Success with upping calories

Melo1966

Ok, here goes. I have a TDEE of 2752, a BMR of 2006. By my calculations, taking away 15% from my TDEE, I should be able to eat 2233 calories a day to lose weight. WELLLLL......when I eat 1500 - 1600 a day, I gain weight. What am I doing wrong? I do go to the Y three times a week doing what I can. I have health issues that keep me from doing much. I do ride the recumbent bike for 30 minutes, getting in 2.5 - 3 miles within the 30 minutes. I also use the weight machines for legs and arms...approximately 30 minutes all total for the weight machines. I estimate that I only burn 300 - 325 calories each visit at the Y. I don't eat back those calories. I stay at or below the 1560 calories per day that MFP suggests.

What am I doing wrong? I am scared if I eat the 2233 calories calculated using my TDEE and my BMR, I won't lose anything at all...or even gain.

Those are very high numbers mine are like 1400 and 2200 based on my heart rate monitor. You should not be gaining on 1500, have you had any testing done?

Clemsonmom

thanks for posting

jessmastrilli

I started 3 months ago on the 1200 calories. I lost 5 pounds the first month and platued. Then upped my calories to 1600 and lost another 5 pounds and went back on a plateau. Finally, this week I started up with 1900 calories (not eating back exercise cals) and I'm starting to gradually lose again. It's a great feelign knowing I don't have to starve myself I walk a lot, run, strength train, and do various workout DVDs.

DanaDark

Ok, here goes. I have a TDEE of 2752, a BMR of 2006. By my calculations, taking away 15% from my TDEE, I should be able to eat 2233 calories a day to lose weight. WELLLLL......when I eat 1500 - 1600 a day, I gain weight. What am I doing wrong? I do go to the Y three times a week doing what I can. I have health issues that keep me from doing much. I do ride the recumbent bike for 30 minutes, getting in 2.5 - 3 miles within the 30 minutes. I also use the weight machines for legs and arms...approximately 30 minutes all total for the weight machines. I estimate that I only burn 300 - 325 calories each visit at the Y. I don't eat back those calories. I stay at or below the 1560 calories per day that MFP suggests.

What am I doing wrong? I am scared if I eat the 2233 calories calculated using my TDEE and my BMR, I won't lose anything at all...or even gain.

What you eat is very important. The body requires significant daily infusions of nutrition to properly function. Without it, it won't properly function and will spend less energy.

A TDEE of 2750 while spending 300 at the gym implies your TDEE is 2400 without exercises... that seems rather high to me. I think the trouble is in your math.

LB2LL

Yep, it worked for me too....was stalled out for months on a low cal diet and as soon as I started NETTING above my BMR (which is 1404 at the moment), I started losing again immediately.

I figured out my TDEE at Sedentary, less 15%, then eat back all of my exercise cals. I have lost a steady 0.5 lbs per week since. I only have about 5 lbs to go. Also, using the Sedentary / Eat back exercise cals motivates me to get out there and do my workout so I can have the extra cals for dessert!! LOL

I'm new at this so forgive me if this has been explained 3000 times BUT... why the less 15%?

Also, if I did that I would have somewhere around 1400 calories to eat a day. Then are you saying after you exercise you eat those back as well (possibly putting my totals at or somewhere near 2000 cals/day)?

edwinamac

THANKS FOR THIS POST: I am at a STANDSTILL, My target goal is 1290 calories, daily, therefore, I eat 1300 calories, and then my workout calories (burned) adds up to 500 or more,....I DEFINITELY think that I need to UP my calories intake....but, the question is, by how much???

cbm1951

A TDEE of 2750 while spending 300 at the gym implies your TDEE is 2400 without exercises... that seems rather high to me. I think the trouble is in your math.
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Maybe my math should be checked. I am a 61 yr old woman, started out weighing 320 lbs. I am 5' 9" tall and I don't consider myself sendatary, but I used the next step down since I am not able to do a lot at the gym.

Could someone help? If I have left out any info needed to calculate my TDEE and my BMR, please let me know.

Thanks!!

