Who has started losing again after ADDING more calories?

Feisty_Red

Please put my mind at ease..been stalled for 3 months...after looking into it..best option was to up calories(wasnt eating after exercise 1200 daily) I've gone with eating no less than BMR and if I exercise...I try to eat back that..shy of 100 calories....unless I go really high ..but that just doesnt happen with me!


I've started..and I am just really paranoid :indifferent: Sucess stories??

DanaDark

My BMR is 1550 to 1650 depending on the calculator.

Normally I eat about 1400 a day. (Past 7 years or so).

When I try dieting, I lower that to 1100 to 1200 a day and add LOTS of cardio.

Results: Max weekly weight loss of 1 pound, then stall after 1 week. Every time. My weight has continued to slowly raise.

When I started eating closer to my BMR, now doing about 1500 to 1600 a day, with only going on walks, not jogging or elliptical etc, I lost 2.5lbs the first week of this.

Feisty_Red

My BMR is 1550 to 1650 depending on the calculator.

Normally I eat about 1400 a day. (Past 7 years or so).

When I try dieting, I lower that to 1100 to 1200 a day and add LOTS of cardio.

Results: Max weekly weight loss of 1 pound, then stall after 1 week. Every time. My weight has continued to slowly raise.

When I started eating closer to my BMR, now doing about 1500 to 1600 a day, with only going on walks, not jogging or elliptical etc, I lost 2.5lbs the first week of this.

This is GREEEAAAAAT news! Thank you I also..was doing a TON of cardio...1hr daily plus weight training.. I now have eased off that a bit.. only 3 times week...and 3 times weights..plus the boost in calories.. I'm just hoping I am not in for any surprises on that scale!! :blushing:

DanaDark

The scale might go up in water weight. Don't fear that.

Be sure to get protein. Lots of it. 1 gram per pound of lean body mass! For me, that's about 110g a day! It is tough to do!

Oh, and with me eating more per day, I feel a TON better... for YEARS I would take a nap in the middle of the day. 1 hour long. I would be exhausted... the day after I upped my calories... I was not longer exhausted. It was almost instant for me. I haven't napped since! And with that extra hour, I take my walk!

yarwell

When I started eating closer to my BMR, now doing about 1500 to 1600 a day, with only going on walks, not jogging or elliptical etc, I lost 2.5lbs the first week of this.

So you reduced the exercise intensity, and from what you posted in another thread added a lot more protein to your diet ? am I keeping up....

DanaDark

When I started eating closer to my BMR, now doing about 1500 to 1600 a day, with only going on walks, not jogging or elliptical etc, I lost 2.5lbs the first week of this.

So you reduced the exercise intensity, and from what you posted in another thread added a lot more protein to your diet ? am I keeping up....

Exactly. My diet has always been of very healthy foods. Problem was simply not getting enough of them, especially protein... my standard diet was normally 70 to 90% carbohydrates (leafy greens, vegetables, fruits).

Now doing more of 50% carbs, 30% protein, 20% fat.

Feisty_Red

When I started eating closer to my BMR, now doing about 1500 to 1600 a day, with only going on walks, not jogging or elliptical etc, I lost 2.5lbs the first week of this.

So you reduced the exercise intensity, and from what you posted in another thread added a lot more protein to your diet ? am I keeping up....

Exactly. My diet has always been of very healthy foods. Problem was simply not getting enough of them, especially protein... my standard diet was normally 70 to 90% carbohydrates (leafy greens, vegetables, fruits).

Now doing more of 50% carbs, 30% protein, 20% fat.

My protein is usually about 150-200 grams a day....no problem on that intake

yarwell

Exactly. My diet has always been of very healthy foods. Problem was simply not getting enough of them, especially protein... my standard diet was normally 70 to 90% carbohydrates (leafy greens, vegetables, fruits).

Now doing more of 50% carbs, 30% protein, 20% fat.

Cool, thanks.

My protein is usually about 150-200 grams a day....no problem on that intake

Seems excessive, your lean weight isn't that high. Maybe it is a problem.

astrampe

My protein is usually about 150-200 grams a day....no problem on that intake

Seems excessive, your lean weight isn't that high. Maybe it is a problem.
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Probably not - mine's the same, and I don't have any probelms...It will definitely not prevent weight loss.....

Briko3

Let me give you a scenario to think about. You're a body. You know that the tissue that burns the most calories is muscle and it burns 50 calories per day just sitting there. All of a sudden your food (calories) gets cut down to waaaay less than you need to even function. What do you think you're going to get rid of first? That's right...muscle. So here you are with 1 pound less muscle....which means your body is now burning 50 calories less per day than it was. That's 5 pounds per year LESS that your body is burning.

