Raising your caloric intake to lose? How do you know when?

Marlietta

So, because my job is pretty sedentary and vigorous workouts are still difficult for me, as I am not yet conditioned, my daily caloric intake is pretty low compared to some I've seen around here.

My question is, how do you know when to add back the calories? Do you wait until you stop losing but haven't met your goal? Do you adjust it as you regularly increase your exercise and intensity?

Does MFP give you suggestions based on your tracking to update your info?

Thanks for any tips!
Marlietta

amclaws25

As a general rule, the more muscle mass you have, the more fuel your body will need. I kept mine on the lower side, 1200, until I hit a plateau. Then I upped to 1500 and upped my excercise as well after 2 shock days, one of fasting, and one of heavier eating. Do not up your calories though unless you are increasing your workout intensity though. I do about 30-40 minutes of cardio (usually sprint/jog/walk intervals on treadmill or similiar), then about 40 minutes of little rest heavy weight training. I also do a workout video in the mornings a couple days a week before my gym workout. Usually Insanity or Tapout XT for 40 minutes. I try to eat around 150 grams of protein per day as well. The scale hasn't moved much for me, but I am dropping inches like crazy and gaining lean muscle. That's what I do, but I mostly recommend switching stuff up once you notice a plateau. Everybody is different so you just have to play with the numbers for a week at a time and see how your body works with it.