Did you increase your calories with positive results?

dragonflyjen

In fact this post should be entitled, "Did you increase your calories with positive OR NEGATIVE results?"

Hey there,

I have recently increased my calories after alot of reading which made me realise that only eating 1200 plus my exercise calories was just plain stupid. I've been living in a calorie deficit for sooo long, no wonder my weight loss kept plateauing (I still have about 14lbs to lose). So a few days ago I worked out my TDEE-15% (1700 cals) and have gradually increased my food to that level - feels like so much food!!

I realise that there are many people on this site who are scared of upping their calories, and therefore stick to very low calories with slow progress. Seeing the scale go up is scary, but my body isn't sure what's going on yet. I am only a few days in and I was prepared for it - but it may freak other out - so I have decided to track the highs and lows of my new healthier way of eating.

I would be really interested to hear from those of you that have upped your calories after previously netting a calorie deficit for a long time (ie net cals below your BMR)...what were your experiences? Did your weight increase at first, and if so how long did it take to settle? What have been the positive and negative effects? And those who tried increasing your calories and returned to low calories again, how long did you do it for and why didn't you stick with it?

Thanks in advance!!

majik0516

Bump as I'm thinking of upping my calories too.

LittleMissDover

I'll be interested to see this too as I've just upped my calories, not as much as you but from 1200 to 1390 and I'm a bit worried about what the scales will say come Monday!

DebraAukett

Watching this post closely! I'm on a plateau at the moment, and was wondering the exact same thing and considered increasing my calories - but scared as hell to do it

jesspi68

I was netting 1200 for the first two months and lost about twenty pounds and the got stuck. Month long plateau. It wasn't until I upped my calories to net 1650 that I was able to start losing and now I'm up to 35 pounds lost. With the additional working out and running I have been doing I did a re-evaluation of my calorie goal and I'm going to try this for a month and see. Right now I am eating about 2100 calories a day, but I do not eat back exercise calories since they are already built into that number.

Also, I am 5'4", and I am a size 10-12 at 189lbs. Google Scooby BMR calculator to calculate your approximate TDEE - 15 or 20 % for your daily calorie goal. And be honest about your activity level. You won't do yourself any favors by over or under estimating that.

bvin43

From a male perspective I had a positive result by increasing my calorie intake from 1700 to 2000 calories per day. I had gotten down and was steadily decreasing for about 6 weeks. Weeks 7 and 8 I stayed the same weight while continuing to exercise daily and maintaining my strict 1700 calorie diet. Within two days of increasing my calorie intake to 2000 I noticed the weight loss to kick in again. I read a bit about this on other blogs and it seems to be true that you can put your body into a starvation mode by eating too few calories.


Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

bvin43

Oh and I forgot to add that I have been losing weight steadily at my new 2000 calorie limit for the past three weeks.

geebusuk

From my initial start point of 225lb, I started on around 1300 calories.
An arbitrary figure which a house mate that had an office job was using. While he did walk around a bit for his job, I was doing a LOT of physical activity at work.

I was a little worried I was losing muscle - in reality I think I just wasn't gaining any more, but was losing fat so they looked smaller. I could still lift the same sorts of weight at work (ie car gear boxes etc) with similar effort.

I started using MFP when I'd lost maybe 35-40lb. At the same time I uppped my calories to around 1600 - what MFP suggested for 1000 calories under with a reasonably active life.
I was still doing a lot of heavy lifting at work, so the idea was to get higher levels of protein in to ensure that not only didn't I lose muscle, but I might even gain some (in the past I HAVE gained some muscle while losing weight with similar tactics.)
Seems to have worked so far. While my biceps are looking smaller over-all, the muscle it's self is certainly looking bigger and more defined. Do keep meaning to find a tape measure and do some regular measurements. How ever I've still added a few holes to my belt.
When I started I had trouble fitting in size 36 jeans and actually popped the buckle on one pair that probably wasn't vanity sized.
Now size 30 is a little too loose and I could just fit in to some size 28s, though they were definitely too tight!
My work doesn't involve so much carido or anaraboic exercise, but I've been doing more other stuff. Fair bit of rock climbing and yesterday I used the bike to get there and back, as well as around town; giving me 10 miles riding and then did a 5k run in the evening.
Did eat back my calories though and the (daily reading so doesn't mean much) scales stayed the same despite the cheesecake etc.

Should note that just recently I've changed the base to a more sedentary one, so I record all activity I can now. So the base starts 200 calories lower, but it means I do have to think a bit more if I've spent a day sat around doing computer work.

OldBean86

I have been reading about TDEE/BMR for the past couple of days and I have to say that I am completely baffled by it.

I am 26 years old, 140 pounds with a goal weight of 126 pounds. I have a desk job but do approx 30 mins of strength/cardio 5 times a week.

MFP has given me a base calorie intake of 1,200 kcals a day which I really do not think is sustainable in the long run.

