What have people found when increasing calories

umachanxo

Did you find you gained weight over the first few weeks/stayed the same/ continued to decrease in weight?

I increased mine quite a while back from 1200 to 1800 slowly. I would eat maybe 100 calories more, and then continued to increase. I've now decreased again to 1400-1500 because I have a lower BMR than I used to.

I think I may have gone up on the scale but it came off very fast. I think it was more water weight than anything. The best thing to do is find what works for you, and go with it.

msaestein1

Upping my calories gave me more energy during the day and more motivation to push myself during workouts.

This. I tried 1300 calories and ate half my exercise calories back. It did work, but then after a while, I didn't want to exercise at all. Exercise if very important for me. So, I have been eating 1500 calories now and eating back half of the exercise calories which puts me at 1300. The scale has not moved but I have lost an inch in my waist and thighs. That's more important!

mschickiepoo

bump

WendyTerry420

So we hear time and time again how increasing your calories can lead to better weight loss (rather than doing only 1200 cal a day). I was wondering if people who have increased their intake from 1200 could tell me what they found weight wise over the course of increasing.

Did you find you gained weight over the first few weeks/stayed the same/ continued to decrease in weight?

I increased mine on my first day. Since I know that if I do nothing but sit all day, then I would burn 2100 calories, I set mine to 1700. A couple months ago, I increased it to 1800, and I always eat back my exercise calories. I'm glad I did. If I had to eat 1200 to lose weight, I would have given up a long time ago.

neverstray

What I love about the IPOARM method, is you simply eat at your goal weight TDEE, so when you get there, there's nothing to change. You just keep doing what you've always done.

Ann1964x

This!

I started eating back my exercise calories, about 200 a day, so went from 1200cals to 1400 cals a day. I never ate my exercise calories back, but since I started losing again. Now average about 1.5 lb weight loss a week.

Skratchie

I'm new to MFP, and I have a lot of weight to lose, but it hasn't always been that way - a few years ago, I was a decent weight and I worked out regularly. I found then that in order to lose weight, I have to eat. I eat around 1900 cals a day when I'm not working out, and up to 2400 when I am working out, and I lose weight at a fairly quick rate. But in order to make it work, I can't eat a lot of junk - I think the sodium kills me. I'm still not great with sodium, and I've never been the type of person who salts my food much, but it's amazing how much sodium you can pick up from the oddest places. My best weight loss "zone" is to work out for 30-45 minutes six days a week and eat between 2200-2400 cals a day. I'm never hungry, I have energy and the weight seems to melt off - some weeks, as much as 3-4 lbs. I will lose 3-4 lbs one week, then maybe half a lb the next - it's not consistent, but it often adds up to a 6-8 lb loss per month.

But the most important thing I have found is to not eat the same exact foods every single day, and to not eat the exact same number of calories every single day. If I vary the foods I eat and if I fluctuate 100-200 cals a day, I get my best results. My body has to be "constantly guessing" for me to see any real results. Oh, and I dropped regular soda - I still drink a couple of diet drinks a day, and I don't plan to ever give them up - they are my "treats" and keep me from going stark raving mad. LOL People will say that diet drinks have a lot of sodium, but a 12 oz can of Diet Dr Pepper has 50 mg of sodium. True, if it didn't drink it, I wouldn't have any sodium, but then again, I probably wouldn't stick with just water either. This is a nice compromise for me.

YMMV. :-)

haroon_awan

Please let us know how tomorrow goes, if you don't mind.

I increased my calories last week, but lost nothing. However, I did have one bad day at the start of the week. I have been eating more than 1200 still, but not eating all of my exercise cals back.

This is the mistake most people (women especially to be honest) make ALL the time. Getting fit isn't a one week or two week process. It takes MONTHS and YEARS for some people. Have some patience. You can't spend 1 year eating junk and not workout out and then expect results in a one week of hard work or one week of experimenting a new workout or diet for that matter. It doesn't work that way.

