Should I eat more to weigh less?

dahkneeka

Hey-
Looking for some advice on calorie intake.
Right now, i am around the 1200cal/day mark, but the scale isnt budging. At first, I put this down to the fact I have been regulairly exercising (something new to me) and gaining more muscle. I am starting to feel more solid... but sometimes, I hit my calorie limit by noon!! That being said, I have not been eating junk, deep fried anything, sugary drinks, alcohol etc. I have been very particular in what I eat.

I calculated my BMR - 1503
TDEE between 2056-2317 (I dont know what exercising x times per week means, ie- duration/ intensity etc. I walk a minimum of 2k 5x per week, so i calulated between 1-3, and 3-5)

Any suggestions on where my calorie intake should be? Is it too low?
Thanks in advance for the support!

Dlacenere

Yes it is too low, you don't want to go below your bmr. I used to do the same thing and started losing again when I upped my calories and started lifting heavier weights

AmyRhubarb

I don't think you can gain muscle, at least not much, by eating below your BMR. The fact that you're hitting 1200 by lunchtime shows that your body wants more fuel!

Check out this topic for helpful info on setting your calories and goals: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

It's working very well for me, and a lot of other people here. I'm set at 1800 calories a day, workout 5 or 6 days a week, and the fat is coming off. :bigsmile: (I'm 44, 5'8" and currently 137lbs)

Work hard and eat too little and you're giving your body a reason to store fat. Food is fuel!

Learning your BMR and your TDEE and eating in between those two is awesome - great freedom in the kitchen knowing that you're giving your body enough fuel, and not freaking out if you go over the day's number on occasion, but stay under that TDEE number.

nellyett

I used to do the 1200 cal thing too....stalled out for 3 months. Tried eating back exercise cals, not eating them back, etc. etc.

I did some research and decided to go by the TDEE numbers and have had instant results. I calculated my TDEE at Sedentary which is 1607. My BMR is approximately 1340. TDEE at 1607 - 15% is 1366.

I set MFP to 1400 cals and I eat ALL of my exercise cals back. I do bootcamp 3 x per week and run on my off days with 1 day of rest. I use a HRM to get my calorie burn. I eat anywhere between 1700 and 1900 cals per day to NET between 1400 and 1500 cals per day. I use the Sedentary rate so it motivates me to exercise

The first week I did this I dropped 3 lbs and next week I lost 0.5 lbs. It's been great eating more, and the scale has moved for the first time in months! Plus I'm seeing some definition that I hadn't been able to attain before.

So in answer to your question....YES! give it a shot!

1holegrouper

Hey-
Looking for some advice on calorie intake.
Right now, i am around the 1200cal/day mark, but the scale isnt budging. At first, I put this down to the fact I have been regulairly exercising (something new to me) and gaining more muscle. I am starting to feel more solid... but sometimes, I hit my calorie limit by noon!! That being said, I have not been eating junk, deep fried anything, sugary drinks, alcohol etc. I have been very particular in what I eat.

I calculated my BMR - 1503
TDEE between 2056-2317 (I dont know what exercising x times per week means, ie- duration/ intensity etc. I walk a minimum of 2k 5x per week, so i calulated between 1-3, and 3-5)

Any suggestions on where my calorie intake should be? Is it too low?
Thanks in advance for the support!

By being careful what you eat will allow you better appetite control as you obviously are exhibiting and you will feel and be healthier. Weight loss alone is stupid. Weight loss with improved health is a beautiful thing. But, I would not eat such a low amount given the information you provided. Our body will fight againt our efforts at that point- unless you are way overweight- which by your picture you obviously are not. I would go for 500 calories under your TDEE (2307-500= 1,807) and then eat back your exercise calories. Then be patient and enjoy the ride. If your food is being accurately measured and your exercise calories are not being overrated then you should average a 1 pound a week weight loss until your next plateau which always happens. Then you may want to apply a new strategy such as changing up your exercise routine. But, losing weight is not linear at all. Again, it seems to be more linear when we have a lot of fat to lose but when we are basically in shape but have stubborn pounds to lose we then require more patience and more creativity. Have a daily discipline but a weekly accountability. That is, don't fret on day to day weight but look at weekly weight changes with more consideration. Some may even argue looking from a month to month perspective. Also, regarding calories I find that its easier to maintain good discipline during the work week where I can accumulate a robust calorie deficit that I can add to the weekend where I tend to eat (and play) more. But, for the week averaged out I'm able to meet my goals.

ETA: this whole 1,200 movement on this forum is, in my opinion, doing a great disservice to many people and needs to stop now.