I'm unsure as to what to do?

yecatsml

I was eating 1200 cal (I am 5'4" and was 165) and lost a bit - down to 150. Then I stalled for over a month. I upped my calories to 2100 per day for 4 weeks to reset my metabolism and am at 148. I plan on doing a 15% cut starting next week. I broke up that many calories into 6 small meals - and I'm still eating healthy food. It is tough to get in all those calories, but it feels great and I am not bloated or overly full. I have seen drops in inches (1.5 off bust/waist) where the scale has not moved.

beachlover317

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Yes, still losing (more inches than pounds), exercising smart, eating healthy, never hungry anymore. The best benefit? If I had to do this for the rest of my life? I definitely could. And I definitely will.

Check this site out. All are welcome.

opuntia

I gained weight a few years ago when I increased my calories - but I didn't increase my calories on purpose or with the intention of losing weight. It was just a gradual change to my lifestyle that I wasn't really aware of. I ate more when I was a student - way more than I needed to eat, as well as being less active than I'd been before, and so I gained weight.

Upon realising this and deciding to do something about it, I lost weight by decreasing food intake to what I need. Not a deficit, and not counting calories - just eating more sensibly, having smaller portions, reducing junk food, listening to my body, stopping when I'm full, and occasionally having fast days to give my body a rest, and make me more aware of my body. I've found occasional fast days are very helpful for stopping habits of overeating, and making me a lot more sensitive to what my body really needs. I also lost more weight from doing strength exercises - that helped me get more toned too.

I don't know if what worked for me will work for everyone. I only had around 20 pounds to lose.

opuntia

MFP has given me a base calorie intake of 1,200 kcals a day which I really do not think is sustainable in the long run.

I'm unsure as to what to do?

The reason MFP gives you this is because you say you want to lose a certain amount in a certain timeframe. Make the timeframe bigger, and it will give you a higher number of calories. Say you want to lose 0.5lb per week, for instance, rather than 2lb per week.

Also, the number it gives you doesn't count what you lose from exercise - if you are exercising regularly, the idea is that you can eat those calories too.

tuppestove

my net calories are 1200 but my bmi is 1640 which one do you go by,

chicbuc

I was working out hard 6 days a week for an hour at a time and eating 1500-1700 calories. I upped to 2000 and cut my cardio way down and lost 8 pounds in the first month and a half. It's still coming off, but much slower which is fine with me because I like to eat.

beachlover317

my net calories are 1200 but my bmi is 1640 which one do you go by,

scroll back and read my post. :flowerforyou:

beachlover317

I was working out hard 6 days a week for an hour and eating 1500-1700 calories. I upped to 2000 and cut my cardio way down and lost 8 pounds in the first month and a half. It's still coming off, but much slower which is fine with me because I like to eat.

That is awesome! Check out the site in my post - other like minded people there!

LorinaLynn

I started at 1200 calories because, like everyone else in the world, I wanted to lose the weight as quickly as possible. (Plus exercise calories. I always at my exercise calories.)

That lasted a month, until I realized that the only time I lost more than one pound a week was when I had a stomach flu.

So, I figured, if I'm only going to lose one pound a week, why not set my goal to one pound a week? Then I got 1350. And that very first week, I lost 1.5 pounds. :happy: I continued at that until I got about 10 pounds from my goal, then I switched to a half pound a week, which was around 1500.

When I reached my initial goal weight, I stopped logging on weekends, but kept at 1500. I also increased my protein and aimed for a minimum of 100g a day. That month, I averaged one pound a week. While only trying to lose a half pound a week, and only logging Monday through Friday.

So... yeah, increasing calories was a very good thing for me. In the past, I thought the only way to lose would be to continue to eat less and less and less. I was wrong.

woodsygirl

Inititally I lost weight doing South Beach Diet and not tracking calories, so i'm not sure what I was netting at first.

For a long while, I ate 1500 calories, or at least I tried to but that was too low for me. I would lose a little but then I would binge and my weight would go back up.

I increased my calories to 1800, but I was still hungry and would overeat.

I have just increased my calories to 1900, and I feel much better now and have not had to overeat. If the weight continues to drop, I will increase the calories again. Eating 1900 and not having to binge because i'm starving is much better than trying to net less and being so hungry I lose control.

reneecgc

I upped my calories slowly. I started at 1200 too but always ate my exercise calories. I had a very hard time on my rest days. I bumped it up to 1400 for rest days by tried to stay between 1500-1600 during my work out days. That work great for me. When I hit
my goal I went up 1,680, but didn't always eat my exercise calories. I am now up to 1800plus and I try to stay between 1800-2000 and I don't always eat all my exercise calories. I keep losing more weight and I am beyond my goal. I think I am going to add some more healthy fat when I cook so I can up my calories. I never thought I would say I don't want to lose anymore weight. Make sure your calories are high in nutrition. It is not always about the calories , it is more about the quality of the food. Good Luck on your journey.

wellbert

gain fat every time I eat exercise calories back, or try and eat over "bmr."
no thanks.

ehg87

I didn't have a whole lot of weight to lose when I started.....just 30lbs. Lost the first 18 with no problem....a pound a week....and then the past two months I stalled, started exercising more; still the scale wouldn't budge; tried eating even less, still no budge. Finally posted on here about how to get out of a plateau, and was told to eat more. Of course that's in total contradiction to what I feel it takes to lose weight, but I was like I haven't lost weight in 2 months what do I have to lose?! MFP had my calories set at 1320 a day, and I was one of those that tried not to eat back exercise calories....so I was actually netting around 1100 cals a day.....For the last two weeks I actually just stopped logging, ate more, but have followed when my body is actually telling me I'm hungry and amazingly the scale has moved again 1.2 lbs the first week and 0.6 the second (and that was after a week full of bad decisions) If I had to guess I would say I'm eating probably 1600 - 1800 calories a day.

kellyhighhopes

Bump, thanks.