Eat healthy
Lift weights
Do some cardio
Relax
Stick with it

It's not that hard.

rose313

I increased my cals from 1200 to 1500 when I started lifting. I lost 10 pounds over the next few months, then plateaued no matter what I did. I increased exercise, nothing worked, I didn't lose any inches anymore, everything just stopped. So I'm back to low cal again and losing again.

gingerjen7

No, my weight loss did not increase when I increased calories. And I felt like crap when I did it, too. I'm much happier sticking between 1200 and 1300 gross. Trying to eat back exercise calories was worthless for me too. I don't care if I net under 1200; it feels a whole lot better than trying to fill myself up with stuff I don't even want.

gingerveg

I upped from 1200 net to 1400 net. I don't always eat all my exercise calories back. I haven't gained, but I also haven't lost any weight. But I also ate 2000 over my limit on Thanksgiving day right smack dab in the middle of the "experiment"! I usually fluctuate 2 pounds (up and down) and that hasn't happened since I upped my calories even with my Thanksgiving binge. So for now I'm considering it a win. I'm going to keep doing it unless my weight goes up. I don't want to lose more than 5lbs so I am at the tail end of losing weight (I lost about 15 lbs to get here). And in case someone close to my height/weight/age is interested I'm: 39 5'4" 120lbs BF% 22.9 and my BMR is about 1240ish.

ETA: Forgot to mention. I am not a hungry person (in that I didn't find 1200 net particularly hard to keep up) but I am a vegetarian so the extra 200 calories has offered me more opportunities to get extra Bs, protein, and iron into my body. I have never counted calories in my life because I've never been overweight (even when I started here I was not technically overweight--although I was to me). I've also never had any medical problems (just got a physical with blood work and at 39y/o I am ridiculously healthy). Since I never limited my calories before I was a little concerned I might not be hitting my nutritional goals so that is what I am really focussing on now. I really wish MFP would let us track more of those.

Sambo004

Thanks for posting this comment. I know that everyone recommends upping your cals once you start plateauing, but I struggle to reconcile this in my mind. I have maintained my weight for 8 months now. Just short of the last kg I would like to lose to reach my ultimate goal weight. But generally I am very happy. Many people have advised I should be eating more because I exercise 5 - 6 times a week and have started to increase to eating back half my exercise calories, but my weight hasn't changed. I'm very nervous about upping because it seems to good to be true. LOL. Very interested to hear how long it took to start losing weight after the increase.

You'll need to consistantly eat 1000-2000 calories over your TDEE to put on weight. If you upped yours to just below TDEE for the little amount you have left to lose then you'll get there slowly but surely and you'll be very close to maintenance which should then be easy to transition into

Thank you for the reply! :flowerforyou: I am still nervous, but am trying the increase, and am in my 3rd week of eating around 1300 - 1500 and have actually lost a little bit of weight and cm's finally. Will see if that loss carries through to another week though, as I am skeptical.

Jamie_55

Can anyone tell me what Heybales's calorie deficit chart is? Or post a link for it?

Thanks!!

I just started the Road Map system and am enjoying it so far. I only weigh in once a month/6 weeks so not sure how I'm doing yet on it.

DeMarraDontStop

I did it for a week and gained weight, doesn't work for me...

MemphisKitten

I got over my plateau and have WAY more energy!!

cowgirlashlee

I've been having MUCH better results since I started eating more calories. All last week, I exercised to 2200 calories or more to consume for the day (my regular is 1600 on here) and I ate around 2000 a day, and went from 175-171. I know, water fluxuations, but still!

I'm experimenting now on the eat more weigh less mantra that so many people promote.

Ta2dchic20

I haven't found anything consistant one way or another, it's maddening. However, I just remind myself of the calories in should be less than calories out and I will keep losing.

ahviendha

Worked for me! I have a semi active job and workout 3-4 times a week, occasional intense hikes (3-4 hours, 8+ miles), playtime in the bedroom etc, and upping calories gave me much more energy, more flexibility, and happiness with my life.

I can't imagine eating 1200 a day with my lifestyle. It's hard to remember how I did it for 2-3 months back in the spring. I guess I just had that much extra fat on me to fuel everything. Now that I'm slimmer I eat much closer to maintenance.

DebbieLyn63

So we hear time and time again how increasing your calories can lead to better weight loss (rather than doing only 1200 cal a day). I was wondering if people who have increased their intake from 1200 could tell me what they found weight wise over the course of increasing.

Did you find you gained weight over the first few weeks/stayed the same/ continued to decrease in weight?

Gained weight. Had to drop it back down. I can have an over day every couple of weeks, but can't do it more than 1-2 days in a row.

Polly758

Maybe this is a no-brainer, but I went from 1200 to 1600 and I stopped thinking about food ALL THE TIME.

I lift weights and do HIIT and eat in the range of 1600-1900.

In retrospect, keeping one's self hungry all the time seems like a pretty sure way to fail.