It doesn't matter how much protein you're taking in if it's not enough for your body to maintain its base processes.

Feisty_Red

Exactly. My diet has always been of very healthy foods. Problem was simply not getting enough of them, especially protein... my standard diet was normally 70 to 90% carbohydrates (leafy greens, vegetables, fruits).

Now doing more of 50% carbs, 30% protein, 20% fat.

Cool, thanks.

My protein is usually about 150-200 grams a day....no problem on that intake

Seems excessive, your lean weight isn't that high. Maybe it is a problem.

actually my lean weight is 172 if we go by this...which is what I have referenced in the past... ? Yes..you can do the math..I'm a large framed...tall girl
http://www.livestrong.com/article/171218-how-to-figure-out-lean-body-mass/

Feisty_Red

Let me give you a scenario to think about. You're a body. You know that the tissue that burns the most calories is muscle and it burns 50 calories per day just sitting there. All of a sudden your food (calories) gets cut down to waaaay less than you need to even function. What do you think you're going to get rid of first? That's right...muscle. So here you are with 1 pound less muscle....which means your body is now burning 50 calories less per day than it was. That's 5 pounds per year LESS that your body is burning.

It doesn't matter how much protein you're taking in if it's not enough for your body to maintain its base processes.

I have a very muscular build..and have been lucky enough to not appear(as of yet) to have lost any..nor do I want to lose it...Is BMR too low to try to hit? I'm tired of trying everything..I'm getting grumpy.. I just wish I knew the right number to stay healthy as I try to hit my goal weight..which isnt too far off...but it seems like it will never be lately!! I am happy with a small loss..I dont expect miracles.. a pound a MONTH at this point..I would be jumping for joy!!

cmurray234

I did. It wasn't a big jump in calories, but I went from 1200 to about 1500. I went from losing 1 lb every other week or so to losing about 1.5 every week.

My theory on this is that eating that few calories made me generally less active. At 1500, I have tons of energy thereby burning more calories (I'm just guessing, really. )

yarwell

Faced with a 3 month stall personally I would drop the protein from 30-35% of calories to about 25%, by increasing fats & oils, and restrict the "eating back" to half of the alleged exercise calories. I might do one of these at a time.

25% of calories from protein is still pretty high, so your bases are covered there.

http://home.exetel.com.au/surreality/health/A Review of Issues of Dietary Protein Intake in Humans.pdf is worth reading.

mcarter99

Your lean body mass is 172? What is your BMR, if you use one of those calculators that has body fat % as an input? It must be quite high. I wouldn't worry about eating under it.

Feisty_Red

I did. It wasn't a big jump in calories, but I went from 1200 to about 1500. I went from losing 1 lb every other week or so to losing about 1.5 every week.

My theory on this is that eating that few calories made me generally less active. At 1500, I have tons of energy thereby burning more calories (I'm just guessing, really. )

Good..that seems about where I was...but I am trying for a tad higher.. 1600-1700 min a day...Thank you for your input!

Feisty_Red

Your lean body mass is 172? What is your BMR, if you use one of those calculators that has body fat % as an input? It must be quite high. I wouldn't worry about eating under it.

If I go by those blanket calculator online..my BMR ranges from 1500-1700,,which is even more confusing..which is it? Again..I'm not petite(hah)

I dont know how accurate 172 is even? but that site I linked had a ton of measurement inputs. So..even if I was more 150 range..thats about the protein I get..and its not fatty type either..whey protein I love and with some good greek yogurt...you can have a shake that puts out close to 70gm on it owns..thats what I drink after I lift...

and I have a hard time with BMI...I am still considered OBESE...but I cant be...if you seen my legs and arms..you'd understand So..its hard to target my numbers.. Im a mess..haha

Feisty_Red

Faced with a 3 month stall personally I would drop the protein from 30-35% of calories to about 25%, by increasing fats & oils, and restrict the "eating back" to half of the alleged exercise calories. I might do one of these at a time.

25% of calories from protein is still pretty high, so your bases are covered there.

http://home.exetel.com.au/surreality/health/A Review of Issues of Dietary Protein Intake in Humans.pdf is worth reading.

I will check it out..Thank you so much for your input..I just want to do the right thing...and get the results I want...spinning my wheels in mud lately..and its not pretty

DanaDark

I couldn't get his site to load, but I generally trust .edu and .gov sites for information over .com...

http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/psychology/health_psychology/Protein.htm

Basically a sedimentary person that doesn't lift any weights needs around 0.8 g of protein per kg of body weight.