Victoria2448

Yes, and it's worked for all my clients as well. You just have to make sure the foods you eat are quality foods...not just eating anything to reach a certain number of calories. Undereating will not get you healthy, and long term it WILL end up biting you in the butt. I know...because I lived it.

I am upping my cals again here as soon as I start my new mass building program.

BSchoberg

It really is counterintuitive to UP calores to lose weight. I have run the numbers a half dozen times with "in place of a road map 2.0" - referenced earlier in this thread. I FEEL better when I up my calories, I have more energy, better workouts, better sleep - and then I'll hit a couple of days where I'm all freaked out by the calorie count. I just haven't been able to fully commit to more calories - and have paid the 3 week plateau price. Finally lost 1 pound this past week and am now done messing around. I am 5'4", 162.5 lbs currently and looking to get to 140-145 (at which point I will re-evaluate... if I'm good there, I'll stay there; if not, I'll set a new goal).

I am going from 1200 net to just below 1600 gross. What that means is I will not be eating back my exercise calories each day, but evening out my dialy calorie intake whether I have a heavy lifting/heavy cardio day or a rest day. If I maintain my current workout schedule, this should work out perfectly.

Wish me luck! I will be checking back here to see how everyone is doing - and will post updates of my own.

bushidowoman

I once tried to follow the Jillian Michaels diet, keeping my calories around 1400 a day. I was doing martial arts workouts, and in addition, I added the30 day shred. A whole month of that, the scale barely budged, and I couldn't see any results.
When I went to see my MD about a knee injury, I asked him to check my thryroid and some other labs, telling him about the struggles I was having with losing weight. He asked about what I was eating and what kind of exercise I was doing. Then he told me I needed to eat more. He said that at my weight, with the amount of exercise I was doing, I should be taking in around 1800 calories a day. I thought he was crazy, and dismissed his advice. If I wasn't losing weight, then there was no way I was going to eat MORE.
But he was right. After my last baby, I quit counting calories for awhile, instead trying to stick to "whole" foods, eating when I was hungry. I tried to make sure I got in 5 servings of raw fruits and veggies, tried to get in more lean protein, drink more water, etc. Doing that slowly took off about 25 pounds. Then when I got on here and started logging my calories and exercise, I saw that around 1800-2000 calories on heavy exercise days (1600 on rest days) was enough to keep me *slowly* losing. But losing nonetheless. I also felt great and had more energy.
I'll take a slow weight loss feeling great over a rapid weight loss that's hard to stick to.

Oh, yeah, I also got below my goal weight eating that many calories! After being overweight to borderline obese for years while trying to "diet".

Mustangsally33

bump for later !

RUNN3Rmom

I have tried the low calorie diets and found that I was crabby, slow moving, and just plain old bummed feeling. I have since learned a lot about health, fitness, and how to properly fuel my body and why I need to so I upped my calories to 1600 and on lifting days about 2000. But I also know not all calories are created equally so I try to eat healthy, too.

I have lost 4.5 inches since July 9th, 2012 but have gained 4lbs. I am heavy lifting so I'll take the poundage and the inches lost!!

I hope you are able to test it out & see what your body wants/needs & what makes you feel the best!!

Elen_Sia

I did with positive results. Used to net 1000 calories in the pre-lifting period. Now I net 1500 minimum, with protein making up most of the increase.

mellabyte

Bump for future reading.

I've upped from 1200 to 1300 - but still rarely net that (with continued high energy levels and feel good vibes). (Consistently losing, at about .5lbs every week or every two weeks, but only 7lbs left.) But still considering increasing cals to speed up lean muscle building.

sgarrard01

I started off on 1400kcal daily and ate back all my all exersize calories, after about 20lbs lost (2lbs a week) i pleateaued for 3 weeks. After much deliberation i decided to up my calories to 1600 (net)... and WOW, i dropped about 4lbs in one week and i've been again loosing 2lbs a week, sometimes more.. not only that i'm able to work out alot harder than before!... with my exersize added in, most days i eat around 2200kcal and on days when i swim (3-4per week) that can take it up to 3200kcal

I'm actually planning to up one last time to 1750 next week, again eating back all my exersize calories to coast down to around 82-84kg before starting p90x where i will be eating at level 2 which gives me 2400kcal per day inclusive of exersize (so around 1800 net)!....

Hope that helps some of you to make that decission that uping calories is the right decission..! afterall would you like to live on 1200 per day for life???!