_KATzMeow

every time I up the calories I gain! :grumble:

WendyTerry420

A TDEE of 2750 while spending 300 at the gym implies your TDEE is 2400 without exercises... that seems rather high to me. I think the trouble is in your math.

Maybe my math should be checked. I am a 61 yr old woman, started out weighing 320 lbs. I am 5' 9" tall and I don't consider myself sendatary, but I used the next step down since I am not able to do a lot at the gym.

Could someone help? If I have left out any info needed to calculate my TDEE and my BMR, please let me know.

Thanks!!

The Harris Benedict Equation has you at a BMR of 1997. Sedentary multiplier gives you 2400 for TDEE without exercise.

itgeekwoman

I upped my calories from 1200 to approximately 1800 /day. It's rough to eat that much, but on days that I don't eat 1800 I know it. I can feel that I haven't eaten enough. My TDEE is 2299 based on 3-5 workouts a week. I haven't lost weight, but I'm also not gaining weight now. In the last few days I'm down from the initial gain and am within 5lbs of when I started eating more to weigh less.

Good luck! I feel so much better now than I did before and have energy to work out.

TrishaCisneros

THANKS FOR THIS POST: I am at a STANDSTILL, My target goal is 1290 calories, daily, therefore, I eat 1300 calories, and then my workout calories (burned) adds up to 500 or more,....I DEFINITELY think that I need to UP my calories intake....but, the question is, by how much???

This sounds like my problem. MFP says my goal is 1360, but I have a hard time making it to 1200. Then subtract approx 500 for my workout. No bueno.

emilyc92

I posted this a while ago, but I can't find it now, so here it is again.

oh and p.s. if these pics offend anybody, feel free to scroll by without looking! They're the only ones I took, so yeah...

I am living evidence that eating too little will destroy your body... and eating more will do wonders for it! My story has two parts to it, the unhealthy weight loss part, and then the healthfully getting in rockin' shape part. If you aren't eating enough and wondering why you aren't seeing results or even loosing the progress you initially made, read my story!

Ok so I've been using myfitnesspal religiously since last May. At first, I decided I wanted to lose weight as fast as possible, so I (stupidly) completely starved myself. I would aim to eat about 500 calories a day, and I would exercise for at least an hour and a half every day. Well, I did lose weight... a lot of weight, really fast.

The first picture is before starting my weight loss, I believe in March 2011 (but it's how I looked when I started cutting calories in May). The second picture is in July 2011 (about two months later)


Great, I thought. I started eating about 800 calories a day (still WAY too low) once I was more happy with my weight. School started in August and I moved to a new campus. Meanwhile, my health was beginning to deteriorate. I had bruises all over my body. If someone so much as poked me, a bruise would appear within minutes. My body was not working the way it should at all, and I knew why. Nonetheless, I kept eating about 800 to 900 calories a day. With school picking up, I thought I no longer had time to exercise. I basically didn't move at all except to go to class because I was to tired and weak. I would decide to increase calories, so I'd eat about 1000 a day for a few weeks, but inevitably I'd feel so bad about myself for eating "that much" and cut back to 800-900 again.

Well, I don't even understand how this is possible, but even eating 900 calories a day, the weight started coming back on. I guess I had completely killed my metabolism and m body was grasping onto the little food I put in it for dear life. Then in February, I decided to get off my butt and get to the gym. I was disgusted with myself and new I needed to change. I started going to the gym 6 days a week for an hour each time. I did step aerobics classes and strength training classes, both of which I loved. With all that exercise, I knew I should be seeing results, but I wasn't. My body looked the same, and I felt weaker and weaker rather than stronger. So I finally listened to the voice inside me saying "Well duh, you're starving your body! Be healthy!"