A person that goes to the gym needs around 1.7 to 1.8 per pound. Some body builders go as high as 3g per pound.

At 1.8g per kg, I come out to 112.5g of protein required (Weight lifting should be a part of every weight loss program). At a 30% of my calories, it is about 120g of protein. So, 112.5 vs 120g... I am dang near spot on!

grubb1019

I was eating 1100-1200 daily and stalled for 2 weeks after loosing 20 lbs. Started eating around 1500 and I'm loosing again.

Feisty_Red

I couldn't get his site to load, but I generally trust .edu and .gov sites for information over .com...

http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/psychology/health_psychology/Protein.htm

Basically a sedimentary person that doesn't lift any weights needs around 0.8 g of protein per kg of body weight.

A person that goes to the gym needs around 1.7 to 1.8 per pound. Some body builders go as high as 3g per pound.

At 1.8g per kg, I come out to 112.5g of protein required (Weight lifting should be a part of every weight loss program). At a 30% of my calories, it is about 120g of protein. So, 112.5 vs 120g... I am dang near spot on!

Thank you for posting and taking the time to reply to me! It's a great help!

Feisty_Red

I was eating 1100-1200 daily and stalled for 2 weeks after loosing 20 lbs. Started eating around 1500 and I'm loosing again.

I'm starting to feel better whew..

Christi6604

After a 6 month plateau, I read this article (posted by someone else on these forums) and I upped my cals by about 150 per day and decreased cardio a bit (about 100 calories). I've dropped 8 more pounds and keep losing.

http://www.fitnesswithnatalie.blogspot.com/2011/05/most-dreaded-word-in-weight-loss.html

vypeters

Me! I actually was trying to get into maintenance and every time I'd up my calories my loss would stop for a couple of weeks, then start again fast. It does take a little time for your body to adjust to the higher calories and your metabolism to rev up, though.

AZChristy

I lost a bunch of weight last year by following mfp's guidelines but am now doing leangains so I started a new account for my new goals and approach. I eat way more now and I'm still losing. Last year I stuck to 1300 cals and ate back some of my exercise calories. Now I eat about 1500 on rest days and 2000 on workout days and am loving it and looking great.

Feisty_Red

After a 6 month plateau, I read this article (posted by someone else on these forums) and I upped my cals by about 150 per day and decreased cardio a bit (about 100 calories). I've dropped 8 more pounds and keep losing.

http://www.fitnesswithnatalie.blogspot.com/2011/05/most-dreaded-word-in-weight-loss.html

I've read that article too!!!!! That's what really put me over the edge to up my fuel!! And slow down on the massive amounts of cardio..Heck..I like weight training more anyways..awesome article..I just wish I would chill out..and listen I'm glad to hear you also have had a positive experience!!!!! ))

8 pounds..I would be dancing in the streets with that loss..go girl!!.. Never..ever will I take even a one pound loss for granted!!!

Feisty_Red

Me! I actually was trying to get into maintenance and every time I'd up my calories my loss would stop for a couple of weeks, then start again fast. It does take a little time for your body to adjust to the higher calories and your metabolism to rev up, though.

Yeah! and YEAH )

Feisty_Red

I lost a bunch of weight last year by following mfp's guidelines but am now doing leangains so I started a new account for my new goals and approach. I eat way more now and I'm still losing. Last year I stuck to 1300 cals and ate back some of my exercise calories. Now I eat about 1500 on rest days and 2000 on workout days and am loving it and looking great.

Another yay!! Why is it so scary to do this? I think..because we have been so programmed...I'm talking since I was a kid..that you have to eat 1000 to lose weight! It's takes a reprogramming of the brain..I believe!!

Feisty_Red

and I'm so happy to see not ONE person has said..ya..I up'ed my calories and GAINED GAINED GAINED

mcarter99

Have you gained muscle or lost inches in the past 3 months? What has your intake been?

Don't get too intimidated by the numbers. If you think you might be too low, try higher for 2 weeks. If you think you might be too high (or if higher doesn't help), try lower for two weeks. You're not going to break anything for a 2-week test period as long as you're eating over 1200 and feel ok during workouts.

Chgosportsgal

My Dr. told me because of the intensity of my workouts, I HAD to hit at 2000 cals per day and 160g of protein. I do intense cardio 3x's a week and strength, abs, sculpt an toning 2x's week. Since I started eating more, I'm feeling much better and lost 3 lbs last week. I weigh in tomorrow - we'll see what happens!