please tell me what you all think especially those who have been doing this a while. thanks guys
  • Brianabomb
    Brianabomb Posts: 87 Member
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    can anyone confirm my above post for me? Please??
  • aimeeinohio
    aimeeinohio Posts: 301 Member
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    Tina,
    I NEVER consider what I weigh a few days before or during my period, because I too bloat terribly, and I have terrible stomach upset during my period as well.

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