Yolanda4160

I started eating back my exercise calories, about 200 a day, so went from 1200cals to 1400 cals a day. I never ate my exercise calories back, but since I started losing again. Now average about 1.5 lb weight loss a week.

so glad to read this. I am trying to up my calorie intake as well and was scared of a gain at first, but now I feel reassured that I will be ok.

californiagirl2012

So we hear time and time again how increasing your calories can lead to better weight loss (rather than doing only 1200 cal a day). I was wondering if people who have increased their intake from 1200 could tell me what they found weight wise over the course of increasing.

Did you find you gained weight over the first few weeks/stayed the same/ continued to decrease in weight?

Everyone is different. It's easy for taller people with a higher RMR to do this, they can go up or down and still lose weight. It really all depends on your RMR. Me, eating more makes me fat, always has and probably always will. You just have to experiment and find what is right for you. Don't compare your calories with anyone else, even your same gender and height.

‘Dieting’ and to a large degree ‘healthy eating’ is simply finding an amount of food that
allows you to reduce your bodyweight or to keep it at a level that creates the body shape
that you deem ‘desirable’.

It really is as simple as this.

It doesn’t matter if that number is 1,700 or 2,700, as long as it’s right for you. After all,
excess body fat is simply a result of eating more food than you need to.


According to the body-centric way of thinking and the WHO definition, if you are not
maintaining your desirable weight at your current activity level, then you are
overeating.

In the simplest of terms your body fat is just a storage container for extra calories you
were not able to use (burn). So when you lower your calorie intake below the amount of
calories your body requires to fuel your metabolism it simply takes those calories from
your body fat to make up the difference.

This is why you are never ACTUALLY ‘starving your body’.

As an example:

Let’s say your total daily Calorie needs is 2,500 Calories per day. Let’s also assume the
amount of calories you ate was only 2,000 calories. Your body simply makes up the
difference with the calories from your body fat (and a few from some minor sources like
your glycogen stores).

2,000 Calories from food + 500 Calories from Body fat = 2,500 Calories being used
to fuel your metabolism.

So you just ‘make up the deficit’ with the calories being stored in your body fat. (Hence
the saying ‘creating calorie deficit’)

So if eating less food than you need means you will use your body fat as a fuel source, it
becomes easy to see why and how you lose body fat by eating less.

-From Brad Pilon in the Body Centric Eating Manual from John Barbans Venus Index and Adonis Index manuals

cstexas2012

Was on a VLCD (1200 or less net) for months at least. Upped to 1826 (but it was thanksgiving, so I went way over a few days) last week. I gained a pound exactly but it was totally worth it (and not that surprising bc I'm pretty short and 112 lbs). I don't think about food all.day.long. anymore, my workouts have been easier, and it's just nice to get to eat so much more while only weighing a pound more. I have no doubt that in a few weeks (if I want) I could cut down without hitting the plateau I did before, but I think I'm going to start lifting instead actually and hopefully lose the fat and build a little muscle.

daisiemae123

So glad to see this thread today. I was debating upping my calories a bit, but was afraid of gain. I have had my activity level set at sedentary because of my desk job but I really think my toddler keeps me running enough at home to change it to lightly active. I had stalled out on losses and was thinking about trying it. Now I feel better about it.

wellbert

Had more energy
lifted more weight
got fat

VelvetAcidVixen

I've always been able to lose weight eating about 1600 calories per day, plus eating back some or all of my exercise calories. I lose about 5 lbs per month that way, which is good enough for me. Why torture yourself with an ultra low calorie diet, when you're not going to be able to sustain that in the long term anyway?

tooliebell

My weight loss has been gradually slowing down in the past month, and I have considered the EMWL option. I need to do a weigh in a the dr for my health insurance. Once that is done, I will be experiementing with all kinds of things like lifting, and upping my calories. My biggest fear upping my calories is I will head toward naughty foods more often but I have to have the confidence in myself to make the right choices. After eating 1200 calories for a couple months, it is really hard for me to eat more than that, I just don't find myself hungry.

I agree it may not be for everyone and I may find that out myself but this weight thing is a process and in any proces you have to experiment and find out what is right or wrong. I appreciate your responses because this a very interesting topic for me.

Mrsbrandnewmeslimandtrim

bump

WendyTerry420

I did it for a week and gained weight, doesn't work for me...

You can't make a claim that it didn't work if you only tried it for one week. It takes 4-6 weeks before you will know whether or no it works for you.