I started aiming for about 1400 calories a day. Immediately, I noticed that I could lift more at the gym and had more endurance throughout my workouts. I started CrossFit in the beginning of April. Some people don't like it because people get pretty competitive, but I love it! After long workouts, I would notice that I was still hungry after the 1400 calories, so I listened to my body and ate more! I started eating about 1600-1700 on hard workout days. My scale broke a while back, so I have no idea how much weight I've lost since cleaning up my act, but look at these pictures for yourself. The results speak for themself

The first picture is from February 2012, when I had been eating about 900 calories a day or less for about 9 months (and I clearly GAINED weight since the previous picture from July 2011). The second picture is from a few days ago (April 2012) after about 3 months of serious work in the gym and 1400-1700 calories a day


I know it seems counter intuitive, but it's true. You cannot achieve maintainable weight loss by starving yourself! Eat more, lift those weights, and get results!

running_shoe

This totally worked for me. At 1200, I would be very, very hungry. I would lose 8 pounds or so, then plateau. It's hard to continue to starve yourself when the scale won't move. This was my weightwatchers experience. MFP gave me a little more to start, about 1450 to lose 1 pound a week. The same sort of thing happened at that calorie intake, though. I tweaked my goal to lose 0.5 pounds per week, got 1650 calories per day, and lost the rest of my weight. Now, on maintenance, I get almost 2,000 and for a month it has been bang on. I feel like I get lots of food. Very pleased to learn that you don't have to be hungry to maintain a healthy weight. Just try it. Like OP says, what have you got to lose?

Melo1966

A TDEE of 2750 while spending 300 at the gym implies your TDEE is 2400 without exercises... that seems rather high to me. I think the trouble is in your math.

Maybe my math should be checked. I am a 61 yr old woman, started out weighing 320 lbs. I am 5' 9" tall and I don't consider myself sendatary, but I used the next step down since I am not able to do a lot at the gym.

Could someone help? If I have left out any info needed to calculate my TDEE and my BMR, please let me know.

Thanks!!
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I am sorry you did not look 300 in your pic and very active for that weight great job. But if you are gaining at 1,500 cals at 300lbs you really should see a doctor for testing.

DanaDark

I am sorry you did not look 300 in your pic and very active for that weight great job. But if you are gaining at 1,500 cals at 300lbs you really should see a doctor for testing.

Yeah... that does not seem right at all.

shellux

Just recalculated mine and my weekly goal that I set for exercise was 600 cals, its actually 1500 cals approx. Just rechecked my TDEE and if I was lightly active (which I'm obviously not) then my goal should be 1840 cals a day. I need to educate myself to eat the right foods, rather than sugary calorific processed rubbish, such a massive learning curve and life change just not overnight.

Here goes. Any tips are gladly welcomed

jchrisman717

The one thing I will say to anyone upping their calories, at least when I did up mine for a short time and I lost, BUT only when I also changed my macros and kept my macros where they should be - meaning that I had to eat more protein and less processed carbs in order to lose on the higher calories. I found my information on how many calories and what percentage to put my macros at in the "Eat More to Lose" group. Also the New Rules of Lifting for Women outline it pretty good for you. Also, I think if you do this you would not eat back your exercise calories because it is already figured in there -- unless you have a really high calorie burn like over 500 calories.

Anyone, feel free to correct me as I am just going from memory on some of this.

Themuseinme

Glad you wrote this.
I noticed this myself early on
-it helps in so many ways-much easier to get more important nutrients and macros and micros,aminos etc, (and especially fiber for me), and more importanly less hungry and less bingeing-........ so why not get the extra calories on a daily basis rather
then eat them all at once from feelign starved. duh!

AmyRhubarb

This was posted on the first page, but posting again for those asking about how to figure how much to be eating, how to figure all the numbers, etc, etc - see this thread: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

There is also a group here on MFP for the followers of the Road Map - lots of help, advice, and success stories: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/7965-in-place-of-a-road-map
Another good group called Eat More To Weigh Less: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/3834-eat-more-to-weigh-less

I upped my calories after starting out with the standard 1200 calories, losing a little, but being hungry and frustrated, especially when the weight loss stalled after a short time. The Road Map info helped me out tremendously! I've dropped two more pants sizes, and the fat is still coming off - I'm better now at 44 than I was in my 30's. Check it out, read through it, ask questions if you need to, and give it a shot!

lacurandera1

Increasing protein does wonders for muscle mass and is an easy way to add calories to your diet. I upped my protein intake and lost about 4 lbs in a week after no weight loss for about 